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The fundamental, overriding purpose of the Montana YMCA Youth Legislature's Joint Rules are:

• To promote the orderly and businesslike consideration of the questions (bills, motions, etc.) presented for deliberation;
• To provide a systematic and cogent process so that all legislative business can receive full and fair consideration within the time constraints of the session;
• To facilitate and expedite legislative business, rather than restraining, obstructing or otherwise detracting from it.

It is understood that Parliamentary procedure is a tool used to promote fairness while also allowing business to be conducted in a smooth and expeditious manner. The rules are created to protect the rights of members. According to Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure, "Any rule serves best when it is applied with judgment and fairness. Arbitrary, inflexible rules, rigorously applied to differing situations, often produce injustice."

Participants are expected to conduct their activities in a manner consistent with the spirit and intent of the YMCA Youth and Government mission, code of conduct and rules of procedure. As outlined in Mason's, "Every memberÉis presumed to be the equal of every other member, and each has rights that must be respected. The rights of the minority and the majority both must be protected."

Legislators may appeal decisions of a presiding officer to the session parliamentarian for a ruling on the issue.

Any participant who believes that the spirit or intent of the rules has been violated may report their concerns to their delegation advisor, who will pass on these concerns to the program staff or the session parliamentarian if a ruling is needed. These concerns shall then be dealt with as outlined in Chapter Two below and in the Youth and Government Code of Conduct.

10-10. Authorities. The Joint Rules of the Montana YMCA Youth Legislature are based on the Youth and Government Code of Conduct, the current edition of Rules of the Montana Legislature and Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure. In all cases of parliamentary inquiry not covered by the joint rules outlined below, the Rules of the Montana Legislature, then Mason's will govern the proceedings of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Should a situation arise not provided for in any of the above rules or references, authority to adopt appropriate procedures shall be with the designated parliamentarian, with concurrence by the State Director if needed.

10-20. Amendment or Suspension of Joint Rules.

1. These Joint Rules may not be suspended and/or amended during the session for which adopted.
2. Recommendations for amending the Rules may be initiated by proposal or resolution submitted to the Joint Committee on Rules, consisting of the current session's Youth Governor, Secretary of State, Lieutenant Governor, President of the Senate, President Pro-Tem, Speaker of the House, Speaker Pro-Tem, plus two members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate, and three members of the House, appointed by the Speaker of the House.
3. The Secretary of State shall serve as Chair of the Joint Committee on Rules.
4. Recommendations passed by the Joint Committee will be submitted to the State Office for consideration.
5. Any amendment, proposal, or resolution receiving a majority vote from the committee and approval of the State Office shall take effect the following year.
6. Amendments, resolutions, or proposals to these Joint Rules may be made any time up to four hours before the current year's Youth Legislature adjournment.

10-30. Preeminence of Youth Legislature Joint Rules. No rule or motion which is contrary to the spirit and purpose of these Joint Rules shall be allowed.

10-40. Committee Rules. Committee Rules are outlined separately for ease of use, but these Joint Rules apply to all situations not otherwise addressed in the Committee Rules.

20-10. When applicable. The following procedures apply at all times that any legislative body of the Montana YMCA Youth and Government Program is in committee (as applicable), floor session or committee of the whole.

20-20. Recognition and Speeches

1. When a member desires to address the House/Senate, s/he shall rise from his/her seat with microphone (if used) in hand. If needed, the member may respectfully say (as appropriate, without interrupting someone else's speech) "Mr./Madame Speaker," "Mr./Madame Chair," or "Mr./Madame President," but shall not speak further until recognized by the presiding officer. Upon being recognized, s/he may speak, confining remarks to the subject under consideration. When two or more members rise at the same time, the presiding officer shall designate which member is entitled to speak first. No speaker will be recognized unless they stand up.
2. Once recognized for a speech, a member shall stand up, and is entitled to speak within the time limits outlined in these rules, unless ruled out of order. The body may impose a shorter time limit on speeches if needed, as long as time limits are set prior to beginning debate on a given bill or motion.
3. All speeches should begin with the courtesy statement, "Mr/Madame Speaker/President, or, if in Committee of the Whole, "Mr./Madame Chair and members of the CommitteeÉ"
4. A motion for cloture will not be recognized and vote cannot be taken on a bill (except for bills on the Consent Calendar) until the opportunity has been provided for at least one pro and one con speech above and beyond the Sponsor's opening and close.
5. The sponsor of a bill under consideration may speak both to open and to close debate.
6. A member cannot yield his/her time to a member who has already spoken or to any other member of the chambers.
7. Members are to confine their remarks to the question before the body, and avoid personalized comments. It is the issue, not the individual, which is under debate.
8. Members address their remarks to the Presiding Officer and the body, not to an individual member.

