Parliamentarian

[Guest txcrittermom@gmail.com]

I am needing to verify the role and duties of a Parliamentarian.  I am not understanding if the position if elected or appointed.  Is the Parliamentarian a voting member of the Board?   The position is primarily an advisor to the President?  What are some of the other responsibilities? Prepares the agenda and minutes? Usually our President prepares the agenda and I (Secretary)    Writing a script for the President for meetings?  Please help, some of our members are wanting a Parliamentarian with more duties than those mentioned in the latest Robert's Rules of Order.

[J. J.]

The parliamentarian under RONR (and most other authorities) is appointed by the chair and advises the chair (47:48).  He is not a member of the board unless the bylaws make him so.  See RONR 47:49-49:50. 

[Weldon Merritt]

On 2/25/2023 at 6:11 PM, J. J. said:

He is not a member of the board unless the bylaws make him so. 

Although the bylaws may, and \often do, specify that he is to attend board meetings as an advisor. But that still does not make him a member.

Edited February 26, 2023 at 04:26 AM by Weldon Merritt
Typoscorrected.

[Josh Martin]

On 2/25/2023 at 5:21 PM, Guest *****@*****.tld said:

I am not understanding if the position if elected or appointed.

RONR advises that the parliamentarian should be appointed by the chair. If your bylaws have their own rules concerning this matter, however, those rules would take precedence.

On 2/25/2023 at 5:21 PM, Guest *****@*****.tld said:

Is the Parliamentarian a voting member of the Board?

Only if your bylaws so provide. Generally, I would not advise this.

On 2/25/2023 at 5:21 PM, Guest *****@*****.tld said:

The position is primarily an advisor to the President?

Yes. (Technically, the parliamentarian is an advisor to the chair, but generally the President is also the chair, unless the President is absent.)

On 2/25/2023 at 5:21 PM, Guest *****@*****.tld said:

What are some of the other responsibilities?

See RONR (12th ed.) 47:46-55 for more information, but generally, the duties of the parliamentarian would include advising the chair (and others, when requested by the chair) regarding parliamentary procedure and the organization's rules. The parliamentarian is also often tasked with assisting in revising the organization's rules when this is necessary. In a large convention, the parliamentarian may have more expansive duties, in which the parliamentarian often assists the board and the convention committees with preparation for the convention. See RONR (12th ed.) 59:9. As you suggest, drafting a script for the presiding officer is also a duty often performed by the parliamentarian.

On 2/25/2023 at 5:21 PM, Guest *****@*****.tld said:

Prepares the agenda and minutes?

Who prepares a draft agenda tends to vary from society to society, but my experience is that this is generally a task performed by the President and/or the Secretary, not the parliamentarian. Preparing the minutes is the duty of the Secretary. The parliamentarian certainly may be consulted on either or both of these matters if there are questions.

On 2/25/2023 at 5:21 PM, Guest *****@*****.tld said:

Writing a script for the President for meetings?

Yes, this is a duty parliamentarians sometimes perform.

On 2/25/2023 at 5:21 PM, Guest *****@*****.tld said:

Please help, some of our members are wanting a Parliamentarian with more duties than those mentioned in the latest Robert's Rules of Order.

The organization is ultimately free to adopt additional duties for the parliamentarian if it wishes to do so, but it would be desirable to ensure that such additional duties do not conflict with the parliamentarian's primary role as an impartial advisor on parliamentary procedure and/or conflict with the duties of other officers.

What other duties do members have in mind?

Edited February 26, 2023 at 04:49 PM by Josh Martin