Chapter 12 - Legislation
Proceedings
on legislation
The procedures of the Senate provide
for a bill to be initiated in the Senate or received from the House of
Representatives and, after an appropriate delay to allow examination of the
bill, to be considered in principle. If the Senate agrees to the bill in
principle, it may then be examined in detail and amended if the Senate
considers that its details require alteration or adjustment. There is then an
opportunity for a bill, as amended, to be considered finally and agreed to.
The principal
stages of the passage of a bill are referred to as “readings”, and are formally
marked by the Clerk reading the long title of the bill.
The stages in the passage of a bill are:
(a) introduction
or receipt from the House of Representatives and first reading
(b) second
reading — consideration of the principle of the bill
(c) referral
to a standing or select committee — for consideration of the details of the
bill (although referral to a committee historically occurred after the second
reading, a bill may be referred to a committee before the second reading)
(d) committee
of the whole — this is the opportunity for the Senate to make amendments to the
bill or to agree to amendments which have been recommended by a standing or
select committee
(e) third
reading — final consideration of the bill as amended and the opportunity
finally to agree to it.
When a bill has passed through these stages and received a third
reading it has been finally passed by the Senate.
Within and between these stages of a bill’s passage, opportunities are
provided by the procedures for the reconsideration of a bill. There are also
several opportunities for a bill to be rejected by the Senate. Some procedures
for rejection are designed to dispose of a bill with an indication of finality,
while others involve only withholding agreement at that stage to a bill. A bill
may, however, subsequently be revived or presented again in accordance with
other procedures.
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