34:1 The object of the motion to Take from the Table is to make pending again before the assembly a motion or a series of adhering motions that previously has been laid on the table (see 17).
34:2 The motion to Take from the Table:
1. Takes precedence over no pending motion, and therefore cannot be moved while any other question is pending; but, subject to the conditions indicated in the next sentence, it takes precedence over a main motion that has been made but has not yet been stated by the chair. Unless it is moved under a suspension of the rules (25) it must be moved at a time when no program or rule interferes, and while business of the class to which the subject question belongs, or unfinished business, general orders, or new business, is in order; and it cannot interrupt a series of motions connected with taking up a single item of business (see below). It yields to privileged and incidental motions but not to subsidiary ones.
2. Can be applied to any question or series of adhering motions that lies on the table as explained in the first paragraph under Further Rules and Explanation, below. This motion is not in order, however, until some business or interrupting matter has been transacted or dealt with since the question was laid on the table; and if it is moved and voted down, the motion to Take from the Table cannot be renewed until some further business has been transacted. No subsidiary motion can be applied to the motion to Take from the Table.
3. Is out of order when another has the floor; but a member can claim preference in being recognized for the purpose of making this motion ahead of a new main motion, or he can claim the floor for such a purpose after a new main motion has been made but before the new motion has been stated by the chair (see below).
4. Must be seconded.
5. Is not debatable. (But see 43:31–32 regarding allowable explanation of an undebatable motion.)
6. Is not amendable.
7. Requires a majority vote.
8. Cannot be reconsidered. If the motion to Take from the Table is adopted, the question can be laid on the table again should any legitimate need arise to do so, according to the rules stated in 17:11. If the motion to Take from the Table is rejected, it can be renewed each time that any business has been transacted (see 38:7(2)).
34:3 Time Limits on Taking a Question from the Table. 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.1 If not taken from the table within these time limits, the question dies, although it can be reintroduced later as a new question. As long as a question remains on the table, any member can move to take it from the table at a regular meeting, including a meeting that is an adjournment (9) of a regular meeting. At a special meeting, however, a question can be taken from the table only if: (a) it has been laid on the table earlier at the same session, or (b) the call of the special meeting specifies either the particular question that lies on the table or its subject matter.
34:4 Right of Way in Preference to a New Main Motion. In ordinary assemblies a question is supposed to be laid on the table only temporarily, with the expectation that its consideration will be resumed after disposal of the interrupting matter or at a more convenient time. Consequently, as soon as the business or interrupting matter has been disposed of, any member can seek recognition for the purpose of moving to take the question from the table; or, so long as it remains on the table, he can do so at any time under the classes of business listed in Standard Characteristic 1 above—except while another motion is pending or while a series of motions connected with one question is being introduced, as explained in the next paragraph. If the chair recognizes someone else as having risen and addressed the chair first, a member who rose at about the same time to move to take the question from the table should remain standing and say that he rises for this purpose, and the chair then assigns him the floor. Or, even after a new motion has been made but before it has been stated by the chair, a member who quickly rises and says that he does so to move to take the question from the table is entitled to be assigned the floor. The principle is that, if the assembly so desires, a motion already within its control by being only temporarily disposed of (9:7–11, 38:8) has the right of way over a new main motion.
34:5 Even if no question is pending, a motion to Take from the Table cannot interrupt a series of motions connected with bringing up a single item of business, but must wait until the complete series is disposed of. For example, such a series of motions is in process of being dealt with:
• when the assembly has just voted to suspend the rules and permit a certain main motion to be introduced;
• when a question has just been laid on the table for the announced purpose of admitting another motion;
• when a previous action has just been rescinded (35) to enable a conflicting main motion to be made; or
• when a main motion has just been voted down after a member stated in debate that in that event he would offer a different motion covering the case.
In each of the above instances, until the main motion that was specified has been made and disposed of, it is not in order to move to take still another question from the table.
34:6 Status of a Question Taken from the Table. When a question is taken from the table, it is before the assembly, with everything adhering to it, so far as possible (and with the exceptions noted below), exactly as it was when laid on the table.2 For example, if amendments and a motion to Commit were pending when a resolution was laid on the table, then when it is taken from the table the question is first on the motion to Commit. The same would be true if a motion to Postpone to a Certain Time were adhering to a resolution—that is, the motion to Postpone would become immediately pending—except that if the resolution is not taken from the table until after the time of proposed postponement, the motion to Postpone is ignored. If the question is taken up on the same day that it was laid on the table, members who had exhausted their right of debate cannot speak on the question again; but if on another day, all members have their right to debate renewed with reference to each question being debated under the regular limitations (see 43:12–13). An order for the Previous Question or a limitation or extension of debate is not exhausted, however, if the question to which such an order was applied is taken from the table at the same session, even on another day—as in a convention.
34:7 At the next session any such order is exhausted and the regular rules of debate prevail. For the rules relating to the exhaustion of an order prescribing the method of voting on a question, see 30:7.
34:8 The form used in making this motion is, for example, “I move to take from the table the resolution relating to… and its amendment.”
34:9 If Member A, who has risen to seek the floor for the purpose of making this motion, observes that the chair has recognized another member who rose at about the same time and who apparently intends to make a new main motion, the procedure would be as follows:
MEMBER A (remaining standing and interrupting): Mr. President, I rise for the purpose of moving to take a question from the table.
