CHAPTER
VI

SUBSIDIARY MOTIONS

See 6:3ff. for a list of these motions and a description of their characteristics as a class.

§11. POSTPONE INDEFINITELY

(To drop the main motion without a direct vote on it)

11:1 Postpone Indefinitely is a motion that the assembly decline to take a position on the main question. Its adoption kills the main motion (for the duration of the session) and avoids a direct vote on the question. It is useful in disposing of a badly chosen main motion that cannot be either adopted or expressly rejected without possibly undesirable consequences.

Standard Descriptive Characteristics

11:2 The subsidiary motion to Postpone Indefinitely:

1. Takes precedence over nothing except the main question to which it is applied. It is the lowest-ranking subsidiary motion and yields to all other subsidiary motions, to all privileged motions, and to all applicable incidental motions.

2. Can be applied only to the main question and can therefore be made only while a main question is immediately pending. Motions to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate and for the Previous Question can be applied to it without affecting the main question. It cannot be committed (although the motion to Commit can be made while it is pending; see below). It cannot be definitely postponed or laid on the table alone, but when it is pending, the main question can be definitely postponed or laid on the table, and in such a case, the motion to Postpone Indefinitely is also postponed to the specified time or carried to the table.

3. Is out of order when another has the floor.

4. Must be seconded.

5. Is debatable; and, unlike the case of any other subsidiary motion, debate on the motion to Postpone Indefinitely can go fully into the merits of the main question.

6. Is not amendable.

7. Requires a majority vote.

8. An affirmative vote on the motion to Postpone Indefinitely can be reconsidered.¹ A negative vote on it cannot be reconsidered, and after such a vote this motion cannot be renewed as to the same main motion, for two reasons: (a) by the negative vote on Postpone Indefinitely, the effort to prevent the issue raised by the main motion from coming to a head is already lost; and (b) the opponents of the main motion will be given another chance to kill it by direct rejection when the vote on the main motion is taken.

Further Rules and Explanation

11:3 Effect on the Pending Motion. The effect of postponing a question indefinitely is to suppress it throughout the current session. In a convention or conference consisting of several meetings, the suppression continues throughout the entire series of meetings, and in ordinary societies, throughout the weekly, monthly, or other meeting, as the case may be. Consequently, the adoption of the motion to Postpone Indefinitely is in effect an indirect rejection of the main motion.

11:4 Effect of Referral (of the Main Motion) on a Pending Motion to Postpone Indefinitely. If a main motion is referred to a committee while Postpone Indefinitely is pending, the latter motion is ignored and does not go to the committee, since the adoption of the motion to Commit indicates that the assembly is not in favor of postponing indefinitely.

11:5 Occasional Special Use. The motion to Postpone Indefinitely is sometimes employed by strategists to test their strength on a motion they oppose. Making this motion enables members who have exhausted their right of debate on the main question to speak further because, as explained under Standard Characteristic 5, the motion to Postpone Indefinitely, though technically a new question, necessarily involves debate of the main question. Its effect, therefore, is to give the opponents of the pending measure a chance to kill it without risking its adoption, as they would be doing if the vote were taken on the main motion itself. If opponents of the main question carry the indefinite postponement, the main question is suppressed for the session; if they fail, they still have a vote on the main question and, having learned their strength by the vote on the indefinite postponement, can form an opinion as to the advisability of continuing their effort.

Form and Example

11:6 Assume that the following resolution is pending in a meeting of a local unit of a state professional society: “Resolved, That the Ferndale Unit endorse the State President of the Society, James Thornton, for the office of United States Senator.” Debate creates a delicate situation. Members are loyal to their state president, but in questions of public office they wish to support the nominee of their choice. Yet, for them to vote no on the endorsement might appear to be a repudiation of their state president. Furthermore, a vote on this question either in the affirmative or in the negative might tend to create an unfortunate division within the local unit.

MEMBER A (obtaining the floor): I move that the resolution be postponed indefinitely. (Second.)

CHAIR: It is moved and seconded that the resolution pertaining to the endorsement of James Thornton for United States Senator be postponed indefinitely. The chair recognizes Mr. A.

11:7 Debate on the subsidiary motion to Postpone Indefinitely will likely involve also the advisability of the resolution itself. When debate ceases, however, the subsidiary motion is voted on first.

CHAIR: The question is on the motion to postpone indefinitely the resolution, “Resolved, That the Ferndale Unit endorse the State President of the Society, James Thornton, for the office of United States Senator.” As many as are in favor of postponing the resolution indefinitely, say aye.… Those opposed, say no.… The ayes have it and the resolution is postponed indefinitely.

11:8 If the motion to Postpone Indefinitely is lost, the chair announces the result and immediately states the question on the main motion. The wording in this case is:

CHAIR: The noes have it. The motion to postpone indefinitely is lost. The question is on the resolution, “Resolved, That…” [Continues as for any main motion.]

§12. AMEND

12:1 The subsidiary motion to Amend is a motion to modify the wording—and within certain limits the meaning—of a pending motion before the pending motion itself is acted upon.

12:2 Less frequently, it may become desirable to apply a similar process to something already adopted—as bylaws, a program, or a resolution. It should be noted that the motion then used is not the subsidiary motion to Amend, but a main motion having particular characteristics. This section deals only with Amend as a subsidiary motion. (For the motion to Amend Something Previously Adopted, see 35.)

12:3 Amend is probably the most widely used of the subsidiary motions, although the full procedure for its most effective application is not generally well understood by the meeting-going public at large. The ordinary member’s becoming at home with the formal amendment process is the keystone of the power of the general membership to keep details of the direction of an organization under its control to the extent it wishes to do so. To understand how the process works, it is important to realize that, when an assembly “takes action,” all it ever actually does itself is to adopt a statement—directing that a certain action be carried out, or expressing a certain view or aspiration. The precise wording of the statement can become crucial when it deals, for example, with a complex matter or an expressed position on a publicly controversial issue. To enable an assembly to work through internal disagreements about the precise wording of a statement in an orderly manner, the rules governing the subsidiary motion to Amend include extensive detailed specifications stating the types of change in language structure through which modifications are to be achieved.

12:4 Adoption of a subsidiary motion to Amend does not adopt the motion thereby amended; that motion remains pending in its modified form. Rejection of a motion to Amend leaves the pending motion worded as it was before the amendment was voted on.

12:5 Neither the member who offers an amendment nor the maker of the main motion amends or “makes an amendment”; only the assembly can do that. A member’s vote on an amendment does not obligate him to vote in a particular way on the motion to which the amendment applies; he is free to vote as he pleases on the main motion, whether it is amended or not.

12:6 An amendment must always be germane—that is, closely related to or having bearing on the subject of the motion to be amended. This means that no new subject can be introduced under pretext of being an amendment (see 12:16–21).

Standard Descriptive Characteristics

12:7 The subsidiary motion to Amend:

1. a) When applied to a main motion: It takes precedence over the main motion and over the subsidiary motion to Postpone Indefinitely. It yields to all subsidiary motions other than Postpone Indefinitely and Amend, and it also yields to a motion to Amend that is applied to it; and it yields to all privileged motions and all applicable incidental motions.

b) When applied to other than a main motion: It takes precedence over the motion that it proposes to amend. It yields to any privileged or subsidiary motion (other than Amend) to which the motion that it proposes to amend would yield, and it also yields to motions to Amend, to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate, or for the Previous Question that are applied to it; and it yields to all applicable incidental motions.

2. Can be applied to any main motion (but in the case of some incidental main motions only in a limited manner); also can be applied, in different limited ways, to any other motion that legitimately contains a variable factor; for example, can be applied to change the duration of a proposed recess or the hour to which a pending question is to be postponed. (For lists of motions that cannot be amended, see pages t46–t47.)

Amend can be applied to itself (that is, to a pending primary amendment), so that a secondary amendment² (or “amendment to an amendment”) will result, but it cannot be applied to a secondary amendment (see Standard Characteristic 6, below; and Degrees of Amendment, 12:11–13).

The sections in this book dealing with each individual motion contain under Standard Characteristic 6 a statement of whether Amend is applicable to that particular motion, and if applicability is limited, in what manner.

Motions to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate and for the Previous Question can be applied to a pending primary amendment or secondary amendment; and these motions affect only the immediately pending amendment unless otherwise specified. A Division of a Question can be applied to the motion to Amend; the motion for Consideration by Paragraph or Seriatim can also be applied to it. The motion to Amend cannot have motions to Commit, Postpone Definitely, or Lay on the Table applied to it alone, but when a primary amendment or a primary and a secondary amendment are pending, the main question can be committed, postponed, or laid on the table, and the amendments then undergo the same process with the main question. The motion to Amend cannot be postponed indefinitely.

3. Is out of order when another has the floor.

4. Must be seconded.

5. Is debatable whenever the motion to which it is applied is debatable. Such debate must be confined to the desirability of the amendment, however, and must not extend to the merits of the motion to be amended, except as may be necessary to determine whether the amendment is advisable. Amend is undebatable whenever the motion to be amended is undebatable (but see 43:31–32 regarding allowable explanation of an undebatable motion).

6. Is generally amendable. This characteristic, however, creates two degrees of amendment—primary and secondary—and a secondary amendment cannot be amended (see Degrees of Amendment, 12:11–13).

7. Requires a majority vote, regardless of the vote required to adopt the question to be amended. This is true even in cases where adoption of the amendment would result in changing the vote required to adopt the question being amended, as from a two-thirds vote to a majority vote or vice versa (see, e.g., Standard Characteristic 7 of Postpone to a Certain Time, 14:4, and the example in 14:21).

8. Can be reconsidered.

Further Rules and Explanation (with Forms)

12:8 Classification as to Form. There are three basic processes of amendment, the third of which is an indivisible combination of the first two. For each of these processes, some of the rules are different depending on whether it is applied with reference to a few words or to a whole paragraph or section; so that each process has two forms, as follows:

1. First process: to insert, or to add.

a. To insert words, or, if they are placed at the end of the sentence or passage being amended, to add words.

b. To insert a paragraph, or, if it is placed at the end, to add a paragraph.

2. Second process: to strike out.³

a. To strike out words.

b. To strike out a paragraph.

3. Third process: an indivisible combination of processes (1) and (2) having the following forms:

a. To strike out and insert (which applies to words).

b. To substitute; that is, in effect, to strike out a paragraph, or the entire text of a resolution or main motion, and insert another in its place.⁴ (Note that substitute is a technical parliamentary term that is not applied to anything less than a complete paragraph of one or more sentences, so that this term is not applicable to Form 3(a).)

12:9 Forms 1(a), 2(a), and 3(a), relating to words, can be applied to change the wording within a single sentence, or occasionally within two or more consecutive sentences that make up a part of a single paragraph. Forms 1(b), 2(b), and 3(b), relating to a paragraph, can also be applied to a section, article, or larger unit.

12:10 The rules for each of the different forms of amendment are given in separate subsections beginning in 12:24.

12:11 Degrees of Amendment. As noted in Standard Characteristics 2 and 6, above, a subsidiary motion to Amend can, in general, be amended, so that two degrees of amendment—primary and secondary—are possible. A primary amendment applies directly to the pending resolution, main motion, or other motion (except Amend) to be amended. A secondary amendment applies to a pending primary amendment; it proposes a change in the primary amendment or, in certain cases, in a paragraph that the primary amendment proposes to strike out of the pending resolution or motion (see 12:51, 12:70).

12:12 The terms amendment of the first degree and amendment of the second degree, or amendment to the main question and amendment to the amendment, are correct expressions, but the terms primary amendment and secondary amendment are preferred. An amendment of the third degree is not permitted. To accomplish the same purpose, a member can say, while a secondary amendment is pending, that if it is voted down, he will offer another secondary amendment—which he can then indicate briefly—in its place.

12:13 Except as described under the next two headings, no more than one primary amendment and one secondary amendment are permitted to be pending at a time, but any number of each can be considered in succession—so long as they do not again raise questions already decided during the same session. (See Filling Blanks, 12:92–113, however, for a special method of amending highly variable factors, such as times, amounts, names, or numbers, by which several alternative proposals can be pending at the same time.)

12:14 Series of Amendments Offered by a Single Motion. A series of amendments to a pending main motion (or to a lengthy primary amendment, such as a substitute) may be offered in one subsidiary motion to Amend. Unless these amendments meet the standard for conforming amendments described immediately below, any member may demand a separate vote on one or more of them. After the others have been voted on together, the amendment(s) on which separate votes were requested are disposed of. (For application of this method to amendments recommended by a committee to which a resolution has been referred, see 51:45–48.)

12:15 Conforming Amendments. Sometimes several changes throughout a motion or resolution are needed in order to achieve one end, in which case these separate amendments are proposed and adopted by a single subsidiary motion to Amend. For example, suppose a lengthy resolution is pending relating to the creation of a new standing committee, called the “Ways and Means Committee,” to study and make recommendations concerning the society’s financial circumstances and requirements, and this committee is referred to by name in a number of places scattered throughout the resolution. If it is desired to change the name of this committee from “Ways and Means Committee” to “Finance Committee,” it is both necessary and in order to move “to amend the pending resolution by striking out ‘Ways and Means Committee’ wherever it appears and inserting ‘Finance Committee’ in lieu thereof.” In such cases (where all of the individual amendments must be made, if any one of them is made, in order to leave a coherent resolution pending if the motion to Amend is adopted), the proposed amendments are offered in a single motion, as in the example given. Such proposed amendments may not be divided.

12:16 Determining the Germaneness of an Amendment. As already stated, an amendment must be germane to be in order. To be germane, an amendment must in some way involve the same question that is raised by the motion to which it is applied. When a secondary amendment proposes a change in the primary amendment, it must be germane to that primary amendment—not just to the motion the primary amendment would change. When a secondary amendment proposes a change in a paragraph that a primary amendment proposes to strike out, either by a motion to strike out a paragraph or by a motion to substitute, it must be germane to that paragraph. An amendment cannot introduce an independent question; but an amendment can be hostile to, or even defeat, the spirit of the original motion and still be germane.

12:17 Aside from these principles, there is no single, all-inclusive test for determining when a proposed amendment is germane and when it is not. A method by which the germaneness of an amendment can often be verified, however, grows out of the following general rules of parliamentary law:

1) During the session in which the assembly has decided a question, another main motion raising the same or substantially the same question cannot be introduced.

2) While a motion has been temporarily disposed of (as explained in 9:7–11), no other motion can be admitted that might conflict with one of the possible final decisions on the first motion.

12:18 By these rules, if a proposed amendment is related to the main motion in such a way that, after the adoption, rejection, or temporary disposal of the present main motion, the essential idea of the amendment could not be introduced as an independent resolution during the same session, the amendment is germane and must be admitted, since there will not, or may not, be any opportunity to present it later. This test cannot be reliably used to determine that an amendment is not in order, since it is sometimes possible for an amendment to be germane even if, regardless of action on the present main motion, the idea embodied in the amendment could be introduced independently later in the same session.

12:19 As an example of a germane amendment, assume that a motion is pending “that the Society authorize the purchase of a new desk for the Secretary.” It would be germane and in order to amend by inserting after “desk” the words “and matching chair,” since both relate to providing the secretary with the necessary furniture. On the other hand, an amendment to add to the motion the words “and the payment of the President’s expenses to the State Convention” is not germane.

12:20 Or assume that the following is the pending motion: “that the City Council commend Officer George for his action in…” An amendment to strike out “commend” and insert “censure,” although antagonistic to the original intent, is germane and in order because both ideas deal with the council’s opinion of the officer’s action. Also, since a motion to censure the officer for the same act could not be introduced independently in the same session after the adoption of a motion to commend him, the amendment to change commend to censure is germane under the rule given above. It should be noted that censure is different from not commend (see Improper Amendments, below).

12:21 There are borderline cases where a presiding officer will find it difficult to judge the germaneness of an amendment. Whenever in doubt, he should admit the amendment or, in important cases, refer the decision to the assembly: “The chair is in doubt and will ask the assembly to decide whether the amendment is germane. [Debate, if any, provided that debate is in order.] The question is on whether the amendment is germane to the resolution [or “to the primary amendment”]. Those of the opinion that the amendment is germane, say aye.… Those of the opinion that it is not germane, say no.…, etc.” (See also example under Point of Order, 23:18–20.)

12:22 Improper Amendments. The following types of amendment are not in order:

1) One that is not germane to the question to be amended.

2) One that merely makes the adoption of the amended question equivalent to a rejection of the original motion. Thus, in the motion that “our delegates be instructed to vote in favor of the increase in Federation dues,” an amendment to insert “not” before “be” is not in order because an affirmative vote on not giving a certain instruction is identical with a negative vote on giving the same instruction. But it would be in order to move to insert “not” before “to” (“instructed not to vote in favor”), since this would change the main motion into one to give different instructions.

