<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<baltimore-city-law heading="Chapter 3 – Daily Business">
  <section prefix="Rule" num="3-1" heading="Business of the day">
    <text>Before the start of each meeting, the President shall cause all bills, resolutions, and reports to be considered at that meeting to be distributed to all Councilmembers no fewer than 5 hours prior to the start of a scheduled meeting.</text>
  </section>
  <section prefix="Rule" num="3-2" heading="Call to order; roll call">
    <para num="(a)">Call to order. At the hour to which the Council has recessed or adjourned, the President shall take the chair and call the members to order.</para>
    <para num="(b)">Roll call. The President shall then:<para num="(1)">cause the roll to be called naming each Councilmember individually and stating whether they are present or absent; and</para>
      <para num="(2)">if a quorum is present, proceed with the business of the day.</para>
    </para>
  </section>
  <section prefix="Rule" num="3-3" heading="Preliminary presentations">
    <para num="(a)">Invocation. The meeting may begin with an invocation by an individual designated by the President.</para>
    <para num="(b)">Informational presentation. The invocation may be followed with a brief informational presentation by an individual designated by the President.</para>
  </section>
  <section prefix="Rule" num="3-4" heading="Reading of Journal">
    <para num="(a)">In general. The first order of business is the reading of the Journal of the previous meeting.</para>
    <para num="(b)">Waiver. With the Council’s consent, the reading of the Journal may be omitted.</para>
  </section>
  <section prefix="Rule" num="3-5" heading="Order of business">
    <para num="(a)">In general. After the reading of the Journal, the order of business is as follows:<para num="(1)">Communications from the Mayor.</para>
      <para num="(2)">Communications from City Agencies and Others.</para>
      <para num="(3)">Presentation of Petitions, Memorials, and Other Papers.</para>
      <para num="(4)">Presentation of Orders.</para>
      <para num="(5)">Introduction (First Reading) of Bills.</para>
      <para num="(6)">Consent Calendar.</para>
      <para num="(7)">Unfinished Business.</para>
      <para num="(8)">Executive Nominations.</para>
      <para num="(9)">Committee Reports (Second Reading of Bills).</para>
      <para num="(10)">Special Orders of the Day.</para>
      <para num="(11)">Final Passage (Third Reading) of Bills.</para>
      <para num="(12)">Committee Notices.</para>
      <para num="(13)">Public Interest Announcements.</para>
    </para>
    <para num="(b)">Change in order. The order of business may be amended at any time during the course of a Council meeting by a majority vote of the Councilmembers present.</para>
  </section>
  <section prefix="Rule" num="3-6" heading="Messages">
    <text>Messages from the Executive Department may be received at any time except:</text>
    <para num="(1)">when a question is being put; or</para>
    <para num="(2)">when the roll is being called.</para>
  </section>
  <section prefix="Rule" num="3-7" heading="Resolutions of City Council">
    <text>A Resolution of the City Council requires two readings, unless a vote to suspend this Rule 3-7 for the purpose of same-day adoption passes as required by Rule 1-3 {“Suspension of Rules”}.</text>
  </section>
  <section prefix="Rule" num="3-8" heading="Petitions, memorials, etc">
    <para num="(a)">Members may present. Petitions, memorials, and other papers addressed to the City Council may be presented by any Councilmember.</para>
    <para num="(b)">Deadline for presentation.<para num="(1)">All petitions, memorials, and other papers to be presented at a meeting of the City Council shall be filed with the Chief Clerk before noon of the workday preceding that meeting.</para>
      <para num="(2)">At the President’s discretion, ceremonial resolutions may be accepted until noon of the day of the meeting.</para>
    </para>
    <para num="(c)">Entry on Journal. The object of all petitions and memorials shall be entered on the Journal.</para>
  </section>
  <section prefix="Rule" num="3-9" heading="Ceremonial resolutions">
    <para num="(a)">Numbering; format.<para num="(1)">Ceremonial resolutions shall be:<para num="(i)">designated “Ceremonial Resolution No. ”; and</para>
        <para num="(ii)">numbered separately from bills.</para>
      </para>
      <para num="(2)">The President or the President’s designee may determine the format in which ceremonial resolutions are to be printed.</para>
    </para>
    <para num="(b)">Adoption.<para num="(1)">All ceremonial resolutions shall be:<para num="(i)">listed on the agenda as the Consent Calendar; and</para>
        <para num="(ii)">except as provided in paragraph (2), voted on as a unit.</para>
      </para>
      <para num="(2)">On request of the President or any Councilmember, a ceremonial resolution shall be withdrawn from the Consent Calendar and voted on by roll call vote.</para>
    </para>
  </section>
</baltimore-city-law>
