standing rules for the guidance of the legislative council of antigua

Standing rules for the guidance of the Legislative Council of Antigua.Author(s): Antigua and Barbuda. and Legislative Council.Source: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Collection, (1892)Published by: The University of Manchester, The John Rylands University LibraryStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/60232576 .

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STANDING ROLES

FOR THE; GUIDANCE OF THE

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL Qf ANTIGUA

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1. As soon as a sufficient number of members to form a Boar db

ghall h&ve assembled, the Ghair shall be taken, and the Clerk shall-

enter in the minutes the names of the members present at the -

assembling of the Council; and1 in case any other, member shall take* his seat subsequently the Clerk shall enter the name,of such mem¬

ber in, the proper place of the minutes.

2: After a Board' is formed it shall not be adjourned; except, on. the vote of the majority, of the members present.

3. The hour of meeting shall be Two o'clock in the. afternoon, unless some other hour shall'have been appointed: In, the event of'

a sufficient number of members not attending within half an hour-

after the time appointed'for their meeting, the. Council shall standi

adjourned to the day week.,

4'. No member shall leave the Council; or-a Committee of the.

Council, but by the consent of the.President or; the Vice-President,,, as the case may be.

5. Before the Council proceeds to any other business, the. minutes of the last preceding meeting, as taken by the Clerk, shall: be read' over by him, and shall consist of a detail of the proceedings..

6. If any member shall be desirous of making any correction, of the minutes, he shall propose such correction, immediately after the minutes are read, and such correction shall be.forthwith, admit-, ted or rejected by the Council.

7. A Book shall be-kept by the Clertf to be called "The Order- of the Day Book" and-in-, such book shall.be inserted a notice of all

original propositions intended to be submitted to the Council in. the. order of priority ot time at wjtrich the same shall shall be given,

8. All propositions shall come on and be submitted to the Coun-. cil in the order in which the same shall have been inserted in '• The. Order of the Day Book," unless the Council shall by specific vote, determine to proceed to any particular, business out of the regular- order, and a motion for such vote may be made without nptic& an$' §hall; take precedence of all other business..

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9. All propositions shall be submitted to the Council by way of motion, and ever}' motion shall be reduced to writing and read by the Clerk to the Council. Any motion submitted to the Council by any member of the Council must be seconded and unless so seconded it shall be considered aa lost, and a note thereof shall be' entered in the minutes.

10. Any member shall be at liberty to propose the amendment u^ of any proposition; provided that such amendment shall not be un¬ connected with the general object and purpose of the original pro¬ position. If the amendment be objected to on the ground that it is unconnected with the general object of the original proposition, the

objection shall be decided by the Council previously to the question on the amendment. Provided also that no member shall be allowed to move more than one amendment to the original proposition before the Council.

11. A printed 'or written copy of every Bill standing for intro¬ duction into this Council shall be delivered to or left at the known

place of abode of every member at least 3 days before the same shall be moved for a first reading.

12'. Every Bill shall be read three times previously to its beihg passed; provided always that no Bill shall be advanced more than tone stage 'at each sitting.

13. If the question for the second reading of the Bill shalLpJass in the affirmative, the Bill shall be referred to a Committee of the Whole Council, and shall be read therein clause by clause, and any amendments thereon proposed and decided on, and after having passed the Committee, the Bill stand for a third reading. *

14. If the question for a third reading of a|Bill shall pass in y, the affirmative a motion may be immediately made that the Bill do

pass, and if such question be carried the President or the Vice Presi¬

dent, as the case may be, shall thereupon lay the Bill before the" Governor for his approbation.

15. The Council may upon the potion of any member, resolve1 itself into a Committee of the whole Council, for the consideration of

any matter which may be reterred to such Committee, and of all Committees of the whole Council; the President or the Vice President as the case may be, shall be Chairman.

16. In speaking to any proposition under consideration of the jEounoil, the > following rules are to be strictly observed:—Every member is to address his observations to the President, or th6 Vice President, as the case may be, and he is to speak stand¬

ing—He is not to be interrupted unless out of order. When he has finished his observations he will resume his seat, and any other member wishing td address the Council will rise. If two members rise at the same time the President, or the Vice President, as the case

may be, will "Call on the member who first catches his eye—Every a member must confine his observations to the subject under considera¬ tion—No member shall impute improper motives to any other mem¬ ber ; all personalities are to be avoided—No member shall speak more than once on any proposition before the Council, except in ex¬

planation, or to order, 'or when the Council is in Committee. The first speaker on any question may however reply after all the other members present shall have had an opportunity ot making their obser¬

vations, and before the motion is put. Any member Of the Council

'deviating from the rules may be immediately called to order by the

President, or the Vice-President, -&s -the -case majr'be, or by atoy ̂ o+her



i

member oi the Council, and if anv dispute an^es ,ts:to<whether'the1 member is'or is not m order,'that question shall be decided by thd President, or the Vice-President, as th<3 case may be.