Upon recognition, Member A then would move “… to take from the table the motion relating to…”
34:10 If Member A did not rise to claim the floor before the chair recognized another member who already has made a new motion, then before this question has been stated by the chair, Member A can quickly rise and address the chair, thus:
MEMBER A: Madam President.
CHAIR: For what purpose does the member rise?
MEMBER A: I rise for the purpose of moving… [and so on, as in the case above].
35:1 By means of the motions to Rescind and to Amend Something Previously Adopted—which are two forms of one incidental main motion governed by identical rules—the assembly can change an action previously taken or ordered. Rescind—also known as Repeal or Annul—is the motion by which a previous action or order can be canceled or countermanded. The effect of Rescind is to strike out an entire main motion, resolution, order, or rule that has been adopted at some previous time. Amend Something Previously Adopted is the motion that can be used if it is desired to change only a part of the text, or to substitute a different version.
35:2 The motions to Rescind and to Amend Something Previously Adopted:
1. Take precedence over nothing, and can therefore be moved only when no other motion is pending. Previous notice (10:44–51) of intent to offer one of these motions at the next meeting can be given while another question is pending, however—provided that it does not interrupt a speaker (see Standard Characteristic 7). These motions yield to subsidiary, privileged, and incidental motions.
2. Can be applied to anything (e.g., bylaw, rule, policy, decision, or choice) which has continuing force and effect and which was made or created at any time or times as the result of the adoption of one or more main motions. (However, see below for actions that cannot be rescinded or amended.) All of the subsidiary motions can be applied to the motions to Rescind and to Amend Something Previously Adopted.
3. Are out of order when another has the floor; but previous notice of intent to offer one of these motions at the next meeting can be given after another member has been assigned the floor, provided that he has not begun to speak.
4. Must be seconded.
5. Are debatable; debate can go into the merits of the question which it is proposed to rescind or amend.
6. Are amendable, by the processes of primary and secondary amendment in any of the forms discussed in 12, as applicable to the particular case. Thus, a motion to Rescind can be amended, for example, by substituting for it a motion to amend what is proposed to be rescinded. But if a motion to Rescind or to Amend Something Previously Adopted is amended so that the change proposed by the amended motion then exceeds the scope of a previous notice that was given, the effect of the previous notice is destroyed and the motion can no longer be adopted by a majority vote (see Standard Characteristic 7). When these motions require previous notice (as may be the case with respect to a motion to rescind or amend a provision of the bylaws or a special rule of order), such a motion cannot be amended so as to make the proposed change greater than that for which notice has been given.
7. In an assembly, except when applied to a constitution, bylaws, or special rules of order, require (a) a two-thirds vote, (b) a majority vote when notice of intent to make the motion, stating the complete substance of the proposed change, has been given at the previous meeting within a quarterly time interval or in the call of the present meeting, or (c) a vote of a majority of the entire membership—any one of which will suffice. The same vote is required for the assembly to rescind or amend an action taken by subordinate bodies, such as some executive boards, empowered to act on behalf of the assembly. In a committee, these motions require a two-thirds vote unless all committee members who voted for the motion to be rescinded or amended are present or have received reasonable notice, in which case they require a majority vote. A motion to rescind or amend provisions of a constitution or bylaws is subject to the requirements for amendment as contained in the constitution or bylaws (see 56, 57). If the bylaws or governing instrument contains no provision relating to amendment, a motion to rescind or amend applied to a constitution or to bylaws is subject to the same voting requirement as to rescind or amend special rules of order—that is, it requires (a) previous notice as described above and a two-thirds vote or (b) a vote of a majority of the entire membership.
8. A negative vote on these motions can be reconsidered, but not an affirmative vote.
35:3 Right of Any Member to Make the Motions, Without Time Limit. In contrast to the case of the motion to Reconsider, there is no time limit on making these motions after the adoption of the measure to which they are applied, and they can be moved by any member, regardless of how he voted on the original question. When previous notice has been given, it is usual to wait for the member who gave notice of these motions to move them; but if he does not, any member can do so.
35:4 Proposed Amendments Beyond the Scope of the Notice. As noted in Standard Descriptive Characteristic 6 above, when previous notice is a requirement for the adoption of a motion to Rescind or Amend Something Previously Adopted, no subsidiary motion to Amend is in order that proposes a change greater than that for which notice was given. This is always the case, for example, when the bylaws of an organization require previous notice for their amendment, which they should do (56:50–53). It will also be the case, as a practical matter, whenever a majority of the entire membership is not in attendance at the time the vote is taken on a motion to rescind or amend a provision of the constitution or bylaws, or a special rule of order. In either of the situations described above, no subsidiary motion to Amend is in order that proposes a change going beyond the scope of the notice which was given, for the reason that adoption of such a motion will destroy the effect of the notice, and the motion is thus tantamount to a motion to Postpone Indefinitely.
35:5 Series of Amendments to Previously Adopted Text. It is possible to offer and adopt several amendments to previously adopted text by means of a single incidental main motion to Amend Something Previously Adopted governed by the rules in this section and in 10. See 10:25 and 27:5 for the rules governing whether and how such a motion may be divided. (For an example, see 57:3.)
35:6 Actions That Cannot Be Rescinded or Amended. The motions to Rescind and to Amend Something Previously Adopted are not in order under the following circumstances:
a) When it has previously been moved to reconsider the vote on the main motion, and the question can be reached by calling up the motion to Reconsider (37).
b) When something has been done, as a result of the vote on the main motion, that is impossible to undo. (The unexecuted part of an order, however, can be rescinded or amended.)
c) When a resignation has been acted upon, or a person has been elected to or expelled from membership or office, and the person was present or has been officially notified of the action. (The only way to reverse an expulsion is to follow whatever procedure is prescribed by the bylaws for admission or reinstatement. For the case of an election, see 62:16 regarding removal of a person from office.)
