Limiting Q&A during Reports of Officers

[Silvertomster]

RONR provides good tools for limiting debate on an actual motion, but what about member questions, comments, even - alas - speeches that often occur during the Reports of Officers? What tools do the chair and assembly have to effectively manage this part of the agenda? Our agenda contains a specified order, but not specified times or durations for each item.

Is a 2/3 vote appropriate, for example, to close or limit question and discussion time during the officers' reports? Or is a majority enough? Or can the chair simply put a lid on things unilaterally? (A stage hook has not customarily been available, but sometimes we wish it were!) 

[J. J.]

59 minutes ago, Silvertomster said:

RONR provides good tools for limiting debate on an actual motion, but what about member questions, comments, even - alas - speeches that often occur during the Reports of Officers? What tools do the chair and assembly have to effectively manage this part of the agenda? Our agenda contains a specified order, but not specified times or durations for each item.

Is a 2/3 vote appropriate, for example, to close or limit question and discussion time during the officers' reports? Or is a majority enough? Or can the chair simply put a lid on things unilaterally? (A stage hook has not customarily been available, but sometimes we wish it were!) 

An officer, while speaking, may decline to yield for a question  (p. 295, ll. 9-14).  Even if the speaker consents to the interruption, "comments that are not questions should be ruled out of order. 

[Alexis Hunt]

A 2/3rds vote on a motion to suspend the rules would also be sufficient to order that the assembly move on.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

13 hours ago, Silvertomster said:

RONR provides good tools for limiting debate on an actual motion, but what about member questions, comments, even - alas - speeches that often occur during the Reports of Officers? What tools do the chair and assembly have to effectively manage this part of the agenda? Our agenda contains a specified order, but not specified times or durations for each item.

Is a 2/3 vote appropriate, for example, to close or limit question and discussion time during the officers' reports? Or is a majority enough? Or can the chair simply put a lid on things unilaterally? (A stage hook has not customarily been available, but sometimes we wish it were!) 

I think a simple "Call for the Orders of the Day" is probably sufficient to shut down a non-motion pending situation -- and move on down the agenda.

The members may ask their questions of the report off-line, i.e., AFTER the meeting. Or even BEFORE the meeting.

Or even via telephone call, or e-mail. or texting, or Instant Messaging, or Tweets.

***

I mean, they are only questions. -- Questions are not like the Elvis song, "It's Now or Never".

The report itself isn't going anywhere. It is being archived. Forever. -- Access to the report is virtually unlimited.

[Alexis Hunt]

A *Call for the Orders of the Day* would be not be proper. Assuming that the officer's report is happening at the usual place in the agenda, then none of the grounds set out on p. 220 ll. 30-35 are met.

[Guest Zev]

There was an extensive discussion of this very subject back at the end of March 2017.

[Alexis Hunt]

Do you have a link?

[Guest Who's Coming to Dinner]

No member has a right to ask questions or make comments during an officer's report. The member must rise to a Point of Information, which may be declined by the speaker. A good chair should require members to follow the rules, shutting down questions or comments that may be blurted out. Additionally, the chair should require the member who has been granted the Point to phrase the inquiry as a question without straying into commentary. If the chair is lax or remiss, any member may raise a Point of Order that the rules are not being followed.

[George Mervosh]

I got the impression these questions/comments/speeches, whatever, occured when the report is concluded.  When the officer concludes his report and simply sits down, are questions asked after that really related to the "business at hand', or is it when the presiding officer moves on to the next report or other item of business that they become unrelated to the business at hand?