who can participate

[Guest mreman]

When a board member makes a motion on the floor, in abscense of a second, is there formal proceedures that state only members of the board can comment on wheather the matter, or can anyone in attendence speak to the matter.

Thank you for your comments

[Gary c Tesser]

Under the rules of RONR, only members of the group that is meeting have any rights there. If this is a membership meeting, then all the regular members have full rights -- and board members, if they are members of the organization too (sometimes they are not) have the same rights as regular members (no more and no less). At board meetings, only the members of the board have any rights there; no one else, such as regular members of the organization who are not members of the board, has any rights, even to attend in the first place. At those board meetings, it is the board that can choose, if it wants, to allow non-board-members to attend or to speak (or maybe to make motions. Never to vote).

[Josh Martin]

When a board member makes a motion on the floor, in abscense of a second, is there formal proceedures that state only members of the board can comment on wheather the matter, or can anyone in attendence speak to the matter.

In small boards, seconds are generally not required. If seconds are required in your board, no one should be debating the motion before it has been seconded.

I concur with Mr. Tesser on the issue of non-board members speaking in debate.