Guest Jacquie Posted May 30, 2018 at 03:19 AM Report Share Posted May 30, 2018 at 03:19 AM The Society I live in has just made a new rule stating ‘A member wishing to introduce new items to an agenda must submit these items to the board in writing at least 30 days before the meeting’. Is it possible to make a motion to suspend this rule with a 2nd and 2/3 of a vote and request the item to be added to the agenda? thanks for your help! Jacquie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atul Kapur Posted May 30, 2018 at 03:40 AM Report Share Posted May 30, 2018 at 03:40 AM (edited) Depending on the details (eg: is this for meetings of the board or the Society as a whole? Is the draft agenda distributed to members some time before the meeting?) it could be argued that this rule effectively requires previous notice for any item that will be discussed at the next meeting. In that case, it would be a rule that protects absentees and therefore could not be suspended when any member is absent. Edited May 30, 2018 at 04:52 AM by Atul Kapur, PRP "Student" re-reading raised some uncertainty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted May 30, 2018 at 01:52 PM Report Share Posted May 30, 2018 at 01:52 PM 10 hours ago, Atul Kapur, PRP "Student" said: Depending on the details (eg: is this for meetings of the board or the Society as a whole? Is the draft agenda distributed to members some time before the meeting?) it could be argued that this rule effectively requires previous notice for any item that will be discussed at the next meeting. In that case, it would be a rule that protects absentees and therefore could not be suspended when any member is absent. Atul's original response, before he amended it, is what prompted me to weigh in. His original response said, in essence, that this rule is a rule protecting absentees and cannot be suspended. The edited version throws in some wiggle room. I'm not at all certain that this rule is a rule protecting absentees. I think we need more information before we can come to that conclusion. In addition to the points Atul raised in the first sentence of his edited post about the type meeting being held and the manner of distributing the agenda, I think we need to know how, when and by whom the agenda is prepared. I can think of... and have actually seen... examples of such rules that were not intended to protect absentees. I also note that the language in RONR on pages 263-264 about a rule protecting absentees makes reference to previous notice of a proposed bylaw amendment but not to other types of motions. I also note that the book appears to be giving examples, not an exhaustive list of rules which protect absentees. All things considered, I think we need more information before we can say that this is a rule protecting absentees and that it cannot be suspended. And I commend Atul for second guessing and editing his original response! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Transpower Posted May 30, 2018 at 02:21 PM Report Share Posted May 30, 2018 at 02:21 PM It appears to me that this rule is a "rule of order" and so it can indeed be suspended by a 2/3 vote. RONR (11th ed.), p. 17, ll. 19-21. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted May 30, 2018 at 06:14 PM Report Share Posted May 30, 2018 at 06:14 PM 14 hours ago, Guest Jacquie said: The Society I live in has just made a new rule stating ‘A member wishing to introduce new items to an agenda must submit these items to the board in writing at least 30 days before the meeting’. Is it possible to make a motion to suspend this rule with a 2nd and 2/3 of a vote and request the item to be added to the agenda? Maybe. What is the intent of this rule? What does the board do with these items after it receives them? For that matter, what does the board do with the agenda? 3 hours ago, Transpower said: It appears to me that this rule is a "rule of order" and so it can indeed be suspended by a 2/3 vote. RONR (11th ed.), p. 17, ll. 19-21. I concur with Mr. Brown that we need more information to definitively say whether this rule may be suspended. Presumably, the board does something after it receives these items. Depending on what that something is, it may well be that the rule protects absentees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. J. Posted May 30, 2018 at 07:35 PM Report Share Posted May 30, 2018 at 07:35 PM While I agree that this is a rule of order, if the board sends out the notice of meetings, it is a rule protecting absentees and cannot be suspended. The board in this case might be similar to a standing committee that is assigned to receive a certain class of business. It does follow that if all business of certain type can be referred automatically to a committee, that something (or everything) can be submitted to a board. A rule requiring something be sent to a committee, or introduced though a committee could be suspended. I would ask Jacquie if the rule was adopted by the membership or imposed by the board. I would also note that it might be possible to amend the rule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Mervosh Posted May 30, 2018 at 08:00 PM Report Share Posted May 30, 2018 at 08:00 PM With so few facts I'm for flipping a coin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Who's Coming to Dinner Posted May 30, 2018 at 09:10 PM Report Share Posted May 30, 2018 at 09:10 PM 17 hours ago, Guest Jacquie said: The Society I live in has just made a new rule stating ‘A member wishing to introduce new items to an agenda must submit these items to the board in writing at least 30 days before the meeting’. Meeting of whom? The board? The society? Who is in charge of this agenda and by what authority? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted May 31, 2018 at 12:50 AM Report Share Posted May 31, 2018 at 12:50 AM (edited) Never mind. Edited May 31, 2018 at 12:57 AM by Chris Harrison Couldn't find how to delete post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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