20-30. Decorum.

1. Infringements of these joint rules shall be dealt with by the Presiding Officer and the Sergeant at Arms, who serves under the direction of the Presiding Officer.
2. If there is confusion over the rules while in session, the presiding officer or chair of Committee of the Whole may order the chamber to Recess or to "Stand at Ease" while the difficulty in question is resolved.
3. Any member may rise to a point of order by receiving recognition of the chair and stating his or her point of order. S/he shall then be seated. The Presiding Officer shall decide the point of order without debate.
4. If any member is in violation of the rules, the Presiding Officer shall call the offending member to order. The member must immediately stop talking and take his/her seat, unless permitted by the chair to explain.
5. The Youth Legislature as a body has the right to protect itself from dilatory motions. When a member is clearly taking advantage of parliamentary tactics to delay or obstruct business, the presiding officer has the right to not recognize a member and/or to rule them out of order. If the presiding officer is sustained upon an appeal, they need not entertain any further motions or appeals from the same member while it is still evident that the member is continuing their attempts to obstruct business.
6. Appeals of a decision by a presiding officer will be taken to the parliamentarian, who will make a ruling on the issue.
7. No member shall, while on the floor of the House/Senate, engage in personal attacks, use profanity, or use offensive language.
8. There shall be no food or drink in the chambers.
9. The Capitol is a fragile and historic structure, needing care and preservation. Therefore, behavior with the potential to damage the furnishings or equipment of the chambers is not allowed.
10. The Capitol has witnessed significant historic events, earning respect for the facility, for those who have served in the Chambers in the past, and for the process of representative government itself. Therefore, behavior demonstrating disrespect, such as sitting with feet on the desks, is not allowed.
11. Members are to give their attention to the business of the chamber. Headphones, radios, video games or other personal electronic items are not permitted in the chamber.
12. During a session, those who disregard the direction of the Presiding Officer or a warning of the Sergeant at Arms may be asked to leave the Chambers at the discretion of the Presiding Officer. Those who disregard the instructions of the Presiding Officers may be sent to a Code of Conduct committee of adult advisors and the State Director. This committee will discuss the matter with the participants involved and decide whether the participant will be allowed to continue in the Youth Legislature's activities.

30-10. Hours of Meeting. The hours of meeting, including the hours for committee meetings, shall be as established in the printed schedule and current session bill book.

30-20. Opening Procedures. Each day of the session shall begin as follows:

1. Call to Order. The Speaker/President, or in his/her absence the Pro-Tempore, shall take the chair precisely at the time appointed for the meeting and shall immediately call the Chamber to order.

a. Pledge of Allegiance. The Speaker/President will lead the pledge.

b. Invocation. The Chaplain shall be asked to open the session with an invocation or inspirational message.

c. Roll Call and Quorum. Before proceeding with the business of the day, the roll of members shall be taken, and the names present shall be recorded. A majority of the members of a chamber shall constitute a quorum of that chamber. Party Whips will note attendance and inform their floor leader of the number present for their party.

30-30. Order of Business. Normally, unless ordered otherwise by the body, business will be conducted in the order set out below. Moving to a new order of business can be ordered by the presiding officer without objection, or may be moved from the floor (usually by the majority leader) and passed by a simple majority. The order of business is as follows:

1. Communications and Petitions. Various types of communications may be read to the House/Senate. This is also a time when special visitors may be introduced.