3) One that would cause the question as amended to not be in order.⁵

4) One that proposes to change one of the forms of amendment listed in 12:8 into another form. A pending primary amendment to “strike out ‘oak’ before ‘furniture,’” for example, cannot be converted into the form strike out and insert by moving to add “and insert ‘maple.’”

5) One that would have the effect of converting one parliamentary motion into another. For example, a motion to “postpone the question until 2 P.M.” cannot be amended by “striking out ‘until 2 P.M.’ and inserting ‘indefinitely,’” since this would convert it into a different kind of motion.

6) One that strikes out the word “Resolved” or other enacting words.

12:23 Note on Amendment of Preamble. When a resolution has a preamble (one or more clauses beginning “Whereas”), the preamble is not opened to amendment until after amendment of the resolving clauses has been completed. After any amendment of the preamble, a single vote is taken on the question of adopting the entire resolution or paper (see also 28:7).

12:24 Rules for the Different Forms of Amendment. Because Amend can be moved in different forms, rules pertaining to each form of the motion are given separately below, with examples. The general guidelines for consideration of primary and secondary amendments that are presented under Form and Example: 1(a), 1(b), 12:32–45, are applicable also to the other forms.

12:25 It should be noted that many of the rules governing the different forms of amendment are particular applications of the following principle: After the assembly has voted that certain words (or a certain paragraph) shall, or shall not, form part of a pending resolution, it is not in order, during the same session at which that vote was taken, to make another motion to Amend that raises the same question of content and effect. Common sense should guide the presiding officer in interpreting the rules, both to give freedom for improvement of the main motion finally to be voted on, and at the same time to protect the assembly from motions for amendment that present questions it has already decided.

12:26 1(a). To Insert, or to Add, Words. A motion to insert words must specify the exact place of insertion by naming the word before or after which, or the words between which, the insertion is to be made—whichever will better locate and point out the effect of the change. For long or printed copies, the line number and paragraph number should be designated.

12:27 In the consideration of a motion to insert certain words, or (if they are to be placed at the end of the passage being amended) to add certain words, any necessary perfecting of the new words should be done by secondary amendment before the vote is taken on inserting or adding as proposed by the primary amendment. Otherwise there may be no opportunity to perfect the inserted or added words, for reasons explained in the next paragraph.

12:28 After words have been inserted or added, they cannot be changed or struck out during the same session, except through a reconsideration of the vote (see 37), or through an amendment presenting a new question in the form of a motion:

1) To strike out the entire paragraph into which the words were inserted.

2) To strike out a portion of the paragraph, including all or a part of the words inserted and enough other words to make a different question from the one decided by the insertion.

3) To substitute an entire paragraph for the one into which the words were inserted.

4) To strike out a portion of the paragraph (including all or a part of the words inserted) and insert other words, in a way that presents a new question.

12:29 If a motion to insert certain words in a particular place is voted down, it is still in order—provided that it will present an essentially new question—to make a motion:

1) To insert only a part of the same words.

2) To insert all or a part of the same words together with some others.

3) To insert the same words in place of others (motion to strike out and insert).

4) To insert the same words in another place where the effect will be different.

12:30 A motion to insert, or to add, words can have applied to it secondary amendments in any of the three forms relating to words—inserting or adding; striking out; or striking out and inserting.

12:31 1(b). To Insert, or to Add, a Paragraph. The rules for the insertion or addition of a paragraph are essentially the same as those given above, except that after a paragraph has been inserted, words can still be added to it (that is, placed at the end of the paragraph only) provided that they do not conflict with or modify anything in the paragraph as already inserted. When a paragraph is to be inserted or added, any necessary perfecting should first be done by secondary amendments. After its insertion or addition, the paragraph cannot be struck out except in connection with other paragraphs that make the question materially different. If a motion to insert or add a paragraph is voted down, its rejection does not preclude any other motion except one that presents essentially the same question. If a rejected paragraph is rewritten or shortened in such a way that its effect is changed, it becomes a different paragraph under the rules for amendment.

12:32 Form and Example: 1(a), 1(b). To Insert, or to Add (Words or a Paragraph). Typical forms in which a motion to insert, or to add, may be made are: “I move to amend the resolution by inserting the word ‘waterfront’ before the word ‘property’”; “I move to insert ‘plus expenses’ after ‘$100’”; “I move to insert ‘permanent’ between ‘all’ and ‘employees’”; “I move to insert in Line 5 of the second paragraph, the word ‘preferred’ before ‘stocks’”; “I move to insert after Paragraph 3 the following paragraph:…”; “I move to amend by adding the words, ‘at a cost not to exceed $2,000’”; “I move to add the following paragraph:…”

12:33 In stating the question on each motion in any series involving amendments, and again when putting the motion to a vote, the chair should take care that the members understand which motion is under immediate consideration, as well as the effect of adopting or rejecting it.

12:34 Therefore, when stating the question on an amendment, the chair may find it advisable to employ three steps:

1) State the question as for any other motion: “It is moved and seconded to…”

2) Read the main motion (or the portion affected by the amendment) as it would stand if the amendment were adopted: “If the amendment is adopted, the main motion will read…”

3) Make clear once more that it is the amendment that is under immediate consideration: “The question is on…”

12:35 Assume that the main motion “That the Society purchase the property adjoining the present Headquarters” is pending.

MEMBER A (obtaining the floor): I move to add the words “and convert it into a parking lot.” (Second.)

CHAIR: It is moved and seconded to add the words “and convert it into a parking lot.” If the amendment is adopted, the main motion will read, “That the Society purchase the property adjoining the present Headquarters and convert it into a parking lot.” The question is on adding the words “and convert it into a parking lot.”

1) Repeat the amendment: “The question is on…”

2) Read the main motion (or the portion affected by the amendment) as it would stand if the amendment were adopted: “If the amendment is adopted, the main motion will read…”

3) Take the vote in such a way as to make clear it is the amendment that is to be voted on: “Those in favor of…, say aye. [Pausing for response.]… Those opposed, say no.”

CHAIR: The question is on adding the words “and convert it into a parking lot.” If the amendment is adopted, the main motion will read, “That the Society purchase the property adjoining the present Headquarters and convert it into a parking lot.” Those in favor of adding the words “and convert it into a parking lot,” say aye. [Pausing for response.]… Those opposed, say no.

12:37 After taking the vote, the chair announces the result of the vote on the amendment, and then states the question that consequently becomes immediately pending:

CHAIR: The ayes have it and the amendment is adopted. The question is now on the main motion as amended, “That the Society purchase the property adjoining the present Headquarters and convert it into a parking lot.”

12:38 Should the amendment fail, the chair’s announcement of the result would be as follows:

CHAIR: The noes have it and the amendment is lost. The question is now on the main motion, “That the Society purchase the property adjoining the present Headquarters.”

12:39 At this point, regardless of whether the amendment is adopted or rejected, the resolution is again open to debate, and it is in order to offer a different amendment.

12:40 In some cases—depending on the length of the resolution and the amendment, the nature of the subject matter, the conditions of the assembly, etc.—the question may be clearer to the members if the chair restates only the amendment, rather than employing the three steps outlined above. On the other hand, in circumstances of particular complexity, when confusion is otherwise likely, the chair may find it advisable to employ four steps: first, to reread the entire main motion or resolution (or the paragraph or portion that the amendment would affect); second, to read the proposed amendment; third, to read the motion, resolution, or affected portion as it would stand if the amendment were adopted; and fourth, to make it clear once more that it is the amendment that is to be voted on.

12:41 As an example of secondary amendment by inserting, assume that there are pending: (1) a resolution, “Resolved, That the Society purchase the property adjoining the present Headquarters”; and (2) (immediately pending) a primary amendment, “to add the words, ‘and convert it into a parking lot.’” (Details as to probable costs of proposed phases of the project are assumed to be known.)

MEMBER X (obtaining the floor): I move to insert in the pending amendment the word “landscaped” before “parking lot.” (Second.)

CHAIR: It is moved and seconded to amend by inserting in the primary amendment the word “landscaped” before “parking lot.” If the word is inserted, the primary amendment will be, “to add to the resolution for the purchase of the property, the words ‘and convert it into a landscaped parking lot.’” The question is on inserting the word “landscaped.”

12:42 It should be noted that in the preceding example the chair gives the primary amendment as it would read if the secondary amendment were adopted.

12:43 Debate, if any, must be confined to the issue: If the conversion to a parking lot is to be included in the project at this time, should the lot be landscaped? When this debate has ended, the chair puts the secondary amendment to a vote, announces the result, and states the question before the assembly, as follows:

CHAIR: The question is on inserting in the primary amendment the word “landscaped” before “parking lot.” If the word is inserted, the primary amendment will be, “To add to the resolution for the purchase of the adjoining property, the words, ‘and convert it into a landscaped parking lot.’” It should be noted that this vote will not decide whether a parking lot is to be part of the project. This vote will determine only whether the parking lot will be landscaped if it is constructed. A vote of aye is for landscaping. A vote of no is against landscaping. Those in favor of inserting the word “landscaped” in the amendment, say aye.… Those opposed, say no.… The ayes have it and the word is inserted. The question is now on the primary amendment as amended, which is, “to add to the resolution the words, ‘and convert it into a landscaped parking lot.’” If the amendment is adopted, the resolution will read, “Resolved, That the Society purchase the property adjoining the present Headquarters and convert it into a landscaped parking lot.” Adoption of this amendment will mean that if the property is purchased by the Society, there will be a parking lot—which will be landscaped. The question is on the amendment.

12:44 Debate and voting on the question proceed as described above.

12:45 Amendments are sometimes so simple or acceptable that they may be adopted by unanimous consent (see 4:58–63). For example, assume that while a main motion is pending, “That the Properties Committee be directed to secure estimates for the necessary building repairs,” a member moves “to amend by inserting the words ‘at least three’ before ‘estimates.’” If the chair senses that there is general approval, he may say, “If there is no objection, the words ‘at least three’ will be inserted. The wording would then be ‘to secure at least three estimates.’ [Pause.] Since there is no objection, the words are inserted.”

12:46 2(a). To Strike Out Words. A motion to strike out words must specify their location when it is not otherwise clear.

12:47 When a motion to strike out certain words is made, it can be applied only to consecutive words; but the words to be struck out may become separated as a result of secondary amendments, in which case the primary amendment is voted on in a form in which it could not have been moved directly. To strike out separated words, the best method is to make a motion to strike out the entire clause or sentence containing the separated words and insert a new clause or sentence as desired. Separated words can also be struck out by separate motions or as part of a series of amendments offered in one motion (see 12:14).

12:48 If a motion to strike out certain words is adopted, the same words cannot be inserted again during the same session unless the place or the wording is so changed as to make a new proposition. If a motion to strike out certain words fails, it is still in order—subject to the requirement that the words involved must be consecutive—to move:

1) To strike out only a part of the same words.

2) To strike out all or a part of the same words together with some others.

3) To strike out all or a part of the same words and insert different ones.

4) To strike out all or a part of the same words together with some others and insert different words.

12:49 It is important to note that: The motion to amend by striking out certain words can be amended only by striking out words from the primary amendment. The effect of such a secondary amendment is that words struck out of the primary amendment will remain in the main motion regardless of whether the primary amendment is adopted or rejected. For example, assume that the following are pending: (1) a main motion directing the secretary to write to Congressmen Altman, Brock, Crowley, Davidson, and Edwards; (2) a primary amendment to strike out “Brock, Crowley, Davidson”; and (3) a secondary amendment to strike out “Crowley” from the primary amendment. If the secondary amendment is adopted, the primary amendment then becomes “to strike out ‘Brock’ and ‘Davidson’” from the main motion—so that Crowley’s name will remain in the main motion regardless of the outcome of the vote on the primary amendment, which no longer affects him. As a consequence of the rule stated at the beginning of this paragraph, a primary amendment to strike out a single word cannot be amended.

12:50 When a motion is made to strike out a sentence that might desirably be retained with some changes, the form of secondary amendment allowed for motions to strike out certain words may not be readily applicable. In such a case, a member can say in debate on the primary amendment that he believes the sentence should be reworded in a way which he can then state, and that if the motion to strike out the present sentence is adopted he will move to insert his new version. If the motion to strike out is lost, he can also move to strike out the present sentence and insert his new version.

12:51 2(b). To Strike Out a Paragraph. There is an essential difference between the motion to strike out a paragraph and the motion to strike out certain words, which lies in the rules and effect of secondary amendment. When it is moved to strike out an entire paragraph, the paragraph that would be struck out is opened to improvement by secondary amendment in any of the three forms relating to words (inserting or adding; striking out; or striking out and inserting) before the vote is taken on the primary amendment. If the primary amendment to strike out is voted down, the paragraph then remains in the resolution with any changes that were made by secondary amendment. The following differences in the effect of a secondary amendment to strike out—dependent on whether the primary amendment to strike out involves only certain words or a paragraph—should be particularly noted:

• If the primary amendment is to strike out certain words, then words struck out of the primary amendment will remain in the resolution regardless of the final vote on the primary amendment (as explained under Strike Out Words, above).

• But if the primary amendment is to strike out a paragraph, then words struck out of that paragraph in the process of secondary amendment are out of the resolution regardless of the final vote on the primary amendment.

12:52 After a paragraph has been struck out, it cannot be inserted again unless the wording (or, possibly, the place) is changed in a way that presents an essentially new question. After a motion to strike out a particular paragraph has been voted down, any amendment presenting a materially new question involving the same paragraph, or any part of it, is still in order.

12:53 Form and Example: 2(a), 2(b). To Strike Out (Words or a Paragraph). The motion to strike out may be made in such forms as “I move to strike out the word ‘concrete’ before ‘pavement’ in Line 5”; or “I move to strike out the third paragraph of the platform statement.” Variations similar to those given for inserting or adding (12:32) are applicable.

12:54 Assume that the following main motion is pending: “That the Bowling League establish a division open to the juniors and seniors of Southwood High School.”

MEMBER A (obtaining the floor): I move to amend by striking out the words “juniors and.” (Second.)

CHAIR: It is moved and seconded to amend by striking out the words “juniors and.” If the amendment is adopted, the main motion will be to “establish a division open to the seniors of Southwood High School.” The question is on striking out the words “juniors and.”

12:55 From this point, the procedure is similar to that already illustrated for inserting or adding.

12:56 3(a). To Strike Out and Insert (applying to words). The motion to strike out and insert is especially applicable in situations where it may be impossible to secure the desired result without making the act of “striking out” inseparable from that of “inserting”—as may happen if some members are unwilling to vote for the one unless assured of the other. The two parts of this motion cannot be separated, either by secondary amendment or by a Division of a Question.

12:57 To avoid confusion with the form of amendment known as Substitute (12:69–90), which applies to paragraphs or longer elements, the word substitute should not be used in connection with the motion to strike out and insert, which applies to words.

12:58 Motions to strike out and insert fall into two types:

• those by which a different wording is inserted in the same place; and

• those by which the same wording struck out of one place is inserted in a different place.

12:59 The two parts of the motion to strike out and insert must not represent two independent questions, unless the mover receives unanimous consent to make such a combined motion; rather, the two parts must be germane to each other. Thus, in motions of the first type mentioned in the previous paragraph—to strike words out of and insert words into the same place—the words to be inserted must in some way be related to, or address the same issue as, the words to be struck out; and in motions of the second type—to strike words out of one place and insert words into a different place—the words to be inserted must not be materially different from the words to be struck out.

12:60 The first type of the motion to strike out and insert—the kind that proposes to insert a different wording in the same place—is perhaps more common.

12:61 When such a primary amendment is offered, the chair states the question on it and lets debate of its merits begin in the usual way. For purposes of secondary amendment, however, this type of motion is treated as if resolved into its two elements, with secondary amendment of each element following the rules that would apply to two separate motions for primary amendment—one to strike out (amendable only by striking out) and another to insert (amendable in any of three forms relating to words). A single secondary amendment involving both elements of a primary amendment to strike out and insert is not in order. If a motion to strike out and insert involves enough words that several secondary amendments—particularly to the words to be struck out—might be possible, it is often best to take any amendments to the words to be struck out first, because members who wish to perfect the words to be inserted by secondary amendment may need to know exactly what language those words will replace, to be able to perfect them effectively. Amendments to the words to be inserted are then taken up after amendments to the words to be struck out have been disposed of. But the chair should make a judgment depending on the conditions as to whether the assembly wishes to follow this procedure or will find it helpful. In any event, the primary amendment remains open to debate at all times while it is pending with no secondary amendment pending, and this debate goes into the merits of both parts of the motion viewed as a single whole.

