Transcript Pitfalls of Procedure

Opening the Gateway
to a Great Meeting
How to make and keep your
meetings running smoothly
Dr. Leonard M. Young
Professional Registered Parliamentarian
Based On
Robert's Rules of Order
Newly Revised (RONR)
11th Edition © 2011
Parliamentary Pre-Test
1. 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 BY
STRIKING 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.