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Can the president make a motion on behalf of the executive committee?


Guest Betsey

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I am pretty familiar with Roberts Rules of order and have the book. I was under the impression that the president cannot make motions. At times there is a need for me as president to explain or provide information. Someone from the board then makes a motion and we go through the process as described in the book. However, it was requested of me by our parliamentarian to come to the meeting with a motion that I make on behalf of the executive committee. Is this something I can and should be doing as president? 

 

Thank you!

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I am pretty familiar with Roberts Rules of order and have the book. I was under the impression that the president cannot make motions. At times there is a need for me as president to explain or provide information. Someone from the board then makes a motion and we go through the process as described in the book. However, it was requested of me by our parliamentarian to come to the meeting with a motion that I make on behalf of the executive committee. Is this something I can and should be doing as president? 

 

Thank you!

 

No, you should not be making motions while presiding. See FAQ #1 for more details.

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  • 2 weeks later...

In a situation like this, the proper thing to do would be for you to hand the responsibility of presiding over the meeting to the next in line while the issue is being considered. You would then be able to function as any other member during that time and the vice-president (or whatever this person's title is) would be the person to whom the restrictions applied. The reason for the restrictions is because it is necessary for the presiding officer to attempt to be unbiased toward both sides of the debate. What frequently happens when this person speaks is that they tend to silence debate by responding to the discussion. It is better when the presiding officer knows he has no option to discuss the issue, and focuses he attention to providing an opportunity for all sides to be heard.

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In a situation like this, the proper thing to do would be for you to hand the responsibility of presiding over the meeting to the next in line while the issue is being considered. You would then be able to function as any other member during that time and the vice-president (or whatever this person's title is) would be the person to whom the restrictions applied. The reason for the restrictions is because it is necessary for the presiding officer to attempt to be unbiased toward both sides of the debate. What frequently happens when this person speaks is that they tend to silence debate by responding to the discussion. It is better when the presiding officer knows he has no option to discuss the issue, and focuses he attention to providing an opportunity for all sides to be heard.

 

Alternately, another member of the Executive Committee could make the motion.

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In a situation like this, the proper thing to do would be for you to hand the responsibility of presiding over the meeting to the next in line while the issue is being considered. You would then be able to function as any other member during that time and the vice-president (or whatever this person's title is) would be the person to whom the restrictions applied. The reason for the restrictions is because it is necessary for the presiding officer to attempt to be unbiased toward both sides of the debate. What frequently happens when this person speaks is that they tend to silence debate by responding to the discussion. It is better when the presiding officer knows he has no option to discuss the issue, and focuses he attention to providing an opportunity for all sides to be heard.

 

Opinions regarding the proper thing to do might be more persuasive if they came from someone with a name other than Guest Guest. 

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