Senate rules

The permanent rules of the Washington Senate inform administrative operations and parliamentary procedures in Senate business, including committee meetings and floor sessions.

Preface

2023 Senate rules

Permanent rules of the Senate

68th Legislature

The Senate adopted its permanent rules in Senate Engrossed Senate Resolution No. 8601, on January 9, 2023. A subsequent revision was adopted in Senate Resolution No. 8606 on January 25, 2023

Sections

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SECTION VI. BILLS, RESOLUTIONS, MEMORIALS AND GUBERNATORIAL APPOINTMENTS

Rule 54. Definitions

"Measure" means a bill, joint memorial, joint resolution, or concurrent resolution.

"Bill" when used alone means bill, joint memorial, joint resolution, or concurrent resolution.

"Majority" shall mean a majority of those members present unless otherwise stated.

Rule 55. Prefiling

Holdover members and members-elect to the senate may prefile bills with the secretary of the senate on any day commencing with the first Monday in December preceding any session year; or twenty days prior to any special session of the legislature. Such bills will be printed, distributed and prepared for introduction on the first legislative day. No bill, joint memorial or joint resolution shall be prefiled by title and/or preamble only. (See also Senate Rule 3, Sub. 3.)

Rule 56. Introduction of Bills

1. All bills, joint resolutions, and joint memorials introduced shall be endorsed with a statement of the title and the name of the member introducing the same. Any member desiring to introduce a bill, joint resolution, or joint memorial shall file the same with the secretary of the senate by noon of the day before the convening of the session at which said bill, joint resolution, or joint memorial is to be introduced. Sponsor sheets shall be available in both physical and electronic formats. A member may introduce a bill electronically by emailing the bill to the office of the code reviser. Only bills that have been emailed by a member or the member's legislative assistant may be considered for electronic introduction.

2. For bills introduced electronically, the sponsoring member may designate one cosponsor of the bill by providing the cosponsor's name in the email and by including the cosponsor's name in the cc line of the email. Additional members may add themselves as cosponsors to the bill by emailing the senate workroom by 5:00 p.m. of the day of its introduction. Agency and governor request legislation may follow this process and the sponsoring member or member's legislative assistant must email such legislation to the office of the code reviser.

3. Provided that a vote has not been taken on final passage of a bill, joint resolution, or joint memorial, a member may add his or her name as a cosponsor until 5:00 p.m. of the day of its introduction. For any bill, joint resolution, or joint memorial that has been prefiled for a regular session, a member has until 5:00 p.m. of the day following introduction to add his or her name as a cosponsor.

4. To be considered during a regular session, a bill must be introduced at least ten days before final adjournment of the legislature, unless the legislature directs otherwise by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, said vote to be taken by yeas and nays and entered upon the journal. The time limitation for introduction of bills shall not apply to substitute bills reported by standing committees for bills pending before such committees and general appropriation and revenue bills. (See also Art. 2, Sec. 36, State Constitution.)

5. The introduction of title-only bills is prohibited. For the purposes of this subsection, a title-only bill is a bill containing a title or short summary of the intended subject matter, without laying forth the full changes intended to any act or sections of law.

Rule 57. Amendatory Bills

Bills introduced in the senate intended to amend existing statutes shall have the words which are amendatory to such existing statutes underlined. Any matter to be deleted from the existing statutes shall be indicated by setting such matter forth in full, enclosed by double parentheses, and such deleted matter shall be lined out with hyphens. No bill shall be printed or acted upon until the provisions of this rule shall have been complied with.

Sections added by amendatory bill to an existing act, or chapter of the official code, need not be underlined but shall be designated "NEW SECTION" in upper case type and such designation shall be underlined. New enactments need not be underlined.

When statutes are being repealed, the Revised Code of Washington section number to be repealed, the section caption and the session law history, from the most current to the original, shall be cited.

Rule 58. Joint Resolutions and Memorials

Joint resolutions and joint memorials, up to the signing thereof by the president of the senate, shall be subject to the rules governing the course of bills.

Rule 59. Senate Concurrent Resolutions

Concurrent resolutions shall be subject to the rules governing the course of bills and may be adopted without a roll call. Concurrent resolutions authorizing investigations and authorizing the expenditure or allocation of any money must be adopted by roll call and the yeas and nays recorded in the journal. Concurrent resolutions are subject to final passage on the day of the first reading without regard to Senate Rules 62, 63, and 64.

Rule 60. Committee Bills

Committee bills introduced by a standing committee during a legislative session may be filed with the secretary of the senate and introduced, and the signature of each member of the committee shall be endorsed upon the cover of the original bill.

Committee bills shall be read the first time by title, ordered printed, and referred to the committee on rules for second reading.

Rule 61. Committee Reference

When a motion is made to refer a subject, and different committees are proposed, the question shall be taken in the following order:

FIRST.	A standing committee.
SECOND.	A select committee.

Rule 62. Reading of Bills

Every bill shall be read on three separate days unless the senate deems it expedient to suspend this rule. On and after the tenth day preceding adjournment sine die of any session, or three days prior to any cut-off date for consideration of bills, as determined pursuant to Article 2, Section 12 of the Constitution or concurrent resolution, or during any special session of the legislature, this rule may be suspended by a majority vote. (See also Senate Rules 59 and 64).

Rule 63. First Reading

The first reading of a bill shall be by title only, unless a majority of the members present demand a reading in full.

