Florida 4-H

A formal meeting or conference is taking place in a large, ornate room with rows of seated attendees. The room features framed portraits along the walls and a large world map display. Participants are seated at desks equipped with microphones, each with nameplates. One person is speaking at the podium in the forefront.

KNOW HOW TO ENGAGE

Explore this page to learn how to properly engage within your role! Find comfort in this page, knowing that just about everything you do at LEG has a script to go with it. There are certainly opportunities to go off script, speak extemporaneously, and explore different motion possibilities, but you always have a script to come back to!

Parliamentary Procedures

Parliamentary procedure is the rule of conduct that legislative bodies use to facilitate meetings. The goals of parliamentary procedure are to protect the rights of the minority, maintain the rule of the majority, and promote the most efficient proceedings.

Use the resources below to better understand how we will be using parliamentary procedure to run our legislative sessions during LEG. All of these are included in Manual I - Key Documents, which can be found on LEG's landing page.

Resources
- Proper Chamber Procedures and Language
- Gavel Raps, Voting, Debate and Decorum
- Motions: Meaning and Language
- Amendment Form
- Committee Meeting Agendas & Proper Language
- Committee Meetings Check List
- Committee Meetings Forms
- Glossary of Terms

A group of young people are seated in a formal setting that resembles a legislative chamber.

Legislative Sessions & Committee Meetings

Opening Session - Tuesday
The joint opening session is the ceremonial opening session for 4-H Legislature.
- All delegates meet in the House chambers.
- The purpose is to provide a forum and an opportunity for the Governor and/or other dignitaries to speak to the delegates, session delegates are sworn in, joint resolutions, proclamations or other special presentations made to honor or recognize supporters Florida 4-H Legislature program.

Session #1 - Tuesday
- Once the opening session is called to order, and after the thought for the day and pledges, the presiding officer calls upon the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate to read the first bill (by title only).
- The Speaker of the House or President of the Senate will refer a bill to a specific committee. The clerk or secretary continues reading each bill by title only and the Speaker of the House or President of the Senate will refer each bill to the appropriate committee, this process continues until all bills have been referred to a committee. This is the “first reading” of a bill.
- After all of the bills are referred to committee, the House and Senate sessions are recessed if there is no further business. Legislators then report to the First Committee Meeting. Lobbyist will report for the Lobbyist Meeting.

Committee Meetings - Tuesday
For full information on how our committees simulate real life and the list of 4-H legislative committees, go to Prepare for Your Role - Representatives & Senators (Google Sites).

As mentioned above during Session #1, all bills are referred to committee. They must pass through committee before they are discussed by everyone in their respective chambers.

There are three committee meetings to complete all of the responsibilities listed below.

Committee Responsibilities During Florida 4-H Legislature
- Identify the sponsor or co-sponsors for each bill
- Allow Bill Sponsors to present a bill and allow 4-H Legislators to debate the bills
- The bill sponsor and/or co-sponsor present the bill in committee meetings. If the bill reaches the Senate or House floor, the sponsor presents the bill on the floor.
- Various lobby groups and others are also provided the opportunity to speak formally before the committee in order to gain support or oppose a bill.
- After the lobbyists have spoken and legislators have had a chance to question them, the Committee will vote whether the bills should be sent to the House/Senate for further debate of the proposed bills.
- Legislators make their final decision as to whether they will vote for or against the various bills under consideration. The legislators/committee members will also vote to rank the bills in the order that they would want them brought to the floor.
- Amendments may be made to bills in committee and will be voted upon by the committee members
Committee Structure
- There will be a chairperson for each of six committees who is also a member of the 4-H Legislature Committee and is experienced in 4-H Legislature. The chair presides at Committee Meetings.
- The chairperson appoints a secretary. The secretary keeps minutes and writes in the amendments to bills as directed by the committee.