12:62 While a primary amendment to strike out and insert certain words is pending, if an admissible secondary amendment to the words to be struck out is introduced and no amendments to the words to be inserted have been proposed, the chair simply proceeds to entertain the secondary amendment, letting debate on the primary amendment resume after the secondary amendment has been dealt with. But the first time that a secondary amendment to the words to be inserted is offered—assuming a number of amendments to the words to be struck out might be possible—the chair has the option, as described in the preceding paragraph, of saying: “The chair believes it would be better to follow the procedure of taking any amendments to the words to be struck out first, as permitted under the rules. Accordingly, before entertaining the amendment just offered, the chair will ask: Are there any amendments [or “any further amendments”] to the words to be struck out?” When it appears that no one else wishes to propose an amendment to the words to be struck out, the chair then says: “The primary amendment as amended is open to debate, and secondary amendments to the words to be inserted are now in order.” After reasonable opportunity to offer any amendments of the latter type has been given, secondary amendments to either element are in order. When these and any further debate have concluded, the vote is taken on the motion to strike out and insert as it stands after secondary amendment.

12:63 After a motion to strike out and insert has been adopted, what has been struck out and what has been inserted are subject to the same rules regarding further amendment during the same session, as if the striking out and the inserting had been done by separate motions: The inserted matter cannot be struck out, and the matter that has been struck out cannot be inserted again, except through a reconsideration of the vote on the amendment, or through changes in the wording or the place in a way that presents a new question (under the rules already given for Insert, or Add, and for Strike Out).

12:64 If a motion to strike out and insert is voted down, it is still in order:

• to make either of the separate motions to strike out, or to insert, the same words that would have been struck out or inserted by the combined motion that was lost; or

• to make another motion to strike out and insert—provided that the change in either the wording to be struck out or the wording to be inserted presents a question materially different from the one that was voted down.

12:65 When a primary amendment to strike out a passage of any length or complexity and insert a new version is pending and some members would prefer to insert something different or keep something closer to the original, it may be difficult or impossible to reach the desired end by secondary amendment. Situations of this kind can occur especially when the amendment relates to one or more complete sentences that do not constitute an entire paragraph. In such a case, a member should speak against the pending primary amendment and say that if it is rejected he will offer a new motion to strike out the same passage and insert the version he desires—which he should then state. He should present his case as strongly as possible, because if the first proposed version is inserted, it cannot be changed afterward during the same session except in connection with a different question.

12:66 As already explained in connection with the rules for the motion to strike out, the motion to strike out and insert can be used to obtain the effect of striking out or modifying separated words. To do this, a member can move to strike out of the resolution a passage long enough to include all of the words to be removed or changed, and insert the revised passage. If several changes in a paragraph are desired, it is usually better to rewrite the paragraph and offer the new version as a substitute, as explained below.

12:67 Form and Example: 3(a). To Strike Out and Insert (applying to words). As an example of a motion to strike out and insert, assume that the following resolution is pending: “Resolved, That the Citizens’ Association endorse the Rockville site for the new Community College.”

MEMBER A (obtaining the floor): I move to amend by striking out “Rockville” and inserting “Chatham.” (Second.)

CHAIR: It is moved and seconded to strike out “Rockville” and insert “Chatham.” If the amendment is adopted, the resolution will be to “endorse the Chatham site for the new Community College.” The question is on striking out “Rockville” and inserting “Chatham.”

12:68 Debate on the amendment is limited to the relative advantages of the two sites. After the amendment is debated, the chair puts it to vote, as in the case already illustrated for Insert or Add. Debate on the resolution can go into the question of whether the association should express approval of any site.

12:69 3(b). To Substitute. A motion to Amend by striking out an entire paragraph, section, or article—or a complete main motion or resolution—and inserting a different paragraph or other unit in its place is called a motion to substitute, and the paragraph or resolution to be inserted is said to be offered (or proposed) as “a substitute.” A substitute can be offered for a paragraph or a main motion of only one sentence, and in such a case the paragraph proposed as a substitute can contain several sentences. (For the replacement of sentences within a paragraph, see below.) A substitute offered for a main motion or resolution, or for a paragraph within a resolution, is a primary amendment and can therefore be moved only when no other amendment is pending. If a motion proposes to replace one or more paragraphs that are involved in a pending primary amendment, it is a secondary amendment to which the term substitute is also applicable.⁶

12:70 A primary amendment to substitute is treated similarly to a motion to strike out and insert as described in 12:56–68. It is open to debate at all times while it is pending with no secondary amendment pending; and such debate may go fully into the merits of both the original text and the substitute, since this is necessary to determine the desirability of the primary amendment. But for purposes of secondary amendment, the motion to substitute is looked upon as resolved into its two elements, the paragraph to be struck out and the paragraph to be inserted. In contrast to the rules for striking out and inserting words, however, when a motion to substitute is under consideration the paragraph to be struck out as well as the paragraph to be inserted can be perfected by secondary amendment in any of the three basic forms (inserting or adding; striking out; or striking out and inserting), since this is the procedure when either of the separate motions to insert or to strike out is applied to the paragraph.

12:71 As in the case of a motion to strike out and insert words, the chair has the option of accepting only amendments to the paragraph to be struck out first, and then only amendments to the proposed substitute, thereafter accepting either type of secondary amendment. Following this procedure is likely to be more often indicated in the case of a motion to substitute, particularly if a substantive issue hangs on such a motion, as in the example given below. After all secondary amendments have been disposed of and after any further debate on the motion to substitute, the vote is taken on whether to make this substitution.

12:72 For replacing an unbroken part of a paragraph when the part to be replaced consists of (or contains) one or more complete sentences, there is an option between offering the amendment as a motion to strike out the part and insert the new matter (that is, as a motion to strike out and insert), or moving it in the form of a substitute for the entire paragraph with only the desired part changed. Either of these motions, as applied to the same case, will present substantially the same question when it is made, but the effect of each of them is different as to permissible secondary amendment. If much of the paragraph is involved in such a case, it is generally better to offer the desired amendment in the form of a substitute. If this method is used, however, secondary amendment can also involve the portion of the paragraph in which no change was proposed initially.

12:73 In taking the vote on whether to make the substitution, the chair should first read both the paragraph of the original text and the proposed substitute—as they stand at the time as amended. Even if the entire resolution or main motion is replaced, adopting the motion to substitute only amends the resolution, which remains pending as amended.

12:74 After a paragraph, section, or version of a resolution has been substituted for another, the substituted paragraph or resolution cannot be amended during the same session except by adding something that does not modify the paragraph’s existing content—as is true of any paragraph that has been inserted. The paragraph that has been replaced cannot be inserted again during the same session unless a material change in the wording (or possibly, the place) makes a new question—as is true of any paragraph that has been struck out.

12:75 If a motion to substitute is lost, the assembly has decided only that the paragraph proposed as a substitute shall not replace the one specified. The same proposed new paragraph can still replace a different one, or can simply be inserted. On the other hand, the paragraph that was retained in the resolution can be further amended, or struck out (if it is not the entire resolution); or it still can be replaced by a different substitute.

12:76 When a question is being considered by paragraph or seriatim (28), it is in order to move a substitute for any paragraph or section at the time that the paragraph or section is opened to amendment. But it is not in order to move a substitute for the entire document until all of the paragraphs or sections have been individually considered and the point is reached when the chair announces that the entire paper is open to amendment.

12:77 If a resolution is referred to a committee while a primary amendment—or a primary and a secondary amendment—are pending, the committee can report by recommending a substitute for the resolution, even though the substitute cannot become pending until the other amendments have been voted on in their normal order. Thus, when a committee has so reported, the chair first states the question on the secondary amendment that was pending when the resolution was committed, puts the secondary amendment to vote, and then continues with the primary amendment to which it applied. As soon as this primary amendment is disposed of, the chair states the question on the substitute recommended by the committee, and proceeds as he would with any other motion to substitute.

12:79 The motion to substitute often provides a convenient and timesaving method for handling a poorly framed resolution, or for introducing a different and better approach to the real question raised by a main motion. While changes by separate amendments are in progress, a member who feels that he has a better solution by substitution can indicate its features briefly and announce his intention of offering the substitute as soon as no other amendment is pending. If the member wishing to propose the substitute thinks it appropriate, he can try to bring the pending amendments to an immediate vote by moving the Previous Question (16) on them.

12:80 An amendment in the form of a substitute can also be used to defeat or work against the purpose of the measure originally introduced. Such a stratagem can be utilized with a view either to converting the measure into a weakened form before its final adoption, or to substituting a version that is likely to be rejected in the final vote. It should be noted that a vote in favor of a substitute for an entire resolution or main motion is ordinarily a vote to kill any provisions of the original version that are not included in the substitute.

12:81 Properly applied, the rules for the treatment of motions to substitute automatically operate in fairness to both sides when there is disagreement as to the preferability of the original or the substitute. Under the procedure of initially accepting amendments to each element of the primary amendment exclusively—which is generally indicated whenever such disagreement exists—the proponents of the original version are first given the opportunity to amend their proposition into a more acceptable form in the light of conditions revealed by the introduction of the substitute. When this process is correctly handled as described 12:61–62 and 12:70–71, it tends to ensure that the provisions of the version first offered receive appropriate consideration, without impeding free debate of the proposal to substitute. Furthermore, by the requirement that internal amendment of the substitute be done before the vote on the motion to make the substitution, the members are protected from having to decide whether to reject the original version without knowing what may finally replace it.

12:82 Form and Example: 3(b). To Substitute. As an example of a motion to substitute, assume that the following resolution is pending: “Resolved, That the Parish Federation undertake the construction and equipping of a new service wing for the Parish House, to be financed as far as possible by a mortgage on the present building.”

12:83 Debate points strongly to a need for further investigation, but many members are determined to secure immediate authorization. The meeting seems evenly divided, and the outcome is unpredictable.

MEMBER A (obtaining the floor): I move to substitute for the pending resolution the following: “Resolved, That the Parish Board be directed to engage appropriate professional consultants to make a survey of, and prepare a complete report on, the need, probable cost, feasible methods of financing, and maintenance of a new service wing for the Parish House.” (Second.)

CHAIR: It is moved and seconded to amend by substituting for the pending resolution the following: [reading the substitute submitted by Member A]. The motion to substitute proposes that the resolution just read shall come before the assembly in place of the pending resolution. [Debate.]

MEMBER L (who favors the pending resolution and is, therefore, opposed to the motion to substitute—obtaining the floor): I move to amend the proposed substitute by adding the words “within twenty days.” (Second.)

CHAIR: The chair believes it will be preferable to take any amendments to the pending resolution first, as permitted under the rules. Such amendments, if adopted, will affect the wording in which the pending resolution will come to a final vote if the motion to substitute fails.⁷ Accordingly, before entertaining the amendment just offered, the chair will call for any amendments to the pending resolution, which he will first reread. The pending resolution is as follows: “Resolved, That the Parish Federation undertake the construction and equipping of a new service wing for the Parish House, to be financed as far as possible by a mortgage on the present building.” Are there any amendments to the pending resolution?

MEMBER X (obtaining the floor): I move to amend the pending resolution by striking out everything after the word “undertake” and inserting the words “a campaign to raise funds for the construction and equipping of a new service wing for the Parish House.” (Second.)

12:84 The chair states the question on this amendment, making its effect clear, and, after debate, puts it to vote. For purposes of the example, assume that the proponents of the original resolution differ on the amendment, some voting for it, others opposing it. Also, since the adoption of this amendment presumably would make the pending resolution less objectionable to those who feel that the proposed project is presently ill advised and who therefore hope that the substitution will be made, most of those members probably vote for the amendment. Assume that it is adopted. The chair announces the result as follows:

CHAIR: The ayes have it and the amendment is adopted. The pending resolution now reads, “Resolved, That the Parish Federation undertake a campaign to raise funds for the construction and equipping of a new service wing for the Parish House.” The question is on the motion to substitute. [Further debate on the relative merits of the pending resolution and the proposed substitute.]

MEMBER L (who favors the pending resolution—obtaining the floor): I move to amend the substitute by adding “within twenty days.” (Second.)

CHAIR: Before entertaining the amendment just offered, the chair will again ask: Are there any further amendments to the pending resolution? [Pause.] There being none, it is moved and seconded to amend the proposed substitute by adding the words “within twenty days.” If the amendment is adopted, the substitute will read, “Resolved, That the Parish Board be directed to engage appropriate professional consultants to make a survey of, and prepare a complete report on, the need, probable cost, feasible methods of financing, and maintenance of a new service wing for the Parish House within twenty days.” The question is on amending the proposed substitute by adding the words “within twenty days.”

12:85 Brief debate shows that the proposed survey could not be properly carried out in twenty days. Assume that this amendment is voted down.

MEMBER B (who is in favor of the motion to substitute, but fears it will fail unless some time limit is specified—obtaining the floor): I move to amend the substitute by adding “within sixty days.” (Second.)

12:86 The chair states the question on this amendment and (after brief debate) puts it to vote. Assume that the amendment is adopted. In announcing the result, the chair continues:

CHAIR: The ayes have it and the amendment is adopted. The proposed substitute now reads, “Resolved, That the Parish Board be directed to engage… for the Parish House within sixty days.” Are you ready for the question on the motion to substitute?

12:87 After further amendment of the proposed substitute, the chair says:

CHAIR: Are there any further amendments to the proposed substitute? [Pause.] There being none, it is now in order to offer amendments either to the pending resolution or to the proposed substitute.

12:88 When all debate and secondary amendment has concluded, the chair puts to vote the motion to substitute. Both resolutions are read, usually by the chair—the pending resolution first, then the resolution proposed as a substitute.

CHAIR: The question is on the motion to substitute. The chair will read the pending resolution first, then the resolution proposed as a substitute. The pending resolution is: “Resolved, That the Parish Federation undertake a campaign to raise funds for the construction and equipping of a new service wing for the Parish House.” The resolution proposed as a substitute is: “Resolved, That the Parish Board be directed to engage appropriate professional consultants to make a survey of, and prepare a complete report on, the need, probable cost,… within sixty days.” The question is: Shall the resolution last read be substituted for the pending resolution? Those in favor of the motion to substitute, say aye.… Those opposed, say no.…

12:89 The chair announces the result of the vote and states the question on whichever resolution is left pending, as follows:

CHAIR: The ayes have it and the motion to substitute is adopted. The question is now on the resolution: [reading the resolution directing the employment of professional consultants].

Or:

CHAIR: The noes have it and the motion to substitute is lost. The question is now on the resolution: [reading the resolution for a fundraising campaign].

12:90 Regardless of which resolution is now pending, there may be further debate. If the motion to substitute has been adopted, the resolution now pending is in the position of a paragraph that has been inserted, and it can no longer be amended during the same session except by adding nonmodifying matter. On the other hand, if the motion to substitute has been lost, the resolution for the fund drive can be further amended; but in determining whether an amendment now offered presents a new question and can therefore be admitted during the same session, account must be taken of any motions to amend that were voted on before the motion to substitute was introduced, or while it was pending.

12:91 Friendly Amendments. The term “friendly amendment” is often used to describe an amendment offered by someone who is in sympathy with the purposes of the main motion, in the belief that the amendment will either improve the statement or effect of the main motion, presumably to the satisfaction of its maker, or will increase the chances of the main motion’s adoption. Regardless of whether or not the maker of the main motion “accepts” the amendment, it must be opened to debate and voted on formally (unless adopted by unanimous consent) and is handled under the same rules as amendments generally (see 33:11–19).

Filling Blanks

12:92 Filling blanks, although not a form of amendment in itself, is a closely related device by which an unlimited number of alternative choices for a particular specification in a main motion or primary amendment can be pending at the same time. In effect, it permits an exception to the rule (12:13) that only one primary and one secondary amendment can be pending at a time, and in certain cases it has distinct advantages.

12:93 In amending by the ordinary method, a maximum of three alternatives can be pending at once, and the last one moved must be voted on first. In filling blanks, the number of alternatives is not limited; members have an opportunity to weigh all choices before voting and to vote on them in a fair and logical order. Among cases adapted to such treatment are main motions or primary amendments containing names of persons or places, dates, numbers, or amounts.

12:94 The basic procedure for filling blanks is as follows: After a blank in a pending motion has been created by any of the methods described below, members suggest alternatives to fill the blank, and these are stated by the chair. When debate on the suggestions has ended (or, if the pending motion is undebatable, when no more suggestions are offered), the assembly decides, by majority vote, which suggestion(s) shall fill the blank. The vote that fills a blank does not decide the question that contained the blank. As soon as the blank has been filled, the chair states the question on the adoption of the completed motion, which remains pending.

