Leading The Way With Parliamentary Procedure University of North Carolina Staff Assembly Executive Committee Retreat August 1, 2011 Parliamentary Procedure was established by Henry Martyn Robert
Present Provide Review Relevant Information about Parliamentary Rules An Overview of the Parliamentary Process Parliamentary Rules and Processes Through Interactive Activities
Bylaws and Charter Procedures Manual Campus Organization Bylaws Robert s Rules of Order
UNC Staff Assembly Bylaws should supersede local campus organization bylaws. Local Campus organization bylaws must never be or should never be in conflict with the UNC Staff Assembly Constitution and Bylaws. Local Campus organization bylaws should be designed to provide clarification and additional details around matters of interest to the local campus organization. Local campus bylaws should be written to address broadbased issues which impact the greatest cross section of campus staff members. Areas of narrow concern should be avoided.
Robert s Rules provides for constructive and democratic meetings, to help, not hinder, the business of the assembly. Under no circumstances should undue strictness be allowed to intimidate Members or limit full participation.
Purpose Order Rights Decision Enable delegates to work together effectively Help accomplish meeting purpose Assist meeting & not inhibit Meeting can deal with one matter at a time Various kinds of motions Motions handled by precedence All delegates have equal rights, privileges & obligations Presiding delegate is responsible for ensuring all delegates are treated equally Majority decides an issue. Delegates agree to be governed by the majority Parliamentary rules enable meeting to determine the will of majority Minority Rights Discussion Explanation Rights of the minority must be protected All delegates have the right to be heard or oppose Every matter should be discussed fully Right of every delegate to speak on an issue is as important as the right to vote Every delegate has the right to understand the meaning of any question Every delegate has the right to request information on any matter
Q u o r u m requirem ents (th e n u m b e r th at m u s t b e p r e s e n t in order to lawfully conduct business) protect the rights of members who are absent by ensuring that a minimum number of members take part in the decision making process. There are certain roles that must be filled during the meeting: namely, the presiding officer, and the scribe. The presiding officer role is most often fulfilled by the Chairman and the role of the scribe is most often filled by the Secretary or Recording Secretary A regular meeting is a periodic meeting of the body. A special meeting is not another regular meeting, but a separate session held at a different time to consider business that is of such urgency that the members must gather at a special time to transact it.
The agenda consists of: Call to order Adoption of the agenda Reading and approval of minutes Reports of officers, standing committees Reports of special committees Unfinished business and general orders New business Adjourn
The secretary s record of the official acts of the assembly is called the minutes of the meeting. Minutes should generally contain what was done at the meeting, not what was said by the members. Some common errors in minutes include: Dispensing with the reading of the minutes which is used to avoid reading them Placing the name of the seconder in the minutes Including discussion (or a summary of the discussion) in the minutes
The budget and finance report is merely an update on the financial condition of the assembly. The assembly does not adopt the budget and finance report; it is merely for information.
Committees are generally appointed to either carry out a task or investigate options. Committee reports should contain the charges given to it by the body, the pertinent information obtained by the committee in its investigation, the conclusions derived from that information, and if the committee desires to make a recommendation, the motion(s) that will be put forth by the committee at the meeting. When a motion comes from a committee, it does not require a second. The principle involved is that at least two people would have agreed to the motion in the committee, so the second is implied. If a committee has only one member, then the second would be a requirement. Once the committee has reported, it is unwise to move to adopt or accept its report. This action would have the effect of putting the assembly on record as in agreement with every word in the report.
