Rules of Procedure of the Chamber of Deputies
 Rules of Procedure of the Chamber of Deputies | |
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| Promulgated By | His Royal Majesty |
| Issuing Office | His Royal Majesty's Office |
| Enactment Authority | Royal Prerogative |
| Promulgation Date | November 19, 2010 |
| Governing Statute | |
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His Royal Majesty in Right of Gotzborg, on the recommendation of His Royal Chancellor, hereby makes the annexed Rules of Procedure of the Chamber of Deputies.
The President of the Chamber of Deputies
1. The President of the Chamber is the Presiding Officer of the Chamber.
2. The President of the Chamber is nominated by the Chamber and holds the position until resigning or a vote of no confidence.
3. The President of the Chamber is not prohibited, by virtue of his appointment as such, from fulfilling any of those duties, and enjoying any of those privileges, of a Member of the Chamber under these Rules of Procedure.
Motions before the Chamber of Deputies
4. Any Member may introduce any of the following motions and each motion shall be debated and disposed of according to the Rules of Procedure:
- A motion to pass a Bill;
- A motion to pass a Resolution or make an Order; or,
- A motion to form a Committee for some purpose.
5. Any Member may present a petition to the Chamber.
6. To introduce a main motion, the Member shall post the text of what is to be considered (the Item) to the Chamber forum with the suitable prefixes in the title as stipulated below:
- [Bill] if the motion is to consider an item of legislation;
- [Resolution]/[Order] if the motion is to consider a resolution or order;
- [Committee] if the motion is to form a committee.
7. Subject to the below-noted provisions, a main motion shall be open for debate for a period of seven days.
8. A Member may, at any time, move a motion that an amendment be made to an Item, and every such motion shall be considered in turn with only one such motion being considered at a time.
9. A Member may, at any time, move a motion that the question be now put on a main motion, but such a motion shall be of no effect unless seconded by at least two other members, one of whom must be the President of the Chamber.
10. The question on a motion made in accordance with Article 6(i) shall be put after the expiry of the period for debate on the main motion.
11. The question on a motion made in accordance with Article 6(ii) shall be put as soon as that motion has been properly seconded.
12. The President of the Chamber shall have the power to, at any time, extend or delay debate on a motion (whether a main motion or otherwise) and to end debate on a motion (not being a main motion), by resolution of a simple majority of Members of the Chamber.
13. If, on the petition of the Royal Chancellor, it is claimed that it is necessary in the vital interests of the state that the main question be promptly put on the main motion for a Bill, the President of the Chamber shall put the question on that main motion after the expiry of a period of two days, provided that no such petition shall be made until the second day after the main motion was first moved.
14. The President of the Chamber shall not be under an obligation to do either of the following if he considers that to do so would be an abuse of the Chamber:
- Permit any motion to be debated; or
- Put the question on any motion.
15. Where the period for debate on a main motion expires, the Chamber shall vote:
- First on every amendment proposed to the Item, if there be any; and,
- Then on the main motion.
16. The ballot choices shall be the following:
- Yea, which shall be a vote to pass the motion;
- Nay, which shall be a vote to defeat the motion; or,
- Abstain, which shall be a vote to not make a decision on the motion.
17. Every vote shall be given, in writing, in public.
18. Every division shall last a period of four days. The President of the Chamber shall have the power to extend, delay or end a division by resolution of a simple majority of Members of the Chamber.
19. At the conclusion of voting procedures, according to the votes cast the President of the Chamber of the Chamber will announce the result of the motion.
20. If a Bill is passed by the Chamber, the President of the Chamber, or some other person authorized by him for that purpose, shall present it to His Royal Majesty the King for Royal Assent.
Rules of Decorum
21. No Members shall make any personal attack against another Member.
22. No Member shall use any foul, profane or uncivil language or words.
23. Members must refrain from gross unethical conduct, or conduct which brings the Chamber into disrepute, in particular:
- disregarding the authority of the chair;
- persistently and willfully obstructing the business of the Chamber by abusing the rules of the Chamber;
- corruption through bribery or extortion;
- violation of the trust given him by the Chamber;
- abuse of the power of his office; or,
- being convicted of committing any offence against the laws of the Kingdom.
24. A Member shall not be proceeded against in respect of any vote cast by him in any division, or any words spoken or language used that were a factual representation of his political choices, political ideology or political beliefs.
25. Words spoken by a Member do not constitute a personal attack if they are concerned with a position or opinion held by another Member.
Sanction of Members
26. If a Member is in breach of Article 21, he shall, on the request of the Member so injured, retract such parts of his speech as are deemed to have constituted the personal attack.
27. A Member who fails to retract either of the following shall be suspended from the service of the Chamber for a period of two days:
- Any part of his speech that in the opinion of the President of the Chamber constitutes a personal attack; or,
- Any foul, profane or uncivil language or words.
28. A Member who, not himself being suspended from the service of the Chamber, but being particularly aggrieved by the suspension of another under Article 27, may raise the issue on a point of order or on a motion for a resolution, and such a point of order or a resolution shall, notwithstanding any rule that prohibits challenges to the authority of the President of the Chamber, be in order and shall be properly and fully debated.
29. If a Member does anything that constitutes a breach of the rules of decorum enumerated above, the Chamber:
- May, by a simple majority (plurality), find that it has no confidence in the Member;
- May, by an absolute majority (a majority of votes cast), resolve to order the suspension of the Member from the service of the Chamber for a fixed period of time; or,
- May, by a unanimous vote, resolve to order the expulsion of that Member.
30. Where the Chamber finds that it has no confidence in a Member who is at that time a Minister, such a finding shall also constitute a finding of no confidence is his service as a Minister (within the meaning of Article 20 of the Constitution Act).
31. Where the Chamber finds that it has no confidence in a Member who is at that time the President of the Chamber, such a finding shall also constitute a finding of no confidence is his service as President of the Chamber (within the meaning of Article 2 above).
32. In case of grave disorder arising in the Chamber the President of the Chamber may, if he thinks it necessary to do so, adjourn the Chamber without putting any question, or suspend the sitting for a time to be named by him.
Amendments to and Suspension of the Rules of Procedure
33. Subject to the provisions above concerning resolutions, the Chamber may by resolution of two-thirds of the members amend the Rules of Procedure.
34. The Chamber may, by resolution of two-thirds of the members, suspend the Rules of Procedure.
35. Where the Rules of Procedure have been suspended, the Chamber may, by resolution of one-half of the members, reinstate the Rules of Procedure.
36. A main motion to pass a Bill, the effect of which would be to amend the Constitution (and any subsidiary motion made in relation to that main motion) shall not be considered whilst the Rules of Procedure are suspended.
Interpretation
37. In these Rules words importing the masculine gender include the feminine, and words importing the feminine gender include the masculine.