12:95 Creating a Blank. A blank to be filled can be created in one of three ways:

a) A member can offer a motion or an amendment containing a blank: for example, “Resolved, That Lodge No. 432 renovate the headquarters at a cost not to exceed $”; or an amendment to a main motion can propose “to add ‘provided that estimates be received on or before .’”

b) A member can move that a blank be created. For example, assume that the pending resolution is: “Resolved, That Lodge No. 432 renovate the headquarters at a cost not to exceed $300,000.” Any member can move “to create a blank by striking out of the pending resolution the sum ‘$300,000.’” If such a motion is adopted, the specification struck out to create the blank automatically becomes one of the proposals for filling it—as “$300,000” in the example. Although the motion to create a blank may appear to resemble a motion to amend by striking out and inserting, it is in fact an incidental motion (see 6:15). It is not in order to create a blank in a motion on which the Previous Question has been ordered. The motion to create a blank requires a second, but it is neither debatable nor amendable; it can also be made and voted on while a primary or a secondary amendment relating to the subject specification is pending. For example, assuming the same pending resolution as above, the identical motion to create a blank by striking out “$300,000” can be made while a primary amendment “to strike out ‘$300,000’ and insert ‘$350,000’” is also pending. Adoption of the motion to create a blank in such a case (before the amendment is voted on) disposes of the amendment (which is thereafter ignored) and causes both specifications—the one in the pending resolution and the corresponding one in the amendment—to become proposals for filling the blank; as “$300,000” and “$350,000” in the example.

c) The chair can suggest the creation of a blank, as follows: “The chair suggests creating a blank by striking out ‘$300,000.’ If there is no objection, a blank will be created. [Pause.] There is no objection; the blank is created.” If a member objects, the chair puts the question to a vote, treating the question just as he would treat a motion to create a blank made as described above.

12:96 Making Suggestions to Fill a Blank. When a blank exists or has been created, the chair calls for suggestions, by asking for them in a manner appropriate to the particular question, such as by asking, “How many members shall the committee consist of?”; or, “In the pending resolution relating to the renovation of the headquarters, the amounts $350,000 and $300,000 have been proposed to fill the blank specifying the maximum cost. Are there any further suggestions?” Any number of members can then suggest different names, places, numbers, dates, or amounts for filling the blank. A member need not be recognized by the chair to make a suggestion unless he or she wishes to speak in debate on it at the same time (see below). No second is required. As soon as a member has made a suggestion (or, if the member had obtained the floor, as soon as the member has yielded the floor), the chair repeats the member’s suggestion and calls for further suggestions.

12:97 No member can suggest more than one proposal for filling a blank—or, when the blank can be filled with multiple suggestions, such as in a motion to appoint members of a committee, more than the number allowed for in the blank. In the latter case, a member cannot make more than one suggestion at a time, if any objection is made, but must wait until after all other members have had the same opportunity to make their suggestions.

12:98 Debate on the Suggestions. Proposals to fill a blank in a debatable motion are debatable. When there is no response to the chair’s call for further suggestions, the chair asks, “Are you ready for the question?” or “Is there any debate?” To speak in debate, a member must first be recognized by the chair. The member may then speak in favor of or against a suggestion made previously or make a new suggestion and speak in favor of it.

12:99 As a consequence of the rules stated in the preceding paragraphs, debate on the comparative merits of the different suggestions may take place both concurrently with the making of suggestions and after all suggestions have been made. In any event, in this debate the underlying question is that of choosing the suggestion(s) that shall fill the blank, and each member is therefore permitted to speak no more than twice per day on that question, regardless of the number of suggestions made. When no further suggestions are offered, and there is no further debate, a vote is taken on the suggestions, as described below.

12:100 Proposals to fill a blank are not amendable.

12:101 Motions to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate or for the Previous Question can be applied to the consideration of suggestions, and when voting on the suggestions has been ordered by adoption of either of these motions, no further suggestions for filling the blank may be made at the time the order goes into effect. However, if a member obtains the floor and moves the Previous Question before a reasonable opportunity to make suggestions has been given, the chair must call for suggestions before stating the motion for the Previous Question.

12:102 Voting on the Suggestions. The suggestions for filling a blank can be voted on by any of the regular methods (4:35ff., 45:11ff.), in which case each of the proposals is voted on, in turn, as a separate question. (The order in which suggestions are voted on in particular cases is discussed below.) As soon as one of the suggestions (or the proper number of suggestions that will fill the blank) receives a majority vote, the chair declares the blank thereby filled, and no vote is taken on any remaining suggestions.

12:103 Alternatively, the assembly may direct that voting be by ballot or roll call (see 30; 45:18ff.), in which case each member marks or announces his or her preference for the choice (or choices) that shall fill the blank—which need not be confined to the suggestions previously made—and the blank is filled by the choice receiving a majority of the votes cast (or the proper number of choices receiving a majority that receive the largest number of votes; cf. 46:33). Voting by ballot or roll call is seldom used except in the case of names, however, unless there is keen competition—for example, among several cities seeking a convention. When names are being voted on, the ballot has an advantage in more truly revealing the will of the voting body; frequently when the vote is by voice, those whose names are voted on first are more likely to be elected.

12:104 It should be noted that the vote that fills a blank does not decide the main question or other pending question that contained the blank. When the blank is filled, the chair must immediately state the question on the adoption of the completed motion.

12:105 Normally, blanks in a pending motion should be filled before the motion itself is voted on. However, if the pending motion is included in an adopted order for the Previous Question, that order must be carried out even if the blank has not yet been filled—and even if no suggestions have been offered (note, however, that a reasonable opportunity to make suggestions must always be given; see 12:101). This may happen, for example, when two thirds of those voting are confident that the motion will be rejected in any case. But if the motion is actually adopted with an unfilled blank, the assembly immediately proceeds to fill it, and no new subject (except a privileged one) may be introduced before the motion is thereby completed.

12:106 Filling Blanks by Unanimous Consent. If no more suggestions are offered than the number required to fill the blank, then unless the voting is to be by ballot or roll call, those suggestions are deemed inserted by unanimous consent, and no vote is taken on inserting them. This procedure is especially common when filling a blank with names (see below).

12:107 Filling a Blank with Names. The following principles apply to the process of filling a blank with one or more names:

a) The procedure for filling a blank with one name is practically the same as for making nominations. The chair repeats each name as it is proposed, and finally takes a vote on each in that same order, until one receives a majority.

b) If the blank is to be filled with more than one name and no more are suggested than are required, the names are deemed inserted by unanimous consent (cf. 46:40 and 50:13(b)).

c) If more names are suggested than are required, the chair takes a vote on each in the order of its proposal until enough to fill the blank have received a majority vote. The names remaining in the list as proposed are ignored, since the assembly has decided which names shall fill the blank.

d) If the number of names is not specified, the chair takes a vote on each name suggested; and all names approved by a majority vote are inserted.

12:108 Filling a Blank with Amounts of Money. Sometimes the particular nature of the blank determines the order in which proposals for filling it should be put to vote. Typical instances of this kind are blanks to be filled with amounts of money. In such cases it is advisable, whenever a logical order is apparent, to arrange the proposed entries so that the one least likely to be acceptable will be voted on first, and so on. New supporters may then be gained with each succeeding vote until a majority in favor of one entry is reached.

12:109 As an example of the procedure for filling a blank with an amount of money, assume that a resolution to renovate the headquarters “at a cost not to exceed $” is pending, and that it is proposed to fill the blank with the following amounts: $350,000, $250,000, $400,000, and $300,000. The character of this measure—to spend money—indicates that the amounts should be arranged and voted on in order from the highest to lowest. If $400,000 is rejected, the vote is taken next on $350,000; and if that is not adopted, the chair puts the question on $300,000. If that amount is adopted, no vote is taken on $250,000, and the chair immediately says, “The amount of $300,000 fills the blank. The question is now on the resolution: ‘Resolved, That… at a cost not to exceed $300,000.’” Note that if the smallest sum had been voted on first, it might have been adopted, with the result that those who preferred the added advantages possible through a larger expenditure would have been cut off from considering larger sums.

12:110 On the other hand, suppose that the motion or resolution is “to sell the headquarters for an amount not less than $.” In the case of such a motion—to accept a sum of money in settlement—the amounts being considered should be arranged and voted on in order from the smallest to the largest. Thus, those who are willing to sell for the smallest amount, and some additional members, will be willing to sell for the next larger sum, and so on, until the smallest sum for which the majority is willing to sell is reached.

12:111 Filling a Blank with Places, Dates, or Numbers. When a blank is to be filled with a place, date, or number, a choice of methods for arranging and voting on the proposals can be made as follows:

a) Voting on the suggestions in the order in which they are offered, as when filling a blank with names.

b) Voting on the proposals in the order of their probable acceptability, beginning with the least popular choice, as when filling a blank with an amount.

c) (If there is no clear-cut reason why either increasing or decreasing order would be preferable), voting first on the largest number, longest time, or most distant date, and so on.

The particular circumstances must determine the order to be used.

12:112 If an amount has been struck out in order to create a blank, that amount is voted on in its proper place in the logical sequence among the other amounts. If a name has been struck out to create a blank, however, it comes first in the order of names to be voted on.

12:113 (For further examples of both creating and filling a blank, see 13:7(6), 13:8, 13:12, 13:26, 27:4, 31:3.)

§13. COMMIT OR REFER

13:1 The subsidiary motion to Commit or Refer is generally used to send a pending question to a relatively small group of selected persons—a committee—so that the question may be carefully investigated and put into better condition for the assembly to consider.

13:2 The motion to Commit also has three variations whose object is not to turn the main question over to a smaller group, but to permit the assembly’s full meeting body to consider it with the greater freedom of debate that is allowed in committees—that is, with no limit on the number of times a member can speak. These forms of the motion are:

a) to “go into a committee of the whole”;

b) to “go into quasi committee of the whole” (or, to “consider as if in committee of the whole”); and

c) to “consider informally.”

13:3 “Informal consideration” is the simplest of the three methods and is usually the best in ordinary societies whose meetings are not large (see 52:24–27).

13:4 The term recommit is applied to a motion that proposes to refer a question a second time, either to the same committee that previously considered it or to a different one.

13:5 All of the rules in this section, except when stated to the contrary, apply equally to variations (a), (b), and (c) above, and to a motion to recommit.

13:6 When a motion proposes to assign a task or refer a matter to a committee when no question is pending, such a motion is not the subsidiary motion to Commit, but is a main motion. It is an incidental main motion if the assignment or referral is pursuant to a subject on which the assembly has already taken some action; but it is an original main motion if the matter to be assigned or referred relates to a new subject.

Standard Descriptive Characteristics

13:7 The subsidiary motion to Commit or Refer:

1. Takes precedence over the main motion, over the subsidiary motions to Postpone Indefinitely and to Amend, and over the incidental motions for Division of a Question and for Consideration by Paragraph or Seriatim. It takes precedence over a debatable appeal that adheres to the main question (or a point of order that adheres to the main question and has been referred by the chair to the judgment of the assembly and that is debatable when so referred, 23:2(2)), if no motions other than those named in the preceding sentence are pending or involved in the appeal or point of order; and it also takes precedence over a debatable nonadhering appeal or point of order to which it is applied. It yields to the subsidiary motions to Postpone Definitely, to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate, for the Previous Question, and to Lay on the Table; to a motion to Amend that is applied to it; to all privileged motions; and to all applicable incidental motions.

2. Can be applied to main motions, with any amendments or motions for Division of a Question or Consideration by Paragraph or Seriatim that may be pending; can be thus applied to orders of the day (18, 41) or questions of privilege (19) while they are actually pending as main motions, and such an application is independent of, and does not affect, any other matter that they may have interrupted; can be applied to debatable appeals (or points of order referred by the chair to the judgment of the assembly that are debatable when so referred, 23:2(2)), but if such an appeal or point of order adheres (10:35) to the main question (that is, if it must be decided before the main question is decided), the motion to Commit can be applied to the appeal or point of order only in connection with the main question, which also goes to the committee (see also 13:19); and can be applied to nonadhering debatable appeals (or points of order submitted to the judgment of the assembly) separately, without affecting the status of any pending questions not involved in the appeal or point of order. It cannot be applied to an undebatable appeal. It cannot be applied to the motion to Reconsider alone—that is, it cannot be applied to a motion to reconsider a main question; and if a main question is committed while a motion to reconsider an amendment is pending or has been made but not yet taken up, such a motion to Reconsider is thereafter ignored. It cannot be applied to any subsidiary motion, except that its application to a main question also affects any motions to Amend that may be pending, as noted above. It cannot be moved after the adoption of a motion to close debate on the main question at a definite hour or to limit the total time allowed for debate; but it remains in order if only a limitation on the length of speeches is in force (see 15). Motions to Amend, to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate, and for the Previous Question can be applied to it without affecting the main question. The motion to Commit cannot be definitely postponed or laid on the table alone, but when it is pending the main question can be definitely postponed or laid on the table, and in such a case, the motion to Commit is also postponed or carried to the table. It cannot be postponed indefinitely.

3. Is out of order when another has the floor.

4. Must be seconded.

5. Is debatable. The debate can extend only to the desirability of committing the main question and to the appropriate details of the motion to Commit, as explained below, however, and not to the merits of the main question.

6. Is amendable as follows: in the case of a standing committee, as to the committee to which the main question is to be referred; in the case of a special committee, as to the committee’s composition and manner of selection; and in the case of any form of committee, as to any instructions the committee is to follow. It can be amended so as to change from any one of the five forms of the motion (listed in 13:12) to another, or a blank can be created (12:92–113) and the suggested forms voted on in the order given in 13:12.

7. Requires a majority vote.

8. An affirmative vote on the motion to Commit can be reconsidered if the committee has not begun consideration of the question. Thereafter, if the assembly wishes to take the question out of the hands of the committee, the motion to Discharge a Committee (36) must be used. A negative vote on the motion to Commit can be reconsidered only until such time as progress in business or debate has been sufficient to make it essentially a new question. Thereafter, the motion can be renewed (see 38:7).

Further Rules and Explanation

13:8 Necessary Details of the Motion. The motion to Commit usually should include all necessary details:

a) If the main question is to be considered in a committee of the whole, or in quasi committee of the whole (“as if in committee of the whole”), or if it is to be considered informally, the motion should specify which of these methods is to be used.

b) If the main question is to be sent to a standing committee (see 50), the motion should specify the name of the committee.

c) If the main question is to go to a special (select, or ad hoc) committee (see 50), the motion should specify the number of committee members, and the method of their selection unless the method is prescribed by the bylaws or rules of the assembly; or, if preferred, the motion can name the members of the special committee. (The word special, or select, or ad hoc, is not generally used in a motion to refer to a special committee; the motion is worded, for example, “to refer the question to a committee of five to be appointed by…” See also forms of the motion in 13:25–26.)

d) Instructions to the committee can also be included in the motion to Commit, whether the committee is to be a standing or a special one, or a committee of the whole. These instructions, which are binding on the committee, may involve such matters as when the committee is to meet, how it is to consider the question, whether it is to employ an expert consultant, and when it is to report. The committee can be given “full power” to act for the society in a specific case and can be authorized to spend money or even to add to its own membership. The motion to Commit requires a majority vote for its adoption even when it contains instructions that suspend, modify, or conflict with rules of order that would otherwise apply to meetings of the committee. (See 9:35 regarding the adoption of instructions authorizing a committee to hold electronic meetings.)

Although these details can be changed by ordinary amendments, they can often be handled more efficiently by treating them as in filling blanks (12:92–113, 13:26).

13:9 Dilatory Motion to Commit. The chair has a duty to rule out of order, as dilatory, any motion to Commit that is obviously absurd or unreasonable—such as one that (because of the time involved or any other reason) would have the effect of defeating the purpose of the main question.

13:10 Alternative Procedures When the Motion Is Incomplete. When a motion to Commit merely lacks essential details—for example, when the motion is made simply “to refer the main question to a committee”—the chair should not rule it out of order. Instead, these two courses are open:

a) Members can offer suggestions or formal amendments to complete the required details, or the chair can call for them.

b) The chair can put the motion to Commit to vote at once in its simple form.

The second alternative is appropriate if no one is seeking recognition and the chair believes that the motion to Commit is not likely to be adopted, in which case time spent in completing the details would be wasted. Opponents of the motion to Commit may try to bring about the same result (that is, obtaining an immediate vote on the referral) by moving the Previous Question on it (see 16). If the necessary two thirds (of those voting) vote to order the Previous Question on an incomplete motion to Commit, the motion is almost certain to be rejected, whatever details might be added.

