Motion

[Sarah]

Is it "legal" to second a motion in writing? I am a member of a National organization and we have had a member propose a bylaw change and has written the proposed motion and sent it to our parliamentarian. Our parliamentarian has instructed her to have someone second it in her home state. I have always thought the second would need to take place at the meeting itself when the motion is read.

Our bylaws do not address this, only the notification to our members of the bylaw change itself.

[Larry Cisar]

Is it "legal" to second a motion in writing? I am a member of a National organization and we have had a member propose a bylaw change and has written the proposed motion and sent it to our parliamentarian. Our parliamentarian has instructed her to have someone second it in her home state. I have always thought the second would need to take place at the meeting itself when the motion is read.

Our bylaws do not address this, only the notification to our members of the bylaw change itself.

Hard to say. What are your requirements for submitting a bylaw amendment?

[Sarah]

Hard to say. What are your requirements for submitting a bylaw amendment?

This is taken from our bylaws:

ARTICLE XVII AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS

Section 1 These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting delegates at the Annual Meeting of the general membership. A forty-five (45) day written notice must be given to the Board of Directors.

[Larry Cisar]

This is taken from our bylaws:

ARTICLE XVII AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS

Section 1 These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting delegates at the Annual Meeting of the general membership. A forty-five (45) day written notice must be given to the Board of Directors.

Given what your bylaws say, it is up to the assembly, not the parliamentarian, to interpret the meaning as to seconding.

[David A Foulkes]

Our parliamentarian has instructed her to have someone second it in her home state.

Ask him why a) the second must be in writing by b ) someone from the home state of the maker of the motion, and to back it up with some proof (governing document of some sort, be it bylaws or state laws or whatever). Maybe he knows something you (and we) don't. But probably not.

[Dan Honemann]

Ask him why a) the second must be in writing by b ) someone from the home state of the maker of the motion, and to back it up with some proof (governing document of some sort, be it bylaws or state laws or whatever). Maybe he knows something you (and we) don't. But probably not.

Perhaps this has something to do with it:

"If required to be in writing, the notice should be signed by two members, who thus serve as mover and seconder." (RONR, 10th ed., p. 577.)

[David A Foulkes]

Perhaps this has something to do with it:

"If required to be in writing, the notice should be signed by two members, who thus serve as mover and seconder." (RONR, 10th ed., p. 577.)

Yes, I can see how that might apply. However, and this difference may be too picky, that citation covers giving notice of amendment, and I read the original post as the motion itself being submitted by the distant member. Might be trying to split a very fine hair here. Nonetheless, I still question the parliamentarians request to have the "second" come from someone in the mover's home state, where in fact there may be no other member of the organization.

Thanks for the education, though. I'm still in the 400's, working my way there.