Session #2 - Wednesday
- Once the second legislative session is called to order, the presiding officer asks the clerk or secretary to “unlock the machines” and ask “legislators to vote.” Then the clerk or secretary will announce if there is a quorum present. The thought for the day and pledge are presented. The presiding officer asks the clerk or secretary to announce the “Bill Calendar.”
- Then the presiding officer calls upon the Clerk to read the first bill on the calendar, noting changes made in the committee. This is the “second reading” of a bill.
- The presiding officer recognizes the Bill Sponsor who then has 2 – 3 minutes to present his/her bill. This is the time to explain the bill and why it should be passed.
- The presiding officer announces the time limit for non-debatable, technical questions of the Bill Sponsor and recognizes legislators who have questions. The Bill Sponsor may choose to answer the questions or not.
- The presiding officer announces the number of rounds of con/pro debate and the time limit. Debate then begins with the presiding officer recognizing a con speaker. The con speaker has X minutes (usually three (3) minutes) to present negative arguments; if the con speaker finishes speaking before time is called, he/she may yield his/her time to a “like” speaker.
  - NOTE: After the round of negative/con speakers concludes, a round of pro debate begins. A speaker in favor of the bill is recognized and allowed X minutes (usually three (3) minutes). The pro speaker may speak for X minutes or yield his/her time to a “like” speaker.
- This pattern of rotation continues until three con/pro rounds of debate are completed. If there are NO amendments, the bill sponsor is given three (3) minutes to summarize and make a closing statement after the debate has ended. He or she then moves that the bill be read for a third time by title only and placed on final passage.
- The presiding officer asks for objections to the motion (usually there are none since this is a formality) and then asks the clerk to read the bill by title only. This is the “third reading” of the bill.
- If there are amendments to the bill (which must have been submitted in writing to the Clerk of the House or Secretary of the Senate prior to the debate) they are then dealt with following the same procedure as above. The amendment sponsor is allowed to present the amendment and con/pro rounds of debate follow as above. The only difference is that less time and number of rounds of debate is allowed. After debate on each amendment presented from the floor is concluded, each amendment is voted upon.
- After all amendments are disposed of, the vote will be taken on the bill as amended. The Bill Sponsor is given three (3) minutes to summarize and make a closing statement. The Bill Sponsor then moves that the bill be read for a third time by title only and placed on final passage, noting changes made by passed amendments. A majority vote is required for passage.
- When the same bill passes in both the House and Senate in the exact same language it may be presented to the Florida 4-H Governor for action — the Governor may sign the bill, allow the bill to become law without his/her signature or the Governor may veto the bill.
- If a bill passes in both the House and Senate but the language is not the same then it may be referred to a Conference Committee to determine if a compromise “Conference Bill” can be agreed upon. The Conference Bill is then presented in the House and Senate for passage. If it passes in both the House and Senate, it is presented to the Governor for consideration.
- Legislative Sessions may be recessed for breaks, lunch and at the end of the day. The presiding officer will reconvene the session following recesses.

Session #3 - Thursday
- The Presiding Officer reconvenes the session and bills continue to work through the system. If the Governor has vetoed any bills, the House and Senate may choose to attempt to “override the Governor’s veto.”
- At the end of the session the Florida 4-H Legislature will be adjourned.

Adjournment - Thursday
The Florida 4-H Legislature adjourns with a ceremonial procedure.
- “Sine die” refers to final adjournment of a legislative session. The term is sometimes used to denote the ceremony involving the dropping of white handkerchiefs, which symbolizes the end of a regular session.
- By tradition, the Florida House and Senate adjourn their legislative sessions at the same time.
- In the Old Capitol building, the presiding officers could not see each other. So the Sergeants at Arms for each body would stand in the doorway of their chamber and drop handkerchiefs simultaneously.
- The Senate President and Speaker of the House waited for this cue and then each rapped the gavel at the same time.
- After the introduction of telephones, the “handkerchief dropping” became symbolic. In the New Capitol building, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House have a clear view of each other, but the “handkerchief dropping” tradition continues.

Additional Resources

Writing Bills
Laws are established when legislators agree that proposed bills are in the best interest of the state and favorably pass the bills. However, the process involved in creating, debating, and passing or defeating bills is complex.

Just like citizens who propose bills at the state and federal levels of government, 4-H citizens influence this event by proposing bills to use during the Florida 4-H Legislature event. Assistance comes from various county officials and community resources.

