---
title: SR 3. Senate Rules; adopt
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sr3
cite_as: SR 3, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr3
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr3.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr3/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69269
date: 2025-01-13
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr4.md
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 469
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr3.md?full=1
bill_number: SR 3
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2025-01-13
last_action: Senate Passed/Adopted
sponsors:
  - John Kennedy
  - Steve Gooch
  - Harold Jones
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR3/2025
upstream_id: 1916831
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - Georgia Senate rules
  - legislative procedure
  - lobbying restrictions
  - committee oversight
  - Senate floor conduct
---

# SR 3. Senate Rules; adopt

## Text

Senate Resolution 3
By: Senators Kennedy of the 18th, Gooch of the 51st and Jones II of the 22nd
ADOPTED SENATE
A RESOLUTION
Adopting the Rules of the Senate; and for other purposes.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the Rules of the Senate in effect at the
adjournment of the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly are hereby adopted as the
Rules of the Senate for the 2025-2026 biennium of the General Assembly unless and until
otherwise provided by resolution of the Senate, with the following amendments:
SECTION 1.
The Rules of the Senate are amended by revising subsection (b) of Rule 1-3.2, relating to
travel and reimbursement for employees of the Senate, as follows:
"(b) Prior to any disbursement by the Legislative Fiscal Officer, there shall be on file with
said fiscal officer documentation of the approval by the Committee on Administrative
Affairs of all out-of-state travel reimbursement requests, submitted by the Secretary of the
Senate, the Senator to which such staff member is assigned, or the directors of the Senate
<del>Research</del> <ins>Office of Policy and Legislative Analysis,</ins> Press <ins>Office,</ins> or Budget and Evaluation
<del>offices</del> <ins>Office,</ins> as applicable, and the person requesting reimbursement shall submit an
itemized listing of all expenses claimed hereunder."
SECTION 2.
Said Rules of the Senate are further amended by revising Rule 2-1.2 as follows:
"2-1.2 Committee on Administrative Affairs
There shall be a Committee on Administrative Affairs composed of the President of the
Senate, the President Pro Tempore, the Majority Leader, the Minority Leader, the Secretary
of the Senate, and three members appointed by the President of the Senate. This committee
shall have the responsibility of employing, supervising, disciplining, and setting the
compensation of all aides, secretaries, and other personnel for the Senate, including the
Senate Budget and Evaluation <ins>Office,</ins> Senate Press <ins>Office,</ins> and Senate <del>Research offices
</del> <ins>Office of Policy and Legislative Analysis.</ins> The committee shall supervise the purchase and
allotment of supplies for the Senate. This committee shall also supervise and approve all
out-of-state travel of members of the Senate and staff. The committee shall be chaired by
the President Pro Tempore or his or her designee. The committee is authorized to meet and
take official action after adjournment sine die of a session and prior to the convening of the
next session."
SECTION 3.
Said Rules of the Senate are further amended by adding a new rule as follows:
<ins>"2-1.14 Interim Special Committees
(a) Any interim special committee created by the Senate shall be subject to a resolution
creating such committee. The Senate may also authorize the President of the Senate to
create such committees.
(b) Without the approval of the President of the Senate or subject to a resolution adopted
pursuant to paragraph (a), no interim special committee may hold more than five (5)
meetings. The members of any such committee shall receive the allowances provided for
in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, provided that such
allowances shall not be received by any member of the committee for more than five (5)
</ins>
<ins>days of service unless additional days of service are authorized by the President of the
Senate or resolution.
(c) The chairperson shall call all meetings of any interim special committee. The
chairperson shall provide notice at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to a meeting of the
committee. Such notice shall be directed to the committee members; the Secretary of the
Senate, who shall post notice of the meeting on the General Assembly's website as soon
as practicable following receipt; and additional individuals at the discretion of the chair.
The committee may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem
necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform
its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes set forth in the resolution creating
the committee; provided that should a chairperson desire to hold a meeting of the
committee in a location other than the State Capitol or the Coverdell Legislative Office
Building, he or she must obtain prior written approval from the Committee on
Administrative Affairs.
(d) Each interim special committee at its first organizational meeting shall set the number
of members required for a quorum; however, the quorum shall not be set at less than a
majority of the membership of the committee. An interim special committee cannot
circumvent the provisions of the Senate Rules governing such committees by suspending
any Rule or part thereof. Interim special committees may establish rules of operation that
are not in conflict with Senate Rules.
(e) In the event an interim special committee adopts any specific findings or
