first readings
Preliminary legislative reviews
First readings are initial encounters with a text, before rereading or deeper analysis.
In literary study, a first reading captures immediate impressions and naive interpretations: My first reading of the poem missed the irony entirely.
In legislatures, a first reading is the formal introduction of a bill, typically procedural rather than substantive, before debate begins.
- introducingMaking first acquaintance
- inauguralFirst in office
- opening remarksInitial statements beginning discourse
- billAmount owed, written
- initiativeSelf-directed action capacity
procedure · drafting · committee hearings · floor debates · proposals · white papers · public consultation · deliberation · prima facie · standing orders · legislative process · genesis · draft legislation · initial draft · bicameral legislature · parliamentary debates · agenda setting · incipience