Amend Bylaws

[Guest ElizabethA]

When an organization wants to amend its bylaws, do they need to present to people the original bylaws along side of the new ones so people can see the changes?

[David A Foulkes]

When an organization wants to amend its bylaws, do they need to present to people the original bylaws along side of the new ones so people can see the changes?

The motion to amend the bylaws must include the original bylaw language and the "new" (replacing, inserting, adding) language, so that members know what will be changed. This could be as simple as "I move to strike blue and insert red."

Most every organization I'm familiar with even has a form to be used that has an area for the original language (at least the sentence, often paragraph or whole section) and the proposed language changes. Also, in the original section, the words that will be removed are struck through, and in the proposed section the words that will be added/inserted/etc will be underlined. That way, there is an easy visual way of keying in on what will be changing.

It's important that the membership fully understand the changes that will occur if the amendment is adopted, and having such a form with visual cues to the changes makes it about as easy as it can be. You avoid confusion, and minimize the possibility that six months from now someone will say "but I didn't know that's how it was changing!"

[tctheatc]

When an organization wants to amend its bylaws, do they need to present to people the original bylaws along side of the new ones so people can see the changes?

It'd be a good/better idea if they already had a copy, given to them upon joining the group! (RONR p 14 l 27)