Rules of Parliament [Draft] === ###### Proposed 2022-03-09 #### Section 1. Bills. 1. There are two types of Bills: Government Bills, which are sponsored by Ministers; and Private Bills which are sponsored by members who are not ministers. 2. All Bills must be submitted through the Bill Submission Form provided by the President. 3. Submitted bills are added to the Bill Hopper until they are given a First Reading. 4. At any one time each member can have a maximum of two private bills in the hopper pending a First Reading. #### Section 2. Legislative Procedure. 1. Bills are considered in three stages: 1. First Reading: The general merits of the bill are debated. This debate lasts for 24 hours and is followed by a vote of 24 hours on whether to advance the bill to the Committee of the Whole. 2. Committee of the Whole: The specific provisions of the bill are considered and amendments proposed informally.This debate lasts for forty-eight hours followed by a vote of 24 hours to accept the amendments proposed by the Committee, after which the Bill progresses to a Final Reading. 3. Final Reading: The Bill is considered in its entirety again and finally. This debate lasts for twenty-four hours and is followed by a vote of forty-eight hours on the final passage of the bill. 2. The President may extend the time for debate to a maximum of seventy-two hours, and time for voting to a maximum of forty-two hours. 3. Parliament may actively consider a total of four bills at one time, including two government bills, and two private bills. 4. Private bills are selected randomly from the hopper when a slot becomes available. The government is responsible for the sequencing of their own bills.