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SCR 3

US Army Warrant Officer Joseph Rose III Memorial Bridge

2025 Regular Session

SCR 3 standardizes rules for joint legislative conventions, covering location, presiding officers, recordkeeping, attendance, and use of House rules.

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Bill Summary · SCR 3

Summary — SCR 3: A Concurrent Resolution Prescribing the Joint Convention Rules for the Legislature

Status: Referred to Secretary for Record
Introduced: December 2, 2024
Classification: Concurrent resolution (legislative procedural rule)
Author / Sponsor: Senator Sam Singh (record indicates Senator Singh as the introducing member)

Note on source materials: The documents provided include multiple different "SCR 3" texts from different jurisdictions (including a California commemorative resolution and other state resolutions). This summary focuses on the SCR 3 titled “A concurrent resolution prescribing the Joint Convention Rules for the Legislature,” as introduced by Senator Sam Singh and adopted by the Senate (as shown in the provided text).

Purpose and intent
- To establish and publish a set of formal rules that govern how the two legislative houses meet and conduct business when they sit together in joint convention. The resolution is procedural/administrative rather than substantive lawmaking.

Key provisions (Joint Convention Rules)
- Rule 1 — Location and presiding officer
- Joint conventions are to be held in the Hall of the House of Representatives unless another location is agreed to by the Speaker (House) and the Majority Leader (Senate).
- The President of the Senate presides; if the President is absent, the Speaker of the House presides.
- A concurrent resolution specifying the date and hour of the joint convention must be introduced in one house and, if adopted, transmitted to the other for concurrence.

  • Rule 2 — Secretaries and journal entry

    • The Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House serve as secretaries of the joint convention.
    • Proceedings are to be published with the House Journals; the final result, as announced on the Senate’s return to its chamber, is to be entered in the Senate Journal.

  • Rule 3 — Governing rules

    • The rules of the House of Representatives govern joint convention proceedings insofar as applicable.

  • Rule 4 — Speaker voting when presiding

    • When the Speaker of the House presides over the convention, the Speaker may vote on all questions; in the event of a tie, the question is declared lost.

  • Rule 5 — Power to compel attendance

    • Joint conventions may compel attendance of absent members under the penalties and modes provided in each chamber’s rules; Sergeants at Arms from both houses shall attend to enforce this.

  • Rule 6 — Adjournment duty and logistics

    • Joint conventions may adjourn as necessary. The House is responsible for preparing to receive the Senate at the appointed time, and the Senate is expected to proceed to the joint convention when scheduled or reconvened.

Who is affected
- Members, officers, and staff of the two legislative houses (Senate and House of Representatives).
- Procedural officers (Secretaries/Clerks, Presidents/Speaker, Sergeants at Arms) who administer and enforce joint convention logistics.
- No direct effect on the public or on statutory law; this is internal legislative housekeeping.

Procedural / timeline notes
- As a concurrent resolution, SCR 3 sets internal rules and does not create enforceable public law.
- Provided legislative activity indicates the resolution was adopted by the Senate (text labeled “As Adopted by the Senate” dated February 13, 2025) and later “referred to Secretary for record” (Feb. 20, 2025). (Records attached include many actions across jurisdictions; dates above reflect actions tied to the Joint Convention Rules version.)

Fiscal impact
- The resolution is procedural in nature; the legislative digest indicates “Fiscal Committee: NO.” There is no specified fiscal effect.

Bottom line
- SCR 3 standardizes and documents routine procedures for convening and conducting joint meetings of the two legislative chambers — specifying location, presiding officer, recordkeeping, attendance enforcement, and use of House rules — providing clarity for future joint conventions without creating new substantive law.

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

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