A Deep Dive into Week Five!

Welcome to a review of week five! This week we talked a lot about voting and motions! 

Beginning with a review, what are the five methods of voting that were discussed in the lecture and last week's blog?

🔹Precedence - refers to right of order and consideration of one motion over another, or the priority of a motion

Order of Precedence:                            

Privileged Motions:  

                           Fix Time to Which to Adjourn

Adjourn         

Recess           

            Question of Privilege

                          Call for the Orders of the Day

Subsidiary Motions:  

     Lay on the Table

                    Call for Previous Question

                            Limit/Extend Limits of Debate

          Postpone Definitely

             Refer to a Committee

Amend          

              Postpone Indefinitely 

Main Motion           

                                    Motions that Bring Matter Back Before the Assembly                

          Take from the Table

Reconsider   

Rescind        

Original and Incidental Main Motions:

🔹 Original Main Motion - Introduces a new subject of substantive matter

🔹Incidental Main Motion - Proposes action or a procedure incidental to, or related to the business of an assembly or its past or future actions     

      *Most closely correspond to secondary         motions 

Four Classes of Secondary Motions:

🐣  Privileged Motions 

🐣  Incidental Motions

🐣  Subsidiary Motions

🐣  Motions that Bring Matter Back Before the Assembly

8 Standard Characteristics of all Motions:

Second - is the motion secondable? 

Amend - is the motion amendable?

Debate - is the motion debatable?

Majority - is there a vote? if so is it a majority vote or 2/3?

Reconsider - can the motion be reconsidered? 

Interrupt - can this motion be made while somebody else has the floor?

Precedence - where does this motion rank?

Applicability - to what can this motion be applied to?

Presenting a Main Motion:

   🌵Step 1: Member Rises and Addresses the Chair

   🌵Step 2: Chair Recognizes the Member

   🍄Step 1: Member Makes a Motion

   🍄Step 2: Another Member Seconds the Motion

   🍄Step 3: Chair Restates the Motion

   🍄Step 4: Members Debate (if Debatable) 

    🍄Step 5: Chair Puts Questions & Members Vote

   🍄Step 6: Chair Announces Results of Vote

🌵 Two Steps to Obtaining the Floor 🌵

🍄 Six Steps to Making a Motion 🍄

Thank you for sticking with us! We did cover the subsidiary motions in class this week, but I wanted to do a separate blog for them! Check back in soon!! 

Four Score and Eleven Weeks to Go!

Welcome to week four where we are still discussing bylaws (😨), but we have also moved into another topic, voting and debate (😁). This is exciting news, because this means that we are one step closer to my all-time favorite topic, motions (😂)!!!!  Here's what happened this week!

Bylaws:

Amending Bylaws; A Surprisingly Simple Saga
1. Notice is Given
           ⤔ At any regular business meeting before the chairman declares the meeting adjourned
           ⤔ Typically under "New Business"
           ⤔ Bylaws committee can give notice under "Reports of Committees"
2. The Motion to Amend the Bylaws is Handled
           ⤔ This is an Incidental Main Motion
           ⤔ If presented under "New Business," requires a second, is debatable, and requires a 2/3 vote
           ⤔ If presented under "Reports of Committees," is debatable and requires a 2/3 vote
3. The Motion Goes Into Effect.....
           ⤔ Immediately
           ⤔ Unless specified in the motion to amend the bylaws
           ⤔ Or if the assembly specifies another time, votes upon it, and passes it with a majority vote

Revising the Bylaws: A Complicated Saga
          ⟿ This involves re-writing bylaws in their entirety
          ⟿ A committee is appointed to write these new bylaws
          ⟿ The revision is discussed, seriatim (Describe what this means in the comments for a prize!)
            ⟿ Each part is opened for debate and amendment
          ⟿ The entire document is then put forth to a vote
          ⟿ Adoption requires a 2/3 affirmative vote

Bylaws: The End

Debate:

Debate Decorum: 

         ⭃ Remarks must be germane to the question at hand

         ⭃ Remarks may not attack the motives of another member

         ⭃ All remarks must go through the chair - cannot call other members out 

         ⭃ Must avoid the use of member's names

         ⭃ Refrain from speaking adversely on a prior matter

         ⭃ Refrain from speaking against one's own motion

         ⭃ Refrain from disturbing the assembly

         ⭃ If the chair interrupts, be seated

Chair's Debate:

