1-1 By: Barrientos S.B. No. 538
1-2 (In the Senate - Filed February 11, 1997; February 17, 1997,
1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on Intergovernmental
1-4 Relations; March 24, 1997, reported adversely, with favorable
1-5 Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 11, Nays 0;
1-6 March 24, 1997, sent to printer.)
1-7 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 538 By: Gallegos
1-8 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-9 AN ACT
1-10 relating to eligibility and benefits under public retirement
1-11 systems for employees of certain municipalities.
1-12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-13 SECTION 1. Sections 2 and 3, Chapter 451, Acts of the 72nd
1-14 Legislature, Regular Session, 1991 (Article 6243n, Vernon's Texas
1-15 Civil Statutes), are amended to read as follows:
1-16 Sec. 2. DEFINITIONS. The following words and phrases have
1-17 the meanings assigned by this section unless a different meaning is
1-18 plainly required by the context:
1-19 (1) "Accumulated deposits" means the amount standing
1-20 to the credit of a member derived from the deposits required to be
1-21 made by the member to the retirement system improved annually by
1-22 interest credited at a rate determined by the retirement board from
1-23 time to time upon the advice of the retirement board's actuary and
1-24 credited as of December 31 to amounts standing to the credit of the
1-25 member on January 1 of the same calendar year.
1-26 (2) "Actual retirement date" means the last day of the
1-27 month during which a member retires.
1-28 (3) "Actuarial equivalent" means any benefit of equal
1-29 present value when computed on the basis of actuarial tables
1-30 adopted by the retirement board from time to time upon the advice
1-31 of the retirement board's actuary. The actuarial tables adopted
1-32 for this purpose shall be tables that are acceptable to the
1-33 Internal Revenue Service and be clearly identified by resolution
1-34 adopted by the retirement board.
1-35 (4) "Actuary" means the technical advisor of the
1-36 retirement board regarding the operations which are based on
1-37 mortality, service, and compensation experience.
1-38 (5) "Agency of the municipality" means any agency or
1-39 instrumentality of the city, or governmental or publicly owned
1-40 legal entity created by the municipality, subsequent to the
1-41 effective date of this Act, to perform or provide a public service
1-42 or function and which entity is not a hospital authority and
1-43 employs one or more employees to provide services and/or accomplish
1-44 its public purpose.
1-45 (6) "Approved medical leave of absence" means any
1-46 absence authorized in writing by the member's employer for the
1-47 purpose of enabling the member to obtain medical care or treatment
1-48 or to recover from any sickness or injury.
1-49 (7) "Authorized leave of absence" means military leave
1-50 of absence, including a period of not more than 90 days after the
1-51 date of release from active military duty, or any other leave of
1-52 absence during which a member is otherwise authorized by law to
1-53 continue making contributions to the system. The term does not
1-54 include an approved medical leave of absence.
1-55 (8) "Average final compensation" means the average
1-56 monthly compensation, as defined and limited by Subdivision (12) of
1-57 this section, less overtime, incentive, and terminal pay, plus, (i)
1-58 amounts picked up by the employer pursuant to Section 10(e) of this
1-59 Act, and (ii) amounts not otherwise included in the member's
1-60 taxable income by reason of either an election under a "cafeteria"
1-61 plan as described in Section 125 of the code or deferrals under a
1-62 plan of deferred compensation within the scope of Section 457 of
1-63 the code, to the extent not in excess of $12,500 for persons who
1-64 first become members after 1995 that is earned by a member during,
2-1 as applicable:
2-2 (A) if the member has 120 months or more of
2-3 membership service, the 36 months of membership service which
2-4 yielded the highest average during the last 120 months of
2-5 membership service;
2-6 (B) if the member has less than 120 months of
2-7 membership service, but has at least 36 months of membership
2-8 service, then the average during the 36 months which yield the
2-9 highest average; or
2-10 (C) if the member does not have 36 months of
2-11 membership service, then the average during the member's months of
2-12 membership service.