Acceptable motions: None

2. Reports of Standing Committees.

a. Each committee shall report to the chamber its recommendations on those bills referred to it by assignment in the current bill book. These reports shall be in writing and shall be delivered to the Chief Clerk/Secretary as outlined in the Committee Rules.

b. Reports shall be read from the rostrum by the Chief Clerk/Secretary when directed to do so by the presiding officer. The Chief Clerk/Secretary shall read each committee's report for each bill in the following manner: "We the Committee on (name), having had under consideration House/Senate Bill #____, recommend that the same (read motion adopted for bill. Motions will be one of the following: do pass, do pass as amended, do not pass, be concurred in, be concurred in as amended, be not concurred in). The Chief Clerk/Secretary continues to read the bills from the committee until all bills reported (i.e. voted on) from that committee are read.

c. At the end of the committee report, the chair of that committee stands from his/her position on the floor and says, "I move adoption of the committee report." Vote is taken. A substitute motion, such as a motion to segregate a bill from the committee report, can be offered. There is no debate and no questions. Individuals making substitute motions are allowed one minute to explain their motion.

*d. If a member wishes the chamber to debate a bill that received a Do Not Pass recommendation in committee, they may make a substitute motion to segregate a specific bill, saying "I move that House/Senate bill___ be segregated from the committee report and placed on the docket for Committee of the Whole." (*"Blasting out" bills tabled or otherwise not reported out can be done at order of business #6)

Acceptable Motions: Other than what is noted in (c) and (d) above, no other motions are in order. Motions under this order of business are not debatable.

3. Reports of Select Committees. Select committee reports, if any, shall be delivered to the Chief Clerk/Secretary in writing and then shall be read by him/her when directed to do so by the presiding officer.

Acceptable Motions: same as Order of Business #2

4. Messages from the Governor. These are read from the rostrum by the Clerk/Secretary.

Acceptable Motions: None

5. Messages from the Other House. These are read from the rostrum by the Clerk/Secretary. Acceptable Motions: None

6. Motions.

Acceptable Motions: Any appropriate motion is in order under this order of business. Usually, they arise out of the work of the body and are questions of general procedural nature. This order of business is not used to debate bills.

Chapter 4 describes all motions in detail.

*note: To withdraw a bill from a committee (if a bill was tabled or otherwise not reported out), an individual must rise and make the motion: "I move that House/Senate bill # ___ be withdrawn from the _______ Committee and be placed on the docket for Committee of the Whole ." The individual is then given one minute to explain why the bill should be debated in Committee of the Whole. There is no debate and no questions. If the motion passes with a simple majority, the bill is placed on the docket. (*Bills with a do not pass recommendation need to be dealt with at order of business #2)

7. Committee of the Whole. This is the only opportunity for floor debate on a bill. Compared to the real Montana Legislature, Committee of the Whole at Youth Legislature combines second and third reading of bills.

Acceptable Motions: To go into Committee of the Whole, the majority leader stands and says, "Mr./Madame Speaker/President, I move that this body resolve itself into Committee of the Whole." The presiding officer will reply, "Without objection, so ordered."

At this point, the Presiding Officer will usually turn the chamber over to the Pro-Tempore or another member of the body who will act as Chair of Committee of the Whole. The Presiding Officer will introduce the Chair to the body.

To return from Committee of the Whole to the regular session, the committee will rise as explained in 30-60 and at that time the Chair steps down and the presiding officer returns to the rostrum.

8. Consent Calendar. Bills which pass committee by a unanimous vote may be placed on the Consent Calendar and voted upon according to Rule 30-70 below.

9. Unfinished Business. This order of business is sometimes used to make appointments to conference committees, etc.

10. Special Orders of the Day. Governor's appointee confirmations, special awards, proclamations, etc. are in order under this item of business.

11. Announcements. Committee Chairs may announce any meetings not listed in the billbook schedule, announcements from the state office may be read, and the House/Senate may adjourn (usually upon a motion by the Majority leader) under this order of business.

30-40. Introduction of Bills. Only bills appearing in the current session's bill book are considered to be introduced by the YMCA Youth Legislature. Bills are numbered and assigned to committee prior to the session, thus are considered for procedural purposes to have completed first reading. Substitute bills may be developed in committee, but only to amend or combine previously introduced legislation. No bill may be altered or amended in a manner that changes its original purpose. No bill may be introduced except in the manner specified in these rules.

30-50. Constitutional Amendments and Resolutions. Resolutions and constitutional amendments shall be treated as bills, except for differences in the number of votes required to pass and that the Governor does not have the prerogative to sign or veto these items.

30-60. Committee of the Whole. Each Chamber, by parliamentary tradition, resolves itself into Committee of the Whole for the purpose of debating bills, resolutions and other legislation.