         ⭃ Should remain impartial

         ⭃ During debate, must relinquish position

         ⭃ Cannot return to chair until question has been disposed of

               *None of the above pertain to the motion to appeal*

Voting:

Types of Votes:

         ⤳ Majority 

         ⤳ Two-Thirds 

         ⤳ Plurality

         ⤳ Unanimity 

         ⤳ Absentee Voting ⤳ Prohibited unless Bylaws allow

Methods of Voting: 

         ⤿ Voice Vote - (Viva Voce Vote)

         ⤿ Show of Hands

         ⤿ Ballot - Requires Tellers

         ⤿ Rising

Voting Rights: 

        ⤨ Right of the chair to vote 

        ⤨ Right for a member to abstain

        ⤨ No right to explain the vote

        ⤨ Right for a member to change their vote

That's all folks! Thank you for sticking with us this far! This blog has a lot of dense material, so if there are questions or words you would like to see defined, drop them below ⬇! Stay tuned for motions next week! 

Wednesday Words of the Day!

Welcome back to this week's Wednesday Words of the Day! As a reminder, just about every Wednesday, I will post a list of words that students picked out throughout the week, including words that they had no idea about or words that they thought were important and would appear in the future. The definitions of these words are the definitions that students found in Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised (RONR), 11th Edition, or definitions that they derived from both RONR and their knowledge of the topic.

Majority - more than half of all members, members present, or votes cast. RONR (11th ed.) p. 5

Quorum - the number of members who must be present in order that business may be validly transacted. RONR (11th ed.) p. 345

Germane - closely related to or having bearing on the subject. RONR (11th ed.) p. 131

Hope you join next week! As always, if you have more words you would like to see defined, or words that you think are important, add them below!

Neat Article With Parli Involved

Parli News Article

Let's See Week Three!

Here's a peek at week three! This week, we really, really learned about bylaws!

Articles Generally Included in the Bylaws 

(NO MOME C PA):

*The Basics

I. Name
     1. Full, exact, properly punctuated name of the organization
II. Object
     1. Purpose of the organization, in one sentence if possible, with subparagraphs if needed
     2. Sets limitations on what can be discussed at business meetings
III. Members
     1. Classes of membership
     2. Qualifications for membership eligibility
     3. Fees, dues, and punishments regarding such
     4. Special requirements for good standing
     5. Honorary membership
IV. Officers
     1. Required officers
     2. Qualifications
     3. Election/appointment method
     4. Duties
     5. Nomination process
     6. Term
     7. Filling vacancies
V. Meeting
     1. Regular meeting schedule
     2. Designated annual meeting
     3. How to call special meetings
     4. Quorum
VI. Executive Board
     1. Composition
     2. Powers
     3. Rules regarding meeting conduct, schedule, quorum, call
VII. Committees
     1. Establishing standing committees
     2. Name, composition, selection of each standing committee
     3. How to establish additional standing committees
     4. Authorization of and how to appointment special committees
     5. Ex-oficio membership
VIII. Parliamentary Authority
     1. "The rules contained in the current edition of...(Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised)...shall             govern the Society in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not                           inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order that the Society may adopt."
XI. Amendments
     1. Requirements and procedure
     2. Specification as to when amendments can be made

What are the four actions a member can take if a quorum does not exist?

The Orders and Unfinished Business:

Special Orders:

          ~ Items required by bylaws to be carried out at a specific meeting
          ~ Items postponed from the previous meeting by a 2/3 vote
          ~ May be considered at a specific time and may interrupt business

General Orders: 

          ~ Items postponed from the last meeting

Unfinished Business: 

          ~ Items pending when the last meeting adjourned
          ~ Items on the agenda from the last meeting but not completed 

Changes to the Bylaws:

Cannot be suspended except for clauses in the rules of order or as specified within the bylaws
Can be changed only through prescribed procedure (which typically involves previous notice and a 2/3 vote)

Qualities of the Bylaws:

Should:

1.  Be short and sweet
2.     Meet the needs of the society 
3.           Be clear and precise 
4.           Not  be  restrictive - "silence is still saying something" 
5.      Be separated into articles, sections, and paragraphs
6.  Utilize Roman Numerals, Arabic Numbers, and Alphabetic Letters (Upper and Lowercase)

Thank you for sticking with us this long! Next week will be discussing debating and voting (some of my personal favorite parts)!

