February 26, 2011

Sine die: what is it and what does it mean?

2008 House Sergeant-at-Arms
 Earnie Sumner (left) and
Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Don Severance,
drop their hankies in the fourth floor rotunda
in the traditional Sine Die ceremony. 
[Times photo | Scott Keeler]

BY VICTOR LAM
Staff
     Sine Die, Latin for “without a day”, is the sacred ceremony that ends a legislative session.  The ceremony is practiced by both the State Government and our very own Youth in Government.
     Usually, when a legislative chamber adjourns from a daily session, they set a future date and time to reconvene. To adjourn sine die means to end the session and not set up at future day and time to reconvene. It is a special motion. In a bicameral system it is proper parliamentary procedure for both chambers to adjourn sine die at exactly the same time.
     To adjourn simultaneously, both chambers must know when the gavel comes down to end a session and to do this at the same time, all stages of U.S. government use the “hankie drop” tradition. Upon the order of the chairs, the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House and Senate simultaneously walk to the point of intersection of the halls while both holding a handkerchief.
     Once both Sergeants-at-arms meet, they drop their handkerchiefs at the same time. When both handkerchiefs hit the ground, it represents both gavels coming down at the same time, signaling the end of the legislative session. 

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