Training Module: Generating official lists at Consideration Stage
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.
Before you can complete this exercise you will need to create your own training project containing a published ‘as introduced’ version of the bill and some amendments to generate lists from.
The following steps will allow you to create the data required for this exercise.
How to create a new project with a bill
Download the XML documents for the exercise by clicking on the links you’ve been provided with. By default, the downloaded files are usually placed in the “downloads” folder on your computer.
Log in to Lawmaker.
From the Dashboard, create a new project of the type you need for the exercise. Give it a title such as [Your Initials] Preparing and Publishing Official Lists Bill. (See Creating a new project.)
From the Project tab for that project, select DocumentActions > Upload document, and select the As Introduced XML file for the exercise which you have downloaded. It can be uploaded into the default folder that has been created in the project. (See Create a new document by uploading an XML file.)
On the newly uploaded document version, select Actions > Update Document Information and update the Title to match the title you originally gave the project.
Generate a PDF of this bill version by selecting Actions > Generate PDF
Once the PDF has generated, toggle the snapshot view to see the PDF Snapshot created and select Actions > Publish Version
How to import and update amendments
From the Amendment Workspace tab click on the Upload button. Select As Introduced bill version, Consideration Stage and give the list the name Consideration Stage amendments and select the Consideration stage amendments XML file which you have downloaded.
✏️ Exercise 1: Generate the first Notice of Amendments
This video walks you through the exercise below. OLC drafted amendments will already be at state ‘Submitted’ - only the amendments you drafted in the Bill Office need to be submitted before being tabled). It is the submission date/time that is used by Lawmaker to sort and group amendments on the Notice of Amendments.
Generate the first Notice of Amendments
Step 1: Submit the amendments
Before you can generate an official list, you need to submit & table the amendments that you want to appear in the list.
Detailed steps to submit the amendments
From the Amendment Manager, select all the Minister for Communities' amendmentsAPART FROM THE CLAUSE 2 STAND PART AMENDMENT
From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Submit Amendments
Next, select all Mr Gary Middleton’s amendments and submit these using the same steps
Detailed steps to table the amendments
From the Amendment Manager, use the quick filter to display all Submitted amendments
Select all the submitted amendments using check boxes
From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Table Amendments
Step 2: Generate the Notice of Amendments
Generate the Notice of Amendments, making any adjustments required before generating a PDF ready for checking and publishing.
Detailed steps to generate a Notice of Amendments
From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Create official list
On the create amendment list dialog box, select Notice of Amendments at consideration stage and give the list a unique name e.g. NoA. Leave the cut-off date empty
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
The list is now ready for official checks before publishing on the website
✏️ Exercise 2: Publishing the amendment list
Assuming the amendment list has completed all checks then the list is now ready for publishing.
Publishing the amendment list
Step 1: Publish the list in Lawmaker
You need to publish the amendment list in Lawmaker in order for automated processes when generating subsequent lists to run correctly.
Detailed steps to publish the list in Lawmaker
Click on the black triangle to the left of the listname to expand the view of snapshots
On the grey PDF snapshot version, select Actions > Publish version
The published version will appear on the right-hand side of the Official Lists tab and a snapshot is created under the working version.
Step 2: Publish the list on the Assembly’s website
You can now upload the final version of the pdf onto the website
✏️ Exercise 3: Generate another Notice of Amendments
This exercise shows you want you need to do to update the footer of subsequent notices to update the list number.
Generate a subsequent Notice of Amendments
Step 1: Table the amendments
Before you generate another Notice of Amendments, you need to table more submitted amendments.
Detailed steps to table more amendments
Return to the Amendment Manager, and select all of Ms Paula Bradshaw’s and submit them by selecting Amendment Actions > Submit Amendments
Select them again and table them selecting Amendment Actions > Table Amendments
Step 2: Generate another Notice of Amendments
Generate another Notice of Amendments, containing the newly tabled amendments only.
Detailed steps to generate another Notice of Amendments
From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Create official list
On the create amendment list dialog box, select Notice of Amendments at consideration stage and give the list a unique name e.g. NoA2. Leave the cut-off date empty
When the list loads in the Editor, check that the amendments are sorted correctly.
Step 3: Update the amendment location for the amendments to amendments
There are 2 amendments to amendments and these always need updating to ensure they will be correctly sorted in the Marshalled List. They might be sorted incorrectly in the Notice of Amendments - the amendment to subsection (4) should appear before the amendment to subsection (2). Update their amendment information, including sort codes to ensure they will always be correctly sorted in all future lists.
Detailed steps to update the amendment information on amendments to amendments
Still with the Notice of Amendments open in the Editor, update the amendment to amendments (a2a) by placing your cursor in the amendment to subsection (4) and opening the Amendment Information right hand panel. Update as follows—
Place cursor in Location field and type - after (for “After” clause 4 which is the location of the target amendment)
Place cursor in Provision field and type - sec_4(i.e. the abbreviation for section 4, the location of the target amendment)
This a2a should appear after the amendment to subsection (2) so correct their sort order by typing 3in the Sort Code
Save your changes by clicking Enter on your keyboard
Place your cursor in the second a2a amending subsection (2) and repeat those same updates apart from adding 2 to the Sort Code so that it appears before the other amendment.
