Special Privilege?

[mcfarland]

I'm the Chair of a membership organization,  We process a couple of dozen resolutions each year, written by our members.  The resolutions are first sent to a committee.  The committee reports to the members with a thumbs up, thumbs down recommendation.  The members can  move to accept or not accept the committee report, and can amend the resolution.

 

After the committee report, the author of one resolution and his supporters will ask to make a "presentation" in support of their resolution.  Do I have any options to restrict or disallow a "presentation"?

 

My concern is that this gives special privilege and additional time to this resolution.

 

Please advise. 

[Edgar Guest]

The motion to adopt the resolution is debatable. 

[mcfarland]

"The motion to adopt the resolution is debatable."

 

Does debate allow a "presentation", if the presentation might include a slide show, testimony, and speeches in favor of the resolution?

This would be out-of-the-ordinary and time consuming.

 

Does the Chair have any authority to limit the presentation?

[Dan Honemann]

Rules governing debate are set forth in RONR (11th ed.) on pages 42-44, and in greater detail in Section 43.

 

Generally speaking, speeches in favor of and against the resolution are permitted, subject to time limits and various other rules. Presentation of a slide show would require permission of the assembly. I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "testimony".

[Richard Brown]

RONR provides that each member may speak in debate on each debatable motion for ten minutes and may speak again a second time for another ten minutes after all other members wishing to speak have had their turn.  As Mr. Honemann said, certain things, such as "reading papers" or something like a slide show or Powerpoint presentation require special permission.  The slide show would come out of the member's ten minutes unless he is granted additional time.

 

That permission is usually granted via unanimous consent by the member saying, "If there is no objection, I would like to make a brief slide presentation."  Or, he can request permission through the Chair, in which case the chairman says something like, "Is there an objection to Mr. Smith making a brief slide presentation?  Hearing no objection, please proceed with your presentation". 

 

In either case, ff there is an objection, then the request is voted on without debate and requires a majority vote for approval.

 

The  assembly may also limit  or extend the limits of debate by shortening (or lengthening) the time limit or number of speeches on any particular debatable motion or even for the entire session. 

 

All of that is covered very thoroughly in RONR (Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised 11th edition) and also, briefly but in an easy to understand manner, in RONRIB (Robert's Rules of Order in Brief, 2nd edition).  http://www.robertsrules.com/book.html

 

Edited to add:  I suppose that you, as the chairman, could object, but since you should give every appearance of being impartial, I think it is better to not do so but wait to see if any other member objects.  If you object, it can give the impression that you are taking sides.  You do not have the right to deny the request on your own, though.

[Gary Novosielski]

And the reason why this would not be considered a "special privilege" is that any member, not just the maker of the motion, has the same rights to enter into debate.  

 

There is some privilege granted to the mover, in that the mover has the right to be recognized first, but that does make sense, since presumably the mover knows better than anyone else the reason behind making the motion, and it would help everyone to hear that reasoning before making their own comments on it.