recommendations that include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall
file a report of the same prior to the date of abolishment set forth in the resolution creating
the committee. In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include
suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report. No report shall
be filed unless the same has been adopted prior to the date of the committee's abolishment
by majority vote of a quorum of the committee. A report so approved shall be signed by
</ins>
<ins>the chairperson of the committee and filed with the Secretary of the Senate. In the absence
of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Secretary of the Senate a copy of
the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu thereof."
</ins> SECTION 4.
Said Rules of the Senate are further amended by revising Rule 2-5.1 as follows:
"2-5.1 Motions; How Made
All motions in <del>standing</del> committees shall receive a second before being put by the
presiding officer."
SECTION 5.
Said Rules of the Senate are further amended by revising Rule 4-2.10 as follows:
"4-2.10 Bills Placed on Desk; Calendar Changes
No general bill or resolution shall be put for final passage unless the same has been put on
a calendar and placed on each Senator's desk no less than one hour prior to the time of
convening on the date of passage. The Secretary of the Senate shall put all bills which
appear on the prepared calendar and which may be considered that day in <ins>numerical</ins> order
on the Senators' desks. The calendar can be changed by a vote of two-thirds of the
Senators voting, provided such two-thirds constitutes a majority of the members elected
to the Senate."
SECTION 6.
Said Rules of the Senate are further amended by revising Rule 9-1.1 as follows:
"9-1.1 Senatorial Conduct
When the Senate is in session, Senators shall conduct themselves at all times with dignity
and in a manner to <del>insure</del> <ins>ensure</ins> decorum in the deliberations of the body and shall be
called to order by the President for activities to the contrary, including unnecessary
conversation which is disruptive to the business of the session and inappropriate dress."
SECTION 7.
Said Rules of the Senate are further amended by revising paragraph (7) of subsection (a) of
Rule 9-1.4, relating to persons entitled to admission to the Senate during session, as follows:
"(7) Staff members of the office of the Lieutenant Governor, the office of the President
Pro Tempore, the office of the Majority Leader, the office of the Minority Leader, the
Senate Budget and Evaluation Office, the Senate <del>Research</del> Office <ins>of Policy and
Legislative Analysis,</ins> and the Senate Press Office,"
SECTION 8.
Said Rules of the Senate are further amended by revising subsection (b) of Rule 9-1.6,
relating to secretaries, interns, and aides, as follows:
"(b) Each Senator may select an aide (not paid by the Senate) by designating in writing his
or her name to the Secretary of the Senate; this aide shall not be changed during the session
except by permission of the Committee on Administrative Affairs. No intern may be
designated as an aide by a Senator. The aide provided for in this paragraph shall be issued
an identifying badge, but shall not come on the floor of the Senate while the Senate is in
session. <ins>No Senator may designate, and there shall be no identifying badge issued to, an
individual as an aide who is a registered lobbyist or is required to register as a lobbyist
pursuant to Article 4 of Chapter 5 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated."
</ins> SECTION 9.
Said Rules of the Senate are further amended by revising Rule 9-1.13 as follows:
"9-1.13 Smoking, Eating, <del>Use of Cellular Phones</del> Prohibited
There shall be no smoking, <ins>or</ins> eating, <del>use of cellular telephones, or reading of newspapers
and other materials not pertinent to legislation</del> in the Senate Chamber while the Senate is
in session."
SECTION 10.
Said Rules of the Senate are further amended by revising Rule 9-1.14 as follows:
"9-1.14 Use of Computers, <ins>Cellular Phones, Reading Materials</ins> on the Senate Floor
A Senator shall use his or her computer <ins>and cellular phone in the Senate Chamber</ins> only for
legislative business, provided that this shall not prohibit the Senator from using <del>the
computer at such times</del> <ins>such devices</ins> for purposes of ordinary and necessary
communications with his or her home and business. <ins>Such devices shall not make audible
noises nor distract other Senators from the business before the Senate.</ins> Maintenance and
repair of Senators' computers <ins>or cellular phones</ins> shall not be conducted on the floor of the
Senate while the Senate is in session. <ins>There shall be no use of reading materials in the
Senate Chamber while the Senate is in session except that which is pertinent to legislation
or current events."
</ins> SECTION 11.
Said Rules of the Senate are further amended by revising subsection (a) of Rule 10-1.3,
relating to changes in rules, as follows:
"(a) Senate Rules shall be adopted at the beginning of any two-year term of the General
Assembly <ins>and at the beginning of any special session.</ins> Adoption of the Senate
Organizational Rules Resolution <ins>or Senate Special Session Organizational Rules
Resolution</ins> shall require an affirmative vote of a majority of the members to which the
Senate is entitled. All subsequent resolutions introduced to change or amend the Senate
Rules shall be assigned to the Committee on Rules and would require a two-thirds (2/3)
affirmative vote of the members to which the Senate is entitled for adoption."
SECTION 12.
Said Rules of the Senate are further amended by striking the following from page xvii of the
Index to the Rules of the Senate:
"PREFILING OF PROPOSED BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS . . . . . O.C.G.A. 28-1-17"

