131 Return of House of Representatives bill
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When a bill has been passed by the Senate with or without amendment, it shall be returned to the House of Representatives by message, with the Clerk’s certificate that the bill has been agreed to by the Senate without amendment, or with the amendments indicated by the annexed schedule, as the case may require, and the concurrence of the House of Representatives shall be requested to such amendments.
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When any amendments have been made by the Senate to a bill which has been first passed by the House of Representatives, a schedule of the amendments shall be prepared containing reference to the page and line of the bill where the words are to be inserted or omitted, and describing the amendments proposed, and this schedule shall be certified by the Clerk and shall accompany the bill.
Amendment history
Adopted: 19 August 1903 as SOs 226 and 230 (corresponding to paragraphs (1) and (2)) but renumbered as SOs 225 and 229 for the first printed edition (reordered as consecutive SOs in the 1937 edition)
1989 revision: Old SOs 234 and 235 combined into one, structured as two paragraphs and renumbered as SO 131 ; language modernised and expression streamlined
Commentary
In the same manner that SOs 125, 126 and 127 provide machinery for the movement of Senate bills to the House of Representatives, including as amended by the House, SO 131 deals with the return of House bills, including as amended by the Senate.
Paragraph (1) provides for certification of the bill by the Clerk and for the terms of the message.
If a bill is passed by the Senate without amendment, the certificate and message take the following forms:
The Clerk's certificate on a bill received from the House of Representatives to which the Senate has made amendments
Certificate
This bill has been agreed to by the Senate without amendment.
Clerk of the Senate
The Senate
<date>
Message
Message No.
Mr Speaker
The Senate returns to the House of Representatives the bill for <Long Bill Title>, and informs the House that the Senate has agreed to the bill without amendment.
President
The Senate
<date>
[<short title of bill>]
If the Senate has amended the bill, the certificate and message are varied as follows:
Certificate
This bill has been agreed to by the Senate with the amendments in the annexed schedule.
Message
The Senate returns to the House of Representatives the bill for <Long Bill Title>, and informs the House that the Senate has agreed to the bill with the amendments in the annexed schedule.
The Senate requests the concurrence of the House in the amendments.
Paragraph (2) provides for the Senate’s amendments to the bill to be listed in a schedule, certified by the Clerk and included in the message to the House.