The purpose of Committee of the Whole is to permit more free and informal discussion of a question than could be had under ordinary rules of procedure. Committee of the Whole has slightly different rules in order to facilitate debate.

1. The Docket.
   a. All bills on the Committee of the Whole calendar shall be called for consideration in the order determined by the presiding officer.
   b. The Chief Clerk/Secretary shall post the order of bills (the docket) on the Committee of the Whole's calendar, according to the direction of the presiding officer.
   c. The sponsor of a bill may request the presiding officer to place his/her bill in a different position on the docket, but once moved cannot be moved again. When the presiding officer has rescheduled a bill, s/he shall notify the members of the chamber.
   
2. Amendments. Amendments to bills may not be proposed on the floor of the Youth Legislature, but only in committee. The chambers consider the bill in its amended form.
   
3. Votes. All procedural motions require a simple majority to pass. Votes on individual bills usually require a simple majority, and those requiring an extraordinary majority are generally so noted in the bill itself.
   Here are the main extraordinary votes that Youth Legislature participants may encounter:
   *Constitutional Amendments&emdash;2/3 of all members (not 2/3 of each house).
   *Bills to tap the principal of the Coal Severance Tax trust fund--3/4 of each house.
   *Bills to use highway funds for non-highway purposes--3/5 of each house.
   *Bills making a public entity immune from lawsuits--2/3 of each house.
   
4. Duties and privileges of the Chair. The Chair of the Committee of the Whole may not voice opinions on any matter before the committee, but does have a vote. If the Chair wishes to debate, s/he must turn the chamber over to another member.
   
   
5. Committee of the Whole Motions. Fewer motions are allowed in Committee of the Whole than in the regular body. Chapter 4 describes all motions in detail.
   
   Acceptable Motions: the only motions in order in committee of the whole are:
   a. To rise, rise and report or rise, report and ask leave to sit again.
   b. Point of Order. May be applied to a parliamentary inquiry, a question of personal privilege or to ask the body to observe its own rules.
   c. To pass consideration (i.e. to put off debate/action until a future time)
   d. To call for cloture. (i.e. to end debate immediately and bring all motions on the floor to a vote.) If the motion passes, the sponsor of the bill or motion is given an opportunity to close. Following the closing speech, the motion at hand is put to an immediate vote.
   e. To limit debate
   f. To refer (i.e. send a bill back to committee)
   g. To pass or concur
   h. To reconsider
   
   If need arises to conduct business that cannot be handled with one of the motions listed, the body must rise and then go to the appropriate order of business needed to address the item in question.
   
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6. Committee of the Whole Procedures.
   a. The Speaker/President will designate a member on advance notice, (in YMCA Youth Legislature, this is usually the Pro-Tem), to act as Chair of the Committee of the Whole. This member, upon the chamber resolving itself into the Committee of the Whole, takes the chair, bangs the gavel, and proceeds as follows:
   
   CHAIR: "The members of the Committee of the Whole will please be in order. Members of the Committee, we now have before us House/Senate Bill #__. Will the Clerk/Secretary read the History and Title of the Bill?" The Clerk/Secretary reads the title of the bill, the committee recommendation, and any amendments.
   
   b. After the Clerk/Secretary reads the History and Title of the Bill, the chair says, "Members of the Committee, you now have before you in its entirety House/Senate bill #__. What is your pleasure?"
   
   c. The sponsor of the bill rises and upon being recognized, "moves" the bill by saying, "Mr./Madame Chair, and members of the Committee, I move that when this committee does rise and report, after having under consideration, House/Senate Bill #__, that it recommend the same do pass." The Sponsor remains standing.
   
   d. Then, upon acknowledgement by the Chair, sponsor gives a sponsorship speech. Opening remarks are limited to three minutes. Afterwards, anyone wishing to question the speaker may ask questions in accordance with the rules outlined in Asking Questions of Members below.
   e. When the sponsor finishes, the Chair says, "Is there any discussion on this bill.?" The next person wishing to speak on the bill may then seek the floor by standing up and may say: "Mr./Madame Chair," but may not speak further until recognized. When recognized, s/he may proceed to speak, for not more than two minutes. Only the person recognized by the chair has the floor (the right to speak). When that speaker finishes, the Chair will say, "Is there further discussion on this bill?" continuing to recognize speakers within the limits of the rules.
   
