Const. Amend/1st Leg/Filing Deadline/Introduction of Bills

This Act is the first leg of a constitutional amendment that imposes a filing deadline for the introduction of new bills. Specifically, this Act prohibits a bill from being introduced after the second Friday in June unless one of the following apply: (1) The bill is the annual budget act, one-time supplemental appropriations act, bond and capital improvement act, or grants-in-aid act. (2) The bill is introduced in a special session. (3) The bill is authorized to be introduced in the House of origin by a motion or resolution of the other House passed with the concurrence of three-fourths of all the members elected to the other House. The purpose of this Act is to prevent the last-minute introduction of legislation that is apt to circumvent the deliberative process required by § 911 of Title 29 of the Delaware Code and the Senate and House Rules. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 1 of Article XVI of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each House of the General Assembly to amend the Delaware Constitution. Amending the Delaware Constitution requires not only the passing of the changes in this Act, but also passage of the same changes after the next general election by the next General Assembly.

• Jeff HilovskyR
• Ronald E. GrayR