2-13 (9) "Beneficiary" means the member's designated
2-14 beneficiary. If there is no effective beneficiary designation on
2-15 the date of the member's death, or if the designated beneficiary
2-16 predeceases the member (or dies in or as a result of the same event
2-17 that caused the member's death and does not survive the member by
2-18 48 hours), the member's spouse or, if the member does not have a
2-19 spouse, the member's estate shall be the beneficiary.
2-20 (10) "Board" means the boards of directors of an
2-21 employer that is not a municipality as described in Section 1 of
2-22 this Act.
2-23 (11) "Code" means the United States Internal Revenue
2-24 Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. Section 1 et seq.) and its successors.
2-25 (12) "Compensation" means, with respect to any member,
2-26 such member's wages, within the meaning of Section 3401(a) of the
2-27 code (for purposes of income tax withholding at the source) but
2-28 determined without regard to any rules that limit the remuneration
2-29 included in wages based on the nature or location of the employment
2-30 or the services performed (such as the exception for agricultural
2-31 labor in Section 3401(a)(2) of the code). Compensation in excess
2-32 of $12,500 per month for any employee who first becomes a member in
2-33 a year commencing after 1995 shall be disregarded. The $12,500
2-34 limitation shall be adjusted for cost of living increases as
2-35 provided under Section 401(a)(17) of the code. [In applying the
2-36 limitations, the family group of a highly compensated employee who
2-37 is one of the 10 employees of the employer paid the highest
2-38 compensation during the year shall be treated as a single employee,
2-39 except that, for this purpose, family members shall include only
2-40 the affected highly compensated employee's spouse and lineal
2-41 descendants who have not attained age 19 before the close of the
2-42 year. If, as a result of the application of such rules, the
2-43 adjusted $12,500 limitation is exceeded, the limitation shall be
2-44 prorated among the affected family members' compensation prior to
2-45 the application of the limitation or the limitation shall be
2-46 adjusted in accordance with any other method permitted by Internal
2-47 Revenue Service guidelines.]
2-48 (13) "Consumer price index" means the Consumer Price
2-49 Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (United States
2-50 City Average, All Items) published monthly by the Bureau of Labor
2-51 Statistics, United States Department of Labor, or its successor in
2-52 function.
2-53 (14) "Creditable service" means the total of prior
2-54 service and membership service.
2-55 (15) "Current service annuity" means a series of equal
2-56 monthly payments payable for the member's life after retirement for
2-57 membership service from funds of the retirement system equal to
2-58 one-twelfth of the product of 2.6 [2.3] percent of a member's
2-59 average final compensation multiplied by the number of months of
2-60 membership service. [However, if payments commence before the
2-61 member's normal retirement date, the amount of the monthly payments
2-62 to which the member would otherwise be entitled shall be reduced as
2-63 provided by Section 7(e) of this Act.]
2-64 (16) "Deposits" means the amounts required to be paid
2-65 by members in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
2-66 (17) "Designated beneficiary" means any person, trust,
2-67 or estate properly designated in writing by a member to receive
2-68 benefits from the system in the event of the member's death. If
2-69 the member is married, an individual other than the member's spouse
3-1 may be the designated beneficiary only if the spouse consents to
3-2 such designation in the form and manner prescribed by the
3-3 retirement board.
3-4 (18) "Disability retirement" means the termination of
3-5 employment of a member because of disability with a disability
3-6 retirement allowance as provided in Section 8 of this Act.
3-7 (19) "Employer" means the city or municipality
3-8 described in Section 1 of this Act, a hospital authority as defined
3-9 in Subdivision (24) of this section or the retirement board defined
3-10 in Subdivision (43) [(42)] of this section, or an agency of the
3-11 municipality as defined in Subdivision (5) of this section.
3-12 (20) "Fund" means the trust fund containing the
3-13 aggregate of the assets of Fund No. 1 and Fund No. 2.
3-14 (21) "Fund No. 1" means the fund in which shall be
3-15 kept all accumulated deposits of members who have not withdrawn
3-16 from the system.
3-17 (22) "Fund No. 2" means the fund in which shall be
3-18 kept all money contributed by the city on behalf of city employees,
3-19 all money contributed by a hospital authority on behalf of hospital
3-20 authority employees, and all money contributed by the retirement
3-21 board on behalf of retirement board employees, interest earned
3-22 thereon, and all accumulations and earnings of the system.
