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Special Rule to Supersede Bylaw


Guest SLamb

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My organization uses relaxed parliamentary rules.  Our bylaws say board meetings are held every month.  We don’t have much business to address.  Can we adapt a special rule that says meetings will be held bimonthly, with special meetings called as needed, without going through the process of changing the bylaws?  

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16 hours ago, Guest SLamb said:

My organization uses relaxed parliamentary rules.  Our bylaws say board meetings are held every month.  We don’t have much business to address.  Can we adapt a special rule that says meetings will be held bimonthly, with special meetings called as needed, without going through the process of changing the bylaws?  

 

16 hours ago, Joshua Katz said:

No, your bylaws outrank your special rules of order.

Why does RONR define special rules as rules adapted that supersede an assembly's written rules?

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RONR very modestly places itself at the bottom of the totem pole.  The "assembly's written rules" include all those (gazillions of) rules in the book which special rules of order can, and often do, supersede, mostly for good and proper (local) reasons  --  p. 16, line 1-2.

Bylaws are (usually) in a higher class, dealing with organizational structure, member's rights, and the like.  From time to time "special rules of order" are found in bylaws which then (by association, I suppose) take on the higher authority of bylaws. This can get a little cloudy, (p. 17, line 15) so it is best to keep special rules of order out of bylaws, in general.

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2 hours ago, Guest Special Rule defined said:

Why does RONR define special rules as rules adapted that supersede an assembly's written rules?

Special rules of order are rules adopted that supersede an assembly's parliamentary authority (at least, when that parliamentary authority is RONR).  That doesn't mean they supersede the bylaws.  The hierarchy is:  Applicable procedural statutes, articles of incorporation, constitution, bylaws, special rules of order, rules of order (parliamentary authority), standing rules.

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