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Once a motion has been adopted, can it be amended?


Guest Miss L

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Once a motion has been passed, can it be amended, "friendly" or otherwise? Our group conscious states that once a motion has been adopted it can not be revisited for 6 months. One of our members says we can make a friendly amendment if we ask the person who made the motion, even if it has been voted upon and passed.

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I have no idea what "group conscious" is or means, and certainly no idea where it would stand in the heirarchy of organizational rules, but RONR contains no rule that says you can't revisit an adopted motion for 6 months. An adopted motion, at least the parts of it that may not yet have been carried out, can be amended using the motion to amend something previously adopted. This motion requires a majority vote if previous notice is given, otherwise a 2/3 vote, or a vote of a majority of the entire membership.

 

RONR also does not recognize the concept of a friendly amendment (see here for more). In any event, the maker of a motion has no rights to that motion once it has been adopted.

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As long as the action authorized by the adoption of the motion hasn't been completed (e.g. you can't unpaint the clubhouse), it's usually possible to adopt a motion to Amend Something Previously Adopted (ASPA).

 

The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Prohibition) was repealed (i.e. amended) a dozen years later by the 21st Amendment.

 

Nothing is carved in stone.

 

And there's no "six month" rule.

 

And forget about "friendly" amendments.There's no such thing.

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I meant group conscience. our group has collectively decided that an adopted motion cannot be amended for 6 months. I realize that is not in accordance with Roberts Rules. Thank you for your responses, it has helped tremendously.

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I meant group conscience. our group has collectively decided that an adopted motion cannot be amended for 6 months. I realize that is not in accordance with Roberts Rules. Thank you for your responses, it has helped tremendously.

 

"Collectively decided" is one thing but what you should do (unwisely, in my view) is go through the proper steps to adopt your 6-months rule as a "Special Rule of Order"  --  see p. 17.  Perhaps when you do it the right way, it won't be such a "collective" decision  --  when they think about it, folks may not like it at all.

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Regardless of what they call this six month rule, isn't it in the nature of a rule of order and therefore can be suspended by a two-thirds vote unless it states specifically that it cannot be suspended?

 

And I'm still wondering how such a rule can be considered "group conscious" rather than "group consensus".  It sure puts a new twist on the meaning of "conscious". 

 

Edited to add:  I googled the phrase and it seems to be a concept used in some "12 step" and similar programs to govern or model their behavior.  I haven't a clue how an organization can utilize RONR and yet be subject to "group conscious" rules that conflict with it unless those "group conscious" decisions are embodied in some sort of special rules of order.

 

Regardless of what it is called, I think a rule that an adopted motion cannot be rescinded or amended for six months is a terrible... horrible.... idea.   Mistakes are made when adopting motions and situations change after motions are adopted.  Such rule means they might be stuck with a mistake or very bad decision for six months.

 

What if they adopt a motion that meetings shall be held at the Main Street Library in meeting room 5.  Then the next week the library burns down.  Are they stuck with no place to meet for the next 5 months and 3 weeks?

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I meant group conscience. our group has collectively decided that an adopted motion cannot be amended for 6 months. I realize that is not in accordance with Roberts Rules. Thank you for your responses, it has helped tremendously.If 

 

Well, it doesn't sound like anyone actually moved or voted on this, but sort of arrived at it in some other more ethereal way.  

 

In any case, I don't believe it's in order unless it was adopted as a Special Rule of Order, since it ties the hands of future assemblies, probably beyond the next regular meeting, and in this case well beyond a Quarterly Interval.  As an ordinary motion to postpone action, it would never be allowed under RONR.

 

If it were passed as a Special Rule of Order, it would no longer be against the rules, but it would still be a horrible idea.  Such a rule has the potential to create many more problems than it would ever solve.

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Regardless of what they call this six month rule, isn't it in the nature of a rule of order and therefore can be suspended by a two-thirds vote unless it states specifically that it cannot be suspended?

As of now, it seems to me this is just a custom, and therefore falls to the ground since it conflicts with RONR. If it were to actually be adopted as a rule, it would indeed be a rule of order. It could be suspended by a 2/3 vote, unless the rule provided otherwise.

Regardless of what it is called, I think a rule that an adopted motion cannot be rescinded or amended for six months is a terrible... horrible.... idea. Mistakes are made when adopting motions and situations change after motions are adopted. Such rule means they might be stuck with a mistake or very bad decision for six months.

What if they adopt a motion that meetings shall be held at the Main Street Library in meeting room 5. Then the next week the library burns down. Are they stuck with no place to meet for the next 5 months and 3 weeks?

Of course not. As you just said, the rule can be suspended by a 2/3 vote. RONR already has its own provisions which make it more difficult to rescind or amend an adopted motion, however, so I agree that the rule is ill-advised.

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