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Tabling Motions


wesleyjr

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A member can make a motion to lay the pending motion on the table.  It is out of order to do so, though, with the intent of killing the motion without debate.  It is appropriate in only a few circumstances, such as an urgent matter arising needing attention, or a desire to lay a series of motions on the table in order to reach an item of business on the agenda, if it is desired that the later item be taken up before the early items.

The presiding officer cannot lay items on the table.  Once a motion is made, it belongs to the assembly.

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There is another motion, called "postpone definitely" that is preferred over the motion to "table" in most cases (as described by my colleague above). One of its advantages is that it simply postpones the motion - in whatever state it currently exists (amended or not, etc.) - until some specific time later in the meeting (or in some cases, at a future meeting), or until something has happened (for example, until after a paper has been distributed and members have had time to read it). No new motion is required once that point in the meeting has arrived. The chair simply announces that it is now the pending motion.

The motion to postpone definitely is a low ranking motion (#5 out of 13). It requires a second, is debatable and amendable, and requires a majority vote.

An even lower ranking motion (#2) is the motion to "postpone indefinitely." It is the motion that, if adopted, actually "kills" an item's consideration for the remainder of the session (subject to reconsideration). It has the same other characteristics as the previous motion.

You should consider purchasing a copy of Robert's Rules of Order. If you are new to all this, Robert's Rules of Order in Brief is a good place to start - it is a brief volume that provides a good introduction to parliamentary procedure.  

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I imagine that wesleyjr is actually talking about  the motion to postpone to a definite time rather than the motion to "Lay on the table".  Unfortunately, laymen often erroneously refer to it as "tabling".   In RONR there is no such thing as a motion to "table".

As Mr. Katz and Mr. Goodwiller pointed out, there is a motion to"lay on the table" and a motion to "postpone to a definite time" (and also a motion to postpone indefinitely). They all have a different purpose and are subject to different rules.

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