13:11 In the event that any of the above procedures results in the adoption of an incomplete motion “to refer the question to a committee,” the details must be completed as described in the following paragraphs. In such a case, no new subject (except a privileged one) can be introduced until the assembly has decided all of these related questions. In completing the details, the member who made the motion to commit has no preference in recognition, since he or she could have included any desired specifications in that motion.

13:12 Completing an Incomplete Motion to Commit. In completing a motion that simply refers “the main question to a committee”—either while the motion to Commit is pending or after it is adopted—the chair first asks, “To what committee shall the question be referred?” If only one suggestion is made, he assumes that this is the will of the assembly, and he states that it is inserted into the motion to Commit. But if different proposals are made, either in the form of primary and secondary amendments or simply as suggestions, the chair treats them as proposals to fill a blank (12:92–113) and puts them to vote in the following order until one receives a majority: (1) committee of the whole; (2) quasi committee of the whole (or “as if in committee of the whole”); (3) consider informally; (4) standing committees, in the order in which they are proposed; and (5) special (select, or ad hoc) committees, the one containing the largest number of members being voted on first. A proposal to recommit to the same standing or special committee that previously considered the question is voted on before other proposals for standing or special committees are voted on.

13:13 If it is decided that the committee is to be a special one, the chair then asks—unless the rules provide the method—“How shall the committee be appointed?” Again, if only one suggestion is made, it is inserted by unanimous consent, but if different methods are suggested or moved, they are voted on in the following order: (1) election by ballot; (2) nominations from the floor (“open nominations”) with viva-voce election; (3) nominations by the chair; and (4) appointment by the chair (see also 50:11ff.). The first of these methods of selection that receives a majority vote is then inserted into the motion to Commit and the remainder are ignored.

13:14 If the motion to Commit lacks any other detail, the chair proceeds in a similar fashion to obtain completion of the motion. As soon as it is completed, if it is a pending motion to Commit, the chair states the question on it, thus opening it to additional debate during which any member can move—or the chair himself can suggest—that it be amended by adding instructions. By a majority vote, instructions can also be added to a motion to Commit that is being completed after its adoption.

13:15 Naming Members to a Special Committee. A standing or special committee may include, or even have as its chairman, one or more persons who are not members of the assembly or the society; but if the chair appoints the committee, the names of all such nonmembers being appointed must be submitted to the assembly for approval, unless the bylaws, the rules of the assembly, or the motion to appoint the committee specifically authorizes the presiding officer to appoint nonmembers (see also 50:12, 50:13(d)). When a motion to refer to a special committee has been adopted, no business except privileged matters can intervene until selection of the committee members is completed—except that if the chair is to appoint the committee, he can, if he wishes and time permits, state that he will announce the names of its members later. In such a case, however, the committee must be left with reasonable time to accomplish its purpose after the names of its members have been announced for the record and any non–society members have been approved in a meeting of the assembly as necessary under the rule stated at the beginning of this paragraph. The committee cannot act before such an announcement of its membership is made, unless otherwise authorized by the assembly, which may be done in the motion establishing the special committee or by a later incidental main motion (which can be adopted by a majority vote).

13:16 Although it is not necessary to place on a special committee the member who made the motion to Commit, it is usual to do so when such a person is interested and qualified. For a discussion of the appropriate size and personnel of committees under various circumstances, see 50:18.

13:17 Designating the Committee Chairman. If the chair appoints or nominates the committee, he has the duty to select its chairman—which he does by naming that person to the committee first—and the committee cannot elect another. The chair should not state the name of any committee member until he has decided his preference for chairman. The chair should specifically mention as chairman the first committee member he names, but if he neglects to state this fact, the designation nevertheless is automatic unless the first-named member immediately declines the chairmanship (which the member can do, and remain on the committee). If the first-named member declines to serve as chairman, the chair then names his next choice for this position. If the committee’s task is heavy and will require some time to complete, it often is advisable to appoint a vice-chairman. The anomalous title “co-chairman” should be avoided, as it causes impossible dilemmas in attempts to share the functions of a single position.

13:18 If the committee is named by a power other than the chair (such as the assembly or the executive board), the body that elects the committee members has the power, at the time the appointments are made, to designate any one of them as chairman. If a chairman is not designated when the committee is appointed, the committee has the right to elect its own chairman. In the latter case, the first-named member has the duty of calling the committee together and of acting as temporary chairman until the committee elects a chairman. Since such a committee may confirm its first-named member in the chairmanship, it is important that this person be qualified and dependable.

13:19 Effect on Motions Adhering to a Referred Question. If a motion to Postpone Indefinitely is pending when the main motion is referred to a committee, the motion for indefinite postponement is dropped from further consideration. On the other hand, any pending amendments, motions for Division of a Question or Consideration by Paragraph or Seriatim, and adhering debatable appeals (or points of order submitted to the judgment of the assembly) go to the committee with the main motion, and are reported with it. (No question can be referred to a committee while an undebatable appeal or point of order is pending.) If, at the time a main motion is committed, a motion to reconsider an adhering subsidiary or incidental motion is pending or has been made but not yet taken up, the motion to Reconsider is thereafter ignored.

13:20 Freedom of Action After Referral. Since the purpose of referring a motion to a committee is generally to allow for a more thorough consideration of the matter, greater freedom of action is obtained once the committee commences its deliberations,⁸ as follows: The usual prohibition against introducing a motion to Amend that raises the same question of content and effect as one already decided by the assembly at the same session (cf. 12:25) no longer applies. Therefore, a committee to which a resolution or other motion has been referred is free to consider, and recommend for adoption, its own amendments to the referred motion, or a recommendation for definite or indefinite postponement (11, 14), without regard to whether or not the assembly, by either adopting or rejecting the same or related amendments or motions prior to the referral, had effectively voted against making such changes or taking such action. Likewise, when a committee reports on a motion referred to it—even if to the same meeting that made the referral—the assembly itself is free to consider any such amendments, or motions for definite or indefinite postponement, whether considered by the committee or not. (In all cases, however, any amendments actually pending at the time of referral are sent to the committee with the main motion, and, when the committee reports, they must be disposed of by the assembly before any additional amendments of the same degree may be considered; see 51:36–52.)

13:21 Effect on Subsequent Debate and Methods of Voting. If consideration of a referred question is resumed in the assembly on the same day on which it was referred, any members who have exhausted their right to debate (that is, those who have already spoken twice on the question that day, unless the assembly has a special rule providing otherwise) cannot speak on it again that day without permission of the assembly (by a two-thirds vote or unanimous consent; see 15, 43). Speeches made in committee of the whole, in quasi committee of the whole, or during informal consideration, however, do not count against a member’s right to debate the same question when it is further considered by the assembly under the regular rules. When a question is referred to a committee, any orders limiting or extending the limits of debate (15) or for the Previous Question (16) are thereby exhausted, so that when the question is brought back from the committee, debate in the assembly takes place according to the regular rules, even if at the same session in which the motion to Commit was adopted. For the rules relating to the exhaustion of an order prescribing the method of voting on a question, see 30:7.

13:22 Subsequent Instructions. After a question has been referred to a committee and at any time before the committee submits its report, even at another session, the assembly by a majority vote can give the committee additional instructions in reference to the referred question (see also 13:8(d)).

13:23 Vacancies in a Committee. The power to appoint a committee includes the power to fill any vacancy that may arise in it. The resignation of a member of a committee should be addressed to the appointing power, and it is the responsibility of that power to fill the resulting vacancy (see also 47:57–58). Unless the bylaws or other governing rules provide otherwise (see 50:14, 62:16), the appointing authority has the power to remove or replace members of the committee: If a single person, such as the president, has the power of appointment, he has the power to remove or replace a member so appointed; but if the assembly has the power of selection, removal or replacement can take place only under rules applicable to the motions to Rescind or Amend Something Previously Adopted (see 50:14). Committee members are presumed to serve until their successors are appointed.

13:24 Procedure When a Committee Reports. For the procedure when a committee submits its report on a referred question, see 51; see also 12:77–78.

Form and Example

13:25 The motion to Commit or Refer may be made in many forms. The following are typical: “I move to refer the motion to a committee”; “I move to recommit the resolution”; “I move that the motion be referred to the Social Committee”; “I move that the resolution be referred to a committee of three to be appointed by the chair” [or “nominated by the chair,” or “elected from open nominations”]; “I move that the question be referred to the Executive Board with full power”; “I move to refer the resolution to a committee of seven, the chairman to be Mr. Brownley, six members to be elected by ballot from open nominations, and the committee to be instructed to report at the April meeting”; “I move that the Club now resolve itself into [or “go into”] a committee of the whole to consider the resolution”; “I move that the resolution be considered in quasi committee of the whole” [or “considered as if in committee of the whole”]; and “I move that the motion be considered informally.”

13:26 Assume that a resolution is pending which, after debate, apparently requires careful amendment before the assembly will be willing to act on it. However, the assembly is pressed for time.

MEMBER A (obtaining the floor): I move that the resolution be referred to a committee to be appointed by the chair. (Second.)

CHAIR: It is moved and seconded that the resolution be referred to a committee to be appointed by the chair. [Pause.] Are you ready for the question? [No response.] How many members shall the committee consist of?

MEMBER B (obtaining the floor): I move to amend the motion to commit by inserting after the word “committee” the words “of three.” (Second.)

CHAIR: It is moved and seconded to amend the motion by inserting after the word “committee” the words “of three.”

MEMBER C (obtaining the floor): I move to amend the amendment by striking out “three” and inserting “seven.” (Second.)

CHAIR: If there is no objection, the chair suggests that the number of committee members be decided upon by the method of filling blanks. [Pause.] There is no objection and it is so ordered. It has been suggested that the committee be composed of seven and also three members. Are there additional suggestions?

MEMBER D (calling from his seat): I suggest five.

CHAIR: Five is also suggested. Are there other suggestions? [No response.] If not, the different numbers of members suggested for the proposed committee are seven, five, and three. These will be voted on in descending order. Those in favor of seven members, say aye.… Those opposed, say no.… The noes have it and the number seven is not adopted. Those in favor of five members, say aye.… Those opposed, say no.… The ayes have it and the number five is chosen for the committee membership. The question is now on the motion “to refer the resolution to a committee of five to be appointed by the chair.” [Pause. No response.] Those in favor of referring the resolution to such a committee, say aye.… Those opposed, say no.… The ayes have it and the motion is adopted. The chair appoints Mr. Johnson as chairman, Dr. Donaldson, Mrs. Applegarth, Mr. Frank, Miss Dillon.

§14. POSTPONE TO A CERTAIN TIME (OR DEFINITELY)

14:1 The subsidiary motion to Postpone to a Certain Time (or Postpone Definitely, or Postpone) is the motion by which action on a pending question can be put off, within limits, to a definite session, day, meeting, or hour, or until after a certain event. (The expression “to defer” should be avoided, since it is often subject to vague usage.) This motion can be moved regardless of how much debate there has been on the motion it proposes to postpone. A question may be postponed either so that it may be considered at a more convenient time, or because debate has shown reasons for holding off a decision until later. This motion should not be confused with Postpone Indefinitely, which, as explained earlier (11), does not actually postpone the pending question, but kills it.

14:2 At the time when a postponed question is due to come up, there may be another question pending, or other business of a higher priority than the postponed question, that would delay its consideration, as fully explained in 41. In its simple and usual form, the motion to postpone a question makes it a general order, which cannot interrupt pending business. To give the question being postponed a special type of priority that will enable it to interrupt the consideration of other business at the specified time, the motion to Postpone may, by a two-thirds vote, be adopted in a form that makes the question a special order. (See Time at Which a Postponed Question Is Taken Up Again, 14:13–17, and the illustrations under Form and Example, 14:20–22.)

14:3 When a motion proposes to postpone a matter that is not pending—for example, the hearing of a committee’s report—such a motion is not the subsidiary motion to Postpone, but is an incidental main motion (10). If the effect would be to change action already taken by the assembly, as, for example, “to postpone for three weeks the dinner scheduled for October 15,” such a motion is a particular case of the motion to Amend Something Previously Adopted (35).

Standard Descriptive Characteristics

14:4 The subsidiary motion to Postpone to a Certain Time:

1. Takes precedence over the main motion; over the subsidiary motions to Postpone Indefinitely, to Amend, and to Commit; and over the incidental motions for Division of a Question and for Consideration by Paragraph or Seriatim. It takes precedence over a debatable appeal that adheres to the main question (or a point of order that adheres to the main question and has been referred by the chair to the judgment of the assembly and which is debatable when so referred, 23:2(5)), if no motions other than those named in the preceding sentence are pending or involved in the appeal or point of order; and it also takes precedence over a debatable nonadhering appeal or point of order to which it is applied. It takes precedence over a debatable motion to Reconsider when it is in order to apply it to that motion under the conditions stated in Standard Characteristic 2 below. It yields to the subsidiary motions to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate, for the Previous Question, or to Lay on the Table; to a motion to Amend that is applied to it; to all privileged motions; and to all applicable incidental motions.

2. Can be applied to main motions, with any motions to Postpone Indefinitely, Amend, or Commit or for Division of a Question or Consideration by Paragraph or Seriatim that may be pending; can be thus applied to orders of the day (14:13–17; 41) or questions of privilege (19) while they are actually pending as main motions, and such an application is independent of, and does not affect, any other matter that they may have interrupted; can be applied to debatable appeals (or points of order referred by the chair to the judgment of the assembly that are debatable when so referred, 23:2(5)), but if such an appeal or point of order adheres (10:35) to the main question (that is, if it must be decided before the main question is decided), the motion to Postpone can be applied to the appeal or point of order only in connection with the main question, which is thus also postponed (see also 14:18); can be applied to nonadhering debatable appeals (or points of order submitted to the judgment of the assembly) separately, without affecting the status of any pending questions not involved in the appeal or point of order; and can be applied to an immediately pending, debatable motion to Reconsider (37) when it is in order to postpone the question or series of adhering questions containing the motion(s) to be reconsidered, in which case all such questions and adhering motions are postponed with the motion to Reconsider. It cannot be applied to an undebatable appeal or to an undebatable motion to Reconsider; and it cannot be applied to any subsidiary motion, except that its application to a main question also affects any motions to Postpone Indefinitely, Amend, or Commit that may be pending, as noted above. It cannot be moved after the adoption of a motion to close debate on the main question at a definite hour or of a motion to limit the total time allowed for debate; but it remains in order if only a limitation on the length of speeches is in force (see 15). Motions to Amend, to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate, and for the Previous Question can be applied to it without affecting the main question. The motion to Postpone cannot be laid on the table alone, but when it is pending the main question can be laid on the table, carrying to the table also the motion to Postpone. It cannot be postponed indefinitely or committed.

3. Is out of order when another has the floor.

4. Must be seconded.

5. Is debatable; but debate is limited in that it must not go into the merits of the main question any more than is necessary to enable the assembly to decide whether the main question should be postponed and to what time.

6. Is amendable as to the time to which the main question is to be postponed, and as to making the postponed question a special order (see 14:13–17; 41).

7. Requires a majority vote in its simple and usual form. If (as originally moved or as a result of amendment) it makes a question a special order, however, the motion to Postpone then requires a two-thirds vote, because it suspends any rules that will interfere with the question’s consideration at the time specified. An amendment to the motion to Postpone requires only a majority vote, even if it would add a provision to make the postponed question a special order and would consequently change to two thirds the vote necessary for adoption of the motion to Postpone.

8. An affirmative vote on the motion to Postpone can be reconsidered. A negative vote on the motion to Postpone can be reconsidered only until such time as progress in business or debate has been sufficient to make it essentially a new question. Thereafter, the motion can be renewed (see 38:7).

Further Rules and Explanation

14:5 Limits on Postponement and Their Relation to Meeting and Session. Rules limiting the time to which a question can be postponed are related to the terms meeting and session (8), as follows:

14:6 In a case where more than a quarterly time interval (see 9:7) will elapse between meetings (for example, in an annual convention of delegates or in a local society that holds only an annual meeting), a question cannot be postponed beyond the end of the present session. In cases where no more than a quarterly time interval will elapse between sessions, a question can be postponed until, but not beyond, the next regular business session. For example, in a society that holds regular business meetings on the same day of each week, a question cannot, at one meeting, be postponed for longer than a week.

