RULES AND ORDERS

OF THE

Assembly of the State of New-York,

ADOPTED JANUARY 5, 1855.

1. Upon the appearance of a quorum, the Speaker, Appearance having taken the chair, and the members being called of a quorum. to order, the journal of the preceding day shall be read, Reading the to the end that any mistakes therein may be corrected minutes. by the House; and in all cases of the absence of a quo- Absence of rum, the members present may take such measures as quorum. shall be necessary to procure the attendance of absent members; and the Speaker, with the consent of the majority of the members present, may adjourn from day to day until a quorum shall appear.

2. After the reading and approving of the journal, Order of the order of business shall be as follows:

1. The Presentation of Petitions.
2. Reports of Standing Committees.
3. Reports of Select Committees.
4. Messages from the Governor.

5. Communications from the State Officers.
6. Messages from the Senate.

7. Third Reading of Bills.
8. Notices.

9. Introduction of Bills.
10. Motions and Resolutions.
11. Unfinished Business.

business.

Motions for reference.

General order.

Priority of business.

Speaker to preserve order.

Speaker's

vote.

12. Special Orders of the Day.

13. General Orders of the Day; but Messages from the Governor, Communications from

State Officers, and Messages from the Senate, may be received at any time.

3. Motions for reference to different committees shall be put in the following order:

1. To the Committee of the Whole.

2. To a Standing Committee.

3. To a Select Committee; but no Bill or other matter shall be considered in committee of the whole until the same is printed.

4. No bill shall be ordered to a third reading without having been acted on in committee of the whole.

5. The Speaker shall cause the clerk to make a list, in the order in which they were referred, of all bills, resolutions and reports of committees, and other proceedings of the House, which are committed to a committee of the whole, and not made a special order of the day for any particular day; which list shall be called "The General Orders of the Day."

6. All questions relating to the priority of business, that is, the priority of one question or subject matter over another, under the same order of business, shall be decided without debate.

7. The Speaker shall preserve order and decorum, and shall decide all questions of order, which decision shall be final unless an appeal is taken to the House. On every appeal from the decision of the Speaker, he shall have the right in his place to assign his reason for his decision. He shall also have the right to substitute any member to perform the duties of the chair, but such a substitution shall not extend beyond one day, unless by leave of the House.

8. When the House shall be equally divided, including the Speaker's vote, the question shall be lost.

9. When the Speaker is putting the question, no Order. member shall walk across or out of the House.

10. When the House adjourns, the members shall Adjournkeep their seats until the Speaker leaves the chair.

ment.

11. A member rising to debate, to give a notice, Order of make a motion or report, or to present a petition or speaking. other paper, shall address the Speaker, and shall not proceed further until recognized by the chair.

12. No member shall speak more than twice to the Members same general question without leave of the House; nor entitled to speak. more than once in any case, until every member choosing to speak on the question pending shall have spoken.

13. While a member is speaking, no member shall Order and entertain any private discourse, or pass between him silence.

and the chair.

order.

14. If any member, in speaking or otherwise, trans- Calls to gress the rules of the House, the Speaker shall, or any member may call to order; in which case, the member so called to order shall immediately sit down, unless permitted to explain.

vote.

15. Every member who shall be within the bar of the Members House when a question is stated from the chair, shall entitled to vote thereon, unless he be excused by the House, or unless he be directly interested in the question, in which case he shall not vote. No member shall be permitted to vote on any question, unless within the bar when his name is called. The bar of the House shall be deemed to include only the Assembly Chamber within the rails.

16. Petitions, memorials and other papers, addressed Petitions and memoto the House, shall be presented by the Speaker, or by a member in his place.

rials.

etc.

17. Every member, previous to presenting a petition Manner of or memorial, shall endorse on the same the substance presenting, thereof, and add his name; the clerk shall then read the endorsement; after which, the Speaker shall put the question on the disposition of said petition” or memorial.

Motions.

Withdrawal of the same.

Division of questions.

Filling blanks.

Motions,

when receivable.

Motion for previous question.

Previous question.

18. Every motion shall be first stated by the Speaker, or read by the clerk before debate, and immediately before the question is put; and every such motion, except of the class of motions embraced in rule 22, shall be reduced to writing, if the Speaker or any member desires it.

19. After a motion is stated by the Speaker, it shall be deemed to be in the possession of the House, but may be withdrawn at any time before a decision or amendment.

20. If the question in debate contain several distinct propositions, the same shall be divided by the chair at the request of any member, but a motion to strike out and insert shall be indivisible.

21. When a blank is to be filled, and different sums or times are proposed, the question shall first be put on the largest sum and longest time.

22. When a question is under debate, no motion shall be received unless for an adjouurument of the House, a call of the House, for the previous question, to postpone it indefinitely, to postpone it to a certain day, to lay it on the table, to commit it, or to amend it; these several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they are here stated.

23. A motion to lay a question on the table shall be decided without amendment or debate; a motion to commit, until it is decided, shall preclude all amendment and debate of the main question; and a motion to postpone a question indefinitely, or to adjourn it to a day certain, until it is decided, shall preclude all amendment of the main question.

24. The "previous question" shall be as follows"Shall the main question be now put?" and until it is decided, shall preclude all amendment or debate. When, on taking the previous question, the House shall decide that the main question shall not now be put, the main question shall be considered as still remaining under debate. The "main question" shall be on the passage of the bill, resolution, or other matter under