35:7 When previous notice has been given, the motions to Rescind or to Amend Something Previously Adopted may be made as follows:
MEMBER A (obtaining the floor): In accordance with notice given at the last meeting, I move to rescind the resolution that authorized additional landscaping of the grounds. [Or “… to amend the resolution… by adding…”] (Second.)
In such a case, a majority vote is sufficient.
35:8 When no notice of the motion to Rescind or to Amend Something Previously Adopted has been given, the motions may be made as follows:
MEMBER A (obtaining the floor): I move to rescind the motion relating to… adopted at the May meeting. [Or “… to amend the motion… by inserting…”] (Second.)
Without previous notice, the motion requires a two-thirds vote or a majority of the entire membership for its adoption.
35:9 In a great many instances, the motion or resolution originally adopted is not referred to, and only the bylaw, rule, or policy to be rescinded or amended is mentioned. For example:
MEMBER A (obtaining the floor): In accordance with the notice given in the call of this meeting, I move to amend Article V, Section 3 of the bylaws by striking out subparagraph (c) thereof. (Second.)
35:10 To offer an amendment to change one form of the motion into the other:
35:11 If the motion was made “To amend the motion relating to… adopted at the May meeting… by inserting…”:
MEMBER A (obtaining the floor): I move to substitute for the pending motion the following: “To rescind the motion relating to… adopted at the May meeting.”
35:12 If the motion was made “To rescind the resolution that authorized additional landscaping of the grounds”:
MEMBER A (obtaining the floor): I move to substitute for the pending motion the following: “To amend the resolution that authorized additional landscaping of the grounds by adding ‘at a cost not to exceed $100,000.’”
35:13 On extremely rare occasions when it is desired not only to rescind action but also to express the strongest disapproval, a member may move to Rescind and Expunge from the Minutes (or the Record). Adoption of this motion requires an affirmative vote of a majority of the entire membership, and may be inadvisable unless the support is even greater. Even a unanimous vote at a meeting is insufficient if that vote is not a majority of the entire membership. If such a motion is adopted, the secretary, in the presence of the assembly, draws a single line through or around the offending words in the minutes, and writes across them the words, “Rescinded and Ordered Expunged,” with the date and his signature. In the recorded minutes the words that are expunged must not be blotted or cut out so that they cannot be read, since this would make it impossible to verify whether more was expunged than ordered. In any published record of the proceedings, the expunged material is omitted. Rather than expunging, it is usually better to rescind the previous action and then, if advisable, to adopt a resolution condemning the action which has been rescinded.
36:1 By means of the motion to Discharge a Committee from further consideration of a question or subject, the assembly can take the matter out of a committee’s hands3 after referring it to the committee and before the committee has made a final report on it, and the assembly itself can consider it.
36:2 So long as a question is in the hands of a committee, the assembly cannot consider another motion involving practically the same question.
36:3 The rules governing this motion are similar to those applying to the motion to Rescind or to Amend Something Previously Adopted—of which it is a particular case in certain applications, as explained in 36:10–11.
36:4 The motion to Discharge a Committee:
1. Takes precedence over nothing, and therefore can be moved only when no other question is pending. Previous notice of intent to offer the motion at the next meeting can be given while another question is pending, however—provided that it does not interrupt a speaker. This motion yields to all subsidiary, privileged, and incidental motions.
2. Can be applied to any main motion, or any other matter, that has been referred to a committee and that the committee has not yet finally reported to the assembly. All of the subsidiary motions can be applied to it.
3. Is out of order when another has the floor; but previous notice of intent to offer this motion at the next meeting can be given after another member has been assigned the floor, provided that he has not begun to speak.
4. Must be seconded.
5. Is debatable; debate can go into the merits of the question in the hands of the committee.
6. Is amendable. For example, the motion can be amended as to the time at which the assembly is to consider the question; or an amendment to the effect that the committee be instructed to report instead of being discharged can be moved as a substitute.
7. Since the motion would change action already taken by the assembly, requires (a) a two-thirds vote, (b) a majority vote when notice of intent to make the motion has been given at the previous meeting within a quarterly time interval or in the call of the present meeting, or (c) a vote of a majority of the entire membership—any one of which will suffice. To prevent business from being delayed by a committee, however, there are two special circumstances under which the motion requires only a majority vote (even without notice): (a) if the committee fails to report within a prescribed time as instructed, and (b) while the assembly is considering any partial report of the committee.
8. A negative vote can be reconsidered, but not an affirmative vote.
36:5 Circumstances Justifying the Motion; Alternative Procedures. Action to discharge a committee from further consideration of a question or subject is generally advisable only when the committee has failed to report with appropriate promptness or when, for some urgent reason, the assembly desires to proceed on the matter without further aid from the committee, or wishes to drop the matter.
36:6 If the committee to which the matter was referred has not yet taken it up and if it is not too late to move to Reconsider (the day of its committal or the next business-meeting day), the appropriate motion is to reconsider the vote on the motion of referral, which requires only a majority vote. The motion of referral may have been a subsidiary motion to Commit (13) or a main motion, depending on the case, as explained below.
