Bringing up a postponed motion

[Guest James Garrett]

At our next committee meeting we will be bringing up for discussion and a vote an item which was postponed at a previou meeting.  At the previous meeting the item of discussion was brought up on a motion which was properly seconded.  We had some discussion and at one point a delegate made a motion to postpone the motion until the next meeting.  ( that would be the monthly meeting coming next for the committee)  The motion to postpone was discussed and passed by a majority vote.

My question is this:  When the item comes up in old business 1.) Is it the original maker of the main motion who brings up the discussion? and 2.) does the item require a new motion and second or does the previous motion and second still stand?

[Guest Zev]

54 minutes ago, Guest James Garrett said:

The motion to postpone was discussed and passed by a majority vote.

Since it passed by a majority vote its is a general order. Had a specific hour been set then it would have been a general order for that hour. Had it been postponed as a special order it would have required a two-thirds vote and it would have been taken up after reports of special committees.

54 minutes ago, Guest James Garrett said:

When the item comes up in old business ...

The preferred expression is "unfinished business." "Old business" may imply motions that have already been voted on. General orders for non-specific hours are taken up after unfinished business.

54 minutes ago, Guest James Garrett said:

1.) Is it the original maker of the main motion who brings up the discussion?

No. When the moment arrives for its consideration the presiding officer simply announces it as the pending item. If the presiding officer forgets then someone, anyone, can Call For the  Orders Of The Day.

54 minutes ago, Guest James Garrett said:

2.) does the item require a new motion and second or does the previous motion and second still stand?

No new motion or second is needed. The debate simply picks up where it left off. No account is made of the previous number of speeches by members; this is a new session.

[Richard Brown]

I agree with the response by Guest Zev, but I think he made things a bit more complicated than necessary for the purpose of the original question.

Guest James, the postponed motion should be announced by the chair as the pending question when Unfinished Business and General Orders is reached in the order of business.  It really shouldn't be called "old business", but regardless of what your organization calls it, that is time that it should come up and it should be announced by the chair.   If the chair forgets it, someone should  bring it to his attention with a point of order or a call for the orders of the day.  It need not be hyper-technical.  A simple,, "Mr. Chairman, I believe we need to take up the motion postponed from last week" will suffice just fine. Then debate picks up where it left off at the previous meeting. The right to debate is renewed, meaning that each member may again speak twice for up to ten minutes each time, etc.

[George Mervosh]

Committees don't usually follow the standard order of business, and members can speak more than twice.

[Guest Zev]

12 minutes ago, George Mervosh said:

Committees don't usually follow the standard order of business, and members can speak more than twice.

You are absolutely correct; its a committee not the assembly. I realized my mistake as soon after I hit the "Enter" key. Thank you for pointing this out.

[Guest James Garrett]

Gentlemen,  thank you for your responses.  ("Guest Zev" I apologize if I am mistaken on the gender assumption - your picture implies I am not.)

I noticed on our last agenda that portion that dealt with previous pending items was called "unfinished" business - the "old business" must have been me stuck in days of old.  Also, Mr. Mervosh is correct.  We are a committee that tends to have back and forth discussions on an issue before we decide the question.

Again, thank you for your guidance.