6.248 Authorization of joint primary and cosponsorship of similar bills in opposite chambers -- Petition -- Approval -- Withdrawal -- Forms. (1) If a bill is introduced in the Senate or the House of Representatives, and a substantially similar bill is introduced in the opposite chamber, the primary sponsors of each of the bills may jointly petition the Committee on Committees in each chamber to authorize joint primary and cosponsorship by members of both chambers of one or both bills. (2) The petition shall be approved if jointly agreed to by both the Committee on Committees in the Senate and the Committee on Committees in the House of Representatives. The approval shall become effective upon receipt by the Senate and House clerks of a properly completed form as provided in subsection (6) of this section and subsequent report to both chambers of the authorized joint primary and cosponsorship of a bill or bills. (3) Upon the petition approval becoming effective, the primary sponsors and existing cosponsors from both chambers shall be listed in the Legislative Record as joint primary and cosponsors of one or both bills as follows: (a) The primary Senate sponsor shall be listed as first sponsor of a Senate bill and the primary House sponsor shall be listed as first sponsor of a House bill. The primary sponsor from the opposite chamber shall be listed immediately after the first sponsor. (b) Cosponsors from both chambers shall be listed after the primary sponsors, with Senate cosponsors listed first on Senate bills and House cosponsors listed first on House bills. Cosponsors from the opposite chamber shall be listed immediately after cosponsors from the chamber of origin. (4) Any member wishing to cosponsor a bill of the opposite chamber for which a petition approval has become effective pursuant to this section may be allowed to cosponsor upon motion made and adopted in the chamber of that member. (5) Any sponsor or cosponsor of a bill, pursuant to this section, may withdraw sponsorship or cosponsorship upon motion made and adopted in the chamber of which the sponsor or cosponsor is a member. (6) The staff of the Legislative Research Commission shall develop a form by which primary sponsors pursuant to subsection (1) of this section may jointly petition the Senate and House Committees on Committees and by which the Senate and House Committees on Committees may, by signatures of their chairs, indicate written approval. Effective: June 20, 2005 History: Created 2005 Ky. Acts ch. 116, sec. 1, effective June 20, 2005.