HAWAII LEGISLATORS' HANDBOOK Chapter 5

DAILY LEGISLATIVE ROUTINE

After opening day and organization of the Legislature, the conduct of daily business falls into an established routine. In both houses, the morning hours are usually taken up by committee hearings and meetings and the daily session in the late morning. Afternoon and frequently evening hours are spent in hearings and meetings. On the floor of each house, the business of the day follows a sequence established in the Order of the Day, an agenda of the daily order of business.

House of Representatives: Order of Business

The order of business of the House of Representatives is essentially the same as that of the Senate. (See House Rule 29) In a typical Order of the Day of the House of Representatives, the normal routine is:

1. Call to order. The House is called to order by the Speaker.
2. Prayer.
3. Roll call. Roll is called to establish the presence of a quorum, a majority of the members of the House.
4. Reading and approval of the Journal. The reading of the Journal is normally dispensed with and approved by the body as though read throughout.
5. Messages from the Governor.
6. Reports and communications from heads of agencies.
7. Senate communications. Communications from the Senate are formally received and placed on the calendar.
8. Order of the day. Action is taken on unfinished business upon which the House was engaged at the time of its last adjournment.
9. Reports of committees.
10. Petitions, memorials, and communications.
11. Introduction of bills and resolutions.
12. Second and third readings.
13. Miscellaneous business.
14. Announcements.
15. Adjournment.

Senate: Order of Business

In the Senate, the order of business is noted in its Order of the Day. (See Senate Rule 38) With a slight variation from the House of Representatives, the Senate routine is:

1. Call to order. The Senate is called to order by the President at the time to which the body was adjourned on the previous day.
2. Prayer.
3. Roll call. The roll call is called to establish the presence of a quorum, a majority of the members of the Senate.
4. Approval of the Journal of the preceding day. The President, by resolution, is authorized to read and approve the Journal and announce to the Senate that it has been done.
5. Messages from the Governor. Gubernatorial messages are routinely filed and referred to the appropriate committees for consideration, or acted upon on the floor of the Senate.
6. Communications from state officers. Communications from the various officers of the State are filed and referred to appropriate committees for consideration.
7. House communications. Communications from the House of Representatives are formally received by the Senate.
8. Introduction of bills and resolutions. Legislation on the Clerk's desk is formally offered for introduction.
9. Reports of conference and joint committees.
10. Reports of the Committee on Legislative Management.
11. Reports of standing committees.

12. Unfinished business.
13. Order of the day. Measures awaiting passage and other items of business are considered in the Order of the Day.
14. Petitions, memorials, and miscellaneous communications. Various communications from the public are placed before the Senate and may be filed or referred to the appropriate committees for consideration.
15. Miscellaneous business.
16. Adjournment.

Often items on the Order of the Day are moved to the "end of the calendar", especially when the passage of a measure seems uncertain. Moving a bill to the end of the calendar gives its proponents time to rally support for the measure. (House Rule 30; Senate Rule 39) In the closing days of the legislative session, with bills being deferred, placed at the end of the calendar, recommitted, and reconsidered, the Order of the Day becomes a complex agenda, consisting of numerous supplements, that is sometimes difficult to follow with the large number of bills and resolutions being reported on and considered for action.

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