3-23 (23) "Governing body" means the city council of the
3-24 municipality described in Section 1 and its successors as
3-25 constituted from time to time.
3-26 (24) "Hospital authority" means a municipal hospital
3-27 authority created after September 1, 1992, under Chapter 262,
3-28 Health and Safety Code, and its subsequent amendments, by a city
3-29 governed by this Act.
3-30 (25) "Investment consultant" means the person or
3-31 entity that monitors the investment performance of the system and
3-32 provides such other services as requested by the retirement board.
3-33 (26) "Investment manager" means the persons or
3-34 entities that have the power to manage, acquire, or dispose of
3-35 assets of Fund No. 1 or Fund No. 2 on behalf of the retirement
3-36 system and that acknowledge fiduciary responsibility to the system
3-37 in writing. An investment manager must be a person, firm, or
3-38 corporation registered as an investment adviser under the
3-39 Investment Advisers Act of 1940, a bank, or an insurance company
3-40 qualified to manage, acquire or dispose of assets under the laws of
3-41 more than one state including the State of Texas and must otherwise
3-42 meet the requirements of Section 802.204, Government Code, and its
3-43 subsequent amendments.
3-44 (27) "Life annuity" means a series of equal monthly
3-45 payments, payable after retirement for a member's life, consisting
3-46 of a combination of prior service pension and current service
3-47 annuity to which the member is entitled.
3-48 (28) "Life annuity (modified cash refund)" means a
3-49 life annuity providing that, in the event of death of the retired
3-50 member before that member has received payments under the life
3-51 annuity totaling the amount of that member's accumulated deposits
3-52 at the date of retirement, the excess of such accumulated deposits
3-53 over the payments made shall be paid in one lump sum to the
3-54 member's designated beneficiary.
3-55 (29) "Malfeasance" means (A) willful misconduct or (B)
3-56 the knowingly improper performance of any act, duty or
3-57 responsibility under this Act, including non-performance; which
3-58 interrupts or interferes with the administration, operation and
3-59 management of the retirement system or any person's duties under
3-60 this Act.
3-61 (30) "Member" means any:
3-62 (A) regular full-time employee of an employer;
3-63 and
3-64 (B) former regular full-time employee who has
3-65 not withdrawn the member's accumulated deposits from the system.
3-66 In any case of doubt regarding the eligibility of any
3-67 employee to become or remain a member of the retirement system, the
3-68 decision of the retirement board is final.
3-69 (31) "Membership service" means the period of time on
4-1 or after January 1, 1941, during which a person is or was employed
4-2 as a regular full-time employee or is or was on an authorized leave
4-3 of absence and who is eligible for participation in the system and
4-4 pays into and keeps on deposit the amounts of money prescribed to
4-5 be paid by the member into the system. The term includes redeemed
4-6 membership service.
4-7 (32) "Normal retirement age" means attainment of age
4-8 62.
4-9 (33) "Normal retirement date" means the earlier of the
4-10 date on which the member has completed 25 years of creditable
4-11 service or has reached normal retirement age.
4-12 (34) "Prior service" means service as an employee of
4-13 the city rendered prior to January 1, 1941, for which a pension
4-14 credit is allowable under prior law governing the retirement system
4-15 of that city and includes redeemed prior service.
4-16 (35) "Prior service pension" means a series of equal
4-17 monthly payments payable from funds of the retirement system for a
4-18 member's life after retirement for prior service equal to
4-19 one-twelfth of the product of 2.6 [2.3] percent of the member's
4-20 average monthly earnings during a period of five years preceding
4-21 January 1, 1941, multiplied by the number of months of prior
4-22 service. On retirement at an age other than normal retirement age,
4-23 the monthly prior service pension herein prescribed shall be the
4-24 actuarial equivalent thereof at the member's actual retirement
4-25 date, based on the schedule or schedules of payments approved by
4-26 the actuary and adopted by the retirement board and in effect on
4-27 the member's actual retirement date.
4-28 (36) "Qualified domestic relations order" has the
4-29 meaning assigned by Section 804.001, Government Code, and its
4-30 subsequent amendments.
