THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS: AN ...
THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS: AN ...
THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS: AN ...
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
54 <strong>THE</strong> <strong>NEW</strong> <strong>YORK</strong> <strong>STATE</strong> <strong>LEGISLATIVE</strong> <strong>PROCESS</strong>: <strong>AN</strong> EVALUATION <strong>AN</strong>D BLUEPRINT FOR REFORM<br />
in previous law, section-by-section analysis, procedural history, committee or<br />
subcommittee votes, and any members’ views of the bill.<br />
■ Each committee shall be authorized to hire and fire its own professional staff.<br />
Adequate funding for professional staff, facilities and equipment shall be<br />
provided to each committee, and shall be allocated on a strictly proportional<br />
majority-minority split.<br />
■ If one fourth or more of the members of a committee petition for a public<br />
hearing on a bill, such hearing shall take place unless the petition is rejected<br />
by a majority vote of the committee. Such hearing shall address the proposed<br />
bill and its specific provisions, in addition to the general topic or problem to<br />
which it is devoted.<br />
■ If one fourth or more of the members of a committee petition for a public<br />
oversight hearing to receive testimony concerning the performance of an<br />
administrative agency over which the committee has statutory oversight<br />
responsibility and jurisdiction, such hearing shall take place unless the<br />
petition is rejected by a majority vote of the committee. In any event, committees<br />
with jurisdiction over an administrative agency shall hold at least one<br />
public hearing per year to hear testimony and gather evidence in order to<br />
review the performance of the agency.<br />
■■■REPORTING BILLS TO <strong>THE</strong> FLOOR BY COMMITTEE<br />
■ All bills must be considered and reported by a standing committee with<br />
jurisdiction over the bill’s subject matter prior to being reported to the full<br />
chamber. For the purposes of this rule, the Rules Committee shall not be<br />
considered to have such jurisdiction over the bill.<br />
■ If three or more members of a committee petition for a vote on a bill, the<br />
chair shall schedule such vote as soon as practicable in the current legislative<br />
session and in any event no later than ten days before the end of the<br />
session.<br />
■■■DISCHARGING BILLS TO <strong>THE</strong> FLOOR BY MEMBERS<br />
■ Any elected member of the chamber may make a motion to discharge a bill<br />
from the committee to which it was referred, and the sponsor’s agreement is<br />
not required.<br />
■ Bills must be discharged from a committee and placed on the calendar upon<br />
motion approved by a majority of the elected members of the chamber. Such<br />
vote shall be taken by slow roll call and the votes of each member recorded<br />
as a public record.