Roberts Rules A Look Inside Parliamentary Procedures

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Roberts RulesA Look Inside Parliamentary
Procedures
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Outline

• Why we need it?
• Motions
• Discussion
• Voting

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Why Do We Need It?

• Club-Government
• Any organized group must run by rules that all
  members understand accept.
• Whether as an officer or member of any group,
  you can function more effectively with this
  invaluable guide to fair and efficient procedure.
• Roberts Rules of Order
• by Rachel Vixman

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Why Do We Need It?

• Keep order
• Help facilitate meetings
• Avoid heated debates
• Stop filibustering ( i.e. piggy backing)
• Stay on the topic being discussed

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Motions

• What are they?
• Formal proposal by a member in a meeting that
  requires the assembly to take a certain action
• What are the types?
• Main
• Subsidiary
• Incidental
• Privileged

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Main Motion

• Brings new business before the body
• Main road towards making decisions
• Debatable
• Types
• Original
• Incidental

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Subsidiary Motion

• Modify or delay action on the main motion
• Still pending while main motion in debate
• Must be voted on before the main motion
• Debatable and non-debatable
• Types (lowest to highest)
• Postpone indefinitely
• Amend
• Refer or Commit
• Postpone to a certain time
• Limit-extend the limits of debate
• Previous question
• Lay on the table

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Incidental Motion

• Pertinent to, takes precedence over, and must be
  decided before the pending question
• Sometimes originates out of business that has
  just been pending
• Non-debatable
• Types
• Point of order
• Appeal from the decision of the chair
• Division of the question
• Division of the assembly
• Suspend the rules
• Parliamentary inquiry
• Requests for information
• Motions relating to nominations

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Privileged Motion

• Usually not related to the pending question, but
  need special attention and take precedence over
  the other motions
• Non-debatable
• Types
• Call for the orders of the day
• Raise a question of privilege
• Recess
• Adjourn
• Fix the time to which to adjourn

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How to Get Started

• The Wrong Way
• I Motion that
• Id like to make a motion that
• The Right Way
• I Move that

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Steps to a Main Motion

• Obtain recognition of the presiding officer
• State the motion
• Second from another participant
• Presiding officer restates motion
• Maker speaks to motion
• Discussion (debate of the motion)
• Vote
• Announce Results

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Non-debatable Motion

• Motion
• Second (does not always apply)
• Vote immediately
• Non-debatable Motions
• Adjourn, Recess, Personal Privilege, Table, Move
  to question, Point of Order, Suspend the Rules,
  Object to Consideration, Call for Division, Point
  of Information

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Amendment to a Main Motion

• Friendly Amendment
• Amendment by Consensus
• NSBE Practice for convenience
• Move to Amend
• Amendment by vote
• If fails, motion stays as is and debate continues
• If passes, motion changes, discussion on new
  motion

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Discussion (Debate)

• Obtain recognition
• Comments should be germane
• Concise, non-repetitive
• Listening to discussion
• Limit excessive side conversations
• Limit excessive note passing

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Going to the Vote

• Call the Question (call for the vote)
• You are ready to vote
• Cannot interrupt the speaker
• If you are not ready to vote, OBJECT
• Objection can come from any debating member
• If objections, continue the debate
• If no objections, vote immediately

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Going to the Vote

• Move the Question (move to vote)
• You are ready to vote
• Must be recognized by the presiding officer
• Requires a second
• Vote immediately (not debatable)
• Vote to Vote (requires 2/3)
• If fails, continue the debate
• If passes, vote immediately

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Voting Procedures

• Verbal
• Call for aye or nay
• Counting Hands
• Roll Call
• Documents who votes what
• Need this to be able to reconsider a motion
• Must have voted in the affirmative to move to
  reconsider

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Voting Results

• Consensus
• Simple Majority (50 1)
• Two-thirds
• Abstain
• Does not affect voting result

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Exercise!!
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Notes

• Parliamentary Procedure is your friend
• Get comfortable with it
• Ask questions
• Reference materials