bylaw amendments: majority or 2/3rds

[gregory]

Every two years our Union bylaws allow the membership to make bylaw amendments.

We have a bylaw that states:

ARTICLE VI

MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS:

"All membership meetings will be governed by RONR"

Which of course says, bylaw amendments must be approved by a 2/3rds majority.

Yet, we also have another bylaw that states:

ARTICLE XIII

AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS:

(a) These bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed by a majority vote of the Membership only once every odd-numbered ending calendar year.

So which is it? Do bylaw amendments require a 2/3rds approval or a majority approval?

[jstackpo]

Majority is enough.

RONR also says that an association's bylaws are a higher document and supersedes RONR if they say different things.

BTW, your paraphrase of what RONR says is not entirely correct - see p. 562.

[hmtcastle]

We have a bylaw that states . . . "All membership meetings will be governed by RONR" . . .

The next time you amend your bylaws, you might want to adopt the language recommended by RONR:

"The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Society in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Society may adopt."

[David A Foulkes]

Yet, we also have another bylaw that states:

ARTICLE XIII

AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS:

(a) These bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed by a majority vote of the Membership only once every odd-numbered ending calendar year.

I'd take another look at this too. I think you could make an argument that the bylaws can be amended as many times as you'd like, and whenever you'd like, as long as you require a 2/3 vote. You can only amend them with a majority vote once in odd-numbered years, however.

[Gary Novosielski]

I'd take another look at this too. I think you could make an argument that the bylaws can be amended as many times as you'd like, and whenever you'd like, as long as you require a 2/3 vote. You can only amend them with a majority vote once in odd-numbered years, however.

Maybe, but I don't think it would be a very good argument. If there is an article on bylaws amendment, that becomes the only rule on bylaws amendment.