36:7 Instead of discharging the committee, the assembly can instruct it to report at a reasonable specified time. A motion to do this can be moved as a substitute (see 12) for a pending motion to Discharge a Committee, or it can be introduced as an incidental main motion when no question is pending. If no instruction as to time of reporting has been given previously, this motion requires only a majority vote for adoption. If it changes a previously specified reporting time before that time has arrived, however, the vote required is the same as for the motion to Discharge a Committee.
36:8 No motion to Discharge a Committee is needed when a committee’s final report on a referred question or subject has been received by the assembly, since the committee is then automatically discharged from further consideration of the matter.
36:9 Effect of Discharging a Committee. When a committee is discharged from considering a matter, either by the adoption of a motion to discharge it or by the submission of its final report, the committee continues in existence if it is a standing committee, but ceases to exist if it is a special committee that was appointed to take up the matter. In any case, when a committee is thus discharged, its chairman returns to the secretary of the society all papers relating to the referred matter that were previously entrusted to him.
36:10 When a committee is discharged from further consideration of a question which was pending at the time of its referral and which was referred by means of the subsidiary motion to Commit, the question comes before the assembly automatically at that time (unless the committee is discharged by means of a motion that includes the specification of a later time for considering it). If no later time was specified in the motion, the question can then be postponed, if desired; or if the assembly wishes to drop the matter, the question can be postponed indefinitely. If a motion to Discharge a Committee specifies a later time for considering the question and does not make it a special order, the question comes up under the same conditions as if postponed to that time without making it a special order—that is, it is a general order for the time named. If the motion to Discharge a Committee includes a provision making the question a special order, it requires a two-thirds vote, just as any other motion to make a special order. (See 14:12–17 regarding the priority to which a question is subject when it is due to come up after postponement.)
36:11 On the other hand, a motion to discharge a committee from further consideration of a subject that was referred to the committee by means of a main motion is a particular case of the motion to Rescind or to Amend Something Previously Adopted (35). When such a motion to Discharge a Committee has been adopted, another main motion is needed to bring before the assembly the matter that was referred; otherwise it dies.
36:12 The form used in making this motion, as applied to a question being considered by a standing committee, may be:
MEMBER A (obtaining the floor): I move that the Finance Committee be discharged from further consideration of the resolution relating to… (Second.)
36:13 In the case of a special committee, the following form may be used:
MEMBER A (obtaining the floor): I move that the committee to which was referred the resolution relating to… be discharged. (Second.)
36:14 If it is desired to take up the question at a later time, there may be added to either of the above forms, for example, the words, “and that the resolution be considered at 4 P.M.” (in which case it is a general order for that time), or, “and that it be made a special order for…”
36:15 If the motion to discharge the committee is adopted and includes no provision for consideration at a later time, and if the question was referred while pending (by means of the subsidiary motion to Commit), the chair announces the result and immediately states the question brought out of committee. For example:
CHAIR: There are two thirds in the affirmative and the committee is discharged. The question is now on the resolution, “Resolved,…”
37:1 Reconsider—a motion of American origin—enables a majority in an assembly, within a limited time and without notice, to bring back for further consideration a motion that has already been voted on. The purpose of reconsidering a vote is to permit correction of hasty, ill-advised, or erroneous action, or to take into account added information or a changed situation that has developed since the taking of the vote.
37:2 Whenever it is stated in this book that a motion or a vote “can be reconsidered” or “cannot be reconsidered,” specific reference is being made to the use of the motion to Reconsider, and not to any of the other motions or procedures that bring a question again before the assembly (see 6:25–28; 34–36; 38; also 10:26(3–5) to 10:27).
37:3 The motion to Reconsider can, in general, be applied to a vote that either adopted or rejected a motion, and it proposes no specific change in a decision but simply that the original question be reopened. It is neither a main motion nor a secondary motion, but in certain respects it assumes the character of the motion to which it is applied (that is, the motion to be reconsidered), as will be seen below.
37:4 The full procedure for reconsidering a vote involves essentially three stages, which may be summarized as follows:
37:5 First, the mere making of a motion to Reconsider, when seconded by another member and acknowledged by the chair, has the effect of suspending, at least temporarily, any action growing out of the vote proposed to be reconsidered (see 37:11). The general rule therefore is that Reconsider cannot be applied to an affirmative vote whose provisions have been partly carried out or to any vote that has caused something to be done that it is impossible to undo (see Standard Characteristic 2, below).
37:6 Second, the motion to Reconsider is considered by the assembly—either immediately after it is made or at some later time, depending on the parliamentary situation (see 37:14–17). Although at this stage the motion to be reconsidered is not yet pending, debate on the motion to Reconsider (if it is debatable; see 37:18) can go fully into the merits of that question.
37:7 Third, if the motion to Reconsider is adopted, the effect is—to the extent practicable, and with certain exceptions—to place before the assembly again the question on which the vote has been reconsidered, in the exact position it occupied the moment before it was voted on originally. The original vote is thus canceled, and, before any new vote on it is taken, the question is again open to debate, amendment, or any other action appropriate in the case. If, however, the motion to Reconsider is rejected, the vote which it proposed to reconsider, as well as any action held up because of the proposed reconsideration, goes back into effect, just as though the motion to Reconsider had never been made. The same result occurs if the motion to Reconsider is dropped without having been voted on at all. (See 37:11.)
