30-19.3 - Prefiling of bills and resolutions.
§ 30-19.3. Prefiling of bills and resolutions.
A. 1. Any member or member-elect of the next regular session of the GeneralAssembly may prefile bills and resolutions for even-numbered-year regularsessions beginning the third Monday in November of the preceding year withthe Clerk of the House of Delegates or Senate as appropriate.
2. Any member or member-elect of the General Assembly may prefile bills andresolutions for odd-numbered-year regular sessions beginning the third Mondayin July of the preceding year with the Clerk of the House of Delegates orSenate as appropriate.
3. Any bill or resolution prefiled shall be endorsed by the handwrittensignature of at least one member or member-elect as a patron. In no eventshall a bill or resolution be prefiled by a member of the General Assemblywho was not re-elected to the next regular session of the General Assembly.The deadline for submitting drafting requests for legislation to be prefiledto the Division of Legislative Services and the deadline for prefilinglegislation with the appropriate Clerk shall be established by the proceduralresolution adopted by the General Assembly, or in default thereof, adopted bythe Joint Rules Committee.
B. In the event of the convening of a special session of the GeneralAssembly, only bills relating to the stated purpose of such special sessionand resolutions affecting the rules of procedure or schedule of business ofthe General Assembly may be prefiled as provided in subsection A of thissection beginning on the day on which either (i) the Governor announces thedate on which such special session is to convene, or (ii) two-thirds of themembers elected to each house of the General Assembly make application to theGovernor for the convening of such special session.
C. The Clerks of the House of Delegates and Senate shall assign numbers toprefiled bills and resolutions in the order of their receipt, refer them tothe appropriate committee with the advice of the Speaker of the House ofDelegates, in the case of House bills, and in the case of Senate bills, inaccordance with the Rules of the Senate, and have a sufficient number of themprinted for circulation as provided in this section.
D. Printed prefiled bills and resolutions shall be periodically mailed toeach member and member-elect of the General Assembly and shall be madeavailable to the press and public in the same manner as bills and resolutionsintroduced after the General Assembly convenes.
(1969, Ex. Sess., c. 24; 1973, c. 488; 1981, c. 196; 1987, c. 124; 2001, cc.568, 584; 2004, c. 718; 2007, c. 442.)