Did I Give Chair Wrong Advice (Amending Motion)

[Guest Elaine]

At our last meeting, a motion was made to pay $2,000 for a piece of equipment; the motion passed.  The chair later asked me if the motion could be amended during that same meeting to pay more for the equipment (a question from the floor).  I advise the chair that we could not amend the motion at that meeting and we would have to wait until next month. 

Could we have amended the motion at the meeting? What rule should I have used to support the right decision?

[George Mervosh]

Yes.  Once the motion had passed, you could have used the motions to Reconsider (RONR, p. 315ff) or, if no one on the prevailing side wished to make the motion you could have used a motion to Amend Something Previously Adopted (RONR, p. 305ff) which could be made by anyone.

If someone would have thought of it while the original motion was pending, the subsidiary motion to Amend could have been used.  (RONR, p. 130ff)

 

[Gary Novosielski]

As Mr. Mervosh pointed out:

• Before the vote you could have used a motion to Amend.
• After the vote at the same meeting you could have used a motion to Reconsider, or to Amend Something Previously Adopted
• At a future meeting, you can use a motion to Amend Something Previously Adopted

Each of these has its own section in RONR, and each has different voting requirements and other characteristics that suggest its use in different situations.  Check RONR for more information, and please check back here if you have any questions on what you've read.

[Guest Rochelle]

Thanks for the information and I understand. I will clarify the issue for the body.

I just have one question.  If the motion had not passed at the meeting, would we have been forced to wait until the next meeting to vote on it? I'm trying to remember, where I read something about having to wait until the next meeting.

[Hieu H. Huynh]

It could be reconsidered at the same meeting.

[Gary Novosielski]

1 hour ago, Guest Rochelle said:

Thanks for the information and I understand. I will clarify the issue for the body.

I just have one question.  If the motion had not passed at the meeting, would we have been forced to wait until the next meeting to vote on it? I'm trying to remember, where I read something about having to wait until the next meeting.

The motion to Reconsider could be used.  This may be moved only by someone who voted on the prevailing side of the original motion.  In your question, if  the motion originally failed, someone who voted No could make the motion to reconsider at the same meeting.

At the next meeting, there are no restrictions on renewing a motion that failed.