First house then rejects those amendments from the second house
At this point, a Conference Committee is appointed to reconcile the bill and amendments.
Conference Committee will review the engrossed bill (includes amendments) provided by the second Chamber and will try to reconcile the amendments.
A Drafter who is assigned to the Conference Committee will draft the amendments agreed to in the Conference Committee.
The draft amendments are then edited and reviewed as described in Committee Amendment Drafting above.
After the final review process is complete, the draft amendment is returned to the Conference Committee for a vote.
If the Conference Committee rejects the amendment, it may
reconsider the amendment and/or start the process over
let it die
If the Conference Committee passes the amendment, the Drafter runs a macro that transmits it (“beams it up”) it to the Amendments Coordinator.
The Amendments Coordinator runs a macro to produce the Conference Committee Report (CCR).
The CCR is then printed on the appropriate colored paper and must be signed by a majority of members from each Chamber who served on the Conference Committee. The CCR is then returned to the floor of both Chambers for adoption or rejection of the Conference Committee report.
If either Chamber rejects (votes no on) the CCR, the process starts over. The bill may be returned to the originating committee for further reconsideration. Another Conference Committee with different members may be appointed, or a Free Conference Committee may be named to replace the Conference Committee for further consideration of bill and amendments.
This cycle can be repeated until either the CCR is accepted in both Chambers or the session adjourns, in which case the bill will then die.
Progression through reconsideration and reprocessing in either a Conference Committee or a Free Conference Committee will result in the creation of a new CCR for additional rounds of voting in both Chambers.
Lack of progression through either type of Conference Committee will cause the bill to eventually die.
If a CCR is accepted in both Chambers, it is stapled to the original bill, is included in the bill packet, and is forwarded to the Bill Processor for engrossing and enrolling.
35.Enrolling Process
The original bill is delivered by the Bills Coordinator (sits on rostrum) and is receipted to Bill Processing for enrolling.
If the bill requires further amendment input due to changes made in Conference/Free Conference Committee, the Bill Processor will engross the bill following the engrossing steps before enrolling. A copy of the engrossed bill is delivered to LSD Print Shop.
The Bill Processor runs a process to enroll the bill. The process:
reformats the electronic copy of the bill into the enrolled format (e.g., the state seal letterhead is added, deletes the introduced line)
changes some language to the enrolled version
runs diagnostics
asks if spell check was run (a manual spell check must be run by the Bill Processor)
Note: Signature lines are placed in a specific order, starting with the Secretary/Chief Clerk of the original Chamber, then the Presiding Officer of the original Chamber, then the Presiding Officer of the second Chamber.
The original and enrolled bill is delivered, in paper form, to the Proofreaders. The Proofreaders check that all amendments in the original bill are accounted for in the enrolled bill (Committee Reports for all amendments are stapled into original backed bill). The enrolled bill is corrected by the Bill Processor if needed and cycles through this process until the Proofreaders find no errors.
The Bill Processor makes three additional copies. Two copies are assembled along with the archive bill with an enrolled bill back. One copy is hand-delivered to the Print Shop for duplication. The Print Shop runs a macro to create an HTML version of the enrolled bill, and then both the HTML and PDF versions are uploaded to the public-access website.
The original bill and 2 copies are delivered and receipted to the Secretary/Chief Clerk of the original Chamber for signatures. All copies of the enrolled bill are signed, and the Assistant Secretary/Chief Clerk in each Chamber manually updates the LAWS Status to reflect the date it was signed. The Assistant Secretary/Chief Clerk updates LAWS to reflect “Transmitted to the Governor” and a LAWS-generated letter is printed and included with the original bill and delivered to the Governor by the Bills Coordinator
The LAWS letter and signed enrolled bill is delivered to the Governor’s Office for signature. A carbon-copy receipt is completed, and the bill back is signed by the Receptionist in the Governor’s Office. Once the receipt is signed, a duplicate receipt is left with the recipient and the Bills Coordinator returns with the receipt and files it on the rostrum for tracking records.
The Governor may take one of several actions on the bill: signing it into law, vetoing it, not acting on it, or suggesting amendments to it (only before adjournment). These actions are subject to time limits and deadlines. If an enrolled bill is not acted upon (not signed and not vetoed) after 10 days, it becomes a law and is treated as a signed law even though it was not actually signed.
When a bill is signed into law, a formal letter is delivered from the Governor’s office. The Secretary/Chief Clerk reads the letter during Order of Business ‘Messages from the Governor’ and key information is entered into LAWS Status by the Assistant Secretary/Chief Clerk.
A letter from the Governor and signed law (even those not acted upon) are hand-delivered to the Secretary of State’s Office by the Governor’s staff.
The recipient reviews the package contents for completeness and accuracy, and then signs the receipt. Rarely is there a problem, but a package is not accepted and signed for until any issues are resolved.
Note: If the Governor vetoes the bill, it is returned to the original Chamber. The vetoed bill may be reconsidered and passed into law (veto overturned) by a 2/3 majority of each Chamber and then forwarded to the Secretary of State. If the bill does not achieve a 2/3 majority vote, the bill dies. If the Governor vetoes the bill after adjournment, members are polled by the Secretary of State’s Office for a veto override. The same 2/3 majority applies.