4-31 (37) "Redeemed membership service" means membership
4-32 service reinstated in accordance with Section 5(e) of this Act.
4-33 (38) "Redeemed prior service" means prior service
4-34 reinstated in accordance with Section 5(e) of this Act.
4-35 (39) "Regular full-time employee" means an individual
4-36 who is employed by the city, a hospital authority, or the board;
4-37 who is not a commissioned civil service police officer or fire
4-38 fighter, a fire or police cadet employed under civil service
4-39 procedures, the mayor, or a member of the governing body; who is
4-40 classified in the annual budget of an employer for employment for
4-41 the full calendar year; and who works 30 hours or more in a normal
4-42 40-hour work week. The term does not include an individual whose
4-43 position is classified as seasonal or temporary by the employer,
4-44 even if the individual works 30 hours or more in a normal 40-hour
4-45 work week in which the individual is employed.
4-46 (40) "Retired member" means a person who because of
4-47 creditable service is qualified to receive and who has retired and
4-48 is eligible to continue receiving a retirement allowance as
4-49 provided by this Act.
4-50 (41) "Retirement" means the termination of employment
4-51 of a member after the member becomes entitled to receive a
4-52 retirement allowance in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
4-53 (42) [(41)] "Retirement allowance" means the life
4-54 annuity (modified cash refund) to which a member may be entitled
4-55 under this Act, including annuities payable on disability
4-56 retirement or on early retirement.
4-57 (43) [(42)] "Retirement board" means the board of
4-58 trustees of the retirement and pensioning system herein created for
4-59 the purpose of administering the retirement system.
4-60 (44) [(43)] "Retirement system," "retirement and
4-61 pensioning system," "pension system," or "system" means the
4-62 retirement and pensioning system created by this Act for a city
4-63 governed by this Act.
4-64 (45) [(44)] "Year of creditable service" means a
4-65 12-month period of creditable service determined in accordance with
4-66 uniform and nondiscriminatory rules established by the retirement
4-67 board.
4-68 Sec. 3. ESTABLISHMENT AND APPLICABILITY. Subject
4-69 [(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this section and
5-1 subject] to the authority granted the retirement board in Section
5-2 7(d) of this Act, members who retired, and the beneficiaries of
5-3 members who died, prior to September 1, 1997 [1993], shall continue
5-4 to receive the same retirement allowances or benefits they were
5-5 entitled to receive [receiving] prior to that date, together with
5-6 any cost of living adjustments authorized and paid in accordance
5-7 with this Act.
5-8 [(b) Members who retired during the calendar years 1962 and
5-9 1963 shall continue to receive a benefit in accordance with their
5-10 election, if any, and the retirement allowances computed in the
5-11 manner prescribed by an applicable city ordinance in effect as of
5-12 January 1, 1962, or in the manner in which said allowances would
5-13 have been computed under applicable city ordinances existing
5-14 immediately prior to the enactments of January 1, 1962, together
5-15 with any cost of living adjustments authorized and paid in
5-16 accordance with this Act.]
5-17 SECTION 2. Section 6, Chapter 451, Acts of the 72nd
5-18 Legislature, Regular Session, 1991 (Article 6243n, Vernon's Texas
5-19 Civil Statutes), is amended by amending Subsection (c) and adding
5-20 Subsections (d) through (g) to read as follows:
5-21 (c) At any time before a member's actual retirement date, a
5-22 member may establish creditable service for uniformed [military]
5-23 service performed that is creditable as provided under this
5-24 subsection according to the following conditions, limitations, and
5-25 restrictions:
5-26 (1) Uniformed [Military] service creditable in the
5-27 retirement system is any service required to be credited by the
5-28 Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994
5-29 (38 U.S.C. Section 4301 et seq.), as amended, and certain active
5-30 federal duty service in the armed forces of the United States
5-31 performed before the commencement of employment with the employer,
5-32 other than service as a student at a service academy, as a member
5-33 of the reserves, or any continuous active military service lasting
5-34 less than 90 days. To be creditable, the uniformed [military]
5-35 service must have been performed before the beginning of the
5-36 member's most recent period of membership in the retirement system
5-37 or its predecessor system.
