A Quick Look at Parliamentary Procedure Brian Kelleher, Board of Directors Former Secondary National President Former State President, DE

 Opening  Reading/Approval of Minutes  Treasurer’s Report  Committee Reports  Old Business  New Business  Closing

 Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, Tenth Edition  Governs meetings  Used by U.S, U.K, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa Governments  Motion = Action

 A member seeks recognition for the floor  Chairman recognizes the member (member obtains the floor)  Member makes a motion  Another member seconds the motion  Chairman states the question  Debate (amendment and secondary motions)  Chairman puts the question to a vote  Chairman announces the result of the vote

 Agenda: sequence of items for a meeting  Amendment: a change proposed in a motion by altering it  Carried: to be adopted or passed  Committee: one or more members appointed or elected to complete a specific task  Discussion: debate that follows after the chair has stated a motion  Floor: the motion is currently being discussed, as in “on the floor”  Minutes: official record of what is done at a meeting

 Motion: a proposal that a certain action should be taken  Out of order: a motion or procedure that violates the rules  Point of information: a request to the chair to obtain information about the business at hand  Point of order: a request to the chair to recognize an infraction in parliamentary procedure  Stating the question: restating of the motion by the chair  Table: to postpone further discussion of a motion, either for a set period of time or indefinitely

 Main Motion – an action motion. Proposing that something be done. ◦ Example: “I move to host an Ice Cream Social.”  Privileged Motion – motions that hold rank over all other motions. ◦ Example: Move to adjourn, raise a question of privilege  Subsidiary Motion – motions applied to main motions. ◦ Example: Amendment, Lay on the Table, Previous Question, Limit, Postpone, Refer  Incidental Motion – motions that can occur once a main motion is presented ◦ Example: Point of Order, Point of Information, Inquiry, Information, Division

 Can the chairman (President) vote?  Should seconds be recorded in minutes?  What is a majority?  What is a quorum?  What happens when it’s a tie?  How long can a member speak in debate?  Should you move to discuss or make an action?

 Motion to hold a dance  Second the motion  Discussion  Amend the main motion  Second the amendment  Call for a vote  Vote