Jump to content
The Official RONR Q & A Forums

Special committee issue


lipets

Recommended Posts

A special committee was appointed by the President to do a Revision of the Bylaws, we presented an interim report which was accepted.

We have since completed the new Bylaws which will be amended as provided under the old Art to amend.

The question is we had heard that he may change some of the work we did before he presents via motion to members.

I searched the book around p 484 etc, but can't find an answer to whether or not he can make changes to the committees version?

I don't think he can before it is presented for debate and vote.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A special committee was appointed by the President

...

The question is we had heard that he may change some of the work we did

...

Ok, we just discussed this issue, I was countered with 492 line 10-20

Which they interpret to say they can change it?

To start, you first mention the President may change some of the work, they you refer to "they" can change it. Is it he or they? Who is they?

P. 492 ll. 10-20 refers to the assembly making changes, not the President, not the committee. So it doesn't support changes made by "him" or "them" (whoever "them" are).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, we just discussed this issue, I was countered with 492 line 10-20

Which they interpret to say they can change it?

RONR, 10th ed., pg. 492, lines 10-20 has no bearing on this issue. That citation refers to the assembly making changes to a report which is to be published. The situation you are facing is a President attempting to unilaterally make changes to recommendations contained within a report (specifically, a revision of the Bylaws). It's apples and oranges. Your President is either incompetent or is trying to pull a fast one on you (or both), as no reasonable person can interpret the word "assembly" to mean "President." :)

The assembly is certainly free to amend the revision after it has been stated by the chair, but the President has no authority to do so on his own. If the President attempts to put forth a report at the meeting which differs from what was approved by the committee, I would raise a Point of Order and Appeal from the decision of the chair if necessary. A majority vote is sufficient to overturn the chair's ruling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RONR, 10th ed., pg. 492, lines 10-20 has no bearing on this issue. That citation refers to the assembly making changes to a report which is to be published. The situation you are facing is a President attempting to unilaterally make changes to recommendations contained within a report (specifically, a revision of the Bylaws). It's apples and oranges. Your President is either incompetent or is trying to pull a fast one on you (or both), as no reasonable person can interpret the word "assembly" to mean "President." :)

The assembly is certainly free to amend the revision after it has been stated by the chair, but the President has no authority to do so on his own. If the President attempts to put forth a report at the meeting which differs from what was approved by the committee, I would raise a Point of Order and Appeal from the decision of the chair if necessary. A majority vote is sufficient to overturn the chair's ruling.

Ok I went to our committee with the jest of your reply, to which our parliamentarian replied

The assembly in this case is the Executive Committee (which includes the president).

Therefore, he can make changes to the committees report.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok I went to our committee with the jest of your reply, to which our parliamentarian replied

The assembly in this case is the Executive Committee (which includes the president).

Therefore, he can make changes to the committees report.

Bovine excrement. He is one member of the EC. He is not a majority of the EC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The EC is 5 members so if he gets 2 more to go along with him it's ok to make changes to the committees report?

If he can get a majority vote of the EC to agree with the amendment then they can amend the Committee report.

Can you clarify a bit please I can't tell them about pigs

See above answer. By the way, you would not be telling them about pigs. Bovines are "of or pertaining to the subfamily Bovinae, which includes cattle, buffalo, and kudus."

Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle and the bovine jumped over the moon. And if the chances of something happening are very remote you might say it will happen when porcines fly. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The assembly in this case is the Executive Committee (which includes the president).

Therefore, he can make changes to the committees report.

Not on his own.

The EC is 5 members so if he gets 2 more to go along with him it's ok to make changes to the committees report?

It has to happen at a meeting, but yes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If he can get a majority vote of the EC to agree with the amendment then they can amend the Committee report.

See above answer. By the way, you would not be telling them about pigs. Bovines are "of or pertaining to the subfamily Bovinae, which includes cattle, buffalo, and kudus."

tks, I didn't think of the EC as an assembly, I thought that meant the general membership.

Also tks for defining bovines:lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The EC is 5 members so if he gets 2 more to go along with him it's ok to make changes to the committees report?

Can you clarify a bit please I can't tell them about pigs

Pigs are porcine. Bulls are bovine.

As long as he has a majority in agreement, he can obviously do anything the EC is empowered to do. But the EC is not empowered to forge committee reports.

Committee reports are made by the committee. Only (a majority of) the committee can change what's in them. If this was a report of the EC, then with a majority he can change what it says.

But this is a report to the EC, from a committee. The the body to which the committee reports (which I doubt is properly the EC) can decide to agree, disagree, accept, adopt, move, amend, or do whatever they want as a result of a committee's recommendations, but it can't change what the committee actually said in the report.

However, (a majority of) the EC may decide to make other recommendations, not consistent with the committee's recommendations, to the board or the membership. They should make clear that this is their recommendation, however, and not the committee's recommendation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But this is a report to the EC, from a committee. The the body to which the committee reports (which I doubt is properly the EC) can decide to agree, disagree, accept, adopt, move, amend, or do whatever they want as a result of a committee's recommendations, but it can't change what the committee actually said in the report.

However, (a majority of) the EC may decide to make other recommendations, not consistent with the committee's recommendations, to the board or the membership. They should make clear that this is their recommendation, however, and not the committee's recommendation.

Yes this is a report to the EC, from a special committee appointed by the EC to revise the bylaws.

It was already accepted as an interim report. We stated that if it was changed after we signed off on it but before being presented to the membership to vote we would sign it know it was going to be changed.

That's how this whole debate started.

The President said he wants to make some changes we objected.

Jim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...