Bills are either public or private. In the introduction of a public bill the first motion made in the House of Lords is that the bill be brought in ; but in the House of Commons the member who purposes to introduce the bill must first move that leave be given to bring it in. If that motion is carried, the bill is then either ordered to be brought in by cer tain members, generally not more than two, of whom the mover is one, or a select committee is appointed for that purpose. When the bill is ready, which it frequently is as soon as the motion for leave to bring it in has been agreed to, it is presented at the bar by one of those members, and afterwards, upon an inti mation from the speaker, brought up by him to the table. The next motion is that it be read a first time ; and this mo tion is most frequently made immediately after the bill has been brought up. This being carried, a day is appointed for con sidering the question that the bill be read a second time. The second reading being carried, it is next moved that the bill be committed, that is, that it be considered clause by clause, either in a committee of the whole house, or, if the matter be of less importance, in a select committee. When the committee have finished their labours, they make their report through their chairman ; and the next motion is that the report be received. Besides mo difying the original clauses of the bill, it is in the power of the committee, if they think proper, both to omit certain clauses and to add others. Sometimes a bill is ordered to be re-committed, that it may undergo further consideration, or that additional alterations may be made in it. The report of the committee having been received, the next motion is that the bill be read a third time, and when that is carried, there is still a further motion, that the bill do pass. When a bill has passed the House of Lords, it is sent down to the House of Commons by two of the masters in chancery, or if only one is present he is accompanied by the clerk assistant of the parliament; and if the bill concerns the crown or royal family, it is sent down by two of the judges. The messengers make their obeisances as they advance to the speaker, and, after one of them has read the title of the bill, deliver it to him, desiring that it may be taken into consideration. When an ordinary bill is not sent to the Commons by two of the masters in chancery, the messengers are directed to explain this deviation from the established rules; and in their reply the Commons " trust the same will not be drawn into a precedent for the fature." When a bill, on the other hand, is sent up from the Commons to the Lords, it is sent by several members (the Speaker being frequently one), who, having knocked at the door of the Lords' House, are introduced by the usher of the black rod, and then advance to the bar, making three obeisances. The Speaker of the house, who is usually the lord chancellor, then comes down to the bar, and receives the bill, the members who deliver it to him stating its title, and informing him that it is a bill which the Commons have passed, and to which they desire the con currence of their lordships. A bill thus received by the one house from the other is almost always read a first time ; but it does not appear to be a matter of course that it should be so read. it then goes again through the same stages as it has already passed through in the other house.
The bill may be debated on any one of the motions which we have mentioned, and it commonly is so debated more than once. It is usual, however, to take the debate upon the principle of the proposed measure either on the motion for leave to bring in the bill, or on that for the second reading:. the details are generally discussed in the committee. Amendments upon the bill, going either to its entire rejection, or to its alteration to any ex, tent, may be proposed on any occasion on which it is debated after it has been brought in. Before it is committed also,
certain instructions to the committee may be moved, upon which the committee must act.
After the report of the committee has been received, and the amendments which it purposes agreed to, the Speaker puts the question that the bill so amended be ingrossed; that is to say, written in a distinct and strong hand on parchment In this shape it remains till It receive. the royal assent; it is not ingrossed second time in the other house. ' When a bill originates in the Lords, it is in after the report, and is sent to the grossed Commons is that form ; and when it be gins in the Commons, the time for in grossing the before it in sent up to the Lords is also after the report' (May'. Parliament, ph 284.) Whatever clauses are afterwards added are called riders, and must be ingrossed on separate sheets of parchment and attached to it.
Bills of all kinds may originate in either house, except what are called money bills, that is, bills for raising money by any species of taxation, which. must always be brought first into the House of Commons.. The Commons also will reject any amendment made upon a money bill by the Lords. And the Lord. have a standing order (the XC., date/ 2nd of March, 1664) against proceeding with any bill for restitution in blood, which shall not have originated in their own house : all such acts, and all others of royal grace and favour to individuals, are signed by the king before being laid before parliament, where they are only read once in each house, and cannot be amended, although they may be rejected. [ASSENT, Rovii..] When a bill has passed the Commons and is to be sent up to the Lords, clerk of the Commons writes upon it Salt bailie' our Seigneurs; and upon one which has passed the Lords and is to be sent down to the Commons, the clerk of the Lords writes Soit bailie' our Comma If it is after wards passed by the Commons, the clerk writes upon it Les Commas out assentez. All bills of supply, after being passed by the Lords, are retuned to the House of Commons, in which they had originated, and there remain• till they are brought to the House of Lords by the Speaker to receive the royal assent : all other bills are deposited with the clerk of the enrol ments in the House of Lords till the royal assent is given to them.
A bill, after it has been introduced, may be lost either by the royal assent being refused (of which, however, them is no instance in recent times), or by a motion for its rejection being carried in any of its stages in its passage through either house, or by any of the motions necessary to advance it on its progress being dropped or withdrawn.. The rejec tion of the bill may be effected by the motion in its flivour being simply nega tived, or by a counter-motion being ear ned to the effect that the next reading be deferred till a day by which it is known that parliament will have been prorogued (generally till that day six months, or that day three months), or by the carrying of an amendment entirely opposed to the measure. The motion for carrying it forward on any of its stages may be dropped either by the house not assembling on the day for which the order made respecting that motion stands, or simply by no member appearing to make the motion. When a motion hat once been made, it can only be withdrawn by consent of the house.
If a bill has been lost in any of these ways, the rule is that the same measure cannot be again brought forward the same session. There are, however, several re markable examples of the regulation being entirely disregarded; and sometimes a short prorogation has been made merely to allow a bill which had been defeated to be again introduced.