Chapter 24 - Conferences

156 Request for conference

  1. Conferences sought by the Senate with the House of Representatives shall be requested by message.
  2. In requesting a conference, the message from the Senate shall state, in general terms, the object for which the conference is sought and the number of managers proposed to serve, which shall be not less than 5.
  3. A conference shall not be requested by the Senate on the subject of a bill or motion of which the House of Representatives is at the time of the request in possession.

157 Appointment of managers

  1. A motion for requesting a conference shall contain the names of the senators proposed by the mover to be the managers for the Senate.
  2. If, on such a motion, any senator so requires, the managers for the Senate shall be selected by ballot.
  3. Managers to represent the Senate in a conference requested by the House of Representatives shall consist of the same number of members as those of the House of Representatives.

158 Sitting suspended

During a conference the sitting of the Senate shall be suspended.

159 Time and place of conference

  1. In respect of any conference requested by the House of Representatives the time and place for holding the conference shall be appointed by the Senate; and when the Senate requests a conference, it shall agree to its being held at the time and place appointed by the House of Representatives, and such agreement shall be communicated by message.
  2. At conferences requested by the House of Representatives the managers for the Senate shall assemble at the time and place appointed, and receive the managers of the House of Representatives.

160 Proceedings at conference

  1. At all conferences the reasons or resolutions of the Senate communicated by the managers shall be in writing, and the managers shall not receive any such communication from the managers for the House of Representatives unless it is in writing.
  2. At conferences the managers for the Senate shall deliver the reasons or resolutions of the Senate to the managers for the House of Representatives, or receive from the managers for the House of Representatives the reasons or resolutions communicated by the latter, after which the managers for the Senate shall be at liberty to confer freely with the managers for the House of Representatives.

161 Report of conference

The managers for the Senate shall, when the conference has concluded, report the proceedings to the Senate.

162 One conference only

There shall be only one conference on a bill or other matter.