   f. No member will be allowed to speak for a second time on a bill until all members have had a chance to speak. If time is limited, the Chair or the body may limit members to speaking only once per bill (other than the sponsor, who has the right to open and close debate), or may limit the total time allowed or number of speakers (as long as equal numbers of pro and con speeches are allowed). No member will be allowed to speak more than twice on a bill without unanimous consent of the chamber.
   
   g. To close debate, the Chair may act in one of three ways:
   
   i. If time or speaker limits have been reached, the Chair will say, "Time allowed for discussion of this bill has now elapsed. Would the Sponsor care to close?"
   
   ii. If the Chair says, "Is there further discussion on this bill?" and no one asks to be recognized within a reasonable period of time, the Chair may say, "Seeing none, would the Sponsor care to close?"
   
   iii. If a call for cloture is successful, the Chair says, "Cloture has been called. Would the Sponsor care to close?"
   
   h. The sponsor of the bill closes the debate. Closing speeches are limited to two minutes.
   
   i. After the conclusion of debate, the Chair says, "The question now arises on the motion of Representative/Senator___, that when this committee does rise and report, after having under consideration House/Senate Bill#__ it recommend the same do pass. Those in favor of the motion, signify by saying aye...opposed nay.."
   
   The Chair announces the vote as follows: "The ayes/nays have it, it is so ordered." A member may call for a division of the house according to rule 30-80 below.
   
   j. Upon completion of business in Committee of the Whole, the Majority Leader moves that the Committee Rise and Report. A vote is taken and the Speaker/President takes the rostrum. From their seat on the floor, the Chair of the Committee of the Whole then moves the adoption of the Committee Report. A vote is taken on the motion. The passed bills included in the report are then officially sent out of the chamber to the Youth Secretary of State for transmittal to the other chamber or to the Youth Governor.
   
7. Asking Questions of Members.
   
   a. If a member desires to ask a question of another member, s/he must do so through the presiding officer. Members are limited to two questions per motion. (i.e. a member may not ask two questions of every speaker on a motion) A question with a follow up is counted as two questions.
   b. The procedure for asking questions is for the member to rise, and upon recognition, say: "Mr/Madame Chair, will the member yield to a question?" All questions must be addressed to the presiding officer who rules to the appropriateness of the question (if needed), then asks the member speaking if s/he will yield to a question. The member may consent or decline, replying through the presiding officer. Members do not address each other directly.
   c. No more that 5 questions total may be asked of any speaker on a motion.
   d. Questions addressed to members may relate only to the question before the body.
   e. The purpose of a question is to obtain information and not to give a speech or to present an argument.
   f. Responses to questions are limited to one minute.
   g. Merely asking a question is not debate (when there is an undebatable motion on the floor). A member is entitled to inquire concerning the meaning, purpose or effect of even an undebatable motion.
   h. No questions are allowed after closing remarks.

30-70. Consent Calendar.

1. Bills which pass committee by a unanimous vote may be placed on the Consent Calendar.
2. A motion must be made and passed in Committee to place the bill on the Consent Calendar, and this decision must be included in the Committee Report.
3. Bills so placed are voted on without debate; however, the sponsor is granted a two minute speech prior to the vote.
4. If the bill is to be removed from the consent calendar, it must be so moved at Order of Business #6 and requires a majority vote

30-80. Voting.

1. Voting shall be by voice vote, "Aye" if for the measure or motion, "No" or "Nay" if opposed, unless electronic voting equipment is available. Only members of the chamber may vote, but every member in the House/Senate Chamber shall vote when a vote is taken, unless a conflict of interest, religious or moral reasons require him/her to abstain from voting
2. A member may call for a division of the chamber. Only one person needs to call "division" to question the chair's decision on a vote. If division has been called, a standing vote or a verbal roll call must be taken by the Clerk/Secretary of the chamber. However, one does not call division before chair has announced a decision.
3. If members are permitted to use electronic voting, all votes are automatically considered to be roll call votes and therefore a call for division is not in order.
4. In both chambers, most Bills and Resolutions require a simple majority vote. Constitutional referenda require a 2/3 vote (100 members) of the House and Senate in any combination. Votes to cap or obtain monies from the permanent Coal Tax Trust fund require a 3/4 majority of each chamber. Other extraordinary vote requirements will be noted in individual bills.
5. Once begun, the vote shall not be interrupted.

