Senator Basics
Process of Passing/ Rejecting a Bill:
First Week (Introducing a bill and asking questions of intent):
The bill is placed in new Business. It is read by author. Any senator can ask that the bill be considered as read. This means that the author doesn't actually read the bill. The author talks a little bit about the bill.
Any senator can ask then ask yes or no questions to the author, starting with, "Is it the author's intent to..."
After this, the bill is placed into General Orders. It will be debated and voted on the following week.
Second Week (Debating and voting on bill):
The bill is re-read. Again, the any senator can ask that the bill be considered as read.
The bill is open for debate. If you have any questions, put your placard on its edge. If you have a question for the author, you must ask the chair (Vice President) to address the author. Say something like, "May I direct a question towards the author of the bill?"
This is your time to say your opinion about the bill. You may state your opinion and how you are going to vote, but you may NOT ask others how they are voting. This is called performing a straw-poll.Amendments
If there is an error to the bill or something you would like changed, you may propose an amendment. To do this, raise your placard. When the chair calls on you, simply say, "I would like to propose an amendment to this bill. The amendment is..." Then state your reasons.
After you propose an amendment, all of the debate will be centered around the amendment. If someone has proposed an amendment, you cannot debate the bill as a whole. If you have an opinion about the bill as a whole, but not the amendment, put your placard down. The chair has made a list of speakers and will return to you once the amendment has been voted upon.
The amendment CAN be amended, but keeping amendments to amendments to a minimum helps everyone understand what is going on.
When the amendment's debate has been exhausted (see "Calling to Question"), it will be voted on. If it passes, the changes take place immediately. If it fails, the same amendment cannot be reintroduced.
The Bill as a Whole
Remember when you are debating a bill to follow some simple rules:
- Keep your argument short and to the point
- Don't repeat what other people have said
- If you want to state that you agree with someone, just say, “I agree with Senator ABCD. I also fully support this bill.”
- Remember to treat every other senator with respect (everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion)
Calling the Question
Any senator can stop the debate and bring the bill to a vote. You do this by saying (after a person has finished talking) "Call to Question." Someone must second it. The chair will ask if there are any objections. If there are none, then the bill is voted on. If there ARE objections, a quick placard vote will determine whether the bill will be voted on.
*If you have something to say that you feel will add to the debate and not just repeat what has been said, you can object by raising your placard when the chair asks if there are any objections.
Voting
When it comes time to vote on the bill, it can occur in two ways. There can be role call voting or a placard voting.
Placard Voting
If it is placard voting, if you want to pass the bill you raise your placard
when instructed to do so, same thing if you want to vote against the bill.
Roll-call voting
If it is role-call voting, your name will be called in alphabetical order.
You may answer yes, no, pass, or abstain. Yes and no are self-explanatory.
Pass
Pass means that after everyone has been asked, the chair will ask you again. It gives you a little more time to think about which way you want to vote.
Abstaining
If you abstain, you vote neither yes or no. You might do this if you like the idea but not the bill or if you don't want to go on the record voting against or for something. This should not be used frequently. You are elected to make decisions, not to take the middle ground. But there are some instances where abstaining is necessary.Unanimous Consent
Any senator can call for Unanimous Consent, or "UC." If you would vote no on the bill, say loudly that you object. Then a vote will be performed.
Terms
Point of Order- If there is something that occurred that is not correct, any senator can call point of order and explain the point of order.
- i.e. If the chair miscounts the number of votes, a senator can call point of order.
Point of Information- If a senator believes that there is a vital piece of information that is missing from the debate, or if he or she is confused about a point, he or she may interject point of information. This should be in the form of a question.
- i.e. If a speaker has assumed that all senators have knowledge of a subject and you are unaware of what is being talked about, you can call point of information and ask what the topic is.
Point of Personal Privilege- If a remark has been made that is untrue about something you have said or to say that something another senator has said offended you, you may use point of personal privilege to bring the matter to light.
- i.e. if a speaker misquotes you from earlier in the debate, you can call point of personal privilege to correct the speaker.
