About Board Bills

Follow the process of how a Bill becomes an Ordinance and is adopted into the City Revised Code.

How a Board Bill Becomes An Ordinance

Legislation is introduced by Aldermen in the form of bills. The Mayor may introduce Bills or request that an Alderman or the chair of a specific committee sponsor such a Bill. Bills are read before the entire Board upon introduction. After the first reading, the Bill is referred by the President to a specific standing committee for study and recommendation. The committee, after considering the Bill, reports it back to the full Board for a second reading. Each bill reported out of a committee for second reading will have one of three possible recommendations. The three possible recommendations are “Do Pass”, “Do Not Pass” or “Without Recommendation.”

During the progression of a bill it may be referred back to committee, or it may be placed on the informal calendar. It is possible, however, to suspend the rules so that a bill may be moved to the next portion of the agenda that it would ordinarily appear upon at the next meeting. Bills may be expedited in this way.

Approval by a simple majority of at least fifteen is required for passage of most bills. The sale of any of the City's real estate or the discontinuance or establishment of administrative divisions requires a two-thirds majority vote.

Bills finally adopted by the Board of Aldermen are presented to the Mayor for their approval or disapproval. Except emergency measures, each Bill finally adopted by the Board and presented to the Mayor shall not be acted upon by the Mayor within the first ten days after its adoption. Within twenty days after its presentation to the Mayor, the Mayor is to return it to the Board with their approval or disapproval (“veto”). If the Mayor does not take action within the twenty days, the Bill automatically becomes law. Bills become law thirty (30) days after approval by the Mayor unless a Bill has an emergency clause or a specific effective date outlining a different date.

If the Mayor vetoes a Bill a two-thirds majority vote of the Board is required to override it. The Board has ninety days (90) after the Mayor’s veto to override it.
After a bill is adopted by the Board of Aldermen and signed by the Mayor, it becomes a City Ordinance.

View glossary of legislative terms for reference.

St. Louis City Ordinances are available in electronic format from 1991 - present.

The Life Cycle of a Board Bill

Workflow

When it comes to passing Board Bills, the Board of Aldermen agenda is broken down into four basic parts.

First Reading of Board Bills/Reference Committee
Second Reading of Board Bills
Perfection of Board Bills
Third Reading/Final Passage of Board Bills

Introduction of Board Bills

Each Friday, Bills are introduced (first read) during the Board of Aldermen meeting. The meetings are held at 10 A.M. in Room 230. The President then assigns each bill to one of 15 committees. There is no discussion on the Bill during Introduction. It is just formally read before the members of the Board and in public.

Committee Hearings

It is up to the chair of each committee to schedule hearings to review any Bills that have been introduced and assigned. There may be multiple committee meetings on a Bill.

During the committee hearing, the sponsoring alderman will present their Bill to the committee members, discuss its merits and ask that it be sent to the full Board of Aldermen with a “do pass” recommendation. Sometimes, the committee will make changes to the Bill before sending it back to the floor. These changes are called Committee Substitutes or Amendments.

After the committee review and any amendments or committee substitutes are approved a vote to pass the Bill out of committee and send it back to the Full Board for consideration can take place with one of the following:

A “Do Pass” recommendation
A “Do Not Pass” recommendation
“Without Recommendation”

The following are actions a committee may take that end the progress of a bill while in committee. These actions keep the bill in committee and do not send it back to the Full Board:

A vote to pass the bill out of committee and back to the Full Board Fails (the progress of the bill stops in the committee).
The bill is held in committee by the chair, upon request by the sponsor or by a vote of the committee members (the progress of the bill stops in committee).

If a sponsor senses that a Bill lacks sufficient support, the sponsor may ask that it remain in committee while changes are drafted. Although rare, sometimes a Bill will remain in committee until the end of the session, at which time the Bill “dies.”

Second Reading

Once a bill has been passed out of committee, it is then ready for Second Reading at the next Board of Aldermen meeting.

There is no discussion of the bill during Second Reading – it’s simply read out loud.

Perfection

The following week, the bill appears on the Perfection Calendar. This is when the sponsor may stand up and explain to the full Board what the Bill is and ask for support. On controversial Bills, there is often a long and lively debate. This is also the time to make any final changes to “Perfect” the Bill.

