Opening the Gateway to a Great Meeting

How to make and keep your meetings running smoothly

Dr. Leonard M. YoungProfessional Registered Parliamentarian

Based On

Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR)

11th Edition © 2011

Parliamentary Pre-Test1. The mover of a motion can speak against his/her own motion.

2. A motion is before the assembly when it has been moved and seconded.

3. The motion to “lay on the table” is used to kill a motion without a direct vote on it.

Parliamentary Pre-Test

4. Amendments can be applied to any motion regardless of whether or not they are germane.

5. The minutes of a meeting must be approved by the use of a motion, a second, and a majority vote of the assembly.

6. “Majority” means “one more than half.”

Parliamentary Pre-Test

7. The person seconding a motion must, by definition, be in favor of the motion being seconded.

8. A presiding officers should say “you are out of order” when ruling that a motion offered by a member is not in order at the time according to the parliamentary situation.

Parliamentary Pre-Test

9. When an election is conducted for a position on a board where six people have been nominated, if no one receives a majority vote, it is proper to drop off all but the top two candidates and hold a run-off election.

10. A quorum is always a majority of the members in any parliamentary assembly.

Motions, Motions, Motions

A Motion Is . . .

A formal proposal

by a member,

in a meeting,

that the assembly take certain action.

Basic Form

Basic form: Main Motion: the only motion whose introduction brings business before the board!!!

Main motion, once adopted, is the expressed will of the board. The minutes should express the exact wording of the motion as adopted.

Main Motion: Example

I move that we buy the secretary a desk and a chair.

STEPS IN HANDLING OF A MOTION

A member makes the motion.

Another member seconds the motion.

The Chair states the question

The members debate the motion.

The Chair puts the question (takes the vote).

The Chair announces the results of the vote.

To Amend

Amend

An amendment is a “change wording.”Amendments, like main motions, require a second, are amendable, are debatable, and require a majority vote.An amendment should be stated so that indicates exactly what is being done to the main motion.An amendment must always be handled before voting on the motion to which it was applied.

Issue of Germaneness

An amendment must be germane to the motion to which it applies.

Germane means “Closely Related To”

An amendment can be hostile to or complete change the original intent as long as it is closely related to the subject at hand.

Main Motion

"That we sponsor a delegate to the National

PTA Convention in July."

AMENDMENT BYSTRIKING OUT:

"That we sponsor a delegate to NSBA

Convention in March."

AMENDMENT BY ADDITION:

"That we sponsor a delegate to NPTA Convention in July providing, however, that this

board shall not be responsible for expenses in

excess of $150.00."

AMENDMENT BY STRIKING OUT

AND INSERTING

"That we sponsor a delegate two delegates to the NPTA

Convention in March."

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY

AMENDMENTS

▲SECONDARY AMENDMENT

PRIMARY AMENDMENT

MAIN MOTION

SECONDARY AMENDMENT

"That we sponsor a delegate to the NPTA Convention in

July providing, however, that this board shall not be

responsible for expenses in excess of $150.00 $100.00."

SUBSTITUTE MOTION Whenever it is desired to change the wording of a motion so substantially that several amendments would be required, a substitute motion may be used. A substitute motion has the same status as a primary amendment. The term substitute is usually used when an amendment applies to a large block of text, one or more paragraphs, or the entire document.

SUBSTITUTE MOTION

"That we encourage all of our members to attend the

Association's National Convention."

OTHER SUBSIDIARY

MOTIONS

Commit/Refer

To send a pending motion to a committee so it can be carefully considered and/or put into better condition for the members to consider.

FORM: “I move to refer the motion to the Finance Committee.”

Postpone to a Definite Time

To postpone action until a certain time or until after a certain event

Majority or 2/3rds

Form: “I move to postpone the motion to the next meeting.”

Form: “I move to postpone the question until 9:00 p.m.”

Limit or Extend Debate

To set, reduce, or extend limits on debate (length of speech, number of speeches, length of debate)

Form: “I move to limit debate on this motion to ten minutes.” or “I move to limit debate on this motion to the next four speakers.”

Requires a 2/3rds vote to be approved.

Previous Question

To immediately close debate and take a vote.

Form: “I move the previous question (on all pending questions).”

Requires a 2/3rds vote to be approved.

