Joint Rule No. 13.  Interim Study Requests

A.  During a legislative session, to request that a study be conducted by a standing committee of either house or of both houses during the interim between sessions of the legislature, a member of the Senate or the House of Representatives shall file a written request therefor with the chief clerical officer of the house of which he is a member.  

The request shall be styled "Senate Study Request No. ________", "Senate Concurrent Study Request No. ________", "House Study Request No. ________", or "House Concurrent Study Request No. ________"; the request shall state:

(1)  The name of the member making the request.  

(2)  The subject matter of the study.  

(3)  Reasons for or information concerning the study as the requesting member deems necessary or expedient.  

(4)  The committee or committees requested to conduct the study.  

B.  The secretary or clerk, as the case may be, shall number each study request in the order in which received.  

C.  If a presiding officer determines that the subject matter of the requested study does not fall within the jurisdiction of the committee named in the study request in accordance with the rules of the house over which he presides, he may substitute the name of the appropriate committee.  

D.  The clerk or secretary shall periodically distribute to the members of the house a list of proposed interim study requests filed with him requesting studies to be conducted by standing committees of that house or by standing committees of both houses.  The list shall indicate the request number, the member making the request, the committee or committees by which the study is to be conducted, and a brief description of the subject to be studied.  

Objection to a study request may be raised by filing written objection with the clerk or secretary, as the case may be, within two days of the day the list is distributed.  If less than one-third of the total membership of the house file objection timely, the request shall be considered approved.  If objection by at least one-third of the total membership of the house is filed timely, the request shall not be considered approved.  However, the requesting member may make a motion for its approval and the question of approval shall be decided by a majority vote of the members present and voting.  Such motion shall be a nonprivileged incidental motion, in order only during the Morning Hour and shall be debatable.  

Upon approval of a request for a study by a standing committee of one house, the chief clerical officer shall transmit a copy of the study request to the author of the request and to the chairman of the committee named therein.  

Upon approval in the house of origin of a request for a study by standing committees of the two houses, the chief clerical officer shall transmit a copy of the request to the chief clerical officer of the second house, and the procedure set forth above shall be followed.  Upon approval in the second house, the request shall be returned to the house of origin, shall be prepared in final form, and the chief clerical officer shall transmit a copy thereof to the requesting member and to the chairmen of the committees designated to conduct the study.  

SCR 3, 1st Ex. Sess., 1981.