Non-binding Agenda

[Guest Sheri McQuinn]

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If a full assembly has not approved an agenda, the agenda is nonbinding. What is the circumstance if items on a non-binding agenda are approved by the assembly?

[jstackpo]

The items are approved.

[Richard Brown]

I agree with jastackpo. There is no requirement in RONR that the agenda actually be adopted (or approved). It has no effect on the validity of the motions adopted or business transacted.

[Josh Martin]

14 hours ago, Guest Sheri McQuinn said:

If a full assembly has not approved an agenda, the agenda is nonbinding. What is the circumstance if items on a non-binding agenda are approved by the assembly?

“In some organizations, it is customary to send each member, in advance of a meeting, an order of business or agenda, with some indication of the matters to be considered under each heading. Such an agenda is often provided for information only, with no intention or practice of submitting it for adoption. Unless a precirculated agenda is formally adopted at the session to which it applies, it is not binding as to detail or order of consideration, other than as it lists preexisting orders of the day (pp. 364ff.) or conforms to the standard order of business (pp. 25–26, 353ff.) or an order of business prescribed by the rules of the organization (pp. 16, 25).” (RONR, 11th ed., pg. 372)

“In organizations that have adopted this book as parliamentary authority and that have not adopted a special order of business, this series of headings is the prescribed order of business for regular meetings, unless the periods intervening between consecutive regular meetings are usually more than a quarterly time interval (see pp. 89–90).” (RONR, 11th ed., pg. 353)

It may well be that the agenda conformed to the standard order of business anyway, in which event it was still the proper order to follow. Even if this were not the case, however, when the chair deviated from the agenda, a member would have to raise a Call for the Orders of the Day at that time. At this point, the fact that the items may have been considered out of order has no bearing on their validity.