ARTICLE X: PRESIDING OFFICERS

A. Titles

Presiding officers on the Floor shall always be addressed or referred to as the Speaker. Presiding officers in committee shall always be addressed or referred to as Chair, Chairman or Chairwoman. She/he is always addressed by prefixing Madam or Mr., as the case may be, to the title. A presiding officer shall refer to him/herself as �the Speaker� or �the Chair.�

B. Duties

The duties of a presiding officer are generally as follows: To announce the business before the assembly in the order in which it is to be acted upon; to state and to put to vote all questions which are regularly moved, or necessarily arise in the course of the proceedings, and to announce the result of the vote; to protect the assembly from annoyance from evidently frivolous or dilatory motions by refusing to recognize them; to assist in the expediting of business in every way compatible with the rights of the members, as by allowing brief remarks when undebatable motions are pending, if he thinks it advisable; to restrain the members when engaged in debate, within the rules of order; to enforce on all occasions the observance of order and decorum among the members, deciding all questions of order (subject to an appeal to the assembly by any two members) unless when in doubt she prefers to submit the question for the decision of the assembly; to inform the assembly, when necessary, or when referred to for the purpose, on a point of order or practice pertinent to pending business; to authenticate, when necessary, all the acts, orders, and proceedings of the assembly declaring its will and in all things obeying its commands.


C. Restrictions

The presiding officer may not make or second motions on any questions in which they preside.

The presiding officer should not preside over a bill or resolution he/she has introduced, and should turn the gavel over to another presiding officer such as the Speaker Pro Tempore or a committee Vice Chair.

A presiding officer must act on motions that are in order, and may not close debate on a question until all proper motions have been considered or ruled on. However, presiding officers should not permit business to be disrupted by members using parliamentary procedure with the purpose to obstruct.

Presiding officers usually vote last, after all other members.

D. Notes to inexperienced presiding officers

Presiding officers should read through AGS Rules, AGS Rules of Order and the Constitution regularly. Knowing the rules makes it less likely that they will make mistakes in enforcing them.

Parliamentary procedure is developed for assemblies and not the other way around. They are made to facilitate the consideration of business, not to slow it down or make it difficult. Presiding officers should enforce the rules, but should be flexible when possible with members who are not authorities on parliamentary procedure. For example, rather than ruling an improperly worded motion as out of order, the presiding officer could suggest the proper wording.

The presumption of fairness and integrity is paramount to successfully presiding over House business. Presiding officers must treat members with respect and dignity at all times.