Save your changes by clicking Enter on your keyboard
Optionally select Tools > Regenerate List to refresh the list if the sort order was updated by these changes and then save your changes.
Step 4: Update the list number used by the footer in the PDF
Detailed steps to update the document information
Still with the Notice of Amendments open in the Editor, open the Document Information right-hand panel
Update the List number to 2
Save your changes by clicking Enter on your keyboard
Save your changes and Close the Editor
Step 5: Update the target amendment’s location information
To ensure the amendments are all sorted correctly on the Marshalled List, you will also need to update the Sort Code for the target amendment by opening it in a temporary list and amending it in the same way you updated the other a2as.
Detailed steps to update the target amendment's sort code
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
In the top right corner, type 1 into the Sort Code field
Click Save and Close when complete
Step 6: Generate a PDF and publish the second list
In this scenario, the Minister for Communities wishes to withdraw their amendment to Clause 5, Page 4, Line 16 and their amendment to Clause 2, Page 1, Line 14—
Generate a Notice of Withdrawals
Step 1: Update the amendments' statuses to Withdrawn
Before you can generate the Notice of Withdrawals, you will need to update the amendment(s) with a status of Withdrawn.
Detailed steps to update an amendment's status to withdrawn
Find these 2 amendments on the Amendment Manager tab and select them (Minister for Communities wishes to withdraw their amendment to Clause 5, Page 4, Line 16 and their amendment to Clause 2, Page 1, Line 14)
Select Amendment Actions > Create temporary list
In the temporary list that loads in the Editor, update the status of these amendments by placing your cursor in the first amendment
Open the Amendment Status right-hand panel and click on the Withdrawn button
Place your cursor in the second amendment
Click on the Withdrawn button again
Save your changes and close the list using the Close Editor button
You can use keyboard short cuts to move up and down through the amendments in the Editor—
ALT+K moves you down
ALT+H moves you up
Step 2: Generate the Notice of Withdrawals
Now that the amendments have been updated with the withdrawn status, you can generate the Notice of Withdrawals. Amendments will only appear on the NoW if they have previously been published on another list which is why it’s important to always publish lists in Lawmaker when an amendment list is finalised.
Detailed steps to generate a Notice of Withdrawals
From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Create official list
On the create amendment list dialog box, select Notice of Withdrawals at Consideration Stage giving the list a unique name e.g. NoW. Leave cut-off date empty
When the list loads in the Editor, update the first italic note by adding the Minister for Communities to the empty Member placeholder and add the correct date in the date placeholder
Change the other amendment’s italic note
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 and send for official checks
Step 3: Generate a PDF and publish the Notice of Withdrawals
In this exercise, we will pretend that the Minister for Communities has permission to table a last minute amendment to appear on the Marshalled List.
Generate a Marshalled List
Step 1: Submit and table the last minute amendment
Before you generate the Marshalled List, you need to table the last minute submitted amendment to ensure it appears.
Detailed steps to table last minute amendment
From the Amendment Manager, select Clause 2 stand part amendment
From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Submit Amendments
From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Table Amendments
Step 2: Generate the Marshalled List
Now that the last minute amendment has been tabled, you can generate the Marshalled List.
Detailed steps to generate the Marshalled List
From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Create official list
On the create amendment list dialog box, select Marshalled List at Consideration Stage and provide 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 and update list date with the date of the debate
When the list loads in the Editor, update the order of consideration in the preface with Clauses and check for any other updates that might be required to the preface
Add an asterisk to the newly tabled amendment by pacing your cursor in the amendment and right-clicking to select Update star status. Select the Asterisk button
Update the 2 x amendments to amendments by overwriting their italic notes (Amendment Context) with As an amendment to amendment 3.
Check for any red highlighted amendments and that all amendments are sorted as you would expect. There were 2 amendments to the same place (Clause 5, Page 4, Line 23).
Put your cursor in Gary Middleton’s amendment, open the Amendment Information right-hand panel and update the sort code to 1
Put your cursor in the Minister’s amendment and update the sort code to 2
Save your changes by clicking Enter on your keyboard
Because the updated sort codes have resulted in a new sort order, you need to refresh the list which will update the amendment number and reorder the amendments. Select Tools > Regenerate List
Save your changes 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 and send the list for official checks
Not selected amendments
If you’ve already generated a Marshalled List ready for publication, but find out the Speaker has not selected a couple of amendments, it is possible to update the Marshalled List to reflect these changes—
Open the unpublished Marshalled List in the Editor
Place your cursor in the amendment that wasn’t selected
Open Amendment Status in the right-hand panel and click on the Not Selected button
Repeat for any other amendments
Delete the amendment number from the Not Selected amendments in the list (only the number, not the DNumber. Ensure the empty ‘num’ element remains)
Save your changes
Select Tools > Regenerate List to re-run the Marshalled List generation logic which will refresh the list of amendments in the Editor without the ‘not selected’ amendments and all amendments will be renumbered.
Save your changes and close the list using the Close Editor button
Generate a PDF and publish your revised Marshalled List as usual
Step 3: Generate a PDF and publish the Marshalled List