37:8 To provide both usefulness and protection against abuse, the motion to Reconsider has the following unique characteristics, as more fully explained in 37:10:
a) Except in committees, it can be made only by a member who voted on the prevailing side.
b) Except in committees, it must be moved either on the same day the original vote was taken or on the next succeeding day within the same session on which a business meeting is held.
c) It can be made even when its consideration would not be in order, in which case it may be “called up” for consideration at a later time whose limits are longer than those for its making. Under those circumstances, action growing out of the vote proposed to be considered is temporarily suspended.
37:9 The motion to Reconsider:
1. a) With respect to making the motion, takes precedence over any other motion whatever and yields to nothing.4 The making of this motion is in order when any other question is pending, and also after the assembly has voted to adjourn, if the member rose and addressed the chair before the chair declared the meeting adjourned. If a reconsideration appears to require immediate action in the latter case, the vote on adjourning must be retaken. Even while an order for the Previous Question is in effect on a motion which is immediately pending, until the chair actually begins to take the vote, the making of a motion to Reconsider an earlier vote on another question is in order.
b) With respect to its consideration, has only the same rank as that of the motion to be reconsidered, but it takes precedence over, and supersedes, any new motion of equal rank that has been made but has not yet been stated by the chair. (The procedure for calling up a motion to Reconsider in preference to a main motion just made by someone else, and relating to another matter, is similar to that described for moving to Take from the Table; see 34.) Provided that no question is pending, the reconsideration of a vote disposing of a main motion, either temporarily or permanently, can be taken up even while the assembly is in the midst of taking up the general orders.
2. Can be applied to the vote on any motion except:
a) a motion which can be renewed (see 38:6–7);
b) a negative vote on a motion which, at the time the motion to Reconsider is made, would be out of order because:
i) it conflicts with a motion previously adopted and still in force,
ii) it conflicts with a motion which has been temporarily but not finally disposed of and which remains within the control of the assembly, or
iii) it would conflict with a pending motion if that motion were adopted;
c) an affirmative vote whose provisions have been partly carried out;5
d) an affirmative vote in the nature of a contract when the party to the contract has been notified of the outcome;
e) any vote which has caused something to be done that it is impossible to undo;
f) a vote on a motion to Reconsider;
g) an election that has become final as provided in 46:46; or
h) when practically the same result as desired can be obtained by some other parliamentary motion that can be adopted by a majority vote without previous notice.
In the case of subsidiary or incidental motions that adhered to a main motion, however, Reconsider can be applied only in such a way that the reconsideration takes place while the main motion to which they adhered is pending—either before the main motion is voted on or when it is being reconsidered at the same time. The same is true where one subsidiary or incidental motion adheres to another; for example, Reconsider can be applied to the vote on a secondary amendment only in such a way that the reconsideration takes place before the primary amendment involved is voted on or while the primary amendment is being reconsidered. (See 37:24–34.)
By application of these principles, it follows that certain motions cannot be reconsidered, while in the case of others only the vote on an affirmative result can be reconsidered, and with still others, only the vote on a negative result. (See pages t50–t51 for a list of the motions in each of these categories; see also Standard Characteristic 8 in the sections on each individual motion.)
The motion to Lay on the Table can be applied to the motion to Reconsider. Motions to Postpone to a Certain Time, to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate, and for the Previous Question can also be applied to it when it is debatable (see Standard Characteristic 5). When a motion to Reconsider is postponed or laid on the table, all adhering questions are also postponed or go to the table. Motions to Postpone Indefinitely, Amend, or Commit cannot be applied to a motion to Reconsider.
3. Is in order (with respect to making the motion) even after another person has been assigned the floor, so long as he has not actually begun to speak. The calling up of a motion to Reconsider is out of order when another has the floor. A member can, however, claim preference in being recognized for the purpose of either making or calling up a motion to Reconsider ahead of another who rose first for the purpose of making a new motion; see also Standard Characteristic 1(b), above.
4. Must be seconded at the time it is made. Unlike the making of the motion, which must be done by a person who voted with the prevailing side, the seconding can be done by any member regardless of how he voted on the motion to be reconsidered. The calling up of the motion to Reconsider does not require a second.
5. Is debatable whenever the motion proposed to be reconsidered would be debatable, and when debatable, opens to debate the merits of the question whose reconsideration is proposed. (See 37:29–32, however, regarding a series of motions proposed to be reconsidered, and the question that is opened to debate in such a case.) When the motion proposed to be reconsidered is not debatable—either because of its nature or because it is subject to an unexhausted order for the Previous Question (16)—the motion to Reconsider is undebatable (but see 43:31–32 regarding allowable explanation of an undebatable motion). Similarly, if the Previous Question is in effect on a pending question or series of questions, and if a motion which is proposed to be reconsidered adheres to these pending question(s) in such a way that the reconsideration must be taken up before the Previous Question is exhausted, both the motion to Reconsider and the motion to be reconsidered are undebatable—even if the latter motion was open to debate at its earlier consideration and the Previous Question was ordered later.
6. Is not amendable.
7. Requires only a majority vote, regardless of the vote necessary to adopt the motion to be reconsidered. (But see 37:35 for a different rule in the case of standing and special committees.)
8. Cannot be reconsidered. If it is voted on and lost, the motion to Reconsider cannot be renewed except by unanimous consent. By the same principle, no question can be reconsidered twice unless it was materially amended during its first reconsideration.
