Procedural Manual Updates

[Guest Adrienne]

Hello,

The chapter's procedural manual needs to be updated to cover our newer processes/practices. Do we need to provide amendment forms and a 60 days notice as with bylaws updates? Under the last administration, the updates were made by the parliamentarian and the new manual was distributed. The procedural manual requires more updates than bylaws, so the 60 days notice for explaining our processes seems excessive. Please advise as I was not able to find this in RRONR 11th edition.

 

Thank you in advance,

Adrienne

 

[jstackpo]

I am guessing here, but it sounds as though your "Procedure Manual" is in essence (and in RONR's terms) a set of Standing Rules. Take a look (again?) at page 18 to see if your manual "fits" the definition on that page.

If it fits, then amending your manual is simply a matter of amending something previously adopted  -  page 305.

[Greg Goodwiller, PRP]

Pending, or course, anything in your own bylaws regarding how the Manual is to be amended.

[Bruce Lages]

Perhaps I'm not quite understanding exactly what your question is. You said "The chapter's procedural manual needs to be updated to cover our newer processes/practices." This sounds to me as if your organization has already made the policy changes ("to cover our newer processes/practices') and you're asking about how to update the language in your procedural manual to reflect these changes. Is that correct? Or are you asking about how to actually propose and adopt motions to change these processes/practices?

[Kim Goldsworthy]

5 hours ago, Guest Adrienne said:

Q. Do we need to provide

   (a.) amendment forms, and

   (b.) a 60 days notice,

as with bylaws updates?

No.

The method of amendment of one's bylaws does not cascade down to the lesser-level rules, like "policies", "standard operating procedures", "office standards", "administrative instructions", etc.

Those administrative (lesser) rules would be deemed "standing rules" under Robert's Rules of Order.

So, the parliamentary rules of "Amend Something Previously Adopted" would apply.

[Richard Brown]

5 minutes ago, Kim Goldsworthy said:

No.

The method of amendment of one's bylaws does not cascade down to the lesser-level rules, like "policies", "standard operating procedures", "office standards", "administrative instructions", etc.

Those administrative (lesser) rules would be deemed "standing rules" under Robert's Rules of Order.

So, the parliamentary rules of "Amend Something Previously Adopted" would apply.

Well, some (or even all ) of these "procedures" might well be in the nature of special rules of order. We don't know. But if they are, amending them would be somewhat more difficult and would require previous notice and a two thirds vote or the vote of a majority of the entire membership.

[Dan Honemann]

Regardless of whether these rules being referred to are standing rules or special rules of order, the rules in RONR (11th ed.) relating to their amendment are found in Section 35 (pp. 305-310).

[Gary Novosielski]

In any case, the changes cannot simply be made by the parliamentarian without a vote¹ of the membership, unless some very unusual provisions are to be found in your existing rules.

__________
¹ Including the opportunity to debate and amend the proposed changes.