House > Rules > Rule 2

    2.1     The Clerk shall be elected by the membership of the House for a term of two years. This election will take place on the opening day of the organizational session.

    2.2     The Clerk of the preceding session shall, at the beginning of the organizational session of the House, call the members to order, proceed to call the roll of members in alphabetical order, and pending election of a Speaker, Speaker Pro Tempore, or temporary officers, preserve order and decorum, and decide all questions of order subject to appeal by any member. The duties of this section may be delegated by the Clerk to any member of the House.

    2.3    The Clerk shall cause to be kept a correct Journal of the proceedings of the House, and this Journal shall be numbered serially from the first day of each session of the Legislature. He shall not permit any books or papers belonging to the House to be taken out of his custody other than in the regular course of business and then upon receipt when he deems necessary. He shall report any missing papers to the Speaker.

    2.4    The Clerk of the House shall cause to be prepared and laid on the desks of the members every morning an itinerary of the day's business to be called the Calendar. This Calendar shall include the orders of the preceding day and all continued matters arranged according to priority, and numbered from the commencement of the session, every matter being introduced and newly numbered after every new order upon it.

    2.5    The Clerk shall assist, under the direction of the Speaker, in taking roll call or division votes.

    2.6    The Clerk shall issue all pay certificates for per diem and mileage and incidental expenses upon the order of the Speaker, the signature of the Speaker being attested by the Clerk. The Clerk shall also attest to all writs and warrants and to the passage of all bills, resolutions, and memorials.

    2.7    The Clerk shall prepare in writing and send all messages to the Senate and elsewhere as ordered by the House.

    2.8    The Clerk shall also be charged with the duty of having executed, in a prompt and accurate manner, all the printing required by the Rules or orders of the House.

    2.9    The Reading Clerk shall be elected by the membership of the House for a term of two years. This election will take place on the opening day of the organizational session.

    2.10    The Reading Clerk shall read all papers to be read at the desk, which the Speaker may direct him to read and shall assist in taking any roll call votes at the Speaker's direction. Upon ordering of a roll call vote, or upon a quorum call, the electronic roll call system is to be used following the procedure of Rule 7.3. When the electronic roll call system is not operating in any manner, the Reading Clerk shall call the roll and take the names of all who vote 'aye' and all who vote 'nay' which shall be entered in the Journal and the provisions of Rule 7.3 shall not apply. If, during the course of an ordered electronic roll call, the electronic roll system malfunctions, in such a manner that the number of aye votes and the number of nay votes are recorded but the names of the members so voting are not recorded, the vote shall stand, and any member desiring to publish a record of his individual vote may submit a statement which shall be printed in the House Journal. If, during the course of an ordered electronic roll call, the electronic roll call system malfunctions in such a manner as to record no accurate information as to the vote totals, the question shall be resubmitted and the Reading Clerk shall call the roll of the members as hereinabove specified.

Provided, however, in the case of a malfunction in the electronic roll call where the roll call to be taken is mandated by the Constitution or Statutes, any malfunction will void the roll call and it will be retaken.

Provided, that whether the ayes and nays are taken by electronic roll or otherwise, they shall be recorded by the Clerk in the Journal.

    2.11    The Chaplain shall be elected by the membership of the House for a term of two years. This election will take place on the opening day of the organizational session.

    2.12    The Chaplain shall provide spiritual guidance for the membership of the House.

    2.13    The Sergeant at Arms shall be elected by the membership of the House for a term of two years and shall be under the direct supervision of the Speaker of the House. This election will take place on the opening day of the organizational session.

    2.14    The Sergeant at Arms shall assist the Speaker in maintaining order and decorum.

    2.15    The duties of the Sergeant at Arms, shall be as provided for in Chapter 3 of Title 2, Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, as amended.

    2.16    The Sergeant at Arms may designate, subject to the approval of the Speaker, other staff members of the House to assist the Speaker and the Sergeant in performing such duties as they may direct, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Title 2, Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976.

Last Updated: 12/21/2022 12:00 PM