Motion to refer later agenda item

[Guest Tommy]

I came across this passage in a book on procedure. It states that someone can make an incidental main motion to refer an agenda item to a committee before the item is taken up. 
 

I can’t find this in RRoO anywhere. Can someone help show me where it says this or explain how this is possible? 

[Josh Martin]

On 2/8/2024 at 9:45 PM, Guest Tommy said:

I came across this passage in a book on procedure.

What book is this?

On 2/8/2024 at 9:45 PM, Guest Tommy said:

It states that someone can make an incidental main motion to refer an agenda item to a committee before the item is taken up. 
 

I can’t find this in RRoO anywhere. Can someone help show me where it says this or explain how this is possible? 

Incidental main motions, generally, are discussed in RONR (12th ed.) 10:4-7. There are incidental main motions which correspond to a secondary motion, but are made while no business is pending. The motion is handled under the rules governing main motions, rather than for the corresponding main motion.

I do not agree, however, with the author's suggestion that the purpose of this is to apply these motions to an order of the day which has not yet been reached. If a member wishes to postpone or commit a motion which has not been taken up, the proper course of action is to take it up, and then apply the appropriate secondary motion. To postpone or refer a motion without taking it up would, in my opinion, require a suspension of the rules.

A better example of an incidental main motion to commit, in my opinion, would be a motion to refer a particular topic or idea (rather than a pending motion or agenda item) to a committee for further study.

I would also note that in RONR, there is no corresponding incidental main motion for Lay on the Table. The purpose of Lay on the Table is to set aside some pending business temporarily in order to take up something else urgent. As such, this motion serves no purpose if no business is pending.

The author is also incorrect in his assertion that "Every motion made while no business is pending must be a main motion of some type." This is not correct. There are motions in RONR which are not main motions even if they are made while no business is pending. The motion to Adjourn, for example, is often a privileged motion even if no business is pending. And many of the incidental motions are (or can be) incidental motions even when no business is pending.

Edited February 9, 2024 at 01:36 PM by Josh Martin

[Rob Elsman]

The incidental motion you are looking for is Suspend the Rules.

The form of the motion would be something like, "I move to suspend the rules that interfere and immediately agree to refer the main motion [...] to the [...]."

The motion would be made when no other motion was pending, and its adoption would require a two-thirds vote.  The details of Suspend the Rules are discussed in RONR (12th ed.) §25.

Edited February 9, 2024 at 02:37 PM by Rob Elsman