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Bill Summary · HR 563

Summary — H.R. 563 (House Resolution): Adoption of Permanent Rules for the North Carolina House (2025 Regular Session)

Status snapshot
- Bill type: House Simple Resolution (internal rules)
- Primary sponsor (per bill text): Representative Bell
- Introduced: January 20, 2025; Filed March 27, 2025
- Committee referral: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- Committee substitute reported favorable March 31, 2025; Placed on calendar for 04/01/2025
- House action: Adopted April 1, 2025 (several amendment attempts A1–A4 failed on 04/01/2025)
- Classification/Subject: Adoption of the House’s permanent rules for the 2025 Regular Session

Purpose and intent
H.R. 563 is a simple resolution that establishes and adopts the permanent Rules of the North Carolina House of Representatives that will govern procedure, debate, voting, committee work, bill handling, officers’ duties, and other internal operations during the 2025 Regular Session. As an internal rules resolution, it governs House procedure rather than creating statutory law.

Key provisions and notable rule points
The resolution publishes the House’s Permanent Rules, organized into nine parts (Order of Business; Conduct of Debate; Motions; Voting; Committees; Handling of Bills; Legislative Officers and Employees; Privileges of the Hall; General Rules). Selected substantive items include:

  • Convening and hours (Rule 1)

    • House convenes at the hour fixed by the House; if not fixed, reconvenes at 2:00 PM next legislative day.
    • During January and February 2025, sessions may not be held on Fridays.
    • Without leave, sessions shall not continue after 10:00 PM on Mondays or after 9:00 PM other days; Speaker shall adjourn at those times.
    • Except for approval of the Journal and adjournment, no votes may be taken on Sundays.

  • Emergencies (Rule 1.1)

    • Speaker may relocate meetings if the Legislative Building is unusable.
    • During a State of Emergency threatening members’ health and safety, the Speaker may invoke special rule modifications (pursuant to Rule 58.1) and may end their use with 24 hours’ written notice to leaders and the Principal Clerk.

  • Opening the session (Rule 2)

    • Sergeant-at-Arms clears chamber 10 minutes before convening; sessions open with prayer and Pledge of Allegiance (or deferred in pro forma sessions).

  • Quorum and attendance (Rule 3)

    • Quorum = majority of qualified members.
    • If no quorum, 15 members may compel attendance and order absentees apprehended by special messenger.

  • Order of business and pro forma sessions (Rules 5 & 5.1)

    • Prescribed daily order (petitions, messages, committee reports, bill readings, calendar, etc.), and a defined list of limited actions allowed during pro forma sessions (e.g., approve Journal, receive messages, first readings, certain reports, and adjourn).

  • Speaker powers and presiding (Rule 6)

    • Speaker directs proceedings, may name presiding members, Speaker Pro Tempore and Principal Clerk roles defined for absences or vacancies.

Who is affected
- Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives and House staff (procedures for debate, voting, committee referrals, quorum enforcement, and officer duties).
- Indirectly affects legislative workflow, schedule, and members of the public who follow or participate in legislative processes (e.g., timings for public hearings, committee referrals, and calendar placement).

Procedural/timeline aspects and caveats
- This resolution is internal to the House; adoption establishes the governing rules for the 2025 Regular Session.
- The bill record shows multiple procedural steps (first/second reading, committee substitute, placement on calendar) and that several floor amendments (A1–A4) failed on the day of adoption.
- The bill text as filed includes only the rules; separate text excerpts appearing in the file (a commendation for U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff and a long list of U.S. House members as cosponsors) are inconsistent with this North Carolina House rules resolution and appear to be unrelated material included in the document package. The authoritative sponsor for this resolution, as indicated in the NC General Assembly file, is Representative Bell and the referring committee is the NC House Rules, Calendar, and Operations Committee.

Bottom line
H.R. 563 formally adopts the North Carolina House’s Permanent Rules for the 2025 Regular Session, setting the House’s operating procedures (schedule limits, quorum enforcement, pro forma session mechanics, speaker duties, and related rules). It is an internal, procedural resolution enacted by the House to govern its own proceedings for the session.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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