Proposed bills are in one of six committees:
- Agriculture & Natural Resources
- Education
- Criminal Justice
- Health & Human Services
- Government, Commerce & Transportation
- Juvenile Justice
Submitting bills and ideas for bills:
- Any 4-H member may submit a bill or an idea for a bill to be included for consideration among the bills for Florida 4-H Legislature.
- The 4-H Legislature Committee and Steering Committee, with approval of Florida 4-H Administration, will make the final decision as to which bills are published for use at Florida 4-H Legislature.
Timeline for submitting bills:
- Ideas for bills are requested one week prior to the First Executive Board Meeting.
- Formatted Bills are requested at least one week prior to Second Executive Board Meeting.
- Ideas for bills and formatted bills should be submitted to the 4-H Legislature Planning Committee Chair or State 4-H Office.
- Bills to be considered for the next year’s 4-H Legislature may also be submitted during current 4-H Legislature.
Purpose of Bills:
- Each 4-H bill is designed to correct an existing problem somewhere in the state.
- As is often the case, a bill affects groups of people in entirely different ways. In other words, a benefit for one group may be a disadvantage for another group.
- Due to differences in opinion, lobby groups are established as “vested interest” groups. The purpose of each “vested interest” group is to promote passage of legislation that is beneficial to their group.
- In a similar manner, lobby groups guard against unnecessary legislation or legislation not beneficial to their group.
Bill Research Sources
1. Guidelines for Bill Drafting
2. National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
  - Discussion of state issues and links to other state legislatures.)
3. Internet Public Library (IPL)
  - A public service organization and learning/teaching environment.
  - The librarians index to the internet.
4. State & Local: Locate Resources Fast
  - This site provides frequently updated directory of links to government sponsored and controlled resources on the Internet.
  - Great source to access Florida legislative information.
5. FindLaw
  - Very thorough web site for U.S. state resources and Federal information.
  - Legal Subject Index provides legal information searching by subject.
  - Many sources to search for information including: legal dictionary and legal news.
6. Online Sunshine
7. My Florida
8. Florida Bar
9. Florida Chamber of Commerce

Drafting Amendments
After a bill has been introduced, any action taken thereon is taken with respect to the bill and amendments made to that bill.

In writing amendments to a bill, the objective is to make clear the change to be made in the bill.

Florida 4-H Amendment Form

Form and Style:
1. The following examples of form and punctuation are suggested for simple amendments: On Page 2 of the bill, line 17, after “of,” insert “the.”
  - On Page 3 of the bill, line 1, after “Florida Statute 57.967,” insert a period. Delete the rest of line and line 2.
  - On Page 1, after line 15, insert: “(4) In all counties over 300,000 population…”
2. Normally, it is not necessary to indicate both the word before and the word after the material to be inserted. Sometimes it is necessary to do so in order to make it clear where the new materials fit into the printed bill.
  - For example, if the word “of” appeared twice on page 2, line 17, of the bill, the following form would be used: On page 2 of the bill, line 17, after “of” and before “state,” insert “the.”
3. In amending a one-page bill, it is not necessary to give the page number in the amendment.
4. After the phrase “of the bill” has been used once in the bill, it does not needed to be repeated.
5. When replacing existing material with new material, delete existing material first and then insert new material.
6. In referring to a punctuation mark, spell out the word rather than use the symbol. For example: On page 4 of the bill, line 3, delete semicolon.
7. Restore material that the bill proposes to delete from existing law in following manner: On Page 1 of the bill, line 18, restore “3” and delete “2.”
8. Always use clear and simple wording in amendments. The following words and phrases are preferred:
  - USE:
    1. Lines 3 through 7
    2. Rest of the line
    3. Insert “penalties
    4. After “(7)” and before “(4)”
    5. Delete “173.170” and insert
    6. Insert
  - AVOID
    1. Lines 3 through 7, inclusive
    2. Remainder of the line
    3. Insert the word “penalties”
    4. After the number “(7)” and before the number “(4)”
    5. Delete “FS173.170” and in lieu “173.171” thereof insert “FS173.171”
    6. Insert the following
9. When more than one change is made in the same line, use the following form:
  - On page 1 of the bill, line 3, after “FS” insert “78.982” and in the same line after “penalties,” insert “appropriate money.”
10. When all of a bill is to be deleted, except the title and enacting clause, make sure that the title still applies to new matter, and use the following form:
  - On page 1 of the bill, delete lines 8 through 19.
  - Select pages 2 through 4 and insert: “Section 1. FS 428.070 is amended to read: “418.070. (1)…”

Special Committees
Throughout the sessions described below, two special committees will meet to carry out the following responsibilities:

Rules Committee
- The function of the Rules Committee will be to determine the calendar (bills in order of debate) for each chamber.
- The Senate and House shall each have a Rules Committee.
- The President of the Senate and House Speaker will preside over their respective committees.
- All committee chairpersons serve as Rules Committee members.
- The Rules Committee will convene at a time stated by the presiding officers.
Conference Committee
- A joint rules committee will meet to streamline companion bills passed in both the House and Senate.
- If there are any differences in the bills, the joint rules committee will attempt to “hammer out” the differences and compromise to create a “Conference Bill” that can be presented for vote in the House and in the Senate.
- A “Conference Bill” that passes both the House and Senate is then presented to the 4-H Governor for their consideration.