30-90. Transmittal.

1. Upon official passage of a bill, each chamber sends the bill, with committee amendments if any, to the Secretary of State, who will formally transmit the bill to the other chamber or to the Governor.
2. Bills not passed in their chamber of origin by the transmittal deadline stated in the bill book are automatically dead. A bill may be reconsidered after the transmittal deadline only with a 2/3 vote of the original chamber to consider the bill, and then if passed, by a 2/3 vote in the other chamber to receive the bill for debate.
3. If the other chamber amends a bill and passes it, they send a notice to the Chamber of origin asking for concurrence in the new amendments. If the original chamber does not concur, then a conference committee is appointed to reconcile the two versions of the bill. Upon passage by both chambers, bills will go to the Secretary of State, who will then present them to the Governor for his/her signature or veto.

30-100. Governor's Signature or Veto.

1. The Governor has two hours to act on bills from the time they are presented by the Secretary of State.
2. If the governor vetoes the bill, s/he will send it back to its chamber of origin with a statement of his/her reasons for the veto.
3. The Governor's veto remarks will be read to the members of the chamber (by reverting to Order of Business #4). The bill's sponsor may then move to go to Order of Business #6. At Order of Business #6, the bill's sponsor will make the following motion, "I move to override the Governor's veto on House/Senate Bill #___." The sponsor then will be given three minutes to respond to the Governor's veto message. Upon conclusion, a vote will be taken without debate. A "Yes" vote by a 2/3 majority overrides the veto in that chamber and transmits it to the other chamber where a similar vote is taken. A "No" vote by more than 1/3 of the members supports the Governor's veto and the bill is defeated.

40-10. Basic Guidelines. The following general guidelines on motions are adapted from principles on motions from Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure:

1. Is the motion amendable? If a motion can be made in more than one form, it is amendable. If it can be made in only one form, it is not amendable.
2. Is the motion debatable? A question is debatable if debate is essential to enable the members to evaluate the nature of the question. The question is not debatable when it is a procedural motion that can be understood by members without debate.
3. May the speaker be interrupted? A speaker may be interrupted whenever the needs of the body outweigh the convenience of a member. A speaker may be interrupted by a question that needs immediate attention or that has a definite time limit.
4. Precedence of motions. The closer a motion is to final disposition of a matter under consideration, the lower it is in order of precedence.

40-20. Motions allowed in Committee of the Whole.

1. Motions on the following list are in established order of priority. When a motion is pending, a member may not introduce another listed below it, but may introduce one listed above it.
2. ONLY the following motions are allowed in Committee of the Whole:

Motion	Purpose	Wording* *always begin your motion by saying, "Mr./Madame ChairÉ"	Debat-able?	Amend-able?	Inter-rupt the speaker?
To Rise and Report	When the Committee of the Whole has finished its business and wishes to adjourn, this motion allows the Committee to report its actions in order to clear the calendar .	"I move the Committee rise and report."	yes	no	no
To Rise	To recess in order to go to another order of business, or to otherwise temporarily suspend debate.	"I move the committee rise."	yes	no	no
To rise, report and ask leave to sit again	When the Committee of the Whole wishes to clear the calendar, this motion allows the committee to report completed business and return to debate other bills.	"I move the committee rise, report and ask leave to sit again."	yes	no	no
Point of Order.	May be applied to a parliamentary inquiry, a question of personal privilege or to ask the body to observe its own rules	"Point of Order"	no	no	yes
To pass consideration	To put off debate/action on a bill on the calendar for a brief period of time, with the intent to return to debate the bill later.	"I move we pass consideration on this bill."	no	no	no
To call for cloture (say: "CLOchur")	To end debate immediately and bring all motions on the floor to a vote.	"I call for cloture" OR "I move we vote immediately."	no	no	no
To Limit Debate	To limit the time taken to discuss a bill or group of bills; to allow more bills to be heard in a limited time period; etc. (motions to permit unlimited debate are not allowed)	"I move that debate be closed on this motion at XX:XX;" OR "I move that debate be limited to X minutes per speaker;" OR "I move that the time for debate per bill be limited to a total of XX minutes."	no	as to length of limits	no
To Refer (Send back to Committee)	When a bill requires further study or amendments, it may be referred back to committee	"I move that the question (motion, bill) be referred to..."	yes	yes	no
To Pass or Concur ("moving" a bill)	To recommend passage/concurrence or non-passage of an act	"Mr./Madame Chair, and members of the Committee, I move that when this committee does rise and report, after having under consideration, House/ Senate Bill #__, that it recommend the same do pass." (or "be concurred in.")	yes	yes	no
To Reconsider	To reconsider action on a previous vote. Procedural motions are not subject to reconsideration. A measure may not be reconsidered within Committee of the Whole if the Committee has reported out the bill (see "rise and report")	"I move that the committee reconsider its action taken on..."	yes	no	no

