Jump to content
The Official RONR Q & A Forums

Amending a Previously Approved Manual


Guest Gretchen

Recommended Posts

I have a question. I have an approved manual with about 29 standing rules (it is not a bylaw manual). I have given notice that I will attempt to amend eight of theses standing rule at the next meeting. Is this done by paragraphs? In other words, after each amendment is voted on, do we then have to vote on the whole manual as amended.  Or do we take each standing rule to be amended, vote on each amendment to it, and then vote on the standing rule as amended. This is not that clear after reading RONR.    

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This sounds like amendments to the manual , not a revision of it. Therefore, you take up each proposed amendment to the manual one at a time , individually, as a main motion, and dispose of each one by adoption or rejection, inclufing any possible amendments. You then take up each of the other proposed amendments to the manual in the same way. 

Each proposed amendment to the manual is treated as a stand alone main motion. Once finished with the eight proposals, you are finished. You do not re-adopt the manual as amended. The amendment process is complete once you dispose of the last of the eight amendments.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Richard Brown said:

This sounds like amendments to the manual , not a revision of it. Therefore, you take up each proposed amendment to the manual one at a time , individually, as a main motion, and dispose of each one by adoption or rejection, inclufing any possible amendments. You then take up each of the other proposed amendments to the manual in the same way. 

Each proposed amendment to the manual is treated as a stand alone main motion. Once finished with the eight proposals, you are finished. You do not re-adopt the manual as amended. The amendment process is complete once you dispose of the last of the eight amendments.

 

Okay, I am half way there. We don’t have to go back and adopt the manual as adopted. In my organization, we have to give 30 day written notice to amend the manual. Don’t the exact wording of each proposed individual amendment have to be inserted into the manual first (using strike, insert/add, strikeout and insert, or substitution) before it is voted on. Nothing else in the manual that was previously approved can be changed except the amendment being considered and such changes  have to be within the scope of the notice. Is this correct? Shouldn’t we always have someone (the President or Secretary) certify the amendments in the manual as being what was voted in?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Think of the amendments you wish to make in their most literal sense:  you are proposing to change some (just some) of the words in the existing collection of (many) words that you call a "Manual" as shorthand.  The changes you want to make are insertions, strikeouts or combinations of both at once  (a "substitute" is just a strikeout and insertion of lots of connected words - RONR calls those blocks of connected words "paragraphs"). 

All you have to adopt are the changes/amendments you want to make.  All the other words in the "Manual" are untouched and do not get voted upon.  You adopted them, the "old" words, a long time ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Who's Coming to Dinner
42 minutes ago, Willie Watson said:

 

Okay, I am half way there. We don’t have to go back and adopt the manual as adopted. In my organization, we have to give 30 day written notice to amend the manual. Don’t the exact wording of each proposed individual amendment have to be inserted into the manual first (using strike, insert/add, strikeout and insert, or substitution) before it is voted on. Nothing else in the manual that was previously approved can be changed except the amendment being considered and such changes  have to be within the scope of the notice. Is this correct? Shouldn’t we always have someone (the President or Secretary) certify the amendments in the manual as being what was voted in?

Yes, give your written notice as required. List each of the amendments separately with exactly what they propose to strike, insert, and substitute. At your meeting, introduce, debate, and vote on the amendments one at a time. After the last amendment is dispose of, you are finished. There is no reason to vote on the entire manual.

If your amendments are interdependent or you want to save some time, you can make a single motion to substitute a number of different passages (rules) and it will be debated and voted on as a single question.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Guest Who's Coming to Dinner said:

If your amendments are interdependent or you want to save some time, you can make a single motion to substitute a number of different passages (rules) and it will be debated and voted on as a single question.

If the amendments are unrelated, however, a single member could demand a separate vote on a particular amendment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...