After the first reading, bills shall be referred to an appropriate committee pursuant to Senate Rule 61. Draft bill referrals will be electronically published by 7:00 p.m. the evening before the session in which the referrals will be considered. All objections or requests for rereferral must be communicated in an email by a member to the majority floor leader by 9:00 a.m. the day of convening.

Upon being reported back by committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 49, all bills shall be referred to the committee on rules for second reading, unless otherwise ordered by the senate.

A bill shall be reported back by the committee chair upon written petition therefor signed by a majority of its members. The petition shall designate the recommendation as provided in Senate Rule 45, Sub. 5.

No committee chair shall exercise a pocket veto of any bill.

Should there be a two-thirds majority report of the committee membership against the bill, a vote shall be immediately ordered for the indefinite postponement of the bill.

Rule 64. Second Reading/Amendments

Upon second reading, the bill shall be read section by section, in full, and be subject to amendment.

Any member may, if sustained by three members, remove a bill from the consent calendar as constituted by the committee on rules. A bill removed from the consent calendar shall take its place as the last bill on the second reading calendar.

No amendment shall be considered by the senate until it shall have been sent to the secretary's desk in writing and read by the secretary.

All amendments adopted on the second reading shall then be securely fastened to the original bill.

All amendments rejected by the senate shall be spread upon the journal, and the journal shall show the disposition of all amendments.

When no further amendments shall be offered, the president shall declare the bill has passed its second reading, and shall be referred to the committee on rules for third reading.

Rule 65. Third Reading

Bills on third reading shall be read in full by sections, and no amendment shall be entertained.

When a bill shall pass, it shall be certified to by the secretary, together with the vote upon final passage, noting the day of its passage thereon.

The vote must be taken by yeas and nays, the names of the senators voting for and against the same to be entered upon the journal and the majority of the members elected to the senate must be recorded thereon as voting in its favor to secure its passage by the senate.

Rule 66. Scope and Object of Bill Not to be Changed

No amendment to any bill shall be allowed which shall change the scope and object of the bill. (See also Art. 2, Sec. 38, State Constitution.) Substitute bills shall be considered amendments for the purposes of this rule. A point of order raising the question of scope and object may be raised at any time during consideration of an amendment prior to voting on the amendment.

Rule 67. Matters Related to Disagreement Between the Senate and House

When there is a disagreement between the senate and house on a measure before the senate, the senate may act upon the measure with the following motions which have priority in the following order:

To concur

To non-concur

To recede

To insist

To adhere

These motions are in order as to any single amendment or to a series of amendments. (See Reed's Rules 247 through 254.)

A senate bill, passed by the house with amendment or amendments which shall change the scope and object of the bill, upon being received in the senate, shall be referred to an appropriate committee and shall take the same course as for original bills, unless a motion to ask the house to recede, to insist or to adhere is made prior to the measure being referred to committee.

Rule 68. Bills Committed for Special Amendment

A bill may be committed with or without special instructions to amend at any time before taking the final vote.

Rule 69. Confirmation of Gubernatorial Appointees

When the names of appointees to state offices are transmitted to the secretary of the senate for senate confirmation, the communication from the governor shall be recorded and referred to the appropriate standing committee.

The standing committee, or subcommittee, pursuant to Senate Rule 42, shall require each appointee referred to the committee for consideration to complete the standard questionnaire to be used to ascertain the appointee's general background and qualifications. The committee may also require the appointee to complete a supplemental questionnaire related specifically to the qualifications for the position to which he has been appointed.

Any hearing on a gubernatorial appointment, held by the standing committee, or subcommittees, pursuant to Senate Rule 42, shall be a public hearing. The appointee may be required to appear before the committee on request. When appearing, the appointee shall be required to testify under oath or affirmation. The chair of the committee or the presiding member shall administer the oath or affirmation in accordance with RCW 44.16. (See also Article 2, Sec. 6 of the State Constitution.)

Nothing in this rule shall be construed to prevent a standing committee, or subcommittee, pursuant to Senate Rule 42, upon a two-thirds vote of its members, from holding executive sessions when considering an appointment.

When the committee on rules presents the report of the standing committee before the senate, the question shall be the confirmation of the name proposed, and the roll shall then be called and the yeas and nays entered upon the journal. In the event a message is received from the governor requesting return of an appointment or appointments to the office of the governor prior to confirmation, the senate shall vote upon the governor's request and the appointment or appointments shall be returned to the governor if the request is approved by a majority of the members elected or appointed. (Article 13 of the State Constitution.)

Rule 70. Emergency Resolution Authorized

1. If the Facilities and Operations Committee determines through a majority vote that physically convening all members and staff in a single location presents a danger to the health or safety of the participants or is impractical because of a publicly declared statewide emergency or catastrophic incident under RCW 43.06.010, the senate shall adopt a resolution establishing the rules and procedures governing any special or regular legislative session.

2. For purposes of adopting the senate resolution required by this rule, some or all members may vote using a remote access program established by the Secretary of the Senate. The remote access program must provide a mechanism approved by the President of the Senate by which the President can verify a member's remote presence. Members are considered in attendance within the bar of the senate when using the remote access program, including for purposes of establishing quorum. To the extent practicable, a member participating remotely under this rule has the same privileges, rights, and responsibilities under the Senate Rules as if the member were physically present.