§ 22-3-2 - Organization of senate – Secretary of the senate and reading clerk.
SECTION 22-3-2
§ 22-3-2 Organization of senate –Secretary of the senate and reading clerk. – At the time specified in § 22-3-17, the senate shall be called to order bythe senior member in continuous service present from Newport, and if there aretwo (2) or more members from Newport of equal seniority of service, then bythat one of them that shall be senior in age, and if there is no member presentfrom Newport, by the senior member of the senate in continuous service present,and, if there are two (2) or more members of equal seniority of service, thenby that one of them who is senior in age. The roll of members as appears by thelist of senators shall then be called by the clerk, and the list shall becorrected by the secretary of state as provided in § 22-3-1. If nineteen(19) of the members whose names appear upon the lists are present, but nototherwise, the member calling the senate to order as provided above shall callfor nominations for the office of president of the senate, and shall receivethe ballots of the members whose names are on the list for that office, andafter the ballots have been counted by him or her and by the clerks of thesenate, he or she shall declare the result, and the balloting shall continueuntil some person receives a majority of all the ballots, and the personreceiving that majority shall be the president of the senate for the ensuingterm of two (2) years. The member so calling the senate to order shall notreceive, entertain, or put to vote any motion or question whatever, or point oforder, while acting as presiding officer, and any member violating any of theforegoing provisions of this section, or allowing any person whose name is notupon the list to participate in the organization of the senate or to cast anyballot for president of the senate, or who shall allow to be used in theorganization of the senate any list of members not prepared and corrected asprovided in this chapter, shall be imprisoned not less than one year nor morethan three (3) years; and any clerk or other person who shall use this list inthe organization of the senate, or who shall fraudulently alter, secrete, ordestroy any list of members, prepared or prepared and corrected, as providedabove, shall be punished by like imprisonment. Immediately upon the election ofa president, the senate shall proceed to elect by ballot a secretary of thesenate and reading clerk, and shall immediately notify the house ofrepresentatives that it is duly organized and ready to proceed with thebusiness of the session. The secretary and clerk shall be employees of thelegislative department under the jurisdiction and control of the senate, andshall hold office for two (2) years, and until their successors are elected andqualified.