Main Motion Used to introduce items to the membership Must yield to subsidiary, privileged and incidental motions Subsidiary Motion Used to change or affect how a main motions is handled Voted on prior to a the main motion Privileged Motions Used to discuss urgent matters Motion on matter unrelated to pending business Incidental Motions Used as a questioning procedure concerning other motions Must be voted upon prior to consideration of motion in question
Ranking of Motions (see Reference Chart): If a main motion is pending, any one of the motions that rank above it can be made and must be processed before consideration of the main motion resumes. For example, the following scenario is possible: A main motion is made and seconded. A motion to amend the main motion is made. The motion to amend has a higher rank than the main motion, and thus is in order and becomes the pending question. A motion to send the main motion to a committee is made. The motion to refer has a higher rank than amend, and thus is in order and becomes the pending question.
The unique characteristics of a Motion to Reconsider: Must be made by someone who voted on the prevailing side; Must be made during same meeting or at next convention business meeting; Requires a majority vote, regardless of vote required for motion being reconsidered; Allows debate into merits of the question in addition to merits of reconsideration, if the motion to be reconsidered is debatable; and Once a motion has been reconsidered, it cannot be reconsidered again.
Every member of the assembly has the right to speak once on every debatable motion. A person may also speak a second time to the same motion, but only if no one wishes to speak who has not yet spoken. This preference in recognition is important if the assembly is going to get a balanced viewpoint. There are a few times when the content of a speech can be controlled by the chair. The debate must be germane to the pending motion. For example, if the pending motion is an amendment, it is a rule of decorum that the speakers must only speak about the amendment and not about the motion to which it applies. The purpose of this rule is to provide focus and avoid confusion. The audience must remain silent during debate.
Speakers must: Address all remarks through the chair. The chair must remain in control of the floor, and speakers should avoid cross talk to allow the chair to maintain order. Refrain from speaking against one s own motion. Logic would dictate that a member should not propose something to an assembly to which he is opposed. To propose a motion and then urge the assembly to reject it, is either a waste of the assembly s time or an abuse of a representative relationship with a constituency.
All members have the right to vote on each question, unless otherwise limited in the bylaws. During the meeting, it is important for the presiding officer to maintain an impartial manner. When should the presiding officer vote? The presiding officer can always vote when the vote is by ballot. The presiding officer can vote when one vote would affect the result, such as to create a tie and defeat a motion, or break a tie to adopt a motion, or to create or defeat a twothirds vote. The chair should not ever vote if the vote will not affect he result, since no purpose is served except to destroy the presiding officer s appearance of impartiality. Robert s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 10th Ed. disallows the practice of proxy voting because it violates the fundamental concept of one person, one vote in the deliberative assembly.
The chair will say: Are you ready for the question? If no one rises to claim the floor, the chair proceeds to take the vote. The chair says: The question is on the adoption of the motion that (state the motion) As many as are in favor say Aye. (Pause for response.) Those opposed, say Nay. (Pause for response.) The chair announces the result of the vote by one of the following statements: The ayes have it, the motion is adopted, and (indicating the effect of the vote), or The nays have it, and the motion is lost.
In order to facilitate all meetings, various motions can be made. The main motion is the basis of all parliamentary procedure. All business to be discussed, debated or decided is introduced by a main motion. All motions must be directed at the presiding chair. In order to make a motion, a Delegate must stand, address the chair and identify him/herself as if he/she were in a large assembly. Once recognized by the chair, the motion can be brought before the assembly by saying: I move that (or to) This motion must be seconded by another delegate. The chair will then state the motion: It is moved and seconded that. Are you ready for the question?
Subsidiary motions are those that may be applied to another motion for the purpose of modifying it, delaying action on it, or disposing of it. In addition, there are also privileged motions which are motions that are unrelated to the current motion, but are of such urgency or importance that they are considered immediately. These motions are related to members, the organization, and meeting procedure rather than the item of business being considered. The main motion, subsidiary motions, and privileged motions all have rank relative to one another. Incidental motions are motions that are related to, or incidental to, the business of being considered, but do not directly modify the pending motion.
Strengthen the U by using Parliamentary Procedures for more proficient meetings!! Remember to: Make motions that are in order Obtain the floor properly Speak clearly Obey rules of Debate BE COURTEOUS