Rule 12.12. Conference committee reports; consideration

           A. A conference committee report shall be a privileged report. The Secretary shall give notice of its receipt and shall distribute the report on the legislative day of its receipt at the first opportunity without interrupting pending business. The question of consideration of a conference committee report shall lie over until the appropriate order of business during the Morning Hour on the next legislative day. The Secretary shall place each conference committee report on the calendar in the order in which it was received for consideration. A motion to suspend the provisions of this Paragraph shall be a debatable motion.

           B. The question upon consideration, unless a substitute or other main motion be made, shall be the question of the adoption of the conference committee report.

           C.(1) On the last calendar or legislative day of a session, after the Secretary has given notice of the receipt of and has distributed copies of a conference committee report which is confined to resolving the differences between the two houses regarding the amendments which were rejected by the house of origin and recommending technical amendments, the Senate shall consider the conference committee report upon motion, duly adopted, of any member. The motion to take up the consideration of a conference committee report shall be deemed a privileged incidental motion and shall be in order during any order of business unless another motion or instrument is pending.

           (2) If a conference committee report on any appropriation bill supplementing the General Appropriation Act, the Capital Outlay Bill, the bill appropriating funds for the judicial branch, the bill appropriating funds for the legislative branch, or the omnibus bond authorization bill is received on the last day, the provisions of Subparagraph(C)(1) of this Rule shall apply to the consideration of such a conference committee report even if the conference committee report is not confined to resolving the differences between the two houses regarding the amendments which were rejected by the house of origin and recommending technical amendments.

           (3) The provisions of Joint Rule 19 shall apply to conference committee reports on the General Appropriation Bill.

           D. Concurrence in the report of a conference committee shall require the same vote as is required for final passage of the bill. Prior to the vote being taken, a member of the conference committee shall explain to the members the substantive changes, if any, proposed to be made in the bill by the conference committee.

           SR 63 of 2001 RS; SR 21 of 2006 RS