Motion on reports

[Guest Myrna Logan]

There is a debate at our organization on whether or not we need to have motions on treasurers and directors reports being accepted or if they are just presented for information. Minutes I think need a motion to be accepted as presented or amended - I know this seems simple but sometimes it's the simple things....

[Rob Elsman]

There is a debate at our organization on whether or not we need to have motions on treasurers and directors reports being accepted or if they are just presented for information. Minutes I think need a motion to be accepted as presented or amended - I know this seems simple but sometimes it's the simple things....

Reports of officers, boards, and committees do not require further action by the assembly if they are for information only and do not contain recommendations. In these cases, after the report has been presented, the chairman just instructs the secretary to place the report on file, if it was written. See RONR (10th ed.), p. 507.

[Tim Wynn]

There is a debate at our organization on whether or not we need to have motions on treasurers and directors reports being accepted or if they are just presented for information.

You would not accept or adopt such reports, unless the intention was to have every word of the report be the official position of the organization. This is uncommon. Most of these reports will be for information. Occasionally, they will include a recommendation, and when that happens, the reporting officer should not move the adoption of the recommendation. Another member should. See RONR(10th ed.), p. 461, l. 22-25; p. 459, l. 14-30.

Minutes I think need a motion to be accepted as presented or amended

Minutes do not require a motion to be approved; they are approved "as corrected" or "as read." See RONR(10th ed.), p.343, l. 10 - p. 344, l. 18.

- I know this seems simple but sometimes it's the simple things....

It's quite often the little things.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

... whether or not we need to have motions on treasurers and directors reports being accepted or if they are just presented for information.

No.

It is incorrect to have a person stand up, and give a committee report, sit down, and THEN (!) have some other ignorant member make a motion, "I move that the report be accepted."

Reports are presented, and then filed with the secretary (for safe keeping in the archives). - Automatically. - No motion is necessary or proper.

Exceptions? - Yes.

(a.) Motions which ARISE OUT OF A REPORT are moved and adopted, but SEPARATELY from the whole report. The report is presented, and in closing, each recommendation is moved, to be adopted by itself, without the bulk of the text of the report being entertained for adoption.

(b.) Reports which are drafted to be complete and official in a word-for-word basis, like the historian's report on the organization's history, is a rare exception to the rule. In this case, indeed, you would move to accept or adopt 100% of the text of the report.

Minutes I think need a motion to be accepted as presented or amended - I know this seems simple but sometimes it's the simple things....

Nope. Not for reports.

Remember, you don't put any text of any report into the minutes, except for a few, short, SHORT oral presentations, like maybe the simplest of treasurer's reports (e.g., where the report consists of two or three elements, like income, cash-on-hand, and expenditures, since last meeting).

Reports are FILED with other reports. Reports, with a few exceptions, do not themselves go into the minutes.

[Gary Novosielski]

There is a debate at our organization on whether or not we need to have motions on treasurers and directors reports being accepted or if they are just presented for information. Minutes I think need a motion to be accepted as presented or amended - I know this seems simple but sometimes it's the simple things....

No you do not need motions to accept reports!

And be very careful that you do not "accept" a report unless you know what that means. If the report contains any motions or recommendations, then "accepting" it means adopting everything in it as though it was moved and debated as individual motions.

Is that what you thought accept meant? Probably not.

Minutes aren't "accepted", they are "approved", and usually by unanimous consent, not a motion.

[David A Foulkes]

No.

It is incorrect to have a person stand up, and give a committee report, sit down, and THEN (!) have some other ignorant member make a motion

Ouch. How does this help Myrna? Couldn't you find a better way? Sheesh.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

Couldn't you find a better way? Sheesh.

The better word would have been "nescient".

ne·scient\-sh(ē-)ənt, -sē-ənt\

adjective

1: lacking of knowledge or awareness : ignorant

Example of noun form NESCIENCE

1. <the appalling nescience of today's high schoolers concerning international affairs>

Origin

Late Latin nescientia, from Latin nescient-, nesciens, present participle of nescire not to know, from ne- not + scire to know

but those high-falutin' $5 words are so rarely used that nobody woulda knowed it.

[David A Foulkes]

The better word would have been "nescient".

No, the better word would have been

[Guest Myrna Logan]

There is a debate at our organization on whether or not we need to have motions on treasurers and directors reports being accepted or if they are just presented for information. Minutes I think need a motion to be accepted as presented or amended - I know this seems simple but sometimes it's the simple things....

[Guest Myrna Logan]

Thanks so much for your help - I have printed out all of the replies and will take to my next meeting, I am so glad to now have the evidence to not have to have every report voted on!!! Thanks

Myrna Logan