14:7 If it is desired to postpone a question to a time between regular meetings, it is necessary first to provide for an adjourned meeting, which is a continuation of the session scheduling it; then the question can be postponed to that meeting. If a motion to postpone a question to a regular meeting is already pending, the privileged motion to Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn (22) can be used to set an adjourned meeting, and the motion to Postpone can then be amended so that the proposed postponement will be to the adjourned meeting. Some societies have frequent sessions for social or cultural purposes at which business may be transacted, and also hold a session every month or quarter especially for business. In such societies these rules apply particularly to the regular business sessions, to which questions can be postponed from the previous regular business session or from any intervening meeting.

14:8 When the time to which a question has been postponed arrives and the question is taken up, it can be postponed again if the additional delay will not interfere with the proper handling of the postponed motion.

14:9 Neither the motion to Postpone to a Certain Time nor any amendment to it is in order if the effect would be the same as that of the motion to Postpone Indefinitely—that is, if it would kill the measure. For example, a motion to postpone until tomorrow a pending question of accepting an invitation to a banquet tonight cannot be recognized as a motion to Postpone to a Certain Time. The chair must either rule that this motion is not in order or, if the motion to Postpone Indefinitely is in order at the time, state the motion as such. The same would apply to a motion to postpone a question from one regular business session to the next in cases where the next business session will not be held within a quarterly time interval (see 9:7).

14:10 Rule Against Postponement of a Class of Subjects. As already noted, the subsidiary motion to Postpone can be applied only to a question that is actually pending; but an individual item of business that is not pending can, when appropriate, be postponed by means of a main motion.

14:11 It is not in order, either through a subsidiary motion or a main motion, to postpone a class of business composed of several items or subjects, such as reports of officers or reports of committees (see Order of Business, 41); but each report can be postponed separately as it is announced or called for.⁹ If it is desired to reach an item immediately but it falls at a later point in the regular order of business, the assembly, by a two-thirds vote or by unanimous consent (4:58–63), can adopt a motion to “suspend the rules and take up” the desired question or, equivalently, “to pass” one or more items or classes of subjects in the order of business. After a question taken up out of its proper order by such a suspension of the rules has been disposed of, the regular order of business is resumed at the point where it was left off (see 25).

14:12 Postponement of a Subject That the Bylaws Set for a Particular Session. A matter that the bylaws require to be attended to at a specified session, such as the election of officers, cannot, in advance and through a main motion, be postponed to another session. It can be taken up at any time when it is in order during the specified session (that is, either as originally convened or at any adjournment of it); and it can be postponed to an adjourned meeting in the manner explained above, after first adopting, if necessary, a motion to Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn. The adjourned meeting, as already stated, is a continuation of the same session. The procedure of postponing such a matter to an adjourned meeting is sometimes advisable, as in an annual meeting for the election of officers on a stormy night when, although a quorum is present, the attendance is abnormally small. If the matter has actually been taken up during the specified session as required, it also may be postponed beyond that session in accordance with the regular rules for the motion to Postpone. It is usually unwise to do so, however, unless completing it during the session proves impossible or impractical.

14:13 Time at Which a Postponed Question Is Taken Up Again. A postponed question becomes an order of the day for the session, day, meeting, or hour to which it is postponed. It cannot be taken up before the time for which it is set, except by reconsidering (37) the vote on the motion to Postpone, or by suspending the rules by a two-thirds vote. The postponed question is taken up either at the specified time or later, as follows:

14:14 Orders of the day consist of general orders and special orders. If the motion to Postpone does not make the postponed question a special order, it becomes a general order, which cannot interrupt pending business even if the time for which it is set has arrived or passed. By a two-thirds vote, however, a question can be postponed and made a special order, giving it priority over general orders as well as the ability to interrupt pending business. If it is desired to reserve an entire meeting—or as much of it as necessary—for the consideration of a single subject, a matter can be made the special order for a meeting (see 41:57).

14:15 When set for a session, day, or meeting but not for a particular hour, special orders and general orders usually have their established places in the order of business (see 41:18–26 and 41:46).

14:16 The full rules regarding the priority of orders of the day, and their relation to each other and to the order of business, are given in 41.

14:17 When the appointed time has been reached for a postponed question to be taken up, and as soon as no other business of a higher priority interferes, the chair states the question as pending. (For examples, see 14:22, 41:19, and 41:24.) Therefore, no further motion is normally needed to bring the question before the assembly; however, if the chair fails to state the question at the correct time, any member may then demand that the postponed question be taken up as ordered, by making a Call for the Orders of the Day (18).

14:18 Effect on Motions Adhering to a Postponed Question. When a main motion is postponed, one or more of the subsidiary motions to Postpone Indefinitely, Amend, and Commit or incidental motions for Division of a Question and Consideration by Paragraph or Seriatim may be pending. All such adhering motions are postponed with the main question, and when consideration of that question is resumed at the specified time, the business is in the same condition, so far as possible, as it was immediately before the postponement, with the exceptions noted in the next paragraph. Similarly, when a main motion is postponed, it also carries with it any adhering debatable appeals (24) or adhering points of order (23) that the chair has submitted to the judgment of the assembly and that are then debatable. (No question can be postponed while an undebatable appeal or point of order is pending.)

14:19 Effect on Subsequent Debate and Methods of Voting. When consideration of a postponed question is resumed at a later session, any orders limiting or extending the limits of debate or for the Previous Question that were adopted at the original session are exhausted (see 15:18, 16:11–12), and debate takes place according to the regular rules. But when consideration is resumed at the same session—even on another day, as may happen in a convention—all such applicable orders remain in effect. Except for the effect of an unexhausted order limiting or closing debate as just stated, when a question is taken up on a different day from the one on which it was postponed, the right of members to debate it begins over again, as if the question had not previously been debated; that is, each member can again speak twice to each debatable question, regardless of whether the member had already done so before the postponement (see 43). For the rules relating to the exhaustion of an order prescribing the method of voting on a question, see 30:7.

Form and Example

14:20 The form used in making this motion depends on the desired object:

a) Simply to postpone the question to the next meeting, when it will have priority over new business: “I move to postpone the motion [or “that the question be postponed”] to the next meeting.”

b) To specify an hour before which the question will not be taken up (unless by a two-thirds vote or through reconsideration), and when it will come up automatically as soon as no business is pending and any remaining matters that have priority over it have been disposed of: “I move that the resolution be postponed until 3 P.M.” [or “… until 9 P.M. at the meeting scheduled for February 15”].

c) To postpone consideration of a motion until after a certain event in a meeting, when it will immediately be taken up (unless a special order intervenes): “I move to postpone the question until after the address by our guest speaker.”

d) To ensure that the question will come up at the next meeting and will not be crowded out by other matters: “I move that the question be postponed to the next meeting and be made a special order.” (Two-thirds vote required for adoption.)

e) To ensure that the matter will come up at precisely a certain hour, even if it interrupts pending business: “I move that the resolution be postponed and be made a special order for 3 P.M. tomorrow.” (Two-thirds vote required for adoption.)

f) To postpone a subject—such as a revision of the bylaws—to an adjourned meeting at which the entire time can be devoted to it if necessary, a motion to Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn must first be made and adopted, and then the motion to Postpone may be made in this form: “I move that the question be postponed and made the special order for the adjourned meeting set for next Tuesday evening.” (Two-thirds vote required for adoption.)

14:21 Assume that a controversial resolution is pending at a convention and that many of the delegates who are most interested and best informed on the subject will not be able to be present until tomorrow.

MEMBER A (obtaining the floor): I move to postpone the resolution until eleven o’clock tomorrow morning. (Second.)

CHAIR: It is moved and seconded to postpone the resolution until eleven o’clock tomorrow morning. [Pause.]

MEMBER B (after obtaining the floor and stating that in his opinion further consideration of the resolution should under no circumstances be delayed beyond 11 A.M. the next day): I move to amend the motion to postpone, by adding “and make it a special order.” (Second.)

CHAIR: It is moved and seconded to amend the motion to postpone the resolution until eleven o’clock tomorrow morning by adding “and make it a special order.” [Debate, if any.] The question is on amending the motion to postpone by adding “and make it a special order.” Those in favor of the amendment, say aye.… Those opposed, say no.… The ayes have it and the amendment is adopted. The question now is on the motion, as amended, to postpone the resolution until eleven o’clock tomorrow morning and make it a special order. This motion now requires a two-thirds vote. [Pause.] Are you ready for the question? [Pause. No further debate.] Those in favor of the motion to postpone the resolution until eleven o’clock tomorrow morning and make it a special order will rise.… Be seated. Those opposed, rise.… Be seated. There are two thirds in the affirmative and the motion is adopted. The resolution is a special order for 11 A.M. tomorrow. The next item of business is…

14:22 If the amendment to make a special order is rejected, the chair proceeds in the usual manner to take a voice vote on the unamended motion to postpone. If the motion to postpone is not adopted, he again states the question on the resolution. But if the resolution has been made a special order for the following day at 11 A.M., as in the above example, then at the appointed time the chair says:

CHAIR: It is now eleven o’clock. The following resolution was made a special order for this time: “Resolved, That…” The question is on the adoption of the resolution.…

§15. LIMIT OR EXTEND LIMITS OF DEBATE

15:1 The subsidiary motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate is one of the two motions by means of which an assembly can exercise special control over debate on a pending question or on a series of pending questions. (The other motion serving such a purpose is the Previous Question, 16. Neither of these motions is allowed in committees; see 50.)

15:2 The motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate can limit debate by: (1) reducing the number or length of speeches permitted, without including specific provision for closing debate; or (2) requiring that, at a certain later hour or after debate for a specified length of time, debate shall be closed. It can extend the limits of debate by allowing more and longer speeches than under the regular rules (see 43:8–13). It cannot impose an immediate closing of debate, which requires a different motion—the Previous Question.

15:3 When an assembly adopts a motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate, it is said to adopt an “order” taking such action. (The word order as applied in this sense should not be confused with the technical terms order of the day, general order, and special order as used in 3, 14, and 41.) When an order limiting or extending the limits of debate finally ceases to be in force as relates to all the motions it affected, the order is said to be “exhausted” (see 15:18).

15:4 If a motion proposing to change the regular limits of debate (for any length of time or during the consideration of one or more particular subjects) is made while no question is pending, such a motion is not the subsidiary motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate, but is an incidental main motion (although it requires a two-thirds vote for its adoption, just as the subsidiary motion does).

Standard Descriptive Characteristics

15:5 The subsidiary motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate:

1. Takes precedence over all debatable motions. It yields to the subsidiary motions for the Previous Question and to Lay on the Table; to a motion to Amend that is applied to it; to all privileged motions; and to all applicable incidental motions.

2. Can be applied to any immediately pending debatable motion, to an entire series of pending debatable motions, or to any consecutive part of such a series beginning with the immediately pending question. (It therefore can be made only while a debatable motion is immediately pending. If a series of debatable questions is pending and an undebatable incidental motion is immediately pending, the latter must be disposed of before any motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate can be made.) Motions to Amend and (for the purpose of stopping amendment) the motion for the Previous Question can be applied to it without affecting the main question. The motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate cannot be laid on the table alone, but when it is pending the main question can be laid on the table, carrying to the table also the motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate.

3. Is out of order when another has the floor.

4. Must be seconded.

5. Is not debatable.

6. Is amendable, but any amendment, like the motion itself, is undebatable.

7. Requires a two-thirds vote—because it suspends the rules, and because limiting debate takes away the basic rights of all members to full discussion and may restrict a minority’s right to present its case.

8. An affirmative vote on the motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate can be reconsidered, without debate, at any time before the order limiting or extending limits of debate is exhausted (see 15:18). If the order has been partially carried out, only the unexecuted part can be subject to reconsideration. A negative vote on the motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate can be reconsidered only until such time as progress in business or debate has been sufficient to make it essentially a new question. Thereafter, the motion can be renewed (see 38:7).

Further Rules and Explanation

15:6 Effect on Pending and Subsequent Motions. This motion’s effect upon other pending and subsequent motions is closely related to its position in the order of precedence of motions (5) and further depends on the nature of its specific provisions, as explained below. Any relevant provisions can be included in the motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate by its maker or, while the motion is pending, can be added or modified by amendment (12).

15:7 Pending Motions to Which It Applies. If, at the time the motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate is made, the immediately pending question is one among a consecutive series of pending debatable questions, the motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate can be applied, as noted in Standard Characteristic 2 above, to the immediately pending question, to any consecutive part of the series beginning with the immediately pending question, or to the entire series. If the motion does not specify to which of these questions it is to apply, then only the immediately pending question is affected.

15:8 Subsequent Motions to Which It Applies. Unless otherwise specified in the motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate, its effect on the debate of motions that may subsequently become pending is as follows: An order limiting debate applies not only to the motion(s) on which the limitation is ordered, but also to any debatable subsidiary motions, motions to Reconsider, or debatable appeals that may become pending subsequently while the order is in force. On the other hand, an order extending limits of debate—or one that both limits and extends the limits of debate, such as by limiting the length of each speech to two minutes while allowing each member to speak three times the same day on the question—applies only to the debate of the pending motion(s) on which it is ordered.

15:9 Effect on the Making of Subsidiary Motions. While a motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate is pending, its precedence prevents the making of subsidiary motions of lower rank (Postpone Indefinitely, Amend, Commit, Postpone to a Certain Time). After a limitation or extension on debate has been ordered, however, its effect on which subsidiary motions can be made depends on the particular form in which the order was made.

15:10 Limitations (or extensions) that do not close debate. If the limitation or extension that has been ordered does not provide for closing debate—for example, if the order was “that debate be limited to one speech of five minutes for each member,” as in Form and Example (a) below—it has no effect on what subsidiary motions can be made.

15:11 Limitations that close debate on the main motion. After the adoption of an order that does provide a time for closing debate on the main question—either at a specified hour or after debate for a specified length of time, as in Form and Example (b) or (f) below—motions to Commit or to Postpone to a Certain Time are not in order, since providing a time for closing debate implies that at that time the question will be voted on.¹⁰ If the assembly decides, while the order is in effect, that it wishes to commit or postpone the main motion, then it may reconsider (37) and reverse the vote establishing the order or, by a two-thirds vote, it may adopt a new limitation or extension of debate that has no such restriction. If motions to Commit or to Postpone were already part of a series that was pending when such an order was adopted, however, the remaining questions may be postponed or committed at the time those motions come to a vote.

15:12 When the allotted time under such an order has expired, no further debate on any pending question is allowed, no further amendments or subsidiary motions other than Lay on the Table (or a superseding motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate; see below) can be offered, and all pending questions are voted on immediately. In making an order that provides a time for closing debate on the main motion, sometimes it is specified that the question shall be put at that time, although the effect is the same whether or not this is explicitly provided.

15:13 Limitations that close debate on the main motion without limiting the making of subsidiary motions. If the assembly wishes only to limit the time devoted to the question without preventing motions to Commit or Postpone from being made during that time, the order can specify, for example, “that debate on the pending resolution be limited to twenty minutes, during which time all applicable secondary motions shall remain in order.”

15:14 Other limitations or extensions. If it is desired to order a limitation or extension of debate whose effect is other than as described above, this can be specified in the order, such as in Form and Example (e) below.

15:15 Interruptions While It Is in Effect. Regardless of the form of an order to limit or extend the limits of debate, the main question and any adhering motions can be laid on the table while the order is in effect.

15:16 It should be noted that there can be a significant difference in effect between (a) an order that closes debate at a particular hour and (b) one that limits debate to a specified length of time. In the first case, if consideration of the question to which the order applies is interrupted, such as by the question’s being laid on the table, and is resumed after the specified hour has passed (but during the same session, so that the order has not been exhausted; see below), no further debate is allowed. In the second case, however, any time consumed while the question is lying on the table, or during other interruptions unrelated to the question to which the order applies (such as consideration of orders of the day (18, 41) or unrelated questions of privilege (19)), does not diminish the amount of time allowed for debate on the question.

15:17 Adoption of a Superseding Limitation or Extension. Unlike the case of main motions and lower-ranking subsidiary motions (Postpone Indefinitely, Amend, Commit, Postpone), the adoption of one motion limiting or extending debate in a certain way does not prevent another such conflicting motion from being in order. A motion to set different limitation(s) or extension(s), or to change from one to the other, or to order the Previous Question (16), can be made at any time that it is in order under the order of precedence of motions, until the pending questions affected have been finally disposed of. The reason is that the two-thirds vote necessary for the adoption of any motion to modify the limits of debate also fulfills the requirement for suspending the rules (25).

