Guest Lisa Shepherd Posted January 22, 2019 at 12:46 PM Report Share Posted January 22, 2019 at 12:46 PM If an agenda has a few items listed as "discussion items," may a member rise to make a motion during the discussion of a subject? For instance, if the agenda says "discussion of Office lease," may a member rise to move a motion regarding the lease? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstackpo Posted January 22, 2019 at 01:04 PM Report Share Posted January 22, 2019 at 01:04 PM A "discussion item" is properly introduced by making a motion to undertake some action, express an opinion, &c, otherwise you don't know what you are discussing, and the conversations can quickly go off the rails. (Page 34, lines 7-9 and line 32ff) So it looks as though your agenda-writer has things backwards. Motion first, discussion afterward, as Alice would have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadamMember Posted January 22, 2019 at 01:10 PM Report Share Posted January 22, 2019 at 01:10 PM Understood. Still asking the question. Can a person rise to make a motion during a discussion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstackpo Posted January 22, 2019 at 01:19 PM Report Share Posted January 22, 2019 at 01:19 PM The time to straighten things out is when the agenda is first presented. That is when you could move to have a specific proposal replace the "discussion item" (be sure you, or someone, articulates the proposal/motion) before the agenda is accepted. Then there will be no question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Katz Posted January 22, 2019 at 05:21 PM Report Share Posted January 22, 2019 at 05:21 PM 4 hours ago, MadamMember said: Understood. Still asking the question. Can a person rise to make a motion during a discussion? The only time discussion should be happening is if a motion was already made, so main motions would be out of order at that point. However, if your organization has gone off the reservation and is having discussion without a motion, then sure, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Mervosh Posted January 22, 2019 at 05:34 PM Report Share Posted January 22, 2019 at 05:34 PM (edited) This may be a small board where discussion often times occurs without a motion or precedes a motion, but even if it is a regular assembly that has gone off the rails, as Mr. Katz suggests, if the motion does not require previous notice, how can the answer be, no? Edited January 23, 2019 at 02:13 PM by George Mervosh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted January 23, 2019 at 12:29 AM Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 at 12:29 AM 11 hours ago, Guest Lisa Shepherd said: If an agenda has a few items listed as "discussion items," may a member rise to make a motion during the discussion of a subject? For instance, if the agenda says "discussion of Office lease," may a member rise to move a motion regarding the lease? Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadamMember Posted January 23, 2019 at 11:04 AM Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 at 11:04 AM This is an interesting topic. If members asked to have a discussion, wouldn't it be okay to have a motion arise out of the discussion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstackpo Posted January 23, 2019 at 02:23 PM Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 at 02:23 PM Far, FAR, better to insist that the members first propose an actual motion to be the subject of the "discussion" and the eventual disposition of the motion. If the member really doesn't know for sure just what he has in mind (it happens!) ask him to move something related to his thoughts. You can always defeat the motion if things don't work out rationally. That way there will be no ambiguity as to whether "discussion" is limited to discussion only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Katz Posted January 23, 2019 at 02:26 PM Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 at 02:26 PM Well, so far as I can tell, once you've gotten there, there's not many other options. But the point is that the members have no need to ask to have a discussion about, say, painting the clubhouse, and what color it should be painted. Instead, a member can move to paint it blue. If someone wants it painted, but not blue, he can move to amend. In this way, the body is faced at each point with discussion on a narrow, binary question, which focuses debate and avoids circular discussions and the situation where people seek recognition but do not respond in a meaningful way to previous comments. If the organization is not prepared to make a decision, it can refer or postpone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadamMember Posted January 23, 2019 at 06:55 PM Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 at 06:55 PM When can a member rise to make a motion about something that is not on the agenda? Thank you, everyone, for your replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted January 23, 2019 at 07:03 PM Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 at 07:03 PM On 1/22/2019 at 8:10 AM, MadamMember said: Understood. Still asking the question. Can a person rise to make a motion during a discussion? Also understood, but if the rules in RONR apply there would be no discussion without a motion, so this situation would not be covered. All I can say is that there is no rule in RONR that would prohibit seeking recognition for the purpose of making a motion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted January 23, 2019 at 07:04 PM Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 at 07:04 PM 7 minutes ago, MadamMember said: When can a member rise to make a motion about something that is not on the agenda? Here is the rule from page 33 of RONR: "MAKING A MOTION. To make a main motion, a member must obtain the floor, as explained above, when no other question is pending and when business of the kind represented by the motion is in order." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted January 23, 2019 at 07:05 PM Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 at 07:05 PM 10 minutes ago, MadamMember said: When can a member rise to make a motion about something that is not on the agenda? Thank you, everyone, for your replies. When other items on the agenda have been completed, or under New Business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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