Office Of The Clerk

The Clerk of the House is a nonpartisan, nonpolitical constitutional officer appointed by the Speaker which is responsible for performing all of the ministerial duties of the House. The Clerk's Office includes the Legislative Process Division and the Public Engagement Division, along with the Duplicating & Print Services Unit, Graphic Services Unit, and the Photography Unit.

Calendars

Calendars are used in the legislative process to provide official notification of bills to be considered during session and in committee and subcommittee meetings. Different types of calendars include: claim bill calendar, consent calendar, daily calendar, interim calendar, local bill calendar, special order calendar, and trust fund bill calendar.

Committee Management

Committee Management keeps records of member appointments. These appointments are then published to the House website MyFloridaHouse.gov, in the House Calendar, and in the House Journal.

Engrossing

Engrossing a bill is the process of incorporating amendments adopted by the body into a bill.

Enrolling

Once a bill has passed, it is enrolled in the house of origin under the supervision of the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate. After it has been enrolled and signed by officers of both houses, it is then sent to the Governor for action and transmitted to the Secretary of State. The version of the bill sent to the Governor is referred to as an enrolled bill.

House Bill Actions

House Bill Actions are recorded in House and Senate Leagis. This includes filed bills, committee references, Committee & Subcommittee Actions, and Chamber actions, Governor's actions, and companion cross-referencing.

House Bill Companion Analysis

House Bill Companion Analysis is the manual process of identifying bills that contain the same or similar provisions, language and/or objective, performing markup of the bill text, determining to what degree the bills are related, and recording this relationship as part of the bill information.

House Messages

House Messages are the formal communications that travel between the houses regarding actions taken on bills.

Journal

The Journal is required by Art. III, s. 4(c) of the Florida Constitution and is the legal record of the proceedings of the House. The Constitution provides that the first reading of a measure may be met by publication in the Journal. The Journal records formal action that takes place on the House floor, including titles of bills introduced and considered a record of members' motions and votes on measures, and other business before the Florida House of Representatives.

Member Management

Member Management stores the biographical information of each member. This information is used to populate the Representatives' member web pages on MyFloridaHouse.gov.

Records Management

Records Management is responsible for securing and maintaining all legislation being considered by the House. This unit also maintains a record of administrative actions, keeps historical records, conducts research, and prepares House statistics.

Public Engagement Division

The Office of the Clerk’s public engagement activities are directly overseen by the Director of Public Engagement, and enables students to learn about the legislative process through mock legislative sessions and other educational resources. It also includes the Page & Messenger Program, which provides the opportunity for students to observe state government in action through the 60-day regular legislative session.

The Public Engagement Division also helps members of the public navigate the legislative process by welcoming visitors at the Legislative Welcome Center on the fourth floor of the Capitol, creating informational resources, and providing tours of the House Chamber.

Duplicating and Print Services Unit

The Duplicating and Print Services Unit, is directly overseen by the Clerk of the House. This unit serves as the House duplicating center in addition to assisting with the preparation of House publications. This unit supplies copies of floor amendments, vote sheets, meeting packets, individual House bills, and other related materials when the House is in session. They are also responsible for the distribution of Calendars and Journals as well as processing orders for copies of all House publications, stationery, and business cards.

Graphic Services Unit

The Graphic Services Unit is directly overseen by the Clerk of the House. This unit prepares graphics for the use of official publications of the Florida House of Representatives.

Photography Services Unit

The Photography Unit is directly overseen by the Clerk of the House. This unit is charged with keeping a photographic record of significant legislative events. In addition, they maintain the historic photos archives.

Administrative Staff

The administrative staff in the Clerk's Office assists the public with information requests, provides statistical information, assists in bill tracking, and directs research questions to the appropriate individual or office.

The Clerk's Office remains committed to broadening knowledge about the history of the House, as well as legislative and parliamentary process, and it is often called upon to serve as an educational resource.

Jeff Takacs

Clerk of the House


House Chamber Murals


Click image for detailed descriptions on all House Murals. To view video tours and discussions of the House Murals, click "Florida House Mural Tours"

Clerk Publications