§ 5. Consideration of bills; requests by sponsor. a. Each standing
committee may consider any bill referred to it at any time if otherwise
in conformity with these Rules. (1) In considering any bill, a standing
committee may vote favorably, unfavorably or to hold the bill for
further action and/or study, provided, however, that a motion to hold
which fails shall not be deemed to satisfy a request for consideration.
Insofar as may be practicable, each standing committee shall vote upon
such bills in the order in which such requests are filed, provided,
however, that a chairperson may schedule the consideration of bills
jointly if such bills deal with similar subject matter. Committees
having original jurisdiction over bills upon which a request for
consideration has been filed shall schedule all such bills for committee
consideration by the third Tuesday in May of the second year of the term
of the Assembly.

(2) No bill shall be considered by a standing committee unless the
final printed copy of the bill has been available to each member of the
committee for at least seven days and copies thereof have been available
to the general public and representatives of the news media for at least
such period of time. A bill reported by a standing committee with
amendments shall not be deemed to be a new bill for the purposes of the
provisions of this subdivision requiring bills to be available for at
least seven days prior to consideration by a standing committee.
Provided, however, that upon consent of a majority of the members of
such committee, any bill which is not in compliance with the foregoing
provisions of this paragraph, may be transmitted to the Committee on
Rules for further action in accordance with the provisions of
subparagraph (b) of paragraph one of subdivision b of section ten of
this Rule.

b. The sponsor of a bill referred to a standing committee may require
the committee to formally vote upon such bill by filing a request
therefor on an appropriate form to be furnished by the Office of Journal
Operations. With respect to such request for consideration:

(1) The clerk of each standing committee, upon receiving such a
request must immediately issue a receipt therefor acknowledging the date
and time of filing;

(2) Requests for consideration may be submitted on bills that are
printed, as follows:

(a) no later than the second Tuesday in April of the second year of
the term of the Assembly, except that after the second Tuesday in April
of such second year through the first Tuesday in May each member may
submit a total of five additional requests for consideration with a
committee of original jurisdiction, and a copy of such additional
request shall be filed by the Committee Clerk with the Committee on
Standing Committees; and

(b) in the case of a bill that is referred to a subsequent standing
committee, such request shall be submitted within thirty days after such
referral;

(3) Except with respect to bills referred to a standing committee
pursuant to the provisions of paragraph two of subdivision f of section
two of Rule III, requests for consideration of any bill introduced by or
at the request of a member may be made only once in any two-year term of
the Assembly;

(4) Once a committee has acted pursuant to such request, such
committee shall not be required, during such two-year term, to again
consider such bill or to consider any substantially duplicative bill
introduced by, or at the request of such member subsequent to the
consideration of such bill by the committee; and

(5) With respect to a bill sponsored by the Committee on Rules at the
request of a member, either the Committee or the member at whose request
the bill has been introduced may file a request for consideration.