A module which explains how the ‘as introduced’ version of the bill is prepared in Lawmaker and published on the API. You have to complete ‘Preparing the bill for introduction’ before you can complete ‘Publishing the bill’ exercise.
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Generating the Notice of Amendments
Generating the Notice of Withdrawals
Generating the Marshalled List
✏️ Exercises
🛠️ Before you start
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A published bill (download the XML file here
)View file name As_Introduced.xml Some Consideration stage amendments (download the amendments XML file here
)View file name Consideration_stage_amendments.xml
The following steps will allow you to create the data required for this exercise.
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Create a new project selecting Northern Ireland Bill and Executive Bill and providing the title [Your Initials] Preparing and publishing official lists Bill
Close the Editor after it loads using the Close Editor button.
From the Project tab, select Document Actions > Upload document—
Specify a folder As Introduced
Specify a version description As Introduced
Select the downloaded As_Introduced.xml file
Click on Upload button
Find the newly uploaded document version and select Actions > Update Document Information—
Update the Title to [Your Initials] Preparing and publishing official lists Bill
Click on Update button
Still with the newly uploaded document version, select Actions > Generate PDF and click Generate button
Once the PDF has generated, toggle the snapshot view to see the PDF Snapshot created and select Actions > Publish Version
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From the Amendment Workspace tab click on the Upload button—
Select As Introduced bill version
Select Consideration Stage for the stage
Name the list CS amendments
Select the Consideration_stage_amendments.xml file you downloaded
Click on the Upload button
Update amendments to the correct status (Made)
Open the amendment list in the Editor
Open on the Amendment Status right-hand panel
Click on the Bulk update statuses button—
Leave all amendments selected for the amendments to update
Select Draft to Submitted as the Status transition
Click on Update button
Save your changes and close the list of amendments using the Close Editor button.
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From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Create official list
On the create amendment list dialog box, select—
Amendment list = Notice of Amendments
Bill version = As Introduced
Stage = Consideration Stage
List name = enter a unique name for your Notice of Amendments e.g. NoA
Leave cut-off date
Click on the Create button
When the list loads in the Editor, check that the amendments are sorted and grouped correctly.
Make any adjustments if required then save and close the list using the Close Editor button
On the Official Lists tab, find the Notice of Amendments you just created and select Actions > Generate PDF and click on the Generate button
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From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Create official list
On the create amendment list dialog box, select—
Amendment list = Notice of Amendments
Bill version = As Introduced
Stage = Consideration Stage
List name = enter a unique name for your Notice of Amendments e.g. NoA 2
Leave cut-off date
Click on the Create button
When the list loads in the Editor, check that the amendments are sorted correctly.
There are 2 amendments to amendments and these always need updating to ensure they will be correctly sorted in the Marshalled List. They are also sorted incorrectly in the Notice of Amendments as the amendment to subsection (4) appears before the amendment to subsection (2) purely because of the order they were created. To update them—
Place your cursor in the first amendment
Open the Amendment Information right hand panel
They are both amendments to an amendment inserting a new clause after section 4 so update the location table as follows—
Place cursor in Location field and type - after (for “After” clause 4)
Place cursor in Provision field and type - sec_4 (i.e. the abbreviation for section 4)
To correct their sort order (so that the amendment to subsection (2) appears after the amendment to subsection (4) you will need to update the sort code—
Place cursor in Sort Code and type - 3
Wait for the spinner before saving your changes
Place your cursor in the second amendment and repeat those same updates apart from adding 2 to the Sort Code so that it appears before the other amendment.
Wait for the spinner before saving your changes
Click into each amendment and double check the location table has been successfully updated for both.
From the upper tool bar select Tools > Update List
Check that the amendments have been correctly sorted then save your changes and close the list using the Close Editor button
On the Official Lists tab, find the Notice of Amendments you just created and select Actions > Generate PDF and click on the Generate button
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Back on the Amendment Manager, select the target amendment for the 2 x amendments to amendments (the Minister for Communities' amendment inserting new clause after clause 4)
Click on the eye-ball to view it
Click on the Edit amendment button in the bottom left corner
Place your cursor in the amendment and add 1 to the Sort Code so that it appears first before the amendments to amendments
Wait for the spinner before saving your changes and closing the list using the Close Editor button
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From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Create official list
On the create amendment list dialog box, select—
Amendment list = Notice of Withdrawals
Bill version = As Introduced
Stage = Consideration Stage
List name = enter a unique name for your Notice of Amendments e.g. NoW
Leave cut-off date
Click on the Create button
When the list loads in the Editor, update the list—
In the first italic note—
add the Minister for Communities
add the correct date in the date placeholder
change has to have as there are 2 amendments and in this scenario we will only display the one italic note
Delete the italic note above the second amendment—
Place your cursor anywhere in the note
Select Note from the breadcrumb and delete the element
Save your changes and close the list using the Close Editor button
On the Official Lists tab, find the Notice of Withdrawals you just created and select Actions > Generate PDF and click on the Generate button
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From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Create official list
On the create amendment list dialog box, select—
Amendment list = Marshalled List
Bill version = As Introduced
Stage = Consideration Stage
List name = enter a unique name for your Marshalled List e.g. ML
Update the cut-off date to be the deadline date that appears in the preface of the Marshalled List
Leave cut-off time
Update list date with the date of the debate
Click on the Create button
When the list loads in the Editor—
Update the order of consideration in the preface with Clauses
Add an asterisk to the newly tabled amendment by—
Placing your cursor in the amendment
Right-clicking and selecting Update star status
Select Asterisk button
Click on the Update button
Check that the amendments are sorted correctly. There were 2 amendments to the same place (Clause 5, Page 4, Line 23), if you need to update their sort location, you should first update the Sort Code in the Amendment Information right hand panel before manually swapping their locations in the list (using the Structure View) and updating the assigned amendment numbers.
Make any other adjustments if required then save and close the list using the Close Editor button
On the Official Lists tab, find the Marshalled List you just created and select Actions > Generate PDF and click on the Generate button
The list is now ready for official checks before publishing on the website
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When you have completed this module, move onto Training module: generating an NI Marshalled a Grouping List