Competing Amendments

[Guest Laser158689]

How do you handle multiple competing amendments on a main motion from different committees?

whichever comes up first?  some other method?
 

Does that then give the presiding officer the opportunity to favor a given process/sequence?

[Atul Kapur]

Generally, whoever is recognized first to speak.

Depending on the nature of the amendments, the device Creating and Filling a Blank may be helpful. Say that you're looking at setting the dues or fees, or choosing a location or activity. 

If you wish to provide more details about the motion and the anticipated amendments, you may get more specific advice. 

[laser158689]

My Town's legislative body does things in a unique, but practical, manner that doesn't always match RONR.

Our standing committees often have overlapping responsibilities, and each is automatically assigned the same items that will come before the body, eg buying property for a park would involve Budget, Finance, Land Use, P&R and maybe more committees.

As a result, they report on the item when it comes up rather than covering multiple items in a single report in the standard order of business.  Often those reports are ordered based on which chair is closest to the podium.  Once they all report, we consider their motions, in order of precedence.

This month, there are multiple overlapping & conflicting items.  There are multiple known amendments for the one that will come up first.  When it comes up, there's a "first mover" advantage (or at least the first mover could be very limiting on what happens next.)

Yes, our non-conforming practices put us in this situation.

 

[Rob Elsman]

On 1/12/2024 at 1:38 PM, laser158689 said:

Yes, our non-conforming practices put us in this situation.

Yes, they did.

Edited January 12, 2024 at 08:11 PM by Rob Elsman

[Gary Novosielski]

On 1/12/2024 at 2:38 PM, laser158689 said:

My Town's legislative body does things in a unique, but practical, manner that doesn't always match RONR.

Our standing committees often have overlapping responsibilities, and each is automatically assigned the same items that will come before the body, eg buying property for a park would involve Budget, Finance, Land Use, P&R and maybe more committees.

As a result, they report on the item when it comes up rather than covering multiple items in a single report in the standard order of business.  Often those reports are ordered based on which chair is closest to the podium.  Once they all report, we consider their motions, in order of precedence.

This month, there are multiple overlapping & conflicting items.  There are multiple known amendments for the one that will come up first.  When it comes up, there's a "first mover" advantage (or at least the first mover could be very limiting on what happens next.)

Yes, our non-conforming practices put us in this situation.

RONR mercifully does not contain a chapter entitled I Told You So.

[Rob Elsman]

On 1/12/2024 at 4:05 PM, Gary Novosielski said:

RONR mercifully does not contain a chapter entitled I Told You So.

That's what we're for. 😄

[laser158689]

I don't know when these practices developed in the 90+ years the body has been meeting, and generally, they are easier for the 230 members to follow when handling 20+ items every meeting.

It does have some "traps and gaps", though!

[Gary Novosielski]

On 1/12/2024 at 6:35 PM, laser158689 said:

I don't know when these practices developed in the 90+ years the body has been meeting, and generally, they are easier for the 230 members to follow when handling 20+ items every meeting.

They would have been well advised to adopt Robert's Rules of Order Revised (ROR), 4th edition, ©1915, as their parliamentary authority