Life of a Bill in the State of San Andreas - 2026

Chamber of Introduction

1. A simple idea goes from a lawmaker (i.e. ban homework on weekends) to the Office of Legislative Services who drafts the bill, assigns it a number, and drafts the summary, along with a fiscal note. This is called a bill request. (Under Joint Rule 26-05, legislators are allowed up to five bill requests per session unless granted more by chamber leadership) 

2.  The bill then gets introduced to the Chamber of Introduction by the reading clerk and assigned a committee of reference by the Presiding Officer (Senate President or House Speaker). This is the first reading of the bill. 

3. Each bill is required at least one public hearing with seven days advanced notice under State Law.

4. The committee will vote to pass the bill with favorable recommendation or to vote unfavorably (the bill is lost)

5. During committee consideration, members of the committee may offer amendments to the bill. If adopted by the committee, those amendments are not immediately incorporated into the official version of the legislation. Instead, the Committee prepares an unofficial “preamended” version of the bill showing the amendments approved by the committee. The preamended version is distributed to legislators prior to Second Reading to assist members in understanding the changes recommended by the committee. The recommendations contained in the preamended version are advisory only. During Second Reading, sitting as the Committee of the Whole, the chamber may adopt the committee's recommendations, reject them entirely, further amend them, or adopt only selected portions of the committee report.

6. A second reading of the bill will occur, legislators may propose more amendments or go to the third reading. 

7. Representatives may suggest and vote on amendments to the bill. Members can speak in opposition or support of the proposed amendment. Each tiny amendment has to be voted on and approved. This is also called the Committee of the Whole

8. The process begins with a formal motion to "resolve" into the committee, at which point the Speaker or President vacates the rostrum and appoints a fellow member to serve as Chairman. This symbolic shift relaxes the strict rules of formal session, allowing for a more fluid exchange of ideas where legislators can speak multiple times on a single amendment and engage in a more conversational style of parliamentary debate than is permitted during final passage. Amendments are adopted with either voice votes or standing decisions After the committee rises, the chair reports the accepted changes to the bill to which the full chamber will vote to adopt the report which formally accepts the changes. After the committee dissolves, amendments rejected by the committee can be bought up again for debate and a formal roll call vote. 

9.  The bill is then voted on by the Chamber of Introduction on the third reading. 

   1. Members can speak in opposition of the bill, or support. No further Amendments can be proposed at this stage.

   2. If the House of Representatives does not pass the bill, it is automatically failed and considered “lost”. 

   3. If the House of Representatives does pass the bill by a simple majority, it is considered “passed”.

Second Chamber

9.  The bill then gets introduced to the Second Chamber by the reading clerk and assigned a committee of reference by the Presiding Officer (Senate President or House Speaker). This is the first reading of the bill. 

10. Another public hearing is not required if the bill received one public hearing already (Optional)

11. The committee will vote to pass the bill with favorable recommendation or to vote unfavorably (the bill is lost)

12. During committee consideration, members of the committee may offer amendments to the bill. If adopted by the committee, those amendments are not immediately incorporated into the official version of the legislation. Instead, the Committee prepares an unofficial “preamended” version of the bill showing the amendments approved by the committee. The preamended version is distributed to legislators prior to Second Reading to assist members in understanding the changes recommended by the committee. The recommendations contained in the preamended version are advisory only. During Second Reading, sitting as the Committee of the Whole, the chamber may adopt the committee's recommendations, reject them entirely, further amend them, or adopt only selected portions of the committee report.

13. A second reading of the bill will occur, legislators may propose more amendments or go to the third reading. Senators will suggest and vote on amendments to the bill. Members can speak in opposition or support of the proposed amendment. Each tiny amendment has to be voted on and approved. Also called the Committee of the Whole

14.  The bill is then voted on by the Senate on the third reading. 

    1. Members can speak in opposition of the bill, or support. No further Amendments can be proposed at this stage.

    2. If the Second Chamber does not pass the bill, it is automatically failed and considered “lost”

    3. If the Second Chamber does pass the bill by a simple majority, it is considered “passed”. The bill is then sent to the Governor (if unamended) If amended – it goes back to the chamber of introduction.

Chamber Reconciliation

14. If amended in the second chamber, the bill goes back to the chamber of introduction for a simple concurrence vote. If the chamber of introduction does not concur, it is sent to a conference committee composed of three members from each chamber (with one of the sponsors from each chamber)

15. The final bill as amended by the conference committee must move to concur AND repass (2 separate motions) both chambers by a simple majority. 

Governor

16.  The governor must make a decision to approve, or veto the bill. 

    1. If the bill is approved, it becomes a law. 

    2. If the Governor does not take any action on the bill within thirty days after sine die, it automatically becomes law.

    3. If it is vetoed, it does not become a law unless ⅔ of the General Assembly votes to override the veto (unless the General Assembly has adjourned sine die)

Rules of the General Assembly

17. The San Andreas General Assembly is a part time legislature, with the regular session limited in duration to 120 calendar days under the Article V, Section 7 of the state constitution. Under Joint Rule 26-01, Any bill, resolution, or measure not finally passed by both chambers of the Legislature and, where required, presented to the Governor for action prior to 12:00 midnight following convening on the 120th day shall be deemed to have failed. No such measure may be carried over into any subsequent regular or special session and must be reintroduced as a new bill in a future session. The current legislative day will be printed in journals, calendars, and posted on the website to keep track of the session. 

18. Unless the bill has a safety clause, it becomes effective 90 days after sine die. This is also when the official collection of session laws are published. This is due to the referendum process pursuant to section 1(3) of article v of the state constitution. 

Clarification on Terms: A bill is considered “lost” when it fails to receive a majority vote on a motion or vote to advance or pass at any stage of the process. If a bill is “postponed indefinitely” It means that a motion or vote to actively kill the legislation was presented and passed with majority.