15:18 Conditions for Exhaustion of Its Effect. An order limiting or extending limits of debate is exhausted (that is, no longer applies): (1) when all of the questions on which it was imposed have been voted on; (2) when those questions affected by the order and not yet voted on have been either referred to a committee or postponed indefinitely; or (3) at the conclusion of the session in which the order was adopted—whichever occurs first. If any of the questions to which the order applies are postponed definitely or laid on the table, and are taken up again later during the same session, the unexecuted part of the order remains in effect. Any questions affected by an order modifying limits of debate that in any way go over to the next session—or that are referred to a committee and reported back, even in the same session in which committed—become open to debate under the regular rules. An order limiting or extending limits of debate applies to reconsiderations of the affected questions before, but not after, exhaustion of the order.

Form and Example

15:19 The forms in which this motion may be made depend on the desired object, as follows:

a) To reduce or increase the number or length of speeches: “I move that debate be limited to one speech of five minutes for each member”; or “… that Mr. Lee’s time be extended three minutes”; or “I ask unanimous consent that Mr. Lee’s time…” (see 4:58–63).

b) To provide a time for closing debate on the main question and taking the vote on all pending questions: “I move that at 9 P.M. [or “after twenty minutes”] debate on the resolution be closed.” (Under such a limitation, motions to Commit or Postpone to a Certain Time will no longer be in order.)

c) To limit time spent in debate on a secondary motion, such as an amendment: “I move that debate on the pending amendment be limited to twenty minutes.”

d) To limit the time devoted to the question without preventing motions to Commit or Postpone from being made during that time: “I move that debate on the pending resolution be limited to twenty minutes, during which time all applicable secondary motions shall remain in order.”

e) To fix the hour for closing debate without cutting off further amendments: “I move that debate on the pending resolution be closed at 5 P.M., after which time members may continue to offer amendments, which shall then be undebatable.”

f) To combine several of the above objects: “I move that __ and __ [the leaders on the two sides] each be allowed twenty minutes, which may be divided between two speeches, and that other members be limited to one speech of two minutes each, provided that all pending questions shall be put to a vote at 4 P.M.” (see also example in 59:82).

15:20 The form of stating the question on this amendable but undebatable motion is:

CHAIR: It is moved and seconded that no later than 9 P.M. debate be closed and the question on the resolution be put. The motion to limit or extend limits of debate is not debatable, but it can be amended. [Pause.] Are you ready for the question on [or, “Are there any amendments to”] the motion to limit debate?

The words at the end of the last sentence, “the motion to limit debate,” can be modified to suit the particular form in which the motion was made.

15:21 Unless the motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate is adopted by unanimous consent (4:58–63), the chair puts it to a vote taken by rising, as in the example shown for a motion to postpone a question and make it a special order, in 14:21. In announcing the result, the chair states the parliamentary situation as it then exists:

CHAIR (after taking a rising vote): There are two thirds in the affirmative and the motion is adopted. The resolution will therefore be put to a vote no later than 9 P.M. and debate cannot continue beyond that hour. The question is on [stating the immediately pending question].

§16. PREVIOUS QUESTION

(Immediately to close debate and the making of subsidiary motions except the motion to Lay on the Table)

16:1 The Previous Question is the motion used to bring the assembly to an immediate vote on one or more pending questions; its adoption does this with certain exceptions.

16:2 Adopting or “ordering” the Previous Question:

1) immediately closes debate on, and stops amendment of, the immediately pending question and such other pending questions as the motion may specify (in consecutive series; see Standard Characteristic 2); and

2) prevents the making of any other subsidiary motions except the higher-ranking (5) Lay on the Table.¹¹

The adoption of an order for the Previous Question does not prevent the making of privileged or incidental motions (6) as applicable, and, strictly speaking, it does not prevent a special order set for a particular hour (14, 41) from interrupting the pending business (see also 16:10).

16:3 The motion for the Previous Question has nothing to do with the last question previously considered by the assembly and has a long history of gradually changing purpose.

16:4 The Previous Question is not allowed in committees (50).

Standard Descriptive Characteristics

16:5 The subsidiary motion for the Previous Question:

1. Takes precedence over all debatable or amendable motions to which it is applied, and over the subsidiary motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate; and, if adopted, it supersedes the effect of an unexhausted order limiting or extending debate, with respect to the motions to which it is applied. It yields to the subsidiary motion to Lay on the Table, to all privileged motions, and to all applicable incidental motions.

2. Can be applied to any immediately pending debatable or amendable motion; to an entire series of pending debatable or amendable motions; and to any consecutive part of such a series, beginning with the immediately pending question. (Under this rule it can be applied to motions that are amendable but not debatable,¹² for the purpose of stopping amendment; see page t47.) It supersedes any earlier order for the closing of debate at a future time and can be applied while such an order is in effect. In practice, this motion usually is made in an unqualified form, such as “I move the previous question,” and then it applies only to the immediately pending question. In its qualified form, however, it can be applied to include consecutively any series beginning with the immediately pending question. For example, the following motions might be pending: (a) a resolution; (b) an amendment to the resolution; (c) a motion to refer the resolution and its pending amendment to a committee; and (d) an immediately pending motion to postpone all of these questions to a definite time. In this case, an unqualified motion for the Previous Question will apply only to (d). Such a motion can be qualified to apply to (d) and (c); to (d), (c), and (b); or to (d), (c), (b), and (a). It cannot include only (d) and (b); only (d), (b), and (a); only (d), (c), and (a); or only (d) and (a); and no motion for the Previous Question excluding the immediately pending question (d) can be made until (d) has been voted on. No subsidiary motion can be applied to the Previous Question, except that when it is pending the main question can be laid on the table, carrying to the table also all adhering motions, including the motion for the Previous Question.

3. Is out of order when another has the floor.

4. Must be seconded.

5. Is not debatable.

6. Is not amendable. However, it has a special characteristic that permits an effect similar to amendment when the motion is applied while a series of questions is pending. When a motion for the Previous Question is immediately pending in such a case, it can be made again with more or fewer pending questions included (subject to the restrictions shown in Standard Characteristic 2, above), before the first motion for the Previous Question is voted on. The procedure resembles filling blanks (see 12:92–113) except that each of the motions must be made by a member who has obtained the floor, and each must be seconded.¹³ For example, if one member has made this motion in the unqualified form when a series of questions is pending (so that it would apply only to the question immediately pending at that time), another member can move it on part of the series and still another can move it on all pending questions. The vote is taken first on the motion that would order the Previous Question on the largest number of motions; if this fails, then on the next smaller number, and so on, until one is adopted (by a two-thirds vote), or until all of the motions for the Previous Question are rejected.

7. Requires a two-thirds vote. (If a motion for the Previous Question fails to gain the necessary two-thirds vote, debate continues as if this motion had not been made.) In ordinary bodies, the requirement of a two-thirds vote for ordering the Previous Question is important in protecting the democratic process. If this rule were not observed, a temporary majority of only one vote could deny the remaining members all opportunity to discuss any measure that such a majority wished to adopt or kill.¹⁴

8. An affirmative vote on the motion for the Previous Question can be reconsidered before any vote has been taken under the order for the Previous Question, but (in contrast to the motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate) it cannot be reconsidered after the order has been partly executed;¹⁵ see also 16:13–16. A negative vote on the motion for the Previous Question can be reconsidered only until such time as progress in business or debate has been sufficient to make it essentially a new question—that is, only until such time as it is reasonable to assume that debate or action on any of the motions involved may have made more members desire to vote immediately on some or all of the questions still pending. Thereafter, it can be renewed (see 38:7).

Further Rules and Explanation

16:6 Equal Application of Rules to Nonstandard Forms Such as “Call for the Question.” A motion such as “I call for [or “call”] the question,” “I demand the previous question,” “I move to close [or “end”] debate,” or “I move we vote now” is simply a motion for the Previous Question made in nonstandard form, and it is subject to all of the rules in this section. Care should be taken that failure to understand this fact does not lead to violation of members’ rights of debate.

16:7 Sometimes the mere making of a motion for the Previous Question or “call for the question” may motivate unanimous consent to ending debate. Before or after such a motion has been seconded, the chair may ask if there is any objection to closing debate. If member(s) object or try to get the floor, he must ask if there is a second to the motion or call; or, if it has already been seconded, he must immediately take a vote on whether to order the Previous Question. But regardless of the wording of a motion or “call” seeking to close debate, it always requires a second and a two-thirds vote, taken separately from and before the vote(s) on the motion(s) to which it is applied, to shut off debate against the will of even one member who wishes to speak and has not exhausted his right to debate (see 4:32, 43:8–13).

16:8 Exemption of Undebated Preamble from the Previous Question Unless Separately Ordered. When a resolution having a preamble (one or more explanatory clauses beginning “Whereas,…”) is pending, if the Previous Question is ordered on the resolution before consideration of the preamble has been reached (10:16ff., 12:23, 28:7), the order does not apply to debate and amendment of the preamble, to which the assembly proceeds before voting on the resolution. After the chair has declared the preamble open to debate and amendment in such a case, the entire resolution can be brought to an immediate vote, if desired, by then ordering the Previous Question on the preamble.

16:9 Voting on a Series of Motions Under the Previous Question; Interruption of Execution. When the Previous Question is ordered on a series of pending motions as explained above under Standard Characteristic 2, they are voted on in order of rank beginning with the immediately pending question—that is, in reverse of the order in which they were made. If the series includes motions to Postpone Definitely, to Commit, or to Postpone Indefinitely and one of these motions is adopted, further voting stops—regardless of how many of the remaining questions were, or were not, included under the order for the Previous Question. But if voting is not stopped in such a manner, then, when all of the motions on which the Previous Question was ordered have been voted on, consideration of any questions still pending resumes under the regular rules.

16:10 If a question or series of questions (including motions on which the Previous Question has been ordered) ceases to be the pending business before all of the motions affected by the order have been voted on, execution of the order is said to be interrupted. Interruption of the execution of an order for the Previous Question may occur as follows:

• If a motion to Postpone, to Commit, or to Postpone Indefinitely on which the Previous Question has been ordered is adopted (as in the preceding paragraph) in a case where one or more of the remaining questions were also included under the order, execution of the order is thus interrupted after it has been partly carried out.

• Before or after an order for the Previous Question has been partly carried out, as already noted, it is also possible for its execution to be interrupted as a result of the question(s)’s being laid on the table, or by the intervention of a special order set for a particular hour (14, 41), a question of privilege (19), a recess (8, 20), or an adjournment (8, 21). (If the hour set for a special order, a recess, or an adjournment has arrived and the Previous Question has been ordered on one or more pending motions, however, there usually will be no objection to the chair’s putting them all to a vote in succession before he announces the matter that intervenes.)

16:11 Exhaustion of the Previous Question. The Previous Question is said to be exhausted (in reference to a particular order for it) when all of the motions on which it was ordered have been finally disposed of, or when any motions not yet finally disposed of are no longer affected by the order. The conditions for exhaustion of the Previous Question are the same as for an order limiting or extending limits of debate—that is: (1) when all motions on which the Previous Question was ordered have been voted on; (2) when those not yet voted on have either been committed or postponed indefinitely; or (3) at the end of the session in which the Previous Question was ordered—whichever occurs first. After the Previous Question is exhausted, any remaining questions that come up again are open to debate and amendment just as if there had been no order for the Previous Question.

16:12 If the execution of an order for the Previous Question is interrupted and if the motion or motions that were pending come up again later, the rules in the foregoing paragraph apply as follows:

• If the questions were referred to a committee and are later reported, the Previous Question is exhausted and the motions are open to debate and amendment, even if it is during the same session.

• But if the interruption of execution occurred by any other means than referral and the questions come up again during the same session, the order remains in effect; all motions on which the Previous Question was ordered must be voted on immediately (unless a reconsideration of the order is possible and a motion to reconsider it has been made, or is then made; see below).

• If the questions do not come up again until a later session, the Previous Question is always exhausted, regardless of how the interruption of execution occurred.

16:13 Reconsideration of a Vote That Has Ordered the Previous Question. As noted in Standard Characteristic 8, a vote that has ordered the Previous Question can be reconsidered before, but not after, any of the motions affected by the order have been voted on. Consequently, it will frequently happen that a motion to reconsider an affirmative vote on the Previous Question itself can be made only in the brief moment after the vote ordering the Previous Question is completed and before the first vote is taken under the order.

16:14 If the execution of an order for the Previous Question was interrupted before any vote was taken under the order, and if the questions come up again during the same session, a motion to reconsider the order (if not made earlier) can be made only in the moment after the chair has announced these questions as the pending business and before any of them are voted on. In addition, the regular time limits for making a motion to Reconsider apply (see 37).

16:15 It should be noted that if a motion or series of motions that is under an order for the Previous Question comes up after having been postponed, there can never be a reconsideration of the order. The reason is that the motion to Postpone can only have been made before the Previous Question was ordered, so that the order for the Previous Question will always have been partly executed by the vote that caused the postponement.

16:16 In practice, if a motion to reconsider an affirmative vote on the Previous Question prevails, the vote that adopted the motion to Reconsider is also presumed to have carried out the reconsideration and to have reversed the vote that is reconsidered. That is, the Previous Question is now presumed to be rejected and is not voted on again, for this reason: in such a case, only members opposed to the Previous Question would vote to reconsider it after it had been adopted; consequently, if a majority have voted for reconsideration, it will be impossible to obtain a two-thirds vote in favor of the Previous Question.

16:17 Reconsideration of a Vote While the Previous Question Is in Effect. An order for the Previous Question does not prevent the making of a motion to Reconsider, nor does it prevent the assembly from taking up a motion to Reconsider that was made either before or after the Previous Question was ordered. Whether or not debate is in order during reconsideration depends on when the reconsideration takes place. If a motion to Reconsider becomes pending while the Previous Question is in effect, the motion to Reconsider is undebatable and the motion to be reconsidered cannot be debated or amended. But if the reconsideration occurs after the Previous Question is exhausted, the motion to Reconsider and the question to be reconsidered are no longer affected by the Previous Question.

16:18 Effect on Appeals. An appeal is undebatable if it is made after the Previous Question has been moved or ordered and before the order is exhausted.

16:19 Effect on Subsequent Motions Generally. The general rules as to the effect of an unexhausted order for the Previous Question on subsequent motions that would normally be debatable or amendable are as follows:

• While one or more motions on which the Previous Question has been ordered remain pending, the order also applies to any other motions that may take precedence over these pending questions. (The rules stated in the two preceding paragraphs—relating to reconsiderations and appeals—are applications of this principle.)

• But if a question of privilege is raised and is admitted for immediate consideration (see 19), or if a special order set for a particular hour intervenes, these questions are independent of an unexhausted order for the Previous Question applying to business that they interrupt.

Form and Example

16:20 The forms used in making this motion include: “I move the previous question” (to apply only to the immediately pending question); “I move [or “call for”] the previous question on the motion to commit and its amendment”; “I move the previous question on all pending questions”; and so on. Calls of “Question!” by members from their seats are not motions for the Previous Question and are disorderly if another member is speaking or seeking recognition.

16:21 In stating the question on this undebatable, unamendable motion, the chair does not pause or ask, “Are you ready for the question?” but puts the question for a rising vote on the motion for the Previous Question immediately, as shown below. Similarly, in announcing an affirmative result, he at once states the question on the motion that is then immediately pending.

16:22 As a first example, assume that a series of several debatable and amendable motions is pending.

MEMBER A (obtaining the floor): I move the previous question [or, if it is desired that the order affect more than just the immediately pending question, “I move the previous question on…,” specifying the motions]. (Second.)

CHAIR: The previous question is moved and seconded on [naming the motions].

16:23 If the assembly is not familiar with the use of the Previous Question, the chair should at this point explain it. In any case, the chair then proceeds to take the vote:

CHAIR: Those in favor of ordering the previous question on [repeating the motion or motions], rise.… Be seated. Those opposed, rise.… Be seated.

16:24 Assume two thirds vote in favor of the Previous Question. The result is announced as follows:

CHAIR: There are two thirds in the affirmative and the previous question is ordered on [naming again the motions to which the order applies]. The question is now on the adoption of the motion to… [stating in full the immediately pending question]. Those in favor… [and so on, putting to vote in proper sequence all motions on which the Previous Question has been ordered].

16:25 If less than two thirds vote in the affirmative, the chair announces the result of the vote on the motion for the Previous Question as follows:

CHAIR: There are less than two thirds in the affirmative and the motion for the previous question is lost. The question is now on… [stating the question on the immediately pending motion]. Debate may now resume. [The chair does not say, “Are you ready for the question?” here, since the assembly has just shown that it is not ready.]

16:26 The following example shows the forms used in handling alternative motions for the Previous Question that specify different numbers of pending questions in a series, as described under Standard Characteristic 6.

