No matter may be taken up in either chamber unless it appears on that body’s calendar or a supplement. For
the legislator, the Senate and House Calendars are strategic documents. They provide an agenda of each chamber’s
business, a list of newly introduced bills, a record of the committee reports received that day, a list of measures
that have been tabled and a host of other facts the legislator needs to know.
The Senate Calendar is prepared by the Secretary of the Senate. Its order and content are governed by the Senate
Rules, particularly Senate Rule 512. To consider an item out of the established order, it is necessary to suspend
the rules, which requires a two-thirds vote of the members present.
Similarly, the Clerk of the House publishes the House Calendar. Order and content are determined by the House
Rules, particularly House Rule 501. An item may be taken out of order only by unanimous consent of the House.
The following discussion summarizes the features of the calendars. In most respects, the Senate and House proceed
in the same manner; differences are indicated where they exist.
1. Order of Business
Matters are taken up according to Rule 512 in the Senate and Rule 501 in the House. The major matters are as
follows.
a. Papers from the other body. The first order of business in each chamber is to address matters that
have been forwarded from the other chamber. For example, papers that have been referred to committees by the House,
or engrossed without reference to a committee by the House, will appear here on the Senate Calendar.
Within this category, there is a further set of priorities. Nonconcurrent matters, i.e., where the two bodies
have taken conflicting actions, are the first to be considered. On questions of concurrence, Senate Rule 502 and
House Rule 503 set out the priority in which motions may be considered:
1st. To recede.
2nd. To concur.
3rd. To insist.
4th. To adhere.
b. Messages and documents. Also referred to as “Communications,” these are letters and announcements from
the Governor or others. They include gubernatorial and nominations and veto messages.
c. Reference of bills and other matters to committees. Generally, the first appearance of a bill or other
measure on the calendar is under this category with a suggested committee of reference.
Once an item in this category has been acted upon (e.g., a Senate Paper referred in the Senate to Committee X),
it goes to the other body and appears on its calendar under the first order of business.
d. Orders. The fourth order of business is orders originating in that body. In the Senate, it includes
Senate Orders and Joint Orders and in the House this includes House Orders and Joint Orders.
e. Expressions of legislative sentiment (House only). The Special Sentiment Calendar exists only in the
House; similar expressions in the Senate are made by order. These are generally congratulatory messages for outstanding
achievements or expressions of condolence. Unless there is objection, they are considered passed.
f. Committee reports. The fifth item of business in the Senate and the sixth in the House is the receipt
of reports of committees. This is the first step a bill takes after a committee has acted on it. The committee
report appears first in the originating chamber, i.e., the chamber of the prime sponsor. After that body has
completed action on it, the bill and accompanying report are sent to the other body for action.
When a committee report first appears in the body, the body may vote to accept the committee’s report (or one
of the reports, if it’s divided), to substitute the bill for the report, to table the matter, or to indefinitely
postpone the matter (which defeats the bill). If an affirmative committee report is accepted, the bill receives
its first reading and is assigned for second reading on the next legislative day.
Unanimous committee reports to defeat a measure (“ought not to pass”) are summarily disposed of and sent to the
legislative files. No further action is permitted unless the measure is recalled for reconsideration by a vote
of two-thirds of both chambers.
g. Consent Calendar (House only). In the House, but not the Senate, matters that received unanimous favorable
committee reports appear in the House Calendar under the category of Consent Calendar. If there is no objection,
after its second day on the Consent Calendar the measure is considered passed to be engrossed, without the House
having formally accepted the report or having given the bill its first or second reading (House Rule 519).
If a representative objects to any bill on the Consent Calendar, the first order of business with respect to that
bill is acceptance or rejection of the committee report. Regardless of the outcome, the bill is no longer treated
as a Consent Calendar bill.
h. Bills in second reading. This is a crucial step in the process for bills that have survived this far.
It is the time when amendments to the bill may be offered on the floor. Amendments to committee amendments are
offered at the time of adopting the committee amendment. After a bill receives its second reading and is approved,
it is passed to be engrossed and sent to the other body.
As previously indicated, bills on the House Consent Calendar do not go through this stage unless there is objection
to their placement on the Consent Calendar.
i. Enactors. After a bill has had its first and second readings and has been passed to be engrossed in
identical form in both chambers, it goes first to the House and then to the Senate for enactment. This is the
final step before a bill is sent to the Governor for approval. Further changes to the bill at this point require
backing it up through its previous stages by a series of reconsideration votes.
It is at this stage that appropriations bills are sent to one of the special Appropriations Tables in the Senate.
j. Orders of the day. This category includes all other papers, e.g., tabled items. Any document that
is tabled may be assigned a day for its consideration, or “tabled unassigned.” Unfinished business in which a
chamber was engaged at the time of the last adjournment takes precedence in the orders of the day.
2. Calendar Supplements
Very often, supplements to the calendars are distributed in each chamber. This occurs most commonly late in the
session.