Assemblies. The basics.

A group of people that come together to conduct business is what is known as a deliberative assembly. It is important to realize that there are different kinds of assembly that can be established in order to conduct business. Mass meetings, organizations, legislative assemblies, boards, and conventions. All of these have some form of members and every member has four rights these are:
1.)The right to attend
2.) The right to vote
3.) The right to debate
4.) The right to make motions
When a group is established they have to choose a parliamentary authority which will be recorded within their by laws. There are many types of parliamentary authorities to choose from, the most popular one being Roberts Rules of order newly revised (RONR).

The rules of whatever authority the assembly chooses is what they will base their rules off of. This can be changed however if they choose to have special rules of order which is usually something adopted from a different authority rather than the one being used. You can find what authority is being used in the by laws of the assembly.

When a meeting is being conducted there are four main principles that keep the meeting orderly and increases efficiency.
1.) focus on one item at a time

• It’s important to keep conversations germane, so that what you are trying to accomplish does not get confused in the mix with other items of business.

2.) extend courtesy to everyone
3.)observe the rule of majority
4.) protect the rights of the minority.

There are also 10 basic rules of parliamentary procedure these are:

1.  The rights of an organizations supersede the rights of an individual members
2.  All members are equal and their rates are equal 
3.  A quorum must be present to do business 
4.  The majority rules 
5.  Silence is consent 
6.  2/3rds vote rule
7.  One question at a time; one speaker at a time 
8.  Debatable motions must receive full debate
9.  Once a question is decided, it is not in order to bring up the same motion or one essentially like it at the same meeting 
10.  Personal remarks in debate are always out of order 

  There is a lot to learn about Conducting business, however  if you learn this basic content you have a good foundation to further your exploration in the wonderful world we know as parliamentary procedure .

Week 2 in Review!

If you are reading this, congratulations! You made it to week two of the Fall 2018 #AgEdParli course! If you are reading this and have not seen the "Welcome to #AgEdParli!" or "Wednesday Words of the Week!" blogs, I would strongly encourage you to hop on over and take a look at those blogs to get some prior knowledge! If you have gotten this far and have no idea what Parliamentary Procedure is, you're about to learn, so buckle up! 

This week, we covered some incredibly important topics, including the fundamental rules and basic characteristics of parliamentary procedure. We also discussed the hierarchy of rules, the difference between meeting and session, quorum, and the order of business. 

To begin, there are 4 fundamental rules of parliamentary procedure. 

Numero Uno: Focus on one item at a time.

Nummer Zwei: Extend courtesy to everyone.

Numé Trois: Observe that the majority rules.

Number Four: Respect the minority.

These rules are important to ensure that meetings run efficiently and respectfully.

Next are the 10 basic characteristics!

~A Quorum Must Be Present to Conduct Business

~Rights of the Organization > Rights of Individual Members

~Once a Motion is Decided, it, or one Like it May Not Be Brought Up at the Same Meeting

~Debatable Motions Must Receive Full Debate

~Majority (rocks and) Rules

~Personal Remarks are Always Out of Order

~One Question, One Speaker at a Time

~All Members and Their Rights are Equal

~Silence=Consent

~2/3 Vote Rule

Hierarchy of Rules:

Federal, State, Local Statute

Corporate Charter or Articles of Incorporation

Parent Organization Charter or Bylaws

Bylaws or Constitution

Special Rules of Order

Rules of Order

Standing Rules

Job Descriptions

Policy Manual

Custom (Unwritten Procedure)                                                                                                                                      

Weekly Wisdom:  

A Session Always Consists of Meetings

But

Every Meeting is not Part of a Session

*Can someone comment below what the 7 types of meetings are? 

Order of Business: 

Reading and Approval of Minutes
Reports of Officers and Standing Committees

Reports of Special Committees

Special Orders

Unfinished Business

New Business

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week, and bring your scuba gear because we are deep diving into bylaws!