Ruling
January 23, 1969
Reference to committee; instruction to divide bill
Hon. Lucien Lamoureux
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
A bill must be read twice and referred to a committee before being amended, although a Member may move a reasoned amendment to the motion for second reading of a bill. The proposed amendment is not a reasoned amendment but is an instruction to the committee to which the bill is being referred. An instruction should not be given while the bill is still in the possession of the House, but rather, after referral to the committee. "The vote on second reading is less a vote on the principle of the bill and more a decision of the House to send the bill on for further consideration."
Edit Metadata
Holding
"An amendment to a second reading motion is out of order if it is an instruction to the committee; such an instruction can only be moved after the bill has been referred to the committee."
AI Summary
A ruling clarifying that an instruction to a committee cannot be moved as an amendment at second reading but must wait until after the bill is referred.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Denied
- Tone
- Educational
- Procedural Stage
- Second Reading
- Significance
Low
High