HOUSE RESOLUTION #11
Relative to a request from the House of Representatives to the Honorable Senate
Whereas, Part Second, Article 2 of the Constitution of the State of New Hampshire establishes a general court with supreme legislative power in the State, composed of two co-equal bodies - a House of Representatives and a
Senate; and,
Whereas, Part Second, Article 22 of the Constitution of the State of New Hampshire provides that the House of Representatives shall settle the rules of proceedings for its own body, and Article 23 grants that same power to the Senate to settle its rules of proceedings; and,
Whereas, Part Second, Article 45 of the Constitution of the State of New Hampshire prescribes that resolves be treated as bills; and
Whereas, House Rule 39 requires that all joint resolutions be treated in the same manner as bills, and Senate Rule 3-20 requires that all resolutions that may be required to be signed by the governor shall be treated as bills; and
Whereas, for over two centuries it has been the tradition that legislation passed by one body of the New Hampshire legislature and sent to the other body is accepted for introduction, unless substantially similar legislation had been Indefinitely Postponed or found Inexpedient to Legislate in that second body during the current session; and
Whereas, on February 14, 2013, after the deadline had passed for filing and introduction of legislation originating in the House, the Senate changed its Rules to restrict the introduction of certain types of resolutions; and
Whereas, the House of Representatives accepted and acted upon a Senate Concurrent Resolution, despite the fact that the Senate refused to accept two House Concurrent Resolutions and one House Joint Resolution; and
Whereas, comity and respect for the internal process of each chamber is crucial to our democracy; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, that the House of Representatives respectfully requests of the Senate that it return to the policy that was in place prior to February 14, 2013, to accept and act upon concurrent and joint resolutions sent up from the House; and be it further
Resolved, that the Clerk of the House deliver a copy of this resolution to the President of the Senate and to the Clerk of the Senate.