Who can attend a committee meeting?

[Guest Guest]

I have a question about attending a committee meeting. I was asked by the chair to attend a committee as they wanted my input to come to some recommendation to give the board. After I made my comments one member of the committee asked me to leave because all committee meeting are held in executive session and I was not part of the committee.

Our organization fully believes in open meetings and previously passed a motion to allow any member to attend any meeting. They do not speak or have any vote but they have the right to observe. Was the committee member correct in asking for me to leave?

This is from our by laws.

Thanks John

SECTION 3. RIGHTS OF MEMBERS

A. Ordinary Rights:

Ordinary: The ordinary rights of membership shall include the right to be notified of meetings, the right to attend meetings and functions of the Club, the right to offer motions, the right to speak in debate, the right to vote, the right to hold office, the right to receive publications, and any other right designated as an ordinary right of membership by these bylaws, the parliamentary authority, or the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE XIV

PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

SECTION 1. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Club in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws or any special rules of order the Club may adop

[Guest Edgar]

I have a question about attending a committee meeting.

Per RONR, only members of the committee have a right to attend its meetings (whether they're held in executive session or not). The committee (but not any one member on his own) can invite or exclude non-members (of the committee) as it wishes.

Your rules may say otherwise but figuring out what your rules say is beyond the scope of this forum.

[tctheatc]

It might've been a better example of effective leadership had the chair who'd invited you specified to you whether he was inviting you for the whole meeting or part of it, and then appropriately had the committee ratify that when you attended. Even then, if the 1 member asked you to leave, the chair might've taken the opportunity the help that member phrase his desire as a motion, and then have the committee decide.

But I guess it didn't go down that way.

But there's always next time!!

[Trina]

I have a question about attending a committee meeting. I was asked by the chair to attend a committee as they wanted my input to come to some recommendation to give the board. After I made my comments one member of the committee asked me to leave because all committee meeting are held in executive session and I was not part of the committee.

Our organization fully believes in open meetings and previously passed a motion to allow any member to attend any meeting. They do not speak or have any vote but they have the right to observe. Was the committee member correct in asking for me to leave?

...

I think you need to look more closely at the details of this motion. If your organization adopted a rule giving general members the right to attend any meeting of any assembly in the organization, then forcing you to leave would be a violation of the rule.

I guess there are questions of whether the rule was properly adopted, what exactly the rule says, and whether the rule can be suspended.

[tctheatc]

...one member of the committee asked me to leave because all committee meeting are held in executive session and I was not part of the committee.

Our organization fully believes in open meetings......

Well, apparently not fully...