40-30 Allowable motions outside of Committee of the Whole. The following list shows motions most commonly used in legislative bodies and how to use them. No motion which conflicts with the spirit and purpose of these Joint Rules shall be allowed.

Motions on the following list are in established order of priority. When a motion is pending, a member may not introduce another listed below it, but may introduce one listed above it.

Motion	Purpose	Wording* * always begin your motion by saying, "Mr./Madame Speaker/ PresidentÉ"	Debat-able?	Amend-able?	Inter-rupt the speaker?
Call of the House	To compel absent members to report to the Chamber.	"I move a call of the House/Senate"	no	no	no
Adjournment	To end business for the day. (Adjournment sine die ends the session)	"I move to adjourn"	no	only for time	no
To Recess	To take a short break	"I move to recess"	no	only duration	no
Point of Order.	May be applied to a parliamentary inquiry, a question of personal privilege or to ask the body to observe its own rules	"Point of Order"	no	no	yes
To call for cloture (say: "CLOchur")	To end debate immediately and bring all motions on the floor to a vote.	"I call for cloture" OR "I move we vote immediately."	no	no	no
To Limit Debate	To limit the time taken to discuss a bill or group of bills; to allow more bills to be heard in a limited time period; etc. (motions to permit unlimited debate are not allowed)	"I move that debate be closed on this motion at XX:XX;" OR "I move that debate be limited to X minutes per speaker;" OR "I move that the time for debate per bill be limited to a total of XX minutes."	no	as to length of limits	no
To Refer (Send back to Committee)	When a bill requires further study or amendments, it may be referred back to committee	"I move that the question (motion, bill) be referred to..."	yes	yes	no
To Amend (an amendable motion)	To alter a motion on the floor. Amendments to bills are not in order except in committees.	"I move to amend the motion by..."	yes	yes	no
To Pass, To Concur, (motions), To Adopt (reports), etc.	To place a motion on the floor so that a question can be voted upon	Wording: Varies by motion, but generally "I move the adoption of the committee report." OR "I move that this motion do pass..." etc.	some-times	some-times	no
To Reconsider	To reconsider action on a previous vote. Procedural motions are not subject to reconsideration. A measure may not be reconsidered if a bill has been transmitted to the other chamber. If the motion to reconsider fails, the question is finally and conclusively settled.	"I move that the committee reconsider its action taken on..."	yes	no	no
To Withdraw a bill from committee (commonly known as "blasting a bill out of committee")	To remove a bill that was tabled or otherwise not considered from committee and bring it to the floor for debate. (Used at Order of Business #6. See 30-30 (2d) for segregating bills that fail in committee.)	"I move that House/Senate bill # ___ be withdrawn from the _______ Committee and be placed on the docket for Committee of the Whole."	no	no	no

40-40. Informal Motions. The following motions are used when the body needs to temporarily suspend business in a situation too informal for a regular recess or adjournment.

1. "May we be off the record and out of the Journal." This is a motion used by members, usually so ordered by the presiding officer without objection, to temporarily interrupt proceedings in order to introduce a special visitor or to conduct other brief, informal actions. Generally is only in order at Order of Business #1, but might also be used to allow the parliamentarian to explain a procedure to the body, etc.
2. "The House (Senate) will Stand at Ease." This is usually ordered by the Presiding Officer without objection and can be used to allow members to relax and talk informally while a temporary difficulty (such solving a Parliamentary issue, or dealing with a physical problem in the chambers such as the sound system, etc.) is resolved. This period is ended whenever the Presiding Officer raps the gavel and says, "the House/Senate is now in order."