Table an amendment

[Guest K. Drye]

During a church meeting, a member asked to "table" a recommended revision of the Bylaws.  The majority ruled in favor of putting it on the table. Can a "Special Meeting" be called to take the revision off the table, and further discuss,  or must it wait until the next annual  "Business" meeting?

[Transpower]

"Lay on the Table" would be the correct motion.   Usually an amendment to the Bylaws requires notice.  Yes, a Special Meeting could be called to take from the table--there is no need to wait for the next annual meeting.  Again, there needs to be proper notice.

 

[Richard Brown]

21 minutes ago, Guest K. Drye said:

During a church meeting, a member asked to "table" a recommended revision of the Bylaws.  The majority ruled in favor of putting it on the table. Can a "Special Meeting" be called to take the revision off the table, and further discuss,  or must it wait until the next annual  "Business" meeting?

Yes, It is possible to call a special meeting for the purpose of considering the motion which was laid on the table. However, that special meeting must be held before the next regular meeting and must be held within a quarterly time interval.

The matter which was laid on the table cannot be taken up at the next annual meeting because anything laid on the table dies if it is not taken from the table by the next meeting occurring within a quarterly time interval. The next annual meeting will almost certainly not fall within that interval. The motion would have died by the time of the next annual meeting.

Edited to add: My comment above is assuming that the motion was laid on the table at an annual meeting. However, upon rereading the post, it does not say that that meeting was an annual meeting. If it was not an annual meeting, then the motion which was laid on the table may be taken from the table at the next annual meeting provided that meeting occurs within a quarterly time interval and further provided that it is the next meeting and that there are no intervening meetings.

Edited February 5, 2021 at 04:02 PM by Richard Brown
Added last paragraph

[Josh Martin]

59 minutes ago, Guest K. Drye said:

During a church meeting, a member asked to "table" a recommended revision of the Bylaws.  The majority ruled in favor of putting it on the table. Can a "Special Meeting" be called to take the revision off the table, and further discuss,  or must it wait until the next annual  "Business" meeting?

I concur with my colleagues regarding the appropriate procedure at this time, although I would note for future reference that the motion to Lay on the Table was most likely misused. This motion is used to set aside a motion in order to take up some other urgent business. See FAQ #12 and FAQ #13 for more information.

[Dan Honemann]

Just to be clear, if a motion that was laid on the table remains on the table at the adjournment of a session and the next regular session will not be held within a quarterly time interval, the motion remaining on the table dies at the time of adjournment. It cannot be taken from the table at a special meeting called for that purpose even if such a meeting is called within a quarterly time interval.  See RONR (12th ed.) 21:7 (c), 34:3.

[Rob Elsman]

In no case would the motion be carried over to the next (annual) business meeting; however, the main motion could be renewed.

[Richard Brown]

14 minutes ago, Rob Elsman said:

In no case would the motion be carried over to the next (annual) business meeting; however, the main motion could be renewed.

That’s not necessarily true. If the next annual meeting is just a regular monthly meeting which is called the annual meeting because that’s when they elect officers, and if it occurs within a quarterly time interval. Then the motion could be laid on the table at the first meeting and removed from the table at the annual meeting.