Bill S Posted February 10, 2011 at 08:25 PM Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 at 08:25 PM This is a hypothetical question. A motion is under discussion to purchase an item for a club. The discussion reveals that the club needs more information. Is it better/preferable to (1) offer a motion to Refer to a Committee or (2)Lay the Motion on the Table until the next regular meeting (a defined time) and allow the chair to then appoint a committee?I believe either is acceptable but #1 is easier. I believe under #1, the committee would make their report at the next regularly scheduled meeting; the motion to purchase would then be stated by the chair under old business and opened for discussion. Under #2, the committee would make their report and under old business someone would need to move to remove the motion from the table to continue the discussion.I am asked to teach basic parliamentary procedure to high school club sponsors from time to time. The hypothetical question needs to be part of a practice script I use. Thanks to all for their suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Elsman Posted February 10, 2011 at 08:29 PM Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 at 08:29 PM This is a hypothetical question. A motion is under discussion to purchase an item for a club. The discussion reveals that the club needs more information. Is it better/preferable to (1) offer a motion to Refer to a Committee or (2)Lay the Motion on the Table until the next regular meeting (a defined time) and allow the chair to then appoint a committee?I believe either is acceptable but #1 is easier. I believe under #1, the committee would make their report at the next regularly scheduled meeting; the motion to purchase would then be stated by the chair under old business and opened for discussion. Under #2, the committee would make their report and under old business someone would need to move to remove the motion from the table to continue the discussion.I am asked to teach basic parliamentary procedure to high school club sponsors from time to time. The hypothetical question needs to be part of a practice script I use. Thanks to all for their suggestions.A motion to Lay on the Table until the next regular meeting is out of order. RONR (10th ed.), p. 209, ll. 15-16. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David A Foulkes Posted February 10, 2011 at 08:36 PM Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 at 08:36 PM Bill, I think what you want here is Postpone to a Certain Time (Postpone Definitely). See section 14 in RONR (10th Ed.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tctheatc Posted February 10, 2011 at 08:37 PM Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 at 08:37 PM I think you're mistaken in your understanding of Lay on the Table. I think you might be thinking of a motion to Postpone to a Definite Time as your #2 option. In that case, the item should come up under unfinished business at the meeting to which it's postponed. I also think the decision should be based not on which is "easier" but which is more suitable. If there needs to be some study and deliberation, refer it to a committee. If you simply need time, postponing may be the way to go.But Lay on the Table is to temporarily set an item aside in order to take up a more urgent item. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Elsman Posted February 10, 2011 at 08:43 PM Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 at 08:43 PM Bill, I think what you want here is Postpone to a Certain Time (Postpone Definitely). See section 14 in RONR (10th Ed.)Well, no rule in RONR empowers the president to refer a postponed question to a committee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill S Posted February 10, 2011 at 08:52 PM Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 at 08:52 PM Thank you for the clarification on Postpone vs Lay on the Table.As to the question of Refer to a Committee. Is a motion to Refer to a Committee allowed when there is a motion on the floor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David A Foulkes Posted February 10, 2011 at 08:58 PM Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 at 08:58 PM Well, no rule in RONR empowers the president to refer a postponed question to a committee. I was merely addressing the proper motion to get to the next meeting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tctheatc Posted February 10, 2011 at 09:11 PM Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 at 09:11 PM Thank you for the clarification on Postpone vs Lay on the Table.As to the question of Refer to a Committee. Is a motion to Refer to a Committee allowed when there is a motion on the floor? yes, it's a secondary (subsidiary) motion. I'm assuming you're talking about the main motion on the floor being the one the motion to refer applies to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Schafer Posted February 10, 2011 at 09:30 PM Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 at 09:30 PM This is a hypothetical question. A motion is under discussion to purchase an item for a club. The discussion reveals that the club needs more information. Is it better/preferable to (1) offer a motion to Refer to a Committee or (2)Lay the Motion on the Table until the next regular meeting (a defined time) and allow the chair to then appoint a committee?I believe either is acceptable but #1 is easier. I believe under #1, the committee would make their report at the next regularly scheduled meeting; the motion to purchase would then be stated by the chair under old business and opened for discussion. Under #2, the committee would make their report and under old business someone would need to move to remove the motion from the table to continue the discussion.I am asked to teach basic parliamentary procedure to high school club sponsors from time to time. The hypothetical question needs to be part of a practice script I use. Thanks to all for their suggestions.I believe that the better solution is to Refer to a committee. This is the exact reason given in RONR to refer. (RONR 10th ed., p. 160, l. 14-18) So your suggestion (1) would work best. If the assembly wants a recommendation at a particular future meeting, the motion to Refer should include instructions that the committee shall report at that meeting. Otherwise, the committee can take as long as it wishes to make a recommendation. When the committee finishes giving its report at a future meeting, the chair states the question immediately after the report, not waiting until Unfinished Business.As other people have written, suggestion (2) should use the motion to Postpone Definitely rather than Lay on the Table. The chair can only appoint a committee when the assembly has decided that a committee should be created, and then only if the bylaws or the motion to create the committee authorize the chair to appoint. Since there needs to be a motion to create the committee after the motion to Postpone is adopted, why not just do it all in one motion to Refer?(Edited to address the issue of the chair appointing a committee after the motion is Postponed.)Thank you for the clarification on Postpone vs Lay on the Table.As to the question of Refer to a Committee. Is a motion to Refer to a Committee allowed when there is a motion on the floor?A motion to Refer is in order when a main motion is pending, as well as a motion to Postpone Indefinitely and a motion to Amend. See RONR 10th ed., tinted page 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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