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Language to require notice of substantive motions


Guest Alexis Hunt

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I not-infrequently come across situations where it is desirable to require notice of all substantive motions (a term which I have left undefined), since many organizations have a lackadaisical membership that won't necessarily turn out to a meeting unless something interesting is happening, and don't want to be blindsided by a small but determined group. What is the best language for this that allows incidental, subsidiary, and other motions to be used? Require notice of "all original main motions and motions, other than Reconsider, that again bring a question before the assembly?"

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Q. Do you have a copy of "Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised" (11th edition)?

If yes, then you already have the basic detail of how best to word a given previous notice.

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>> Q. What is the best language for this that allows incidental, subsidiary, and other motions to be used?

This is a moot question, as you don't need to specify all that.

It is all built-in. It is bad form to duplicate that which already exists.

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40 minutes ago, Guest Alexis Hunt said:

I not-infrequently come across situations where it is desirable to require notice of all substantive motions (a term which I have left undefined), since many organizations have a lackadaisical membership that won't necessarily turn out to a meeting unless something interesting is happening, and don't want to be blindsided by a small but determined group. What is the best language for this that allows incidental, subsidiary, and other motions to be used? Require notice of "all original main motions and motions, other than Reconsider, that again bring a question before the assembly?"

I'd prefer not to assist in the drafting of dumb rules, but for heaven's sake, how hard can it be to draft a rule requiring previous notice for the adoption of any original main motion and any motion to amend or rescind something previously adopted?  :)

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On 8/1/2016 at 3:43 PM, Daniel H. Honemann said:

I'd prefer not to assist in the drafting of dumb rules, but for heaven's sake, how hard can it be to draft a rule requiring previous notice for the adoption of any original main motion and any motion to amend or rescind something previously adopted?  :)

That depends whether they want to see arguments -- perhaps for the first time ever, in any assembly -- as to whether or not a particular motion to Discharge a Committee is actually a motion to Rescind/Amend Something Previously Adopted (so that previous notice is required for its adoption under the special rule) or not (so that if there was not any notice, the motion can still be adopted by a two-thirds vote). :)

It seems to me that the type of rule that the OP intends for these organizations is actually either a greater quorum requirement, or some (dumb) rule along the lines of the (excellent) rules in RONR that apply to special meetings. They just had better be prepared with contingencies for a secretary who doesn't properly draft and send the meeting notices.

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8 hours ago, Shmuel Gerber said:

That depends whether they want to see arguments -- perhaps for the first time ever, in any assembly -- as to whether or not a particular motion to Discharge a Committee is actually a motion to Rescind/Amend Something Previously Adopted (so that previous notice is required for its adoption under the special rule) or not (so that if there was not any notice, the motion can still be adopted by a two-thirds vote). :)

Well, gee, I thought it was rather clear that "a motion to discharge a committee from further consideration of a subject that was referred to the committee by means of a main motion is a particular case of the motion to Rescind or to Amend Something Previously Adopted" (p. 314, ll. 11-15). I was afraid you were going to say the argument would be about a motion to indefinitely postpone an event previously scheduled for a certain time.  

8 hours ago, Shmuel Gerber said:

It seems to me that the type of rule that the OP intends for these organizations is actually either a greater quorum requirement, or some (dumb) rule along the lines of the (excellent) rules in RONR that apply to special meetings. They just had better be prepared with contingencies for a secretary who doesn't properly draft and send the meeting notices.

You're right. Just make all regular meetings special meetings and be done with it.

:)

 

 

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