Discussion Actions

A number of actions/votes can take place during the discussion and debate period of the Perfection Phase of the progress of a bill. The following is a review:

The bill may be discussed and no changes made.
The bill may be amended making it a bill “As Amended.”
The bill may be substituted making it a “Floor Substitute.”
The bill is substituted and that substitute is amended making it a “Floor Substitute As Amended.”
The bill may be sent back to committee.
The bill may be “Tabled.” To take a bill back up after it is Tabled takes a vote two-thirds of the members.
The bill may be placed on the Perfection Informal Calendar.

Final Actions That Advance the Bill

After the discussion of a bill during the Perfection Discussion, including any changes made, the Full Board will take a final vote to Perfect. The following are the things that might happen that will advance a bill to the next phase of Third Reading and Final Passage:

The bill is passed without any changes.
The bill is amended making the bill “As Amended.”
The bill is substituted making it a “Floor Substitute.”
The bill has been substituted and the substitute is amended making it a “Floor Substitute As Amended.”

Final Actions That Stop Advancement

After the discussion of a bill during the Perfection Discussion, including any changes made, the Full Board will take a final vote. The following are the things that might happen that will stop the
advancement of a bill to the next phase of Third Reading and Final Passage:

The motion to “Perfect” the bill fails.

Actions to Revive a Bill That Has Failed Perfection

Any member having voted on the “prevailing side” (the winning side) of a vote may move to have a bill reconsidered. If it receives the approval to be reconsidered it will go back up for reconsideration to go back through the Perfection process again.

Votes During Perfection

General Voice Votes: Votes for Perfection are done by general voice vote. No individual names are called and recorded unless a member asks for a “roll call” vote.
Amendments and Substitutions: Votes for amendments and substitutions during Perfection are also voice votes unless a member requests a roll call vote when individual votes are recorded.

It takes a majority of the aldermen present to vote in favor of perfecting a bill and move to Final Passage. (All votes at the Board require a majority of the aldermen present except on Final Passage, which requires a total of 15 “yes” votes regardless of how many aldermen are present at the meeting. Bills regarding the sale of City-owned land require 20 “yes” votes.)

Board Bills on the Agenda for Perfection Consent

Board Bills on the Full Board Meeting Agenda for Perfection Consent are not debated or discussed. They are all simply passed at one time with a motion made by the Floor Majority Leader. A member may request that a bill be taken off “Consent” and be placed on the regular Perfection section of the agenda. If it is placed on the regular Perfection section it goes through the full Perfection process listed above.

Perfection Consent votes are general voice votes and are not recorded as individual votes. All the bills on this section of the agenda are recorded as passing with the same general voice vote.

Engrossment

Board Bills that have been Perfected are now Engrossed. Engrossment is the process of ensuring the bill is in the proper legal form and that all the attachments and exhibits are attached and properly cited in the bill and any and all Exhibits.

After a bill is Perfected the President refers the bill to the Engrossment, Rules, Resolutions and Credentials Committee for Engrossment. The committee reviews the bills and will:

Approve the bill and send it back to the Full Board as “Truly Engrossed.” The bill will appear on the agenda for Third Reading and Final Passage.
After making corrections, approve the bill as Truly Engrossed and send it to the Full Board for Third Reading and Final Passage.

Third Reading/Final Passage

Board Bills that have been Engrossed are now discussed/debated by the Full Board an additional time in open session under Third Reading and Final Passage. This is considered the last vote on a bill. No changes can be made to the bill during the Third Reading and Final Passage phase.

Discussion and Debate Actions

A number of actions/votes can take place during the discussion and debate period of the Third Reading and Final Passage Phase of the progress of a bill. The following is a review:

The bill may be discussed.
The bill may be sent back to committee or Perfection.
The bill may be “Tabled.” To take a bill back up after it is Tabled takes a vote two-thirds of the members.
The bill may be placed on the Third Reading and Final Passage Informal Calendar.

Final Actions That Advance the Bill

After the discussion of a bill during Third Reading and Final Passage the Full Board will take a final vote. The following are the things that might happen that will advance a bill to the next phase of Signage by the President:

The motion to Third Read and Finally Pass is approved (passes).

Final Actions That Stop Advancement

The motion to Third Read and Finally Pass is not approved (fails).

