[ Act No. 6, September 26, 1900 ]

AN ACT PRESCRIBING THE ORDER OF PROCEDURE BY THE COMMISSION IN THE ENACTMENT OF LAWS.

By authority of the President of the United States, be it enacted by the United States Philippine Commission, that:

SECTION 1. In "the making of rules and orders having the force of laws," as provided in the instructions to the Commission, the following procedure shall be adopted, viz:

(a) All such rules and orders as are of a distinctly legislative character shall be termed "Acts";

(b) All Acts shall, before the enacting clause, be prefaced by a title stating the purpose and scope of the Act;

(c) The enacting clause shall be in the following form, viz: "By the authority of the President of the United States, be it enacted by the United States Philippine Commission, that:";

(d) All Acts, when enacted, shall bear the date of enactment, and be attested by the signature of the President and Secretary of the Commission;

(e) Every bill proposing an Act shall first be presented in executive session, and thereupon receive its first reading. After the first reading, it shall be considered and perfected in committee of the whole until all proposed amendments have been adopted or rejected;

(f) After being perfected in committee of the whole, the bill shall be reported to the Commission in executive session on a subsequent day, and thereupon after being further amended, if necessary, shall be read a second time in its perfected form;

(g) The bill, as amended, shall then, under the directions of the Secretary, be translated into Spanish, and printed, and copies furnished for publication in each daily newspaper published in Manila, together with an informal announcement of the date when the same will be considered in public session;

(h) At the public session for the consideration of the bill, the and provisions as fully as he may deem necessary, and the bill shall be read the third time. Persons present may then be heard upon it, under the resolution heretofore promulgated, and the other Commissioners may comment upon it if they so desire. Unless further amendments are proposed by a member of the Commission, the vote shall then be taken upon the passage of the bill. If further amendments are so proposed, they shall forthwith be acted upon, or postponed for future consideration, as the Commission may decide.

SEC. 2. The order of procedure herein provided shall not be obligatory whenever the Commission shall determine that the public good requires the more speedy enactment of a law. But in such case the Act itself shall declare that the public good required its speedy enactment.

SEC. 3. This Act shall take effect on its passage.

Enacted, September 26, 1900.

Source: Supreme Court E-Library