37:10 By Whom and When a Motion to Reconsider Can Be Made. As briefly mentioned above (37:8), to provide both usefulness and protection against abuse, the motion to Reconsider has the following unique characteristics:
a) The motion to Reconsider can be made only by a member who voted with the prevailing side. In other words, a reconsideration can be moved only by one who voted aye if the motion involved was adopted, or no if the motion was lost. (In standing and special committees, however, the motion to Reconsider can be made by any member who did not vote on the losing side—including one who did not vote at all.) It should be noted that it is possible for a minority to be the prevailing side if a motion requiring a two-thirds vote for adoption is lost.
A member who voted by ballot may make the motion if he is willing to waive the secrecy of his ballot. If the motion to be reconsidered was adopted by unanimous consent, all the members present at the time of the adoption are in the same position as if they had voted on the prevailing side and qualify to move to reconsider. Similarly, if a motion was lost but the negative vote was not taken because it was intrinsically irrelevant (see 44:9(a)), the members present at the time who did not vote in favor qualify to move to reconsider.
This requirement for making the motion to Reconsider is a protection against its dilatory use by a defeated minority—especially when the motion is debatable (see Standard Characteristic 5, above) and the minority is large enough to prevent adoption of the Previous Question (16). When a member who cannot move a reconsideration believes there are valid reasons for one, he should try, if there is time or opportunity, to persuade someone who voted with the prevailing side to make such a motion. Otherwise, he can obtain the floor while no business is pending and briefly state his reasons for hoping that a reconsideration will be moved, provided that this does not run into debate; or, if necessary while business is pending, he can request permission to state such reasons (see Request for Any Other Privilege, 33:22).
b) The making of this motion is subject to time limits, as follows: In a session of one day—such as an ordinary meeting of a club or a one-day convention—the motion to Reconsider can be made only on the same day the vote to be reconsidered was taken. In a convention or session of more than one day, a reconsideration can be moved only on the same day the original vote was taken or on the next succeeding day within the session on which a business meeting is held. These time limitations do not apply to standing or special committees (see 37:35). Except by unanimous consent, a motion to Reconsider that has not been finally disposed of cannot be withdrawn after it is too late to renew it; that is, it can be withdrawn only within the same time limits as for making the motion in the first place.
c) The making of this motion has a higher rank than its consideration; that is, the motion can be made and seconded at a time when it is not in order for it to come before the assembly for debate or vote. In such a case it can be taken up later, even after it would be too late to move it in the first place. If the motion to Reconsider is introduced at a time when it cannot be taken up, the chair does not state the question on it as pending, but instructs the secretary to record the motion as made and seconded. While a motion to reconsider the vote on a main motion has this status, a member can bring the motion before the assembly at any time when its consideration is in order. When he does this, he is said to call up the motion to Reconsider (see 37:15).
37:11 Suspending Effect of Making a Motion to Reconsider. The effect of making a motion to Reconsider is the suspension of all action that depends on the result of the vote proposed to be reconsidered. This suspending effect lasts until:
a) the motion to Reconsider is adopted or rejected;
b) it is withdrawn (see 37:10(b), 33:11–18);
c) it falls to the ground without having been voted on, because it was pending, or remained temporarily disposed of, upon the final adjournment of a session under conditions stated in 21:7(c); or
d) if it has not yet been taken up, when the limits of time for calling it up have expired (see 37:15).
37:12 If the motion to Reconsider is adopted, the original vote on the motion being reconsidered is thereby canceled altogether; but if the suspending effect is terminated by a vote rejecting the motion to Reconsider or in any other way, the situation becomes the same as if there had been no such motion, and the vote which it was proposed to reconsider—and any other action held up because of the proposed reconsideration—comes into full force, as if in effect, so far as applicable, from the time the vote was originally taken.
37:13 Reconsideration of a Motion That Is No Longer in Order Because of Intervening Action. It should be noted that, as a consequence of the rule set forth in (b) of Standard Characteristic 2 above, action taken by an assembly may preclude the making of a motion to reconsider the vote on a previously rejected motion. For an example, assume that a motion to spend all of an available sum of money for library books is voted down, and thereafter a motion to spend the same money for athletic equipment is made and adopted. No motion to reconsider the vote on the motion to purchase library books will thereafter be in order because, if adopted, it would place before the assembly a motion which conflicts with a motion previously adopted and still in force (see 39:5). In such a case, if it is desired to reconsider the vote on the rejected motion, the subsequently adopted motion must first be rescinded (or amended in some fashion so that it no longer conflicts), or the vote on it must be reconsidered and reversed.
37:14 Taking Up the Motion to Reconsider at the Time It Is Made. If a motion to Reconsider is made at a time when it can be taken up—that is, when the motion proposed to be reconsidered would be in order initially—the chair immediately states the question on the motion to Reconsider as pending before the assembly. In proposing a reconsideration of the vote on a main motion, it is usually better to make the motion to Reconsider when no other business is pending and the motion can be taken up immediately—unless it appears that there may be no such opportunity or there is an important reason for doing otherwise.
37:15 Calling Up the Motion to Reconsider at a Later Time. If a motion to Reconsider that involves a main motion cannot be taken up when it is made, then it can be called up and acted upon whenever no question is pending and no other member has the floor, within the following limits: The motion to Reconsider may be called up at any meeting of the same session in which it was made. If the next regular business session will be held within a quarterly time interval (9:7), it may also be called up at any meeting of that next session, or at any intervening special meeting called for that purpose. To call it up, a member obtains the floor and says, “Mr. President, I call up the motion to reconsider the vote on the motion… [identifying it].” (The member is entitled to preference in recognition for this purpose; see 42:13(4)(c)). No second is necessary, since the motion to Reconsider was seconded at the time it was made. When this motion is called up, the chair immediately states the question on it as pending (see Form and Example).
