Motions

[Guest HARRY541]

I made a motion to put the proceeds from a raffle in our money market account. Then another member made an amendment to the motion to put these proceeds and also the proceeds from a door prize in the money market account. One member stated that the amendment had to be voted on first. Which is voted on first; the main motion or the amendment?

[Chris Harrison]

The amendment (RONR/10 pp. 135-139).

[Rev Ed]

An amendment is a suggestion to change - or amend - the main motion. If the amendment passes, then the main motion is changed according to the amendment (which can add or remove wording in the motion, thus altering it.) In this case, the orginal main motion might read something like: "That the money from the raffle be placed into the money market account." The amendment to add the door prize money could read like this "That 'and door prize money' be added between 'raffle' and 'be'." The Chairman should then state, when the amendment is being vote on how the main motion will read if the amendment is passed (i.e. "That the money from the raffle and door prize money be placed into the money market account.) If the amendment passes, it would be like I just stated. If not, the original wording would be voted on (unless another amendment is passed.)

[Rob Elsman]

I made a motion to put the proceeds from a raffle in our money market account. Then another member made an amendment to the motion to put these proceeds and also the proceeds from a door prize in the money market account. One member stated that the amendment had to be voted on first. Which is voted on first; the main motion or the amendment?

The motion to Amend was out of order on account that it was not germane, since it proposed to introduce a new topic, the handling of the door prize proceeds, to the main motion about the handling of the raffle proceeds, RONR (10th ed.), p. 125, ll. 27-31; pp. 129-131.

[David A Foulkes]

The motion to Amend was out of order on account that it was not germane, since it proposed to introduce a new topic, the handling of the door prize proceeds, to the main motion about the handling of the raffle proceeds, RONR (10th ed.), p. 125, ll. 27-31; pp. 129-131.

Seems fairly germane to me. We're talking about the proceeds from two (of perhaps several) similar activities held ostensibly at the same fundraising event for the same purpose. I suppose I could see that adding the admission money or snack bar money to the raffle money might not be germane. But these two activities were designed to raise money in a similar fashion for the purpose (I suspect) of increasing the operating capital somewhere along the way.

It seems similar to the furniture example on page 131 (l. 3-8).

Desk = furniture = Chair

Raffle $ = money market $ = door prize $

[Rob Elsman]

Seems fairly germane to me. We're talking about the proceeds from two (of perhaps several) similar activities held ostensibly at the same fundraising event for the same purpose. I suppose I could see that adding the admission money or snack bar money to the raffle money might not be germane. But these two activities were designed to raise money in a similar fashion for the purpose (I suspect) of increasing the operating capital somewhere along the way.

It seems similar to the furniture example on page 131 (l. 3-8).

Desk = furniture = Chair

Raffle $ = money market $ = door prize $

Well, there is a relationship between a desk and its matching chair that does not exist between the proceeds derived from two, completely unrelated sources. We do not have any information about when, or why the funds were raised, but I concede that my opinion could change if additional facts led me to believe that there was the same sort of connectedness between the two sources of funds that exists between the desk and its matching chair.

I'll bet we could agree that the germaneness rule is sometimes difficult to apply to particular situations.

[David A Foulkes]

I'll bet we could agree that the germaneness rule is sometimes difficult to apply to particular situations.

That's a bet you'd win.