AMENDING THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 153RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY RELATING TO REMOTE PARTICIPATION IN SPECIAL SESSION.

This House Substitute for House Resolution No. 19, like the original, changes the Rules of the House of Representatives of the 153rd Assembly by permitting remote attendance and participation by members at a special session, so long as a quorum of the House is physically present in Dover. Authorization of the Speaker of the House is required for remote participation. The definition of “special session” in this substitute differs in that for purposes of remote participation by a member, it is only allowed “during any portion of the calendar year that does not fall between the second Tuesday in January and the first day of July.” The original House Resolution would have included a special session after 5:00 p.m. on June 30 as well. The definition of “special session” includes a convening of the General Assembly under § 16 of Article III of the Delaware Constitution. This substitute also differs from the original in that if the Speaker denies a request to participate remotely, the Speaker must include the reason for the denial in the Speaker’s written response. It also requires that a member participating remotely must appear on camera when voting or responding to an attendance roll call.