House rules
The Washington State House rules establish procedures and protocols for conducting legislative business in the House of Representatives. These rules provide the framework for how bills are processed, committees operate, and representatives conduct official business.
Preface
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That ​permanent House Rules for the Sixty-Eighth Legislature be adopted as follows:
PERMANENT RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE 2023-2024
- Rule 1. Definitions
- Rule 2. Chief Clerk to Call to Order
- Rule 3. Election of Officers
- Rule 4. Powers and Duties of the Speaker
- Rule 5 . Chief Clerk
- Rule 6. Executive Rules Committee
- Rule 7. Duties of Employees
- Rule 8. Admission to the House
- Rule 9. Absentees and Courtesy
- Rule 10. Bills, Memorials and Resolutions - Introductions
- Rule 11. Reading of Bills
- Rule 12. Amendments
- Rule 13. Final Passage
- Rule 14. Hour of Meeting, Roll Call and Quorum
- Rule 15. Daily Calendar and Order of Business
- Rule 16. Motions
- Rule 17. Remote Participation and Voting Permitted Upon Authorization
- Rule 18. Members' Right to Debate
- Rule 19. Rules of Debate
- Rule 20. Ending of Debate - Previous Question
- Rule 21. Voting
- Rule 22. Reconsideration
- Rule 23. Call of the House
- Rule 24. Appeal from Decision of Chair
- Rule 25. Standing Committees
- Rule 26. Duties of Committees
- Rule 27. Standing Committees - Expenses - Subpoena Power
- Rule 28. Vetoed Bills
- Rule 29. Suspension of Compensation
- Rule 30. Smoking and Vaping
- Rule 31. Liquor
- Rule 32. Parliamentary Rules
- Rule 33. Standing Rules Amendment
- Rule 34. Rules to Apply for Assembly
- Rule 35. Legislative Publications
- Rule 36. Emergency Resolution Authorized
Rule 19. Rules of Debate
The rules for debate in the house are as follows:
(A) QUESTION OF PRIVILEGE. Any member may rise to a question of privilege and explain a personal matter, by leave of the speaker, but the member shall not discuss any pending question in such explanations.
(B) WITHDRAWAL OF MOTION, BILL, ETC. After a motion is stated by the speaker or a bill, memorial, resolution, petition, or remonstrance is read by the clerk, it shall be deemed to be in possession of the house, but may be withdrawn by consent of the house at any time before decision or amendment.
(C) READING OF A PAPER. When the reading of any paper is called for and is objected to by any member, it shall be determined by a vote of the house.
(D) DISTRIBUTION OF MATERIALS. Any materials of any nature distributed to the members' desks on the floor shall be subject to approval by the speaker and shall bear the name of at least one member granted permission for the distribution. Any member participating remotely as provided in Rule 17 who wishes to distribute materials subject to the speaker's approval may do so electronically. All materials approved for distribution shall be provided electronically to members participating remotely to the extent practicable. This shall not apply to materials normally distributed by the chief clerk.
(E) ORDER OF QUESTIONS. All questions, whether in committee or in the house, shall be propounded in the order in which they are named except that in filling blanks, the largest sum and the longest time shall be put first.
(F) DIVISION OF POINTS OF DEBATE. Any member may call for a division of a question which shall be divided if it embraces subjects so distinct that one being taken away a substantive proposition shall remain for the decision of the house; but a motion to strike out and to insert shall not be divided. The rejection of a motion to strike out and to insert one proposition shall not prevent a motion to strike out and to insert a different proposition.
(G) DECORUM OF MEMBERS. While the speaker is putting the question, no member shall walk across or out of the house; nor when a member is speaking shall any member entertain private discourse or pass between the speaking member and the rostrum.
(H) REMARKS CONFINED. A member shall confine all remarks to the question under debate and avoid personalities. No member shall impugn the motive of any member's vote or argument.
(I) EXCEPTION TO WORDS SPOKEN IN DEBATE. If any member be called to order for words spoken in debate, the person calling the member to order shall repeat the words excepted to and they shall be taken down in writing at the clerk's table. No member shall be held in answer or be subject to the censure of the house for words spoken in debate if any other member has spoken before exception to them shall have been taken.
(J) TRANSGRESSION OF RULES - APPEAL. If any member, in speaking or otherwise, transgresses the rules of the house the speaker shall, or any member may, call the member to order, in which case the member so called to order shall immediately sit down unless permitted to explain; and the house shall, if appealed to, decide the case without debate; if there be no appeal, the decision of the chair shall prevail.
If the decision be in favor of the member called to order, the member shall be at liberty to proceed; if otherwise, and the case shall require it, the member shall be liable to the censure of the house.