37:16 Privilege accorded the mover in regard to the time at which reconsideration takes place. Although any member can call up the motion to Reconsider as just described, usually no one but the mover of the reconsideration calls it up on the day the motion is made—at least in cases where the session is to last beyond that day and there is no need for immediate action. The reason is that the mover may wish time to assemble new information, or—if the reconsideration is moved on the same day the original vote was taken—he may want the unrestricted debate that will be allowable if the motion is taken up on another day (see below). So long as business is not unreasonably delayed and the mover of the reconsideration acts in good faith, he is entitled to have it take place at a time he feels will make for the fullest and fairest reexamination of the question.
37:17 Duty of the chair when failure to call up the motion may do harm. In cases where a failure to call up a motion to Reconsider may do harm, the chair has the duty to point out the situation to the assembly. Suppose, for example, that in a meeting of an ordinary society that will meet within a quarterly time interval (9:7), there has been a motion to Reconsider a vote to do something that can only be done before the next meeting. Should the present meeting adjourn without taking up the motion to Reconsider, the measure proposed to be reconsidered would be killed unless an adjourned meeting or special meeting were held to consider it. Therefore, if this meeting seems on the point of adjourning before the motion to Reconsider has been taken up, the chair should explain the facts and suggest that someone call up the motion. If it has been moved to adjourn under these circumstances, the motion to Adjourn can be withdrawn or voted down—or the time can be fixed for an adjourned meeting, which can be done either before or after the vote on adjournment has been taken (see Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn, 22).
37:18 Debate on the Motion to Reconsider. Whenever the motion to Reconsider is taken up, it is debatable if the motion proposed to be reconsidered is debatable, and debate can go into the merits of the question proposed to be reconsidered, as noted in Standard Characteristic 5. The right of each member to debate the motion to Reconsider is separate from the original consideration of the motion proposed to be reconsidered. Therefore, even if a member exhausted his right to debate in the original consideration and the motion to Reconsider is taken up on the same day, he still has the right to speak the regular number of times (twice unless the assembly has a special rule providing otherwise) in debate on the motion to Reconsider. (For rules affecting a member’s right to debate in the reconsideration if the motion to Reconsider is adopted, see below.)
37:19 Effect of Adoption of the Motion to Reconsider; Rules Governing Debate on the Reconsideration. The effect of the adoption of the motion to Reconsider is immediately to place before the assembly again the question on which the vote is to be reconsidered—in the exact position it occupied the moment before it was voted on originally.6
37:20 Rules governing debate on the reconsideration of the vote are as follows:
37:21 Reconsideration of a vote on the same day. A member’s right to debate the reconsideration of a vote is independent of the extent to which he took part in debate on the motion to Reconsider. If the reconsideration takes place on the same day as the first consideration, however, anyone who exhausted his right to debate in the first consideration will not be able to speak on it again during the reconsideration, without permission of the assembly. (But such a member can pursue an equivalent purpose while the motion to Reconsider is pending, since the motion proposed to be reconsidered is also open to discussion in debate on the motion to Reconsider.)
37:22 Reconsideration of a vote on a later day. Every member’s right to debate in the reconsideration of a question begins over again, regardless of speeches made previously, if reconsideration takes place on a day other than that on which the vote to be reconsidered was taken.
37:23 Reconsideration under an order limiting or extending limits of debate. If a vote on one of a series of motions is taken under an order limiting debate or for the Previous Question, and then is reconsidered before such an order is exhausted (as explained in the sections on those motions, 15 and 16), the same restrictions continue to apply to debate both on the motion to Reconsider and on the reconsideration. In the case of reconsidering a motion similarly covered by an unexhausted order extending limits of debate, the extension applies only to the reconsideration itself, not to debate on the motion to Reconsider. When reconsideration takes place after exhaustion of the Previous Question or a limitation or extension of debate, these orders do not come back into force, and debate or amendment is subject to the ordinary rules.
37:24 Reconsideration of Subsidiary, Privileged, and Incidental Motions. Conditions under which subsidiary, privileged, or incidental motions can be reconsidered depend on what other motions are pending at the time the reconsideration is moved, as follows:
37:25 To reconsider a subsidiary, privileged, or incidental motion: Reconsideration moved while the main question is pending. When a main motion is pending (with or without a series of adhering motions) and it is moved to reconsider the vote on a related subsidiary, privileged, or incidental motion, the motion to Reconsider becomes (a) immediately pending or (b) pending at a lower position in the series, depending on whether the motion proposed to be reconsidered would then be in order if moved for the first time.
37:26 Referring to case (a) above, the motion to Reconsider takes precedence over all pending questions if the motion proposed to be reconsidered would take such precedence (see 5 and 6; see also the chart on pages t3–t5), in which case the motion to Reconsider becomes the immediately pending question at once. For example, assume that it is moved and seconded to reconsider a negative vote on a motion to refer the pending main question to a committee. If the main question is now pending alone, or if no other questions are pending except motions to Postpone Indefinitely or to Amend (which rank below the motion to Commit), the chair at once states the question on the motion to Reconsider as immediately pending.
