Section 2.16. Prefiling legislative bills.

  Any member of the general assembly or any person elected to serve in the general assembly, or any standing committee, may sponsor and submit legislative bills and joint resolutions for consideration by the general assembly, before the convening of any session of the general assembly. Each house may approve rules for placing prefiled standing committee bills or joint resolutions on its calendar. Such bills and resolutions shall be numbered, printed, and distributed in a manner to be determined by joint rule of the general assembly or, in the absence of such rule, by the legislative council. All such bills and resolutions, except those sponsored by standing committees, shall be assigned to regular standing committees by the presiding officers of the houses when the general assembly convenes.

  Departments and agencies of state government shall, at least forty-five days prior to the convening of each session of the general assembly, submit copies to the legislative services agency of proposed legislative bills and joint resolutions which such departments desire to be considered by the general assembly. The proposed legislative bills and joint resolutions of the governor must be submitted by the Friday prior to the convening of the session of the general assembly, except in the year of the governor’s initial inauguration. The legislative services agency shall review such proposals and submit them in proper form to the presiding officer in each house of the general assembly for referral to the proper standing committee. Before submitting any proposal prepared under this section to the presiding officers, the legislative services agency shall return it for review to, as appropriate, the relevant department or agency or the governor’s office and such department or agency or the governor’s office shall review and return it within seven days of such delivery.

  The costs of carrying out the provisions of this section shall be paid pursuant to section 2.12.

[C71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §2.16]

86 Acts, ch 1245, §2002

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2003 Acts, ch 35, §44, 49