Lay on the Table

To temporarily set aside pending business because something more urgent needs immediate attention.

Form: “I move to lay the question on the table.”

Often misused – requires only a majority vote, but is not in order unless something more urgent has come up.

Incidental Motions

Point of Order

If a member feels that the rules of the assembly are not being observed, the member may "Raise a Point of Order."

This requires the chair to make a ruling as to whether the point is "well taken" or "not well taken."

Form: “Mr. Chairman, I rise to a point of order.

Appeal from the Decision of the Chair

Then if the member disagrees with the decision of the chair, the member may appeal from the decision of the chair.

A second

Debatable (unless applies to an undebatable motion)

Majority opposed to chair’s decision to reverse it

Form: “I appeal from the decision of the chair.”

Request for Information

If a member wants to get information (to ask a question), the member raises a request for information. The chair then directs the appropriate person to answer the question.

Form: “I rise to request information . . .”

Parliamentary Inquiry

If a member needs help with parliamentary procedure, the member raises a point of parliamentary inquiry. The chair attempts to assist the member to do what he/she wishes to do.

Form: “I rise to a point of parliamentary procedure.”

Question of Privilege

If a member feels that the comfort of the assembly or anything else is interfering with the decision making process, the member can raise a point of privilege and ask the chair to correct the situation. (e.g., too hot, can’t hear, etc.)

“I rise to point of privilege and request that the sound system be turned up.”

Motions That Allow the Assembly to Do Something

Again

Reconsider

“...enables a majority in an assembly, within a limited time and without notice, to bring back for further consideration a motion which has already been voted on.” (RONR 11th, p. 315)

PURPOSE: to permit correction of hasty, ill-advised or erroneous action or to take into account new information

Reconsidered (2)

Can be moved only by a member who VOTED ON THE PREVAILING SIDE

Time Limits:1 day session—only on that day

Multi-day session—on the same or next calendar day

Rescind/Amend Something Previously Adopted

“...allows the assembly to change an action previously taken (Rescind) or to partially alter such a decision (Amend Something Previously Adopted).

Vote Required: 2/3rds without previous notice or a majority with previous notice

No time limit to be moved and can be moved by anyone regardless of how they voted originally

Voting

Methods of Voting

Unanimous Consent

Consent Agenda

Roll Call Vote

Ballot Vote

Majority

Means more than half the votes cast.

For example:

if 19 votes are cast, a majority would be 10;

if 20 votes are cast, a majority is 11.

It is commonly used in elections and on most motions.

Two-Thirds Vote

Means 2/3 of the votes cast. If 30 votes are cast, a two-thirds vote is 20.If 31 votes are cast, a two-thirds vote is 21. It is used normally when a motion would take away certain rights of a person or give another person additional rights. (Avoid the term "2/3 majority.“)

Plurality

This is the largest number of votes to be given any candidate or proposal where three or more choices are possible. For example:Three persons are running for office: A gets 15 votes, B gets 14 votes, and C gets 13 votes. On a plurality basis, A is elected with far less than a majority having voted for him.

Quorum

The number of board members who must be present in order for business to be legally transacted. In a 7 member board, this is 4 (a majority of the entire board).

Order of Business (Agenda)

USUAL ORDER OF BUSNESS

Reading the Approval of the Minuets

Reports of Officers, Boards, and Standing Committees

Reports of Special Committees

Special Orders

Unfinished Business and General Orders

New Business

Consent Agenda

For routine, non-controversial business

Any one member can remove and item from the Consent Agenda and have it placed on the Regular Agenda

Remaining items approved by Unanimous Consent

Special Rules for Small Boards & Committees

RONR, Pages 487-488

Special Rules for Small Boards and Committees

If these are to be employed, the board must adopt them as special rules of order.

Special Rules for Small Boards

Members are not required to obtain the floor before making motions or speaking, which they can do while seated.

Motions need not be seconded.

There is no limit to the number of times a member can speak to a question, and motions to close or limit debate generally should not be entertained.

Informal discussion of a subject is permitted while no motion is pending.

Special Rules for Small Board

Sometimes, when a proposal is perfectly clear to all present, a vote can be taken without a motion's having been introduced. The chair need not rise while putting questions to vote.The chair can speak in discussion without rising or leaving the chair; and usually can make motions and usually vote on all questions.