17. Every proposition once submitted to the Council shall be disposed of before anv b'ther question is enteitained ; but this rule shall not be construed to extend to the <> v elusion of motions for amendments'Or motions for adjourning the consideration of any sub¬ ject, or for the adjournment of the Council, which may be made ,at any time, arid which shall immediately be decided upon.

i8'. WhM' the debate upon'a motion, shall be concluded, the Council shall proceed to vote thereon, and the clerk shall collect the votes by Calling tiver the names of ever}' member present, and every member shall upon his name being called over give his vote in the dis¬ tinct'terms "Aye," or "No," and after having taken the votes, the Clerk shall declare the result, and note the same in the minutes, dis¬ tinguishing the name and the vote of each member. In collecting the Votes the Clerk shall commence from the left and proceed to the right taking each member in succession, provided that the President shall be the last to record his vote and: that the vote of the Vice President shall be recorded last before the President.

19. No communication to the Council, except communications made by the Governor, shall be received unless addressed in the form of a petition or a memorial, duly signed by the person peti¬ tioning, and every such petition ormemorial must be presented by some member who shall be responsible that the same is framed iares1 pectful terms.

20. On the presentation1 of any petition or memorial, the mem4 ber presenting t le same may, without previous notice, move that the same be ordered to lie on the table.

21. All papers laid before the Conn cil shall be deposited "with the Clerk, who shall be responsible for the safe custody thereof; and" all such papers shall be ready to be produced before the Council whenever the same may be required by any member of the Council, and such papers shall be at all times open to the inspection and peru- sal of any of the members of the Council.

2&. The Clerk shall copy all Bills and Acts, and put the mar¬ ginal notes thereto, and shall keep an index of the records of the Council.

23. No petitions relating to scrutinies or controverted elections, shall be received after the third meeting of the Council subsequent to the returned member taking his seat.

24. If any member shall absent himself from the Council for three meetings successively during a Session without any reasonable excuse made and admitted as such by the Council, his seat shall be Vacated.

25. No member of the Council shall be permitted to appear afc the Bar thereof as Counsel in any matter deliberated by the Council, where it would be his duty to act in a judicial capacity ; and where in 'ouch case his constituents would be only in part represented.

26. In no casein which the Council shall entertain a petitiom 'against the return of a member thereof, shall such member be permit¬ ted to vote on any subject connected with such petition, or in tfee 'scrutiny of votes taken thereon.



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27". No motion or resolution tending to procure a vote or grant* of public money shall be entertained by the Council, unless previous notice shall have been given at the.preceding meeting of the inten-r-

tion and object of such motion, such notice to be at least one* week

before motion made.

28. No standing Rule of the Council shall be abrogated," alter¬

ed or suspended, unless on motion made for that purpose, twelve

members, at least do vote for such abrogation, alteration, qr suspen¬ sion.

29. At any election of members to serve in the General Legis¬ lative Council the President of the Legislative Council or in his ab¬

sence the Vice-President shall'act as Returning Officer.

30. The elected members of the Council shall put the candi¬

dates in nomination,

31. Immediately after the candidates, shall have been nomiT-

nated the Returning Officer shall take the votes of the elected mem¬

bers as they stand on the Clerk's list; and the candidate or, candi7

dates or as many as may at the time be required, who shall have the

greatest number of votes shall be declared the member or members,

to serve in the General Legislative Council as- members of Antigua.

32^ In case of two or more of the candidates having an equality

of votes', the Returning Officer shall proceed to a fresh election in re¬

gard to those only who have such an equality of votes and should

there again bean equality ofvotesfortwo or more of the candidates,,

the Returning Officer shall proceed to another election, and so on as.

often as may be necessary until a sufficient number qf members sha,H,

be elected.

33. The Standing Rules of this Council shall be signed by the,

President or Vice-President, as the case maybe, andshall,be recorded

by the Clerk, be printed, and a copy thereof be delivered to each.

Member.

gfti October 1892:.

H. OGILVIE BENNETT, President.

V a

(100 if



standing rules for the guidance of the legislative council of antigua

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