Some Parliamentary Terms and Definitions

 

Assembly: (Body)

 Assembly is the members attending (present) of its regular OR Properly called meetings act for the entire membership. Some examples of a Deliberative Assembly are A legislative body, A mass meeting, A convention, and A board of directors meeting.

 Call the meeting to order:  

 The chair does it to start the meeting. The chair calls the meeting to order after determining that a quorum is present.

 A meeting is an event of their being assembled to transact business. 

 A meeting of an assembly is a single official gathering of its members.

Quorum:

 In an assembly, a quorum is the minimum number of members entitled to vote who must be present to transact business legally. Usually, the quorum for any meeting of an organization is specified in the Bylaws of that organization. 

In the absence of any bylaw provision, the quorum for a meeting is a majority of the members eligible to vote. 

In the absence of any bylaw provision, the quorum for a convention is a majority of the delegates who have been registered as in attendance.

In the absence of a Quorum, no business can be transacted except for the following motions:

• To fix the time to which to adjourn, 
• Adjourn 
• Recess can be taken to obtain a quorum.
• Emergency action taken must be ratified by a later meeting at which a quorum is Present.

The continued presence of a quorum in a meeting is presumed until the absence is noticed by a member who raises a point of order.

Board:

A Board is organized as any deliberative assembly, with a chairman or president, a secretary, and other officers as may be needed.

“State the Question”: The Chair States the question on the motion. At that time, the motion is pending, that is, “on the floor.” It is then open to debate

“Put the Question” means putting the motion to a vote. 

The preferred wording of the chair when putting the question is: “Those in favor of the motion, say aye. Those opposed say no.”

Session: 

In parliamentary terms, a session: is the complete unit of engagement in proceedings by the assembly.

An assembly session is a meeting or series of connected meetings with one agenda.

A session is a meeting, or series of connected meetings, devoted to a single order of business, program, or agenda.

Viva Voce:

The vote on a motion is typically taken by voices “or Viva Voce.” Therefore, “Viva Voce” is a method of taking a vote on a motion by “voice.”

Agenda == Order of Business:

It is separate and distinct from the procedure of calling a meeting to order.

By a single vote, a series of special orders or general orders – or a mixture of both—can be made; such a series is called an agenda.

Special Order:

When an hour is assigned to a particular subject in an agenda, that subject is made a special order. Usually, it covers those items required to be done on a specific date (days/times) in bylaws, such as nominations or elections of the officer in the November meeting, for example. Special Orders can interrupt the meeting when they reach their specified time in the agenda. 

Examples: “Call to order,” “recess,” “adjournment,” and particularly important items of business where it is desired to give the members greater assurance that the matter will not be considered before that time, per Bylaws such as nominations or elections of the officer in a specific meeting (Date). 

Special Rule of Order: 

When we need to adopt a rule of order that is not in the bylaw and is required to supplement or modify rules contained in that manual, we may use special rules of order to accomplish that. Another way is to amend the bylaw to include the new rule of order. Some examples that may need to have special rules are shown below:

• It is sometimes desirable to adopt a rule establishing the society’s order of business.
• A rule relating to the length or number of speeches permitted to each member in the debate is often found necessary.
• A society with a small assembly – such as one with a dozen or fewer members – may wish to adopt a rule that its meeting will be governed by some or all of the less formal procedures applicable to small boards.
• Special rules of order are usually adopted as resolutions, but when they are printed, the enacting words (“resolved that”) are dropped.

General Order:

Subjects for which no hour is specified in an agenda are general orders. Anything that doesn’t have an hour associated with it. The General Orders cannot be interrupted. 

Order of the Day:

An order of the day is an item of business set in advance to be taken up during a given session. 

An order of the day can be taken up before the time for which it is set by:

• Suspending the rules by a two-thirds vote. OR
• by reconsidering the vote that established the order.

What is the “Lodge System?”

The practice of an organization operating under the “Lodge system” is equivalent to holding all regular meetings in executive sessions.

Motion to Ratify: == Confirm == Approved == motion to Censure (pages 124-125)  

The motion to ratify (also called confirm or approve) is an incidental motion used to confirm or make valid an action that cannot become valid until the assembly approves.

Examples and cases where the procedure of ratification is applicable include:

• The action was improperly taken at a regular or properly called meeting at which no quorum was present;
• The action was taken at a special meeting about business not mentioned in the call of that meeting;
• The action was taken by officers, committees, delegates, or subordinate bodies in excess of their instructions or authority;
• The action taken by a local unit requires approval of the state or national organization; or
• The action was taken by a state or national society subject to approval by its constituent units.

