Constituton Amendments

[Guest Albany]

Amendments to our Constitution require prior notice and a 2/3 vote.

May the Assembly then propose an amendment to the proposed amendment?

Wouldn't this violate the prior notice requirement?

Can the Assembly over rule the Chair if the amendment to the amendmeant is ruled of of order?

[Richard Brown]

Yes, the assembly may amend proposed bylaw (or constitution) amendments when they are up for consideration, but those amendments must be within the scope of the original proposed amendment.  In other words, if your constitution currently says the dues shall be $50 per year, and the proposal is to raise the dues to $75 per year, amendments from the floor to change the figure to any figure between $50 and $75 would be in order, but amendments to go above $75 or below $50 would not be.  Such floor amendments would need only a majority vote for adoption, but then the actual constitution amendment as amended would still require a two thirds vote for actual adoption.

 

This does not violate the prior notice requirement as long as the floor amendments are within the scope of the original proposal as I discussed above.

 

The assembly can overrule the chair on his ruling on all such points of order by a majority vote.  A tie vote sustains the decision of the chair. 

[Guest Guest]

Thank you for your response.