Precedence in Agenda

[Guest Bradley]

When creating an agenda, what are the precedence of considerations?

Quorum call,

call to order,

approval of agenda,

approval of minutes,

reports,

old business,

new business,

good of the order,

quorum call

are what I have as the official agenda order. If we are considering our annual budget and I want to have it take precedence over old business, what is the proper title it would be created under to ensure that it is considered before the old business?

[Guest Guest]

When creating an agenda, what are the precedence of considerations?

Your agenda is very much like the Standard Order of Business so it's likely you need no agenda at all.

Substitute "unfinished business" for "old business" (and eliminate the quorum calls?) and you're nearly good to go.

[Guest Bradley]

Most of our Senators are volunteers and have not practiced Parliamentary Law before their time in our Senate. Where would I put our budget if I want it to be considered before any unfinished business?

[J. J.]

Most of our Senators are volunteers and have not practiced Parliamentary Law before their time in our Senate. Where would I put our budget if I want it to be considered before any unfinished business?

Move to suspend the rules and take up the question out of order.

[Josh Martin]

When creating an agenda, what are the precedence of considerations?

Quorum call,

call to order,

approval of agenda,

approval of minutes,

reports,

old business,

new business,

good of the order,

quorum call

For a few technical points, the call to order and the chair's verification of a quorum are not part of the order of business (although they still happen) and OId Business is properly called Unfinished Business. I'm also unclear on what the purpose of the Quorum Call after the Good of the Order is. There is really no need for a quorum after all the assembly's business is completed. Other than these issues, your agenda is essentially a simplified version of the standard order of business.

An agenda is typically used by an assembly which meets infrequently and has a tremendous amount of business (such as an annual convention) or by an assembly which has a very unusual meeting where the typical order of business is inadequate. For most assemblies, the standard order of business (or if necessary, a special order of business adopted by rule) should be used for each meeting.

That is the "by the book" answer anyway. I'm certainly aware that adopting an agenda for every meeting has become a standard practice for many assemblies and ending the practice is easier said than done.

are what I have as the official agenda order. If we are considering our annual budget and I want to have it take precedence over old business, what is the proper title it would be created under to ensure that it is considered before the old business?

Well, you can put "Special Orders" before Unfinished Business if you want to be fancy and then put Annual Budget under that, but you can also simply put "Annual Budget" before Unfinished Business. That is the advantage of an agenda - the assembly's business may be ordered exactly as it pleases. No need to worry about the "proper title." Amending the agenda requires a majority vote while it is pending or a 2/3 vote or a vote of a majority of the entire membership after it is adopted.

If you actually manage to stop using an agenda, you could move to make the annual budget a special order (Special Orders come before Unfinished Business in the standard order of business) or move to suspend the rules and take it up out of its proper order. Either method requires a 2/3 vote.

Lastly, if your rules specify that the annual budget is considered at a particular meeting, then it is already a special order for that meeting.

[Tim Wynn]

Bradley,

Do you actually have Unfinished Business (i.e. a question that was pending when the previous meeting adjourned or was not reached after having been unfinished business or a general order at the previous meeting)?

[Josh Martin]

Do you actually have Unfinished Business (i.e. a question that was pending when the previous meeting adjourned or was not reached after having been unfinished business or a general order at the previous meeting)?

Or a motion which has been postponed (yes, I know those are technically general orders, but since they come up right after Unfinished Business I doubt that will be an important distinction here).

[Tim Wynn]

Or a motion which has been postponed (yes, I know those are technically general orders, but since they come up right after Unfinished Business I doubt that will be an important distinction here).

It's always an important distinction to me, and I recently deducted points from a nearly flawless team at a parliamentary competition for referring to a motion postponed from the previous meeting as Unfinished Business. :-)

(They won, anyway, though.)