Floor Motion

[Guest Mark Trezza]

If a motion comes from the floor, unrelated to anything on the agenda, how is that handled?

For example, if a member wished to amend the by-laws to extend the length of our meeting time (say, add 30 minutes), how is it done from the floor?

[jstackpo]

New Business is the time to bring up, well, new business. An agenda is limiting only if you have a special rule that says so.

However, bylaw amendments commonly do require advance or "prior" notice so can't come up as 100% new business.

[David A Foulkes]

However, bylaw amendments commonly do require advance or "prior" notice so can't come up as 100% new business.

Well, they could if the bylaws had no article on amendment whatsoever, it just takes a vote of a majority of the entire membership.

For example, if a member wished to amend the by-laws to extend the length of our meeting time (say, add 30 minutes), how is it done from the floor?

Do your bylaws contain an article detailing how they can be amended?

"The bylaws should always prescribe the procedure for their amendment, and such provision should always require at least that advance notice be given in a specified manner, and that the amendment be approved by a two thirds vote. If the bylaws contain no provision for their amendment, they can be amended by a two-thirds vote if previous notice (in the sense defined on page 121) has been given, or they can be amended by the vote of a majority of the entire membership." (RONR 11th Ed, p. 580 l. 25 - p. 581 l. 7)

Edited March 18, 2013 by David A Foulkes

[Bruce Lages]

And I hope that your example is a purely hypothetical one, because I believe most people here would agree that, unless you have some very unusual circumstances, specifying a length of time for your meetings in your bylaws is neither necessary nor wise.