Parliamentary Procedure

QuickStudy Laminated Reference Guide

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• Publisher: QuickStudy Reference Guides
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN:
  9781572226388
• eBook ISBN:
  9781423237877
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business General
• Index: Business

This guide outlines the basic concepts and principles of parliamentary procedures.

Article III.Motions And Order Of Precedence

PRIVILEGED MOTIONS

SECTION 10.

SETTING ADJOURNMENT TIME

1. Takes precedence over all other motions.
2. Not Debatable when made while another motion is on the floor.
3. Debatable when presented as a Principal Motion with no other motion on the floor.
   1. Should, but is not required to, be made with a provision for next meeting time.

SECTION 11.

MOTION TO ADJOURN

1. Non-Debatable.
2. Takes precedence over all other motions except (10) above.
3. Cannot be made while someone else has the floor.
4. Can be made after a vote has been taken but before results are announced.
5. Can be for a "short term" adjournment used as a recess during long sessions.

SECTION 12.

QUESTIONS OF PRIVILEGE

1. Take precedence over all other questions except those above.
2. Not to be confused with Privileged Motions as a whole.
3. Usually pertain to immediate needs extraneous to business on the floor such as questions of comfort (Turn on/off heat; Open/close windows; Eject rowdy observers; etc.).

SECTION 13.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

1. Take precedence over all but the above.
2. Usually used to get meetings back on track by reminding assembly of that which was scheduled to be discussed when an "out-of-order" motion or discussion has intervened.
3. Can be over-ridden by a majority in circumstances where the motion before the assembly is felt to take precedence over the orders.

INCIDENTAL MOTIONS

SECTION 14.

MOTION TO APPEAL (QUESTIONS OF ORDER)

1. Raises questions concerning some point of order within a motion.
2. Takes precedence over the motion to which it refers.
3. Must be decided by Presiding Officer without debate.
4. Appeal can only be made at time of decision by Chair.

SECTION 15.

OBJECTIONS TO QUESTION CONSIDERATION

1. Can only be made when Question is first introduced.
2. Cannot be debated (35) or amended. (23)
   1. Purpose is to curtail unproductive or irrelevant questions.
      1. It is not used to close debate of relevant issues.

SECTION 16.

READING PAPERS

1. A one-time reading of relevant papers may be requested purely for informational purposes.
   1. It cannot be used as a delaying technique to postpone vote.

SECTION 17.

WITHDRAWAL OF A MOTION

1. If moved by the maker of the motion, is granted without debate unless such is called for.

SECTION 18.

SUSPENSION OF THE RULES

1. Applies only to Standing Rules or Rules of Order.
2. Cannot be amended or debated.
3. Can only be used once in a meeting, but can be reintroduced in a subsequent meeting even if same should occur within the same day.

SUBSIDIARY MOTIONS

SECTION 19.

MOTION TO TABLE

1. Temporarily postpones further action on a motion.
   1. Takes Precedence over other Subsidiary Motions. (7)
   2. Does not take precedence over Incidental (8) or Privileged (9) Motions.

SECTION 20.

MOVING THE PREVIOUS QUESTION

1. Ends debate and calls for a vote on the pending motion.
   1. Cannot be amended or have subsidiary motion (7) added.
   2. Can be applied to Questions of Privilege (12) or other debatable motion.
2. If approved then the Main question, as well as all Subsidiary Questions and Amendments on the floor, are voted upon in reverse order of their proposal.

SECTION 21.

MOVEMENT TO POSTPONE (TO A SPECIFIC TIME)

1. Takes precedence over Sections 22-24 below, but yields to all relevant sections above.
   1. Postpones all aspects of the motion and debate until the stated time.
2. If several motions have been postponed and the specific time for discussion has passed, the motions must be considered in the order to which they were postponed (i.e. Motions postponed to, say, Tuesday are discussed before motions postponed to Wednesday even if both Tuesday and Wednesday have passed and the discussion resumes on Thu...

Table of contents

• Introduction
• Organizing A Meeting To Conduct Business
• Meeting
• Article I. Introduction Of Business
• Article II. Classification Of Motions
• Article III. Motions And Order Of Precedence
• Article IV. Committees/Informal Action
• Article V. Debates And Decorum
• Article VI. Voting
• Article VII. Officers And Minutes
• Article VIII. Miscellaneous
• Article IX. Organization/Meetings
• Article X. Officers And Committees
• Article XI. Introduction Of Business
• Article XII. Motions
• Parliamentary Procedure At A Glance