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| Calendars are used in the legislative process to provide official notification of bills to be considered, session, and council and committee meetings and hearings. Different types of calendars used are: claim bill calendar, consent calendar, daily calendar, interim calendar, local bill calendar, special order calendar, and trust fund bill calendar. | |
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A private, though not necessarily closed, meeting of legislators. A caucus may be composed of members of a political party, members from a specific geographical area, or members allied for a temporary purpose. Legislative officers and leaders are designated and nominated within the political parties at caucuses. A party’s position on pending legislation is often discussed in caucuses. | |
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| The Chair refers to the presiding officer for a floor session or council or committee meeting. | |
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| The large meeting rooms in which the House and the Senate hold their floor sessions. The House and the Senate Chambers are located on the fourth floor of the Capitol. | |
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| A bill becomes chapter law once it has been enacted and assigned an identifying number by the Secretary of State. The number indicates the year passed and the printing sequence number. For example, chapter 2000-541 represents the 541st law printed in the year 2000. Chapter laws are compiled and published annually in the Laws of Florida. | |
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| The Division of Legislative Information Services publishes the Citator. It shows each action taken on every bill and provides statistical information and a number of indices for each session. | |
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| A claim bill presents a claim for compensation for a particular individual or entity for injuries or losses caused by negligence or error on the part of a public office or agency. | |
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| The Clerk of the House serves as a constitutional officer performing the ministerial duties as directed by the Speaker to include keeping and publishing a correct Journal of House proceedings; superintending the engrossing and transmitting of legislation; attesting to all writs issued by order of the House and the passage of all legislative measures; the publishing of other House documents; and, supervising the custody of legislation, and official records, and documents of the House. Additionally, upon request, this position provides parliamentary guidance upon request. The Office of the Clerk is a non-partisan, non-political office. | |
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| A book published biennially by the Clerk's Office that includes biographical information on members of the legislature and other useful information. | |
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| Coding is the formatting that indicates changes within a bill. New material is underlined, while deleted material is stricken through. | |
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A panel of legislators appointed by the respective presiding officers to perform specific duties, such as consider legislation and conduct investigations or hearings. Types of committees include: conference committee, joint committee, select committee, standing committee, and subcommittee. | |
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Wording changes to a bill, etc., recommended by a committee to the council of jurisdiction. | |
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| The Speaker of the House may create a committee that includes the entire membership of the House in order to deal with specific legislation. | |
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| After a bill has been reviewed by a council or committee, the council or committee issues a report stating whether the bill was reported favorably, favorably with amendment, or unfavorably. Additionally, a committee, when recommending a bill favorably, may recommend a council substitute to the council the committee is contained within. A council may report a bill favorably with council substitute. | |
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| Bills introduced in the House and Senate that are identical or substantially similar in wording are known as companion bills. The use of companion bills allows bills in both bodies to move through the committee process at the same time. | |
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| Bills with some provisions that are similar in text. | |
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| Concurrent resolutions are used to extend legislative sessions and to address legislative organization and procedures. They are also used to express the opinion of both houses. For example, a concurrent resolution may offer the Legislature's felicitations on an honor that has come to an individual or it may be used to mourn the passing of a distinguished citizen. Additionally, concurrent resolutions may be used to express Florida's ratification or rejection of an amendment to the United States Constitution. | |
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| Members of a conference committee appointed by the Senate President and House Speaker. | |
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| A committee composed of members of the House (appointed by the Speaker) and members of the Senate (appointed by the President of the Senate) whose sole purpose is to resolve the differences between the two houses on the language of a bill. | |
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| A conference committee will issue a report, which usually includes amendments. The report of the conference committee must either be adopted or rejected as whole by each house of the Legislature. | |
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| Refers to a resident in an elected official's district. | |
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The written instrument embodying the fundamental principles of the state which establishes power and duties of the government and guarantees certain rights to the people. It is the basic law of the state and is ratified by vote of the people. | |
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A joint resolution that proposes a change to the State Constitution. After final passage and filing with the Secretary of State, a proposed constitutional amendment is presented to the voters at the next regular general election pursuant to section 5 of Article XI of the State Constitution. | |
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To assemble the Legislature or either house thereof for the purpose of conducting formal business. | |
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| With the Speaker's approval, a council may propose a bill, which may then be assigned to a committee for recommendations. The council chair must designate either a member of the council or of a committee within that council as first-named cosponsor. | |
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| A House bill going through the council hearing process can have numerous amendments or the amendments change the original concept of the bill. In these instances, the bill is rewritten and becomes a "council substitute." | |
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A council is composed of House members appointed by the Speaker to direct the development of policy within a wider jurisdiction than that of a standing committee. | |
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