Standing Committee Session(s) - Defined?

[jstackpo]

Page 500 is clear that "all of the meetings of a special committee constitute one session".

 

But what about standing committees? 

 

Would a series of meetings dealing with some topic referred to the committee be "one session"?  But what about multiple meetings, perhaps overlapping, dealing with multiple topics that fall under the committee's jurisdiction?   (By "overlapping" I mean a meeting deals with topic A, then the next meeting works on topic B, then next meeting returns to more work on topic A, then, later, topic C, &c.)

 

I don't find anything in The Book that seems to fit.

[Transpower]

Each meeting of a session is adjourned to meet at a later time (i.e., using the motion "To Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn"), rather than just adjourning.  RONR (11th ed.), p. 501, ll. 27-30.  If the meeting is simply adjourned, then the session is over, as well.

[Hieu H. Huynh]

It looks like the motion to Reconsider works the same for standing and special committees (p. 329). Is the reason why this motion has no time limit in committees due to all meetings being one session?

[Richard Brown]

It looks like the motion to Reconsider works the same for standing and special committees (p. 329). Is the reason why this motion has no time limit in committees due to all meetings being one session?

Ahhh.... very good point, Hieu!!!  I had often wondered why there is no time limit on the motion to reconsider in committees.....  the fact that all meetings are considered part of the same session may well be the reason.  I'm anxious to hear from someone on the A-team about that.

[Josh Martin]

Page 500 is clear that "all of the meetings of a special committee constitute one session".

But what about standing committees?

Would a series of meetings dealing with some topic referred to the committee be "one session"? But what about multiple meetings, perhaps overlapping, dealing with multiple topics that fall under the committee's jurisdiction? (By "overlapping" I mean a meeting deals with topic A, then the next meeting works on topic B, then next meeting returns to more work on topic A, then, later, topic C, &c.)

I don't find anything in The Book that seems to fit.

It seems to me that the rules for sessions of a standing committee are the same as those for an assembly. Unless the organization's rules provide otherwise or the committee has established an adjourned meeting, each meeting is a separate session.

It looks like the motion to Reconsider works the same for standing and special committees (p. 329). Is the reason why this motion has no time limit in committees due to all meetings being one session?

If it was intended for the rule on pg. 500 to apply to all committees, it would say that. It also seems extremely unlikely that it was intended for a single session to continue for decades or even centuries.

I suspect the reason Reconsider works the way it does in committees has to do with the fact that, generally speaking, the committee is not making the final decision.

[Dan Honemann]

It looks like the motion to Reconsider works the same for standing and special committees (p. 329). Is the reason why this motion has no time limit in committees due to all meetings being one session?

 

General Robert tells us that the reason why there is no limit as to the time within which motions to reconsider may be made in a committee is because the committee's parent assembly desires the committee's maturest judgment on matters referred to it. (PL, p. 266)

[Gary Novosielski]

Aren't the terms of Standing Committee members coincident with the terms of officers?    I would expect that a "session" of a standing committee would end when a portion (or all) of its membership is replaced/reappointed.  But I have not succeeded in finding a reference to support that.

[George Mervosh]

Aren't the terms of Standing Committee members coincident with the terms of officers?    I would expect that a "session" of a standing committee would end when a portion (or all) of its membership is replaced/reappointed.  But I have not succeeded in finding a reference to support that.

 

The book spells out the difference regarding all of the meetings of a special committees and makes no mention of a session of a standing committee, therefore I agree with Josh in post #5 that the rules are the same regarding a standing committee and regular assembly when it comes to a session.