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TO AMEND RULE 19E, RULES OF THE SENATE, RELATING TO THE CHAIRMEN OF THE STANDING COMMITTEES, TO PROVIDE THAT THE CHAIRMEN SHALL BE ELECTED BY THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE STANDING COMMITTEES.
Be it resolved by the Senate:
That Rule 19E, Rules of the Senate, is amended to read:
In the selection of the Chairman of the Standing Committees, the senior member of the Committee from the majority party, in terms of seniority within the Committee, shall be the Chairman of the Standing Committee the membership of the Standing Committee shall elect the Chairman. The Chairman of the Standing Committee shall serve for the quadrennium concurring with the term of the Senators adopting theses Rules unless the membership of the Standing Committee elects another member in his place. If a vacancy occurs in the Chairmanship of a Standing Committee, then the next most senior member of the majority party shall become Chairman of the Committee for the remainder of the original term then the membership of the Standing Committee shall elect a successor. However, a Senator shall serve as Chairman of only one of the Standing Committees, but may chair a Standing Committee and a Special Committee concurrently.
Should any Senator, during his term of office, cease to be a member of the political party of which he was a member at the time of his election, he shall not be deemed, thereby, to have forfeited all Committee memberships to which he may have been elected and shall not waive all seniority within each of the committees of which he or she was member if a majority of the caucus to which the member switches consents to that Senator retaining his seniority within the Committees to which he was a member at the time of his switch. No Senator elected as a Chairman of a Standing Committee at the opening of a session shall lose that Chairmanship even if a Senator switches parties and because of that switch becomes the senior member of the majority party on that Committee.
Each Committee Chairman shall have necessary staff to oversee the operation of the committee and its staff appointed by the Committee Chairman and such Committee counsel, staff assistants, and pages as the Chair of the Committee may deem necessary. The number of positions and salaries of personnel selected pursuant to this provision shall be subject to the approval of the Operations and Management Committee.
The Chair of any Committee may appoint subcommittees to consider a particular bill or resolution or to consider matters relative to a portion of work of the Committee. Such subcommittees shall make recommendations to the Committee. The Chair of the full Committee shall name the chairman of the subcommittee who need not be the senior member appointed to the subcommittee. The total membership of a subcommittee shall be composed of members of the two major political parties if practicable. The Chair of the full Committee shall be an ex officio member of all subcommittees and entitled to vote, but shall not be counted as a member for purposes of a quorum."
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