The motion to ratify (or to censure) is a main motion; it is debatable and opens the entire question to debate. It may and can be reconsidered and is amendable. 

Objection to the Consideration of a Question:

The purpose of an Objection to the Consideration of a Question is to enable the assembly to avoid a particular original main motion altogether when it believes it would be strongly undesirable for the motion even to come before the assembly. The Objection to the Consideration of a Question is only in order if no discussion on the pending motion has started.

Division of a Question:

When a motion relating to a single subject contains several parts, each of which is capable of standing as a complete proposition if the others are removed, the parts can be considered and voted on as if they were distinct questions – by the adoption of the motion for Division of a Question (or “to divide the question.”) This is a formal Division of a Question Motion which is the Incidental motion for Division of a Question.

 Division of the Assembly:

Whenever a member doubts the result of a voice (viva voice) vote or a vote by show of hands – he can call for a Division of the Assembly, requiring the vote to be retaken by rising.

Motions Relating to Nominations:

 While an election is pending, a member may wish to offer a motion to determine the method of making nominations* (when it is not prescribed in the bylaws or rules of order). 

Members also may wish to offer motions to close (requires two-thirds 2/3 vote) or reopen nominations.

Request to be excused from duty is an incidental motion and is debatable, amendable, and requires a majority vote.

 Request and Enquires:

• Any member can make the following types of inquiries or requests:  
•  Parliamentary Inquiry
•  For Information
•  For Permission (or Leave)
•  To Withdraw or Modify a Motion
•  To Read Papers
•  For any other Privilege

     

Take From The Table:

The object of the motion to “Take from the Table” is to make pending again before the assembly a motion or series of adhering that previously has been laid on the table.

Rescind or Amend Something Previously Adopted:

“Rescind or Amend Something Previously Adopted” are two forms of one incidental main motion governed by incidental rules – the assembly can change an action previously taken or ordered.

RESCIND: Also known as Repeal or Annul – it is the motion by which a previous action or order can be canceled or countermanded. The effect of Rescind is to strike out an entire main motion, resolution, order, or rule that has been adopted at some previous time.

Amend Something Previously Adopted is the motion that can be used if it is desired to change only a part of the text or to substitute a different version.

Discharge a Committee:

Using the motion to “Discharge a Committee” from further consideration or subject, the assembly can take the matter out of a committee’s hands after referring to the committee and before the committee has made a final report on it, and the assembly itself can consider it.

Reconsider:

A motion of American origin enables a majority in an assembly, within a limited time and without notice, to bring back a motion that has already been voted on for further consideration.

1. It can be made only by a member who voted with the prevailing side.
2. In a convention or session of more than one day, a reconsideration can be moved only on the same day the original vote was taken or on the next succeeding day within the same session on which is business meeting is held.
3. In standing and special committees, the motion to Reconsider can be made by any member who did not vote on the losing side – including one who did not vote at all.
4. In standing and special committees, the time limit shown in item#2 does not apply.

Renewal of Motions:

If a motion is made and disposed of without being adopted and is later allowed to come before the assembly after being made again by any member is essentially the same condition, the motion is said to be renewed.

Dilatory and Improper Motions

A motion is dilatory if it seeks to obstruct or thwart the will of the assembly, as indicated by the existing parliamentary situation.

Any main or other motion that is frivolous or abused or contains no logical proposition is dilatory and cannot be introduced.

A further example, 

• It is dilatory to obstruct business by appealing from a chair ruling on a question about which there cannot possibly be two reasonable options by demanding a division on a vote even when there has been a total vote, and the result is clear.
• By moving to lay on the table the matter for which a special meeting has been called.
• By constantly raising points of order and appealing to the chair’s decision on them
• By moving to adjourn again and again when nothing has happened to justify the renewal of such a adjourn motion.

Improper Motions

Motions conflicting with the Corporate Charter, Constitution, or Bylaws of a society or with the Procedural Rules prescribed by national, state, or local laws are out of order. If any motion of this kind is adopted, it is null and avoided.

Likewise, motions are out of order if they conflict with a motion that has been adopted by the society and has been neither rescinded nor reconsidered and rejected after adoption. Such conflicting motions, if adopted, are null and void unless adopted by the vote required to rescind or amend the motion previously adopted.