Attendance and vote

Section 1. Attendance and vote. a. Every Senator shall be present within the Senate Chamber during the sessions of the Senate, unless duly excused or necessarily prevented, and shall vote on each question for which a vote is required stated from the Chair unless excused by the Senate, or unless he or she has a direct personal or pecuniary interest in the event of such question. If any Senator refuses to vote, unless he or she be excused by the Senate, or unless he or she be interested, such refusal shall be deemed a contempt. In order to vote on a bill on the controversial calendar, a Senator, other than the Conference Leaders, must be present in the Senate chamber and vote from his or her regularly assigned seat, except that a Senator acting as the Presiding Officer, Temporary President or Conference Leader may vote from the place assigned to such officer. No Senator absent from a roll call vote shall be allowed to vote thereon; however, within the same day, a Senator required to attend a public hearing or other meeting of a standing or conference committee, or any other meeting which the Majority Coalition Leaders designate as appropriate, may cast his or her vote at any time prior to 5:00 P.M. or the adjournment of the Senate, whichever shall be later. b. A Senator desiring to be excused from voting for a direct personal or pecuniary interest in the issue then before the Senate may, when his or her name is called, state such desire and if there be an objection make a brief statement, not occupying over two minutes, of the reasons for making such request, and the question on excusing him or her shall then be taken without debate and shall be granted by the consent of two-thirds of the Senators present; and any Senator desiring to explain his or her vote upon a bill, may, when his or her name is called, be allowed a like opportunity.