Guest Cathie Posted March 30, 2013 at 10:58 AM Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 at 10:58 AM I am interested if a nonmember may address a specially called Membership Meeting. Nothing is stated in our Bylaws. We are a non profit, if that matters.Cathie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted March 30, 2013 at 11:06 AM Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 at 11:06 AM A nonmember may address the assembly if the assembly decides to allow it. If no question is pending it takes a majority vote but if there is a question pending it takes a 2/3 vote as the nonmember would be entering into debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cathie Posted March 30, 2013 at 11:24 AM Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 at 11:24 AM Thank you! Would you be so kind to tell me where i might look for this in the book, so if challenged, I can cite it. I appreciate your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cathie Posted March 30, 2013 at 12:08 PM Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 at 12:08 PM Thank you Chris. I appreciate your expertise in this matter, as well as your interest in entering this discussion. I'm sure the meeting will go smoothly now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstackpo Posted March 30, 2013 at 12:31 PM Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 at 12:31 PM p. 263 for the non-member debating;I don't think there is an explicit "majority may allow a non-member to address the assembly (non-debate)" statement in the book, although it is implied in the discussion of "Public Sessions", p. 96.Technically, nobody is supposed to be talking except in debate. p. 34. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silence Dogood Posted March 30, 2013 at 03:20 PM Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 at 03:20 PM Technically, nobody is supposed to be talking except in debate. p. 34.One would think the OP is describing a case where the society wishes to invite a guest speaker* to address the assembly. How else would the assembly arrange such a presentation but through the usual procedure of adopting a main motion by majority vote?* [i am without my 11th ed. today, but the "guest speaker" is described, in the 10th ed., in an example in section 19 (Raise a Question of Privilege) and in the optional "Program" portion of section 41 (Order of Business).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstackpo Posted March 30, 2013 at 03:47 PM Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 at 03:47 PM How else indeed?But I was searching for an explicit statement about a non-member speaking - the (well spoted!) statement on p. 299 describes a member requesting permission to speak when no motion is on the floor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sMargaret Posted March 30, 2013 at 04:56 PM Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 at 04:56 PM On page 471 of RONR 11 there is a reference as to how a guest speaker can be put in the minutes, and on page 263 there is the footnote as to how a non-member may enter into debate. This will all depend on what is meant by "address", and I will also refer the original poster to the rules for calling special meetings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Britton Posted March 30, 2013 at 05:00 PM Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 at 05:00 PM A nonmember may address the assembly if the assembly decides to allow it. If no question is pending it takes a majority vote but if there is a question pending it takes a 2/3 vote as the nonmember would be entering into debate.Why does it only take a majority vote to give a non-member the privilege to speak in debate, if no motion is pending? I'm thinking that this can only occur by suspending a rule of order, which can only occur by suspending rules in the parliamentary authority, and requires a two-thirds vote. It can't be accomplished by applying Limit or Extend Limits on Debate (as an incidental main motion). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted March 30, 2013 at 05:32 PM Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 at 05:32 PM I think you misunderstood my response. If no question is pending then there would be no question to debate and a request to allow a nonmember to speak would only take a majority vote (RONR p. 299). On the other hand, if a question is pending then it would indeed require suspending the rules to allow a nonmember to speak in debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David A Foulkes Posted March 30, 2013 at 09:15 PM Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 at 09:15 PM I think you misunderstood my response. If no question is pending then there would be no question to debate and a request to allow a nonmember to speak would only take a majority vote (RONR p. 299). On the other hand, if a question is pending then it would indeed require suspending the rules to allow a nonmember to speak in debate.But doesn't p. 299 refer to a member being allowed to speak with no question pending? Since non-members have no rights whatsoever (ignoring public assemblies for the moment), including the right to speak at all, pending question or not, why don't the rules need to be suspended to allow a non-member to speak even with no question pending? Does RONR actually suggest somewhere that only a majority vote is necessary? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted March 30, 2013 at 09:51 PM Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 at 09:51 PM Yeah, I'm pretty sure it does, though I am bookless at present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted March 30, 2013 at 10:06 PM Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 at 10:06 PM But doesn't p. 299 refer to a member being allowed to speak with no question pending? The beginning of the citation starts "When a member desires to make a request not covered by one of the four types explained above..." so yes a request to allow the member to speak when no question is pending is the first example but it is an example and not the entirety. Why wouldn't a Request For Any Other Privilege be the proper mechanism for a member to use in order to request that a nonmember be permitted to speak (when no question is pending)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted March 31, 2013 at 11:57 PM Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 at 11:57 PM But doesn't p. 299 refer to a member being allowed to speak with no question pending?I believe the examples are referring to a request for a member to speak... but they are just examples.I concur that this motion may not be the most applicable, however, as I imagine in most cases guest speakers are permitted to address the assembly by the adoption of a main motion, or as part of the orders of the day rather than by a Request for Any Other Privilege.Since non-members have no rights whatsoever (ignoring public assemblies for the moment), including the right to speak at all, pending question or not, why don't the rules need to be suspended to allow a non-member to speak even with no question pending? Does RONR actually suggest somewhere that only a majority vote is necessary?From a parliamentary perspective, keep in mind that members do not have the right to speak when no question is pending, so there's really no distinction between a member and a non-member in this regard. Also keep in mind that the assembly controls its hall. If the members adopt a motion to let someone address the assembly when no motion is pending, it doesn't really matter who it is.From a practical perspective, it doesn't make much sense that a 2/3 vote would be required to let a guest speaker address the assembly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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