George Mervosh

If the chair is responding to a Request for Information or a Parliamentary Inquiry he would not be putting anything to a vote. If a point of order is made, the chair, if in doubt, may refer the point of order to the assembly for their decision on the matter. But it is the chair who decides if he wishes to refer it to the assembly instead of issuing a ruling. He need not leave the chair in any of these scenarios, including an Appeal if he wishes to make a ruling.

A special meeting. See RONR (12th ed.), 9:13-16.

Assuming your board had the authority to appoint a committee to revise the bylaws (see RONR (12th ed.), 57:5), a motion to suspend the rules and agree to the revision without debate or amendment is proper. See RONR (12th ed.), 25:18-20 for more information.

Under the rules in RONR the motion can be made again in any form at any subsequent session of the board. See Renewal of Motions §38 in RONR. You should check with the board's attorney for any requirements to provide notice and if each meeting of the board constitutes a new session. See §8.

If there is a vice president or vice chair, he would preside over the assembly and the election of a secretary pro tem. If there is no such officer, any member can do it - "If neither the president nor any vice-president is present, the secretary—or in the secretary's absence some other member—calls the meeting to order, and the assembly immediately elects a chairman pro tem to preside during that session." RONR (12th ed.), 47:11 3) After the pro tem presiding officer is elected, he would preside over the election of a pro tem secretary.

If the bylaws require a vote by ballot for the election of officers and the presiding officer refused to provide a count to the assembly, you have a problem. While it is a long thread I suggest you see the first post in this thread and accept that what is said there is true. https://robertsrules.forumflash.com/topic/30139-what-constitutes-a-ballot-vote/#comment-174332 I was wrong on this issue prior to understanding that the reading of the count of votes to the assembly is an essential element of a ballot vote.

Okay okay, so I'm getting old, but membership in the 2FP has me well preserved.

Inside of a meeting, debate on nominations is permitted while nominations are pending. No rule prohibits the chair or other members of the nominating committee from entering into debate. RONR (12th ed.), 46:27-29. Outside of a meeting, no rule prohibits anyone from campaigning for their preferred candidate.

The should be no motion to approve the minutes or to accept the reports of any officer or committee.

Per the answer above - This is not permitted unless the authority to charge is specified in the bylaws. " Members cannot be assessed any additional payment aside from their dues unless it is provided for in the bylaws." RONR (12th ed.) 56:19 Then there cannot be a fee assessed. RONR does not require the bylaws speak to this. If you want to charge for a seminar, go right ahead.

You did not ask a question but this is not permitted unless the authority to charge is specified in the bylaws. " Members cannot be assessed any additional payment aside from their dues unless it is provided for in the bylaws." RONR (12th ed.) 56:19 Nothing in RONR prohibits this.

Agreed, since qualifications for holding office are only properly placed in the bylaws. They vote for someone else if they feel family members serving on the board together is an issue.

If the committee has any questions regarding the authority given to it, they must seek clarification from the parent body. The parent body will provide any necessary bylaw interpretation.

I didn't mean to derail the thread with my passing thoughts. Sorry, Dr. Kapur.

This is an interesting question, since I don't think there is any right as a member to be nominated and/or elected in RONR. The society's rules regarding who may hold office and, if applicable, who is eligible to run may limit this member's ability to do both, but I'm not sure the rule in 63:28 does.

1) No rule in RONR permits him to require the Secretary to send him their unapproved draft. 2) No. It is the Secretary's draft that the members approve.

Even though it is not the recommended language in RONR (see 3:15), what he said is fine. Is this related to this question asked earlier? https://robertsrules.forumflash.com/topic/40075-meeting-not-brought-to-order/

See if the full answer to FAQ#1 helps you. https://robertsrules.com/frequently-asked-questions/#faqs

1) Nothing, since it seems you actually had your meeting. 2) No. The chair may want to review RONR (12th ed.), 3:15 if it's a chronic issue but it's far too late to do anything about it at this point.

As far as RONR is concerned, yes, voting is permitted while in executive session. Some groups hold their entire meeting in executive session. Your group will have to check with an attorney if you're concerned about legal requirements that govern this matter.

Under Optional Headings, in the order of business RONR notes - "Opening ceremonies immediately after the meeting is called to order may include the invocation (which, if offered, should always be placed first), the singing of the national anthem, the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, a ritual briefly recalling the objects or ideals of the organization, or the like." RONR (12th ed.), 41:30 If the bylaws don't contain a provision for an assistant officer, such as a chaplain, RONR does not state who can or should offer the invocation. RONR says nothing about the content of it.

The society adopts a special rule of order outside of the bylaws. The society now wants to move the rule, in its exact same form, into the bylaws because it will be harder to rescind or amend it in their case, and a bylaw amendment is properly proposed. Must the special rule of order be rescinded before the bylaw amendment becomes pending? I'm not sure why this isn't clear to me. Thanks.

Oh it's really no different than an assembly referring the approval of the minutes to either the board or a committee as described in 48:12

Whether or not they participate in discussions, or choose not to vote, if they are present in the room they count toward the quorum requirement. "As indicated in 3:3, a quorum in an assembly is the number of members (see definition, 1:4) who must be present in order that business can be validly transacted. The quorum refers to the number of members present, not to the number actually voting on a particular question." RONR (12th ed.), 40:1

Agreeing with Mr. Martin, the assembly does not have to vote the budget down to adopt a motion to refer. I can simply refer it by a majority vote. I'd recommend one of the instructions be for the board to hold a hearing, the way committees sometimes do on important matters. This would allow members to offer input to the board and may reduce the time it takes to adopt the budget next time the assembly meets, since members have already had an opportunity to present their views outside of a regular meeting setting.