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary.

Senate Resolution 3 adopts the Georgia Senate's operating rules for the 2025-2026 legislative term, carrying over the prior rules with a set of amendments covering staff office names, interim committees, floor conduct, and lobbyist restrictions.

### Plain-language summary

This resolution formally adopts the Rules of the Senate for the 2025-2026 two-year legislative term, largely by carrying forward the rules in effect at the end of the 2024 session, with a series of specific amendments. It renames the Senate's research arm to the Office of Policy and Legislative Analysis throughout the rules, updates travel reimbursement and staffing oversight language, and creates a new rule (2-1.14) laying out how interim special committees are formed, how many meetings they can hold without extra approval, notice requirements for meetings, quorum rules, and reporting requirements.
Other changes update floor conduct rules: cell phones and reading materials are now addressed directly (replacing an old blanket ban on cell phone use and newspaper reading), with a requirement that devices not make noise or distract other senators. The resolution also bars senators from designating a registered lobbyist as a personal aide, and requires Senate Rule changes to also apply at the start of any special session, not just a new two-year term.

### What it does

- Adopts the Senate's prior rules as the governing rules for the 2025-2026 legislative term, subject to listed amendments.
- Renames the Senate Research Office to the Office of Policy and Legislative Analysis across multiple rules covering travel, staffing, and floor access.
- Creates a new Rule 2-1.14 setting limits on interim special committee meetings, quorum requirements, meeting notice, and reporting of committee findings.
- Replaces the old ban on cell phone use and reading unrelated materials in the Senate Chamber with updated rules allowing devices for legislative business as long as they do not create noise or distraction.
- Bars senators from naming a registered lobbyist, or someone required to register as a lobbyist, as a personal aide with floor access.
- Requires Senate Organizational Rules to be readopted at the start of any special session, not only at the start of a two-year term.

### Who it affects

State senators, Senate staff including the renamed Office of Policy and Legislative Analysis, Senate Press Office, and Budget and Evaluation Office, senators' personal aides, registered lobbyists seeking aide positions, and members of any interim special committees created between legislative sessions.

### Why it matters

These changes affect how the Georgia Senate governs itself day to day: how staff offices are named and supervised, how interim committees can meet and report between sessions, what senators can do with phones and paperwork on the floor, and who can serve as a senator's aide, directly shaping internal Senate operations rather than public policy outcomes.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 and Section 2 rename the Senate Research Office to the Office of Policy and Legislative Analysis in travel reimbursement and Committee on Administrative Affairs staffing rules.
- Section 3 adds Rule 2-1.14, capping interim special committees at five meetings without added approval, setting a 72-hour meeting notice requirement, and requiring quorum and report-filing procedures.
- Section 4 requires all motions in committees, not just standing committees, to receive a second before being put to a vote.
- Section 8 bars senators from designating a registered lobbyist as an aide with an identifying floor badge.
- Section 9 and Section 10 rewrite Senate Chamber conduct rules, replacing a blanket cell phone and reading ban with rules permitting device use for legislative or personal business as long as it is not disruptive.
- Section 11 requires Senate Organizational Rules to be adopted at the start of both new two-year terms and any special session.
- Section 12 removes the prefiling of proposed bills and resolutions reference from the Rules index.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2025-01-13)
- Last action: Senate Passed/Adopted (2025-01-13)
- Sponsors: John Kennedy, Steve Gooch, Harold Jones
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69269

> The history, votes, and amendments (469 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr3.md?full=1