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The list of bills on any calendar can and does change from moment to moment while a floor session is going on. The status of the Calendar can NOT change between the end of one floor session and the start of the next. The calendar as it appeared at the end of a floor session is exactly the way it will start at the beginning of the next. (Of course, it can be changed by motion as soon as that next floor session begins.)
The times of floor sessions for each day are listed in the weekly schedule that is available for each week of the session.
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Update Schedule
We update the calendar lists from time to time each day while
the legislature meets in a floor session, however the calendars
on our page are
not "live." Our page is NOT updated each time the calendar
changes during a floor session We DO always update the
calendars at the end of each floor session so that you can
see what bills are scheduled for consideration at the start
of the next floor session.
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Kinds of Calendars
Each house of the Legislature has a different set of
floor calendars with similarities, but also with some
significant differences. Each Calendar is explained
below.
Senate Calendars
Second Reading
Only the Senate has a Second Reading Calendar.
When any bill has completed its Senate committee hearing and
the committee recommends the bill to the full Senate, the
bill is added to the bottom Second Reading Calendar list.
(It could be added to the Consent Calendar instead, see
Consent Calendar below.)
House Bills and Senate Bills are listed together in the
order they come from committees on the Senate's Second Reading
Calendar.
When it is time for consideration of bills on the Second Reading Calendar, the top bill on that list will be debated and first.(In the Senate, most of the the amendments, if any, and debate on a bill occurs during consideration on second reading.) At the end of that consideration a vote is taken. After the vote, the bill is removed from the Second Reading Calendar and the next bill in order is up for consideration. If the bill passes the vote on second reading, it is moved to the Senate Third Reading Calendar, explained below. If it fails, it is removed from the listed and filed as a defeated bill.
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Third Reading
In the Senate, the Third Reading Calendar works just like the
Second Reading Calendar explained with two exceptions. First,
bills are added to the Third Reading Calendar after passage
on second reading. And second, at the end of debate on third
reading the final vote for the offical passage of the bill is
taken. By tradition in the Senate, debate and amendment
usually take place on second reading, but they can occur also
on third reading. House bills and Senate bills are listed
together on the Senate's Third Reading Calendar.
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Consent Calendar
If a bill receives a unanimous vote from from the Senate committee
and a sponsor requests it, the Senate committee may recommend that
the bill be placed on the Consent Calendar. Bills placed on Consent
stay on the Consent Calendar for three days. At the end of three
days, the bill is presented without debate and voted upon for
final passage. If, during the three days the bill sits on this
calendar, three Senators object to the bill being on Consent,
the bill is removed from the Consent Calendar and placed at the
bottom of the Second Reading Calendar.
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Time Certain Calendar
Upon a motion of a Senator, a bill may be scheduled for consideration
at a specific time on a specific day. Bills that are so scheduled
are on the Time Certain Calendar. When the schedule day and time
come, the bill is then considered, debated and voted upon.
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House Calendars
Third Reading - House Bills
When any House Bill has completed its House committee hearing
and the committee recommends the bill to the full House, the
House Bill is added to the bottom Third Reading Calendar list.
(It could be added to the Consent Calendar instead, see
Consent Calendar below.)
Senate bills go to a seperate Senate Bills Third Reading
Calendar, explained below. On mondays, tuesdays and fridays, the
House works on House Bills from this calendar. On wednesdays
and thursdays, the House works on Senate bills form the Third
Reading - Senate Bills calendar explained below.
When it is time for consideration of bills on the Third Reading Calendar, the top bill on that list will be debated and first. While it is being considered, debate is heard and any amendments are considered. At the end of that consideration the vote for final passage is taken. After the vote, the bill is removed from the calendar. If the House Bill passes, it is sent on to the Senate for its consideration. If the bill fails, it is filed as a defeated bill.
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Third Reading - Senate Bills
This calendar contains all the Senate bills that have passed
House Committee (or that have bypassed committee.) It works
exactly like the Third Reading Calendar for House bills
except that bills on this calendar are considered
on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
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Consent Calendar
If a bill receives a unanimous vote from from the House committee
and a sponsor requests it, the House committee may recommend that
the bill be placed on the Consent Calendar. Bills placed on Consent
stay on the Consent Calendar for three days. (For the House, a day
is defined as a day that has floor time.) At the end of three
days, the bill is presented with only a 2 minute explanation from
the sponsor and voted upon for
final passage. If, during the three days the bill sits on this
calendar, six House members object to the bill being on Consent,
the bill is removed from the Consent Calendar and placed at the
bottom of the appropriate Third Reading Calendar.
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Time Certain Calendar
Upon a motion of a Representative, a bill may be scheduled for
consideration at a specific time on a specific day. Bills that
are so scheduled
are on the Time Certain Calendar. When the schedule day and time
come, the bill is then considered, debated and voted upon.
Circled Bills
Bills are listed on the calendar in the order they are going
go be considered, as explained in more detail above. However,
when a bill makes it to the top of the list and is next to
be considered, there are sometimes reasons to skip that bill
for now. Maybe the sponsor isn't ready, or another member
wants time to have an amendment prepared, etc. By motion, the
body can decide to set the bill temporarily aside and go on
to the next bill on the list. This motion and action are called
"circling" the bill. In the days of a chalk board calendar, (only
a few years ago) the bill number was in fact circled. On the current
electronic board, the "circled" bills are shown in a different
color at the top of the board.
To consider a bill that has previously been circled, any member (but usually the sponsor of the bill or the member who moved to circle the bill) can move to uncircle the bill. If the motion passes, the bill is immediately the next bill to be considered. Such a motion may be made at anytime there is not bill currently under discussion.
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