1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to legislative organization; proposing a constitutional amendment 
1.3 	to prohibit control of the legislative decision-making process by subgroups; 
1.4 	requiring distribution of legislative powers; full house participation in final 
1.5 	decisions;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 3.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS PROPOSED.
 1.8 	An amendment to the Minnesota Constitution is proposed to  the people.  If the 
1.9 	amendment is adopted, article IV, section 7, will read:

1.10 	Sec. 7.  Each house may  determine the rules of its proceedings, sit upon its own  
1.11 	adjournment, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and  with the concurrence of 
1.12 	two-thirds expel a member; but no member  shall be expelled a second time for the same 
1.13 	offense.   The rules of proceedings must distribute legislative powers in each house to 
1.14 	ensure that final decisions on each legislative proposal are available to or made by each 
1.15 	house and not by legislative subgroups.
1.16 	Article IV, section 22 will read:

1.17 	Sec. 22.  The style of all laws of this state shall be:  "Be it enacted  by the legislature of 
1.18 	the state of Minnesota." No law shall be  passed unless voted for by a majority of all the 
1.19 	members elected  to each house of the legislature, and the vote entered in the  journal of 
1.20 	each house.  No legislative subgroup shall be permitted to prohibit such actions.

1.21 	Sec. 2. SUBMISSION TO VOTERS.
 1.22 	The proposed amendment must be submitted to the people at the 2006 general 
1.23 	election. The question submitted must be:
2.1 	"Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to prohibit the legislature from 
2.2 	creating any small group of legislators that can control the legislative process and 
2.3 	permanently prevent legislation from being voted on?

2.4	Yes .......
	
2.5	No ......."

2.6 	Sec. 3. [3.051] RULES OF PROCEEDINGS.
2.7 		Subdivision 1.Application. The rules of each house and the joint rules of the 
2.8 	legislature must conform to the requirements of this section.
2.9 		Subd. 2.Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the 
2.10 	meanings given them.
2.11 	   (1) "Governmental organization" means an executive branch or other advisory 
2.12 	commission, board, or group to which legislators are appointed by virtue of their office 
2.13 	and by a legislative appointing authority. 
2.14 	   (2) "Legislative group" means a committee of the house or senate, a conference 
2.15 	committee, a legislative commission, or a similar subgroup of legislators established by or 
2.16 	for either house or both houses. 
2.17 	   (3) "Majority group" means the political group or group of members of a house 
2.18 	that has the greatest number of members.  
2.19 	(4) "Minority group" means any political group or group of members of a house that 
2.20 	has fewer than the greatest number of members. 
2.21 		Subd. 3.Approval of appointments. The membership of a house must approve the 
2.22 	appointment of its members to legislative groups and governmental organizations.
2.23 		Subd. 4.Representation of majority and minority groups. The members of a 
2.24 	house must be represented on all legislative groups in proportion to the membership of 
2.25 	the majority and minority political groups in that house. To the extent possible, members 
2.26 	must also be represented on each individual group in such a proportion. The members of a 
2.27 	house must be represented on all governmental organizations of statewide jurisdiction with 
2.28 	legislative memberships in proportion to the membership of the majority and minority 
2.29 	political groups in that house. If a majority or minority group declines from accepting an 
2.30 	offer of such a position, the proportions will be readjusted accordingly.
2.31 		Subd. 5.Bill and resolution referral; return to floor. Prior to the beginning of each 
2.32 	legislative session, deadlines for action by legislative groups on all bills and resolutions 
2.33 	shall be established by the rules committees of each house and ratified by a majority vote 
2.34 	of each house. All bills and resolutions must then meet the following requirements:
3.1 	(1) all bills or resolutions referred to a legislative group within a particular house 
3.2 	must be returned to the entire body after the date of the last such deadline and placed on a 
3.3 	general ledger or calendar for 14 calendar days to allow possible action by the entire house;
3.4 	(2) legislative groups within each house must report all committee actions taken, 
3.5 	may suggest amendments or append recommendations to bills and resolutions that come 
3.6 	before them, or may return such without change or recommendation;
3.7 	(3) after a bill or resolution has been referred to a conference committee, that 
3.8 	conference committee has 14 calendar days to report a joint recommendation to each 
3.9 	house, and may be dissolved or replaced at any time by a majority vote in either house;
3.10 	(4) conference committees must cease all activity and disband at least four days 
3.11 	prior to the end of a regular session unless the house and senate suspend this requirement 
3.12 	by a majority vote; and
3.13 	(5) during special sessions all legislative groups, working groups, conference 
3.14 	committees, task forces, or other subgroups of legislative members must be formally 
3.15 	appointed by a majority vote of each house, and must serve for a period of time specified 
3.16 	when appointed, after which they must either disband or make a joint recommendation 
3.17 	to each house.
3.18 		Subd. 6.Bill hearing prioritization process for committees or other subgroups.
 3.19 	Bill hearing prioritization, if not determined by each house, shall be determined by the 
3.20 	members of each respective committee or subgroup.

3.21 	Sec. 4. APPLICATION.
 3.22 	If the amendment proposed by section 1 is adopted, section  3 is effective for the 
3.23 	legislature beginning in 2007 and  thereafter.