16:27 Assume that a resolution, an amendment to the resolution, and a motion to Commit are pending (in which case the motion to Commit is the immediately pending question).

MEMBER X (obtaining the floor): I move the previous question. (Second.) [In this case only the motion to Commit is affected.]

CHAIR: The previous question is moved and seconded on the motion to commit. Those in favor of ordering…

MEMBER Y (quickly rising and interrupting the chair): Mr. President.

CHAIR: For what purpose does the member rise?

MEMBER Y: I move the previous question on all pending questions. (Second.)

CHAIR: The previous question is also moved on all pending questions. The question is now on the motion for the previous question on all pending questions. Those…

MEMBER Z (quickly rising): Mr. President.

CHAIR: For what purpose does the member rise?
MEMBER Z: I move the previous question on the motion to commit and on the amendment to the resolution. (Second.)

CHAIR: The previous question is also moved and seconded on the motion to commit and on the amendment to the resolution. The question is first, however, on the motion to order the previous question on all pending questions. Those in favor of ordering… [and so on. Alternative motions for the Previous Question are voted on in order beginning with the one that would apply to the largest number of pending questions. Therefore, after admitting Member Y’s motion, the chair starts to put the question on it first; but after admitting Member Z’s, he returns to taking a vote on Member Y’s. If one of these motions for the Previous Question is adopted, any remaining ones are ignored.]

16:28      If a member wishes to make a higher-ranking motion or to move a reconsideration while a motion for the Previous Question is pending or after the Previous Question has been ordered, he seeks limited recognition by rising and interrupting the chair just as in the example above.

§17. LAY ON THE TABLE

(To interrupt the pending business so as to permit doing something else immediately)

17:1      The motion to Lay on the Table enables the assembly to lay the pending question aside temporarily when something else of immediate urgency has arisen or when something else needs to be addressed before consideration of the pending question is resumed, in such a way that:

• there is no set time for taking the matter up again;

• but (until the expiration of time limits explained in 17:8) its consideration can be resumed at the will of a majority and in preference to any new questions that may then be competing with it for consideration.

This motion is commonly misused in ordinary assemblies—in place of a motion to Postpone Indefinitely (11), a motion to Postpone to a Certain Time (14), or other motions. Particularly in such misuses, it also is known as a motion “to table.”

17:2      By adopting the motion to Lay on the Table, a majority has the power to halt consideration of a question immediately without debate. Such action violates the rights of the minority and individual members if it is for any other purpose than the one stated in the first sentence of this section. In ordinary assemblies, the motion to Lay on the Table is not in order if the evident intent is to kill or avoid dealing with a measure. If a time for resuming consideration is specified in making the motion, it can be admitted only as a motion to Postpone (14), in which case it is debatable (see also 17:13–19).

Standard Descriptive Characteristics

17:3      The subsidiary motion to Lay on the Table:

1. Takes precedence over the main motion, over all other subsidiary motions, and over any incidental motions that are pending when it is made. It yields to all privileged motions, and to motions that are incidental to itself.

2. Can be applied to main motions, with any other subsidiary motions that may be pending; can be thus applied to orders of the day (14, 41) or questions of privilege (19) while they are actually pending as main motions, and such an application is independent of, and does not carry to the table, any other matter that they may have interrupted; can be separately applied to debatable appeals that do not adhere (10:35) to the main question (or to nonadhering points of order referred by the chair to the judgment of the assembly that are debatable when so referred), and this application has no effect on the status of any other questions that may be pending; can be applied to adhering appeals—whether debatable or undebatable—only by laying the main question on the table, in which case the appeal and all other adhering motions go to the table also; and can be applied to an immediately pending motion to Reconsider (37), whenever Lay on the Table would be applicable if the motion to be reconsidered were immediately pending, and in such a case, it carries to the table also the motion to be reconsidered, or the series of questions adhering to the latter motion. It cannot be applied to an undebatable appeal that does not adhere to the main question; and it cannot be applied to any subsidiary motion except in connection with application to the main question. No motion or motions can be laid on the table apart from motions which adhere to them, or to which they adhere; and if any one of them is laid on the table, all such motions go to the table together. The motion to Lay on the Table can be made while an order limiting debate or an order for the Previous Question is in force (see also below). No subsidiary motion can be applied to the motion to Lay on the Table.

Since the motion to Lay on the Table can be applied only to a question that is actually pending, a class or group of main questions such as orders of the day, unfinished business, or committee reports cannot be laid on the table as a unit. (An item of business can be reached in such a case, however, by methods that are explained in 17:14 and 41:38.)

3. Is out of order when another has the floor.

4. Must be seconded.

5. Is not debatable. It is proper for, and the chair can ask, the maker of this motion to state his reason first, however, as: “Our speaker must catch an early flight,” or “Laying this question aside temporarily will ensure adequate time to consider the next item of business, which must be decided at this meeting.” (The urgency and the legitimate intent of the motion can thus be established; but mentioning its purpose imposes no requirement as to when or whether the assembly will take the question from the table. An essential feature of this motion is that it cannot be qualified in any way and that, so long as the question remains on the table, the decision as to when—or if—it will be taken up is left open. For the limitations on the length of time that a question can lie on the table, see 17:8.)

6. Is not amendable.

7. Requires a majority vote.

8. An affirmative vote on the motion to Lay on the Table cannot be reconsidered, because it is easier and more direct to move to take the question from the table (see below). A negative vote on the motion to Lay on the Table can be reconsidered only until such time as the motion can be renewed. As explained in 17:11, renewal of the motion to Lay on the Table is permitted only when either (a) progress in business or debate has been sufficient to make it essentially a new question, or (b) something urgent has arisen that was not known when the assembly rejected this motion; see 38:7.

Further Rules and Explanation

17:4 Laying a Question on the Table and Taking It from the Table. Rules affecting the motion to Lay on the Table are closely related to the motion to Take from the Table (34), as follows:

17:5      Adopting a motion to Lay on the Table places on the table—that is, in the care of the secretary—the pending question and everything adhering to it. Thus, if a resolution with a proposed amendment and a motion to Commit are pending and the resolution is laid on the table, all of these questions go to the table at the same time and, if taken from the table, all will return together. (But a proposed amendment to anything previously adopted—existing bylaws, for example—is a main motion and when laid on the table does not carry with it what it proposes to amend.)

17:6      After a question has been laid on the table, it can be taken from the table by a majority vote as soon as the interrupting business is disposed of—or at some later time before the limits for taking it from the table have expired (see below)—whenever no question is pending, provided that business of the same class as the question on the table, or unfinished business, general orders, or new business, is in order.

17:7      When a question is taken from the table, everything is in the same condition, so far as possible, as it was when laid on the table, except as the rules relating to amendment, debate, and voting may be affected when the question is taken up on another day or at a later session, as noted in 34 (see Status of a Question Taken from the Table, 34:6–7).

17:8      A question that has been laid on the table remains there and can be taken from the table during the same session (8), or, if the next regular business session will be held before a quarterly time interval has elapsed (see 9:7), also until the end of the next regular session. If not taken from the table within these time limits, the question dies, although it can be reintroduced later as a new question. (For additional rules regarding the meetings at which a question can be taken from the table, see Time Limits on Taking a Question from the Table, 34:3.)

17:9 Status of a Question Lying on the Table. Since a motion that has been laid on the table is still within the control of the assembly (38:8), no other motion on the same subject is in order that would either conflict with, or present substantially the same question as, the motion that is lying on the table. To consider another motion on the same subject, it is necessary first to take the question from the table and then to move the new proposal as a substitute, or to make whatever other motion is appropriate to the case.

17:10 Additional Steps That May Be Required When Laying a Question on the Table. Laying a question on the table with the idea of attending to something else does not suspend any rules or set aside an order of business that may interfere with doing the thing desired at the time. Taking up the desired business may require an additional motion after the question has been laid on the table (see Suspend the Rules, 25; Taking Up Business out of Its Proper Order, 41:37–39).

17:11 Renewal of the Motion to Lay on the Table; Laying a Question on the Table Again. A motion to Lay on the Table that has been voted down can be renewed, or a question that has been taken from the table can be laid on the table again, subject to the following condition in either case: A motion made the same day to lay the same question on the table is in order only after material progress in business or debate has been made, or when an unforeseen urgent matter requires immediate attention. (This rule is a consequence of the fact that the rejection of a motion to Lay on the Table or the taking of a question from the table means that the assembly wishes to consider the matter at that time.) Motions to Recess (20) or to Adjourn (21) that have been made and lost do not justify a new motion to lay the same question on the table, but the renewal might be justified after a vote on an important amendment or on a motion to Commit.

17:12 Laying the Pending Questions on the Table After Debate Has Been Closed. If debate has been closed by ordering the Previous Question or by the expiration of the time to which debate was limited, then up until the moment of taking the last vote under the order, the questions still before the assembly can be laid on the table. Thus, while a resolution and an amendment are pending, if the Previous Question is ordered on both motions, it is in order to lay the resolution on the table, carrying with it the adhering amendment. If the amendment had already been voted on, it would likewise have been in order to lay the resolution on the table.

17:13 Misuses of the Motion. As stated at the beginning of this section, the motion to Lay on the Table is subject to a number of incorrect uses that must be avoided.¹⁶

17:14      It is not in order to move to lay a pending question on the table if there is evidently no other matter requiring immediate attention. However, if members who command a majority wish to bring up a measure out of its order but lack the two thirds required to suspend the rules to do so, they may lay each intervening matter on the table in succession, until the desired matter is reached. This is proper because their evident object is not to suppress without debate the items laid on the table, but instead to advance consideration of something they consider more urgent. (See also 41:38.) At a special meeting, it is dilatory (39) and not in order to move to lay on the table the matter for which the meeting has been called.

17:15      The motion to Lay on the Table is often incorrectly used and wrongly admitted as in order with the intention of either killing an embarrassing question without a direct vote, or of suppressing a question without debate. The first of these two uses is unsafe if there is any contest on the issue; the second is in violation of the fundamental principle of parliamentary law that only a two-thirds vote can rightfully suppress a main question without allowing free debate.

17:16      If the majority were to lay a question on the table, erroneously supposing that it thereby becomes dead, some of those who voted with the majority might leave before the time of final adjournment and the minority might all stay. The real minority might thus become a temporary majority, take the question from the table, and act upon it in the absence of many interested parties. They also might take the question from the table at the next session in cases where that session is held at least within the next quarterly time interval (see 9:7).

17:17 Correct Procedures in lieu of Misuses. In the situations that give rise to improper use of the motion to Lay on the Table, the correct procedures are as follows:

17:18      If it is desired to dispose of a question without a direct vote, the suitable method is to use the motion to Postpone Indefinitely. If it is desired to do this without further debate, the motion to Postpone Indefinitely can be followed immediately by a motion for the Previous Question. A motion that has been indefinitely postponed is killed for the remainder of the session, but is no more difficult to renew at a later session than any other motion that is subject to such renewal (38:3(2)).

17:19      If it is believed that any discussion of a particular original main motion might do harm, the proper course is to raise Objection to the Consideration of the Question (26) before its consideration has begun. For cases where Postpone (14) is the proper motion in lieu of an incorrectly used motion to Lay on the Table, see “Form and Example,” below.

Form and Example

17:20      Forms used in making this motion are: “I move to lay the question on the table”; or “I move that the resolution be laid on the table.” (It is preferable to avoid moving “to table” a motion, or “that the motion be tabled.”)¹⁷

17:21      This motion, as explained earlier, is undebatable and cannot be qualified in any way. In moving it, a member can mention its intended purpose or name a time at which he plans to move that the question be taken from the table, but he cannot move to lay a question “on the table until after the completion of…,” or, “on the table until 2 P.M.” Rather than always ruling that such a motion is not in order, however, the chair should properly treat it as a motion “to postpone the question until…”; that is, he should state the motion as admitted in that form unless the motion to Postpone is not in order at the time.

17:22      Since the motion to Lay on the Table can be neither debated nor amended, the chair puts it to a vote immediately after stating the question on it, as follows:

CHAIR: It is moved and seconded to lay the pending question(s) on the table. As many as are in favor of laying the pending question(s) on the table, say aye.… Those opposed, say no.… [and so on, as in the examples already given for motions requiring a majority vote for adoption].

17:23      For certain limited purposes not involving debate or amendment—such as to make a privileged motion or a motion to Reconsider (37)—a member can claim the floor while the motion to Lay on the Table is pending. To do so, the member rises and interrupts the chair by calling out “Mr. President!”—immediately after the chair has said, “It is moved and seconded to lay the pending question(s) on the table,” and before the vote is taken. The chair grants the member limited recognition by answering, “For what purpose does the member rise?”

17:24      After a question has been laid on the table, if further action by the assembly is needed to reach the desired business, the chair immediately says, for example, “Is there a motion to suspend the rules that interfere with hearing the speaker at this time?” (Or, “The chair will entertain a motion to…”)

Footnotes to Chapter VI

1. Upon the reconsideration of a vote that postponed a main motion indefinitely, both the main motion and the motion to Postpone Indefinitely will become pending, the motion to Postpone Indefinitely becoming the immediately pending question.

2. Secondary amendments must not be confused with secondary motions, a much more general concept explained in 5:3ff.

3. It should be noted that the application of the word “delete” to any form of amendment is not a preferred parliamentary usage, but the shortened expression “to strike” is acceptable.

4. A motion to strike out a paragraph from one place and insert it in a different place is also possible. Such a motion is not a motion to substitute; it is similar to the second of the two types of motions to strike out and insert (applying to words) discussed in 12:58–59. The wording of the paragraph cannot be materially amended by a motion of this type or by any secondary amendments to it. However, once such a motion has been adopted, the transferred paragraph may be amended by any of the usual forms.

5. For an exception, see 12:47.

6. It is thus possible to introduce a proposed “substitute for a substitute,” which cannot be amended, since it is a secondary amendment.

7. If the members are familiar with the procedure for handling motions to substitute, the chair may omit this sentence.

8. Such freedom of action as provided in this paragraph is not obtained, however, by informal consideration (13:3, 52:24–27).

9. It should be noted that a similar rule applies to the subsidiary motion to Lay on the Table (see 17:3(2), 17:14, 41:38).

10. Under an order that provides a time for closing debate on a secondary motion or a consecutive series of secondary motions without affecting the main motion, this restriction does not apply.

11. In practice it is seldom appropriate to move to lay a pending question or series of questions on the table after the Previous Question has been ordered on them; but a legitimate need to do so may sometimes arise, particularly in a large assembly if the vote(s) are to be taken by a method such as by ballot, standing for a count, or roll call (see also 45, and Misuses of the Motion to Lay on the Table, 17:13–16).

12. An example of such a motion is the motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate (15).

13. For the form to be followed by the chair in granting limited recognition to a member who seeks the floor at such a time, see 16:27.

14. Although the rules of the United States House of Representatives permit the Previous Question to be ordered by a majority vote, there are differences between the conditions in that body and in the ordinary organization that should be understood. Because of another House rule, an order for the Previous Question does not actually bring a measure to an immediate vote in Congress unless it has already been debated. If no discussion of the measure has taken place on the floor of the House, forty minutes’ debate is allowed after adoption of the Previous Question—twenty minutes for each of the opposing sides. These rules derive from the great volume of business and the fact that under the two-party system of government by elected representatives, opposing sides often become nearly equal. At the same time, this system creates special conditions that make it unlikely that there will be unfair use of the power to curtail debate. The United States Senate does not admit the Previous Question, although it permits debate to be limited by means of a motion for cloture.

15. When the Previous Question has been ordered on a number of motions, the order is said to be partly executed (or partly carried out) if one or more, but not all, of these motions have been voted on. When all of the motions specified in the order have been voted on, it is fully executed.

16. Some misuses of the motion to Lay on the Table probably arise from a misunderstanding of the practice of the United States House of Representatives, where this motion has gradually become converted to a special purpose that is not applicable in ordinary assemblies. The press of legislation in the House is so great that only a fraction of the bills introduced each year can be considered. With this volume of work under the two-party system in such a large body, the majority must be given power to suppress a measure without debate, and the agenda must be tightly regulated. The House rules therefore do not allow a question to be taken from the table without first suspending the rules by a two-thirds vote. Consequently, when a matter is laid on the table in the House it is virtually killed.

17. In the United States, the word “table” used as a verb often suggests the improper application of the motion to Lay on the Table, as explained in 17:13–16. In British usage, on the other hand, the same expression has an entirely different meaning and refers not to a subsidiary motion but to the introduction of a proposed resolution or document to be placed among items of business waiting to be considered.