1-1 By: Rosson, et al. S.R. No. 649 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed April 6, 1995; April 6, 1995, read 1-3 first time and referred to Committee on Administration; 1-4 April 19, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 5, 1-5 Nays 1; April 19, 1995, sent to printer.) 1-6 SENATE RESOLUTION 1-7 BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Texas, That Rule 1-8 4.03, Rules of the Senate, 74th Legislature, be amended to read as 1-9 follows: 1-10 INTERRUPTION OF MEMBER SPEAKING 1-11 Rule 4.03. (a) No member shall interrupt another Senator 1-12 who has the floor or otherwise interrupt the business of the 1-13 Senate, except for the purpose of making a point of order, calling 1-14 the member having the floor to order, moving the previous question, 1-15 demanding that a point of order under discussion or consideration 1-16 be immediately decided, or making a motion to adjourn or recess. 1-17 Though another member has the floor, any member shall be recognized 1-18 by the presiding officer in order to call to order the member, to 1-19 make a point of order, to move the previous question, or to demand 1-20 that a point of order be immediately decided. 1-21 (b) A member who has the floor must yield to permit the 1-22 Senate to receive messages from the Governor and from the House of 1-23 Representatives and shall not lose the floor. A member who has the 1-24 floor may yield for questions from other members and shall not lose 1-25 the floor. In the event a member is interrupted because of a 1-26 motion to adjourn or recess and the motion fails, the floor shall 1-27 be immediately returned to the interrupted member. In the event 1-28 the interrupted member was speaking under the previous question and 1-29 a motion to adjourn or recess prevails, the member shall resume the 1-30 floor and finish speaking when the bill is next considered by the 1-31 Senate. 1-32 (c) Notwithstanding other provisions of this rule and Rule 1-33 4.05, a member who has been speaking on a pending question 1-34 continuously for four consecutive hours may request permission to 1-35 be excused from the floor for five minutes, which permission shall 1-36 be granted by the presiding officer. The presiding officer shall 1-37 fix the time for the member to resume the floor, at which time the 1-38 member shall resume the floor and continue speaking on the pending 1-39 question unless the Senate, during the member's absence from the 1-40 floor, has proceeded to business other than the pending question. 1-41 If the Senate has proceeded to business other than the pending 1-42 question during the member's absence, the member shall immediately 1-43 resume the floor when consideration of the pending question recurs. 1-44 If the member is absent from the floor at the time fixed for the 1-45 member to return, or when the pending question recurs, the member 1-46 shall lose the floor. 1-47 * * * * *