Debate Guidelines

[Guest Gail Garwood]

At a special meeting of a Home Owners Assn for the purpose of ratifying an amendment to budget, when can the chair officially end debate? What is the recourse (plan of action) for a member that the chair refuses to recognize?  Should members, at beginning of meeting, ask for the parameters of debate?

[Steven Britton]

The chair can officially end debate when no one rises to claim the floor to speak; or, if the assembly has adopted an action which places time limits on debate, when that time expires. Also, the assembly is permitted to adopted a motion ordering the vote be taken, thus ending debate. (Ordering the previous question.) 

[Chris Harrison]

At a special meeting of a Home Owners Assn for the purpose of ratifying an amendment to budget, when can the chair officially end debate?

He can't unless everyone has exhausted their rights to debate the question (per RONR pp. 387-390 the default rule is 2 10 minute speeches per member per day per pending question unless the assembly had limited debate).

 

 

What is the recourse (plan of action) for a member that the chair refuses to recognize? 

 

Raise a Point of Order and be prepared to Appeal an adverse ruling (RONR pp. 247-260).

 

 

Should members, at beginning of meeting, ask for the parameters of debate?

Of course not.  Every member should have their handy dandy copy of RONR and any applicable rules at hand and have read them front to back at least 10 times so they would already know the answer.     Seriously though, if a member is unclear on what the rule is on a particular subject they can raise a Parliamentary Inquiry (RONR pp. 293-294).

[Steven Britton]

He can't unless everyone has exhausted their rights to debate the question (per RONR pp. 387-390 the default rule is 2 10 minute speeches per member per day per pending question unless the assembly had limited debate).

 

 

 

So if there's 101 members at the meeting,  and only two members rise and speak in debate, the chair is prohibited from putting the question because ninety-nine members haven't exhausted their right to speak, right?

[Chris Harrison]

So if there's 101 members at the meeting,  and only two members rise and speak in debate, the chair is prohibited from putting the question because ninety-nine members haven't exhausted their right to speak, right?

Well, if there are no more members wanting to speak in debate then of course the Chair can put the question.  However, I differentiate between the Chair "officially ending debate" in effect saying "Well we are going to vote now" and the assembly by no one rising to speak in debate in effect saying "We don't have anything more to say on the subject so let's move on."