Rule 6.10.  Hearing on Legislation; Mandatory on Author's Request; Rescheduling Deferred Legislation

A.  A committee shall hear, on or before the tenth day preceding the final day for consideration of bills on third reading of the session, any legislative instrument originating in the House of Representatives which has not previously been heard by such committee and which the author, in writing, requests the committee to hear.

B.(1)  A legislative instrument may be voluntarily deferred upon the request of the author or the member handling the instrument.  When a legislative instrument is so voluntarily deferred without objection, it may be rescheduled for a hearing by the chairman at any time in accordance with the rules of the House of Representatives.

(2)  When ordered by a majority of the members of the committee present and voting, a legislative instrument shall be involuntarily deferred notwithstanding the request of the author or member handling the instrument to otherwise report the instrument.  No legislative instrument which is so involuntarily deferred may be rescheduled for a hearing by the committee; except that if a motion to reschedule the legislative instrument is adopted by a favorable vote of two-thirds of the members of the committee present and voting, the chairman may reschedule the legislative instrument for a hearing by the committee and then only after there has been opportunity for a committee hearing on all other legislative instruments originating in the House of Representatives pending before the committee for which a hearing has been requested.  It shall be in order for any member who voted on the prevailing side of the vote by which the motion to defer was adopted to offer the motion to reschedule the legislative instrument.

C.  A motion to suspend Paragraph B of this House Rule is a debatable motion.

Mason's Manual:  Sec. 365-374 and 430-436

HR 8, 1974; HR 7, 1979; HR 61, 1997, eff. May 29, 1997; HR 45, 1998, eff. May 20, 1998; HR 76, 2007, eff. June 27, 2007.