37:27 On the other hand, referring to case (b) above, if a series of motions is pending with the main question, and the related motion whose reconsideration is proposed would not take precedence over all of them, the motion to Reconsider does not become the immediately pending question when it is moved, but it becomes pending as one of the series, at a position corresponding to the rank of the motion proposed to be reconsidered. In such a case, the motion to Reconsider is taken up immediately after voting has been completed on all motions that would not yield to the motion to be reconsidered. For example, suppose that while a main motion, an amendment, and a motion to lay the pending questions on the table are pending, it is moved to reconsider a previous negative vote on referring the same main question and amendment to a committee. The order of rank, from highest to lowest, of the four motions is: (1) Lay on the Table, (2) Commit, (3) Amend, and (4) the main motion. This is the order in which these motions would be voted on, and the reverse of the order in which they would be made. The procedure in this instance is as follows: The chair takes note of the fact that the motion to Reconsider has been made and seconded, instructing the secretary to record it. He then proceeds to take the vote on the motion to Lay on the Table. If that motion is lost, he automatically states the question on the motion to reconsider the vote on the referral to the committee, since the motion to Commit is next lower in rank. If the motion to Reconsider is adopted, the motion to Commit is then reconsidered and voted on again; and if this is lost, the question is then stated on the amendment. (If the motion to Lay on the Table is adopted, then whenever the questions are taken from the table, the immediately pending question is the motion to Reconsider, and from this point the procedure is the same as above.)
37:28 If the reconsideration of a primary amendment is moved while another amendment of the same degree is pending, the pending amendment is disposed of first. Then the chair states the question on the motion to reconsider the amendment previously acted upon.
37:29 When it is moved to reconsider a debatable subsidiary or incidental motion which relates to a pending main question or a series of pending questions (in which case the motion to Reconsider is debatable, as noted in Standard Characteristic 5), debate on the motion to Reconsider can go into the merits of the motion proposed to be reconsidered, but not into the merits of any other pending question. For example, in the debate on a motion to reconsider an amendment to the pending main question, the merits of the amendment are open to discussion, but not those of the main question apart from the amendment.
37:30 To reconsider an adhering subsidiary or incidental motion: Reconsideration moved after the main question has been acted upon. If it is desired to reconsider the vote on a subsidiary or incidental motion (an amendment, for example) after the main question to which it adhered has been finally disposed of (by adoption, rejection, or indefinite postponement), the vote on the main question, or on its indefinite postponement, must also be reconsidered (see also Standard Characteristic 2). In such a case, one motion to Reconsider should be made to cover both the vote on the subsidiary or incidental motion whose reconsideration is desired, and the vote on the main question (or its indefinite postponement). The member who makes this motion to Reconsider must have voted with the prevailing side in the original vote on the subsidiary or incidental motion—that is, on the motion which will be reconsidered first if the reconsideration takes place.
37:31 The same principle applies to the reconsideration of a secondary amendment after the related primary amendment has been voted on. If such a reconsideration is desired while the main question is still pending, the primary amendment must also be reconsidered. If it is desired to reconsider the secondary amendment after the main question has been finally disposed of, the secondary amendment, the primary amendment, and the main question must all be reconsidered, and one motion to Reconsider should be made covering the votes of these three motions.
37:32 When a motion to Reconsider covers the votes on two or more connected motions, not all of these questions can be discussed in debate on the motion to Reconsider, but only the one that will be voted on first if the motion to Reconsider is adopted. Thus, if the motion is to reconsider the votes on a resolution, a primary amendment, and a secondary amendment, only the secondary amendment is open to debate in connection with debate on the motion to Reconsider. If this motion to Reconsider is adopted, the chair states the question on the secondary amendment and recognizes the mover of the reconsideration as entitled to the floor. The question is now in exactly the same condition as it was just before the original vote was taken on the secondary amendment.
37:33 If a main motion is included in a series covered by a single motion to Reconsider, as just described, the reconsideration is in order at the same times as if it had been moved to reconsider the main motion alone. If the motion to Reconsider is made at a time when it cannot be taken up, it suspends action in the way described in 37:11 and stands until called up, subject to the same conditions as if it applied only to the main motion.
37:34 If a motion to reconsider the vote on an adhering subsidiary or incidental motion (an amendment, for example) is made after the main question to which it adheres has been either postponed to a certain time or laid on the table, the motion to Reconsider is properly noted and is taken up in due course (37:27) if and when the main motion is again brought before the assembly. The same is true if the motion to reconsider the adhering subsidiary or incidental motion was made before, but was not called up before, the main question was postponed or laid on the table. On the other hand, if a main question is referred to a committee, no motion to reconsider the vote on an adhering subsidiary or incidental motion is in order while the question is in the hands of the committee, and any such motion to Reconsider that was made but not taken up prior to referral is thereafter ignored.
37:35 Reconsideration in Standing and Special Committees. Reconsideration in a standing or a special committee (50) differs from reconsideration in a meeting of the assembly in the following respects:
1) A motion to reconsider a vote in the committee can be made and taken up regardless of the time that has elapsed since the vote was taken, and there is no limit to the number of times a question can be reconsidered. Likewise, the rule requiring unanimous consent to renew a defeated motion to Reconsider does not apply in committees.
2) The motion can be made by any member of the committee who did not vote with the losing side; or, in other words, the maker of the motion to Reconsider can be one who voted with the prevailing side, or one who did not vote at all, or even was absent.
3) Unless all the members of the committee who voted with the prevailing side are present or have been given reasonable notice that the reconsideration will be moved, it requires a two-thirds vote to adopt the motion to Reconsider.
In other respects