refer to committee

[Guest Robert Lee]

After an item of business has been referred to committee via the non-debateable motion, in successive meetings, can that same item of business be referred back to committee?

[Rev Ed]

Until the Committee reports back, there is no reason to send it "refer" it back to the Committee - it's already been referred to the Committee. Once the Committee reports back, the Committee could be instructed to review its report and make another report.

[Chris Harrison]

The matter stays with the Committee until it reports to the assembly or the assembly discharges it from further consideration of the matter (RONR p. 310-315). When the assembly has control over the matter they can refer it back to the same committee or to another one (provided that the bylaws don't give specific committees control over certain items of business).

[Bruce Lages]

Firstly, the subsidiary motion to refer an item to committee (known as a motion to commit in RONR) is debatable. Secondly, once an item has been referred to a committee, it is no longer available to the assembly except via a motion to discharge the committee, so I'm not sure how you could refer the same item to a committee in successive meetings unless you voted first to discharge the committee and then to re-commit that item back to committee. Is that what happened? In any event, the answer to your question is yes, an item that has been taken back from a committee can be again referred to a committee, either the same committee by re-naming the same members to the committee, or to a new committee.

[Guest Robert Lee]

To further clarify this question, after the committee has had time to act, i.e., 6 months, they come to the body with their report and proposal, can that same issue be referred back to that same committee again. The underlying question is to prevent a logger head situation, can that effort to refer back to the committee again be stopped in some way.

[Trina]

To further clarify this question, after the committee has had time to act, i.e., 6 months, they come to the body with their report and proposal, can that same issue be referred back to that same committee again. The underlying question is to prevent a logger head situation, can that effort to refer back to the committee again be stopped in some way.

Vote against the motion to refer the matter to committee. Get enough other members to vote against the motion.

Also, note that if this was a special committee, the committee ceased to exist after giving its report. However, a new committee (even with exactly the same membership) could, of course, be formed to consider the matter again.

[Gary Novosielski]

After an item of business has been referred to committee via the non-debateable motion, in successive meetings, can that same item of business be referred back to committee?

The motion to Commit or Refer is debatable. What were the conditions that made it undebatable?

Any question may be referred a second time, either to the same committee, or to a different committee. The motion is called a motion "to recommit" and the rules are the same as for the motion to Commit--among which are that it requires a majority for passage, and since it is debatable, you are free to argue in favor or against recommitting the question, you can try to amend the name of the committee to which should be referred, or any number of other parliamentary tactics.

All you need is a majority to agree.