5-38 (2) A member is not eligible to establish uniformed
5-39 [military] service credit unless the member was released from
5-40 active military duty under conditions other than dishonorable.
5-41 (3) A member may not establish creditable service in
5-42 the retirement system for uniformed [military] service for more
5-43 than the greater of the creditable service required under the
5-44 Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994
5-45 (38 U.S.C. Section 4301 et seq.), as amended, or 48 [24] months of
5-46 creditable service in the retirement system for uniformed
5-47 [military] service under this subsection.
5-48 (4) A member may establish creditable service under
5-49 this subsection by contributing to the retirement system a single
5-50 payment equal to 25 percent of the estimated cost of the additional
5-51 projected retirement benefits the member will be entitled to
5-52 receive. The retirement board will determine the required
5-53 contribution based on a procedure recommended by the actuary and
5-54 approved by the retirement board, provided, however,
5-55 notwithstanding the amount determined under the preceding sentence,
5-56 such contribution may not exceed the amount required under the
5-57 Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994
5-58 (38 U.S.C. Section 4301 et seq.), as amended, in the case of a
5-59 member who makes such contributions within the time prescribed by
5-60 such act.
5-61 (5) After the member makes the deposit required by
5-62 this subsection, the retirement system shall grant the member one
5-63 month of creditable service for each month of creditable uniformed
5-64 [military] service established under this subsection.
5-65 (d) At any time before the actual retirement date of a
5-66 member who was not at any time a highly compensated employee within
5-67 the meaning of Section 414(q) of the code, a member may be
5-68 considered to qualify for unreduced retirement benefits at the age
5-69 of 55 or, if the member is more than 55 years of age, at the time
6-1 of the purchase of additional service credit by an employer. The
6-2 incremental cost of eligibility under this subsection shall be
6-3 purchased by the employer at the full actuarial cost of the
6-4 additional creditable service as determined by the retirement board
6-5 acting on the advice of the actuary.
6-6 (e) At any time before a member's actual retirement date,
6-7 the member may purchase noncontributory service credit equal in
6-8 amount to the period the member:
6-9 (1) was on verifiable workers' compensation leave due
6-10 to an injury sustained in the course and scope of employment by an
6-11 employer;
6-12 (2) was on an authorized leave of absence from an
6-13 employer; or
6-14 (3) performed service for an employer in a position
6-15 the service for which is not otherwise creditable in the retirement
6-16 system.
6-17 (f) The full actuarial cost of noncontributory creditable
6-18 service purchased as provided by Subsection (e) of this section is
6-19 payable by the member purchasing the credit.
6-20 (g) In this section, "noncontributory creditable service"
6-21 means creditable service for which an employer contribution is not
6-22 made.
6-23 SECTION 3. Subsections (a) and (e), Section 7, Chapter 451,
6-24 Acts of the 72nd Legislature, Regular Session, 1991 (Article 6243n,
6-25 Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), are amended to read as follows:
6-26 (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this section, a
6-27 member who retires on or after the member's normal retirement date
6-28 and applies in writing for a retirement allowance shall receive a
6-29 life annuity (modified cash refund) beginning on the last day of
6-30 the month after the month in which the member retired. Unless
6-31 Subsection (e) of this section or Section 8 of this Act applies, a
6-32 member whose employment by the employer terminates before the
6-33 member's normal retirement date is entitled to a distribution of
6-34 the member's accumulated deposits in a single lump sum. On
6-35 receiving that distribution, a member is not entitled to any other
6-36 benefit under this Act. If a member has at least five years of
6-37 creditable service and does not withdraw the member's accumulated
6-38 deposits, the member is entitled to a life annuity (modified cash
6-39 refund) beginning on the first day of the month after the month in
6-40 which the member's normal retirement date occurs. If a member has
6-41 [at least] 20 years of creditable service and does not withdraw the
6-42 member's accumulated deposits, the member is [also] entitled to a
6-43 [elect an early] retirement benefit on attaining age 55.