Actions To Revive a Failed Bill

Board Bills on the Agenda for Third Reading Consent

Board Bills on the Full Board Meeting Agenda for Third Reading Consent are considered non-controversial bills and are not debated or discussed. They are all simply passed at one time with a motion made by the Floor Majority Leader. A member may request that a bill be taken off “Consent” and be placed on the regular Third Reading section of the agenda. If it is placed on
the regular Third Reading section of the agenda, it will go through the regular Third Reading process listed above.

The Third Reading Consent vote is done by roll call and all bills on the Consent Agenda are recorded as having the same votes.

President Signs Bills

The President signs all Bills

Actions

During a Full Board Meeting and in open session the President pauses the meeting to sign each bill before the members of the Board and the public that were Third Read and Finally Passed.

Expediting the Process

There is a procedure by which a Bill can move more quickly through the process. After Second Reading or Perfection an Alderman may ask to suspend the rules and have the bill moved to the next section on the agenda during the same meeting. The motion to suspend the rules to move a Bill to the next portion of the agenda can only be done once in the same meeting.

Bills Delivered to the Mayor and Reporting of Actions

The Clerk immediately delivers all bills signed by the President to the Mayor for the Mayor’s actions after they are finally passed and signed by the President. Unless a bill has an emergency clause the Mayor cannot sign a bill the first ten days after it has been delivered to them. They must sign it or veto it within twenty days of the delivery date to them. If the Mayor takes no action (doesn’t sign or veto) the bill automatically becomes law after the twentieth day it has been in their possession.

Actions of the Mayor

The Mayor may take the following actions:

Sign the bill.
Veto the bill.
Take no action and allow the bill to automatically become law after the twentieth day it has been in their possession.

Reporting to the Full Board

The Clerk reports the delivery of the Board Bills to the Mayor in the next subsequent meeting after the bills have been delivered in the section of the agenda entitled Report of the Clerk.

Bills Returned to the Board by the Mayor

The Mayor returns all bills back to the Clerk of the Board indicating their actions.

Report of the Clerk on the Mayor’s Actions on Board Bills

The Clerk reports the actions of the Mayor on all Board Bills in the next subsequent Full Board Meeting (in open session) after the bills have been delivered by the Mayor to the Board. This report is in the section of the agenda entitled Report of the Clerk.

The details of the actions are:

Report the approval or disapproval of a bill by the Mayor at the next subsequent Full Board Meeting after the actions of the Mayor.
Place vetoed bill on the next Full Board Meeting agenda for reconsideration of the Mayor’s veto. The Board has 90 days after the veto to take a vote to override.

Approved Board Bills

The Clerk delivers all bills signed by the Mayor to the City Register.

Actions of the Clerk

The Clerk signs the bills approved by the Mayor or have become law by no action of the Mayor and delivers them to the City Register for recording and issuance of an ordinance number.

Bills with Ordinance Numbers Delivered Back to the Board

The City Register returns bills back to the Clerk with ordinance numbers.

Actions of the Clerk

After receiving the Board Bills back from the City Register with the assigned ordinance numbers the Clerk does the following:

Reports that the Board Bill has been given an ordinance number by the City Register at the next subsequent Full Board Meeting after receiving the bills back from the Register.
Ensures the ordinance number is recorded in the files and records of the Board.

Timeline

First Reading: Week One
Committee Hearing: Held after the determination of the Chair. There could be multiple committee meetings on a Bill.
Second Reading: Held at the next subsequent meeting after a Bill has been reported out by a committee.
Perfection: Held at the next meeting after Second Reading.
Engrossment: Held the week after Perfection and before the next regular full Board meeting where Third Reading would take place.
Third Reading and Final Passage: Held at the next meeting after Perfection.
Sinange by the President: The Board Bill is signed at the same meeting as the Bill is Third Read and Finally Passed.
Delivered to Mayor: Immediately after the Bill has been Third Read and Finally Passed and Signed by the President.
Returned by Mayor: A Bill is returned to the Board eleven (11) to twenty days (20) after delivery to the Mayor.
Given to Registered Office: Once returned by the Mayor the Clerk delivers approved Bills to the Register for issuance of Ordinance Numbers.
Recording Ordinance Numbers: Once the report and ordinance numbers are sent back to the Clerk by the Register they are filed, reported to the Board, recorded and made available to the public.