Resinding a motion

[Guest Steve Hall]

Our youth hockey association Board of Directors passed a motion designating the parents of three member families as "Members not in good standing" recently. Basically the motion was made because these parents had done things that were damaging to the organization and the members it serves. At the next board meeting there was a motion made to resind the "members not in good standing" designation. This motion passed because three members who voted for it the first time were not present and also because there were some threats of legal action made by one of the parents who was so designated. My question is can the first motion be resinded and secondly under what circumstances. If a motion can be resinded depending on what board members are present at a given meeting how does anything get done if you can just undo it when the conditions are favorable for your point of view.

Steve Hall

[Josh Martin]

My question is can the first motion be resinded

Yes.

and secondly under what circumstances.

By a 2/3 vote, a vote of a majority of the entire membership (of the board, in this case), or by a majority vote with notice.

If a motion can be resinded depending on what board members are present at a given meeting how does anything get done if you can just undo it when the conditions are favorable for your point of view.

That's why RONR prescribes a higher vote threshold (or previous notice) for the motion to Rescind. On the chance that those conditions were not met this time, it is too late to raise a Point of Order about that now, but it is something to keep in mind for the future.

[Tim Wynn]

Our youth hockey association Board of Directors passed a motion designating the parents of three member families as "Members not in good standing" recently. Basically the motion was made because these parents had done things that were damaging to the organization and the members it serves. At the next board meeting there was a motion made to resind the "members not in good standing" designation. This motion passed because three members who voted for it the first time were not present and also because there were some threats of legal action made by one of the parents who was so designated. My question is can the first motion be resinded and secondly under what circumstances. If a motion can be resinded depending on what board members are present at a given meeting how does anything get done if you can just undo it when the conditions are favorable for your point of view.

Steve Hall

A major question is whether or not the board had the authority to adopt the motion in the first place. Check your bylaws to determine if it has been granted such power.

See RONR (11th ed.), section 35, for the details of the motion to Rescind.