6-44 (e) Any member shall be eligible for early retirement if the
6-45 member attains the age of 55 years and completes at least 20 years
6-46 of creditable service. Such member shall be entitled to a benefit
6-47 equal to a life annuity (modified cash refund) [reduced at the rate
6-48 of five-twelfths of one percent for each month the member was
6-49 retired before the member's normal retirement date]. A member who
6-50 takes early retirement shall begin receiving the benefits provided
6-51 by this subsection beginning on the last day of the month after the
6-52 month in which the member retired.
6-53 SECTION 4. Section 9, Chapter 451, Acts of the 72nd
6-54 Legislature, Regular Session, 1991 (Article 6243n, Vernon's Texas
6-55 Civil Statutes), is amended by amending Subsections (a), (i), and
6-56 (j) and adding Subsection (p) to read as follows:
6-57 (a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Act, the
6-58 annual benefit provided with respect to any member may not exceed
6-59 [the lesser of:]
6-60 [(1)] $90,000[; or]
6-61 [(2) 100 percent of the member's compensation averaged
6-62 over the three consecutive calendar years during which the member
6-63 had the greatest aggregate compensation from the employer].
6-64 (i) If a member has less than ten years of creditable
6-65 service at the time the member begins to receive benefits under the
6-66 Act, the $90,000 limitation, as adjusted, shall be reduced by
6-67 multiplying the limitation by a fraction in which the numerator is
6-68 the number of years of creditable service and the denominator is
6-69 10; provided, however, that the fraction may not be less than
7-1 one-tenth. If the employee has less than 10 years of employment
7-2 with the employer, the [100 percent limitation of Subsection (a)(2)
7-3 and the] $10,000 limitation of Subsection (h) shall be reduced in
7-4 the same manner as provided in the preceding sentence, except the
7-5 numerator shall be the number of years of employment with the
7-6 employer rather than the number of years of creditable service.
7-7 (j) If a member is or has been a member in one or more
7-8 defined contribution plans maintained by the employer, the sum of
7-9 the defined benefit plan fraction and the defined contribution plan
7-10 fraction for any year for which Section 415(e) of the code is in
7-11 effect may not exceed 1.0, as determined in accordance with Section
7-12 415(e) of the code.
7-13 (p) A retired member who resumes regular full-time
7-14 employment with an employer automatically resumes membership as an
7-15 active contributing member, and the retirement board shall
7-16 terminate the person's retirement allowance. When the person again
7-17 retires, the retirement system shall compute the benefit based on
7-18 service before and after the initial retirement. The resulting
7-19 benefit is reduced actuarially to reflect the value of the benefits
7-20 received before the resumption of full-time employment.
7-21 SECTION 5. Subsection (f), Section 12, Chapter 451, Acts of
7-22 the 72nd Legislature, Regular Session, 1991 (Article 6243n,
7-23 Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is repealed.
7-24 SECTION 6. (a) A retirement allowance being paid to a
7-25 member of the retirement system created under Chapter 451, Acts of
7-26 the 72nd Legislature, Regular Session, 1991 (Article 6243n,
7-27 Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), who retired before October 1, 1997,
7-28 or to a beneficiary of such a member of that system, is changed
7-29 beginning with the payments due at the end of October 1997.
7-30 (b) The amount of change for a member or a beneficiary of
7-31 the member is equal to a percentage multiplied by the retirement
7-32 allowance otherwise due. The percentage is equal to:
7-33 (1) 2.6 percent divided by the retirement benefit
7-34 percent in effect on the date of the member's retirement;
7-35 (2) minus one; and
7-36 (3) multiplied by 100.
7-37 SECTION 7. Subsection (d), Section 6, Chapter 451, Acts of
7-38 the 72nd Legislature, Regular Session, 1991 (Article 6243n,
7-39 Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), as added by this Act, takes effect
7-40 on the date the Internal Revenue Service issues the next favorable
7-41 determination letter regarding the qualification of the retirement
7-42 system created by Chapter 451, Acts of the 72nd Legislature,
7-43 Regular Session, 1991 (Article 6243n, Vernon's Texas Civil
7-44 Statutes).
7-45 SECTION 8. Except as provided by Section 7 of this Act, this
7-46 Act takes effect October 1, 1997.
7-47 SECTION 9. The importance of this legislation and the
7-48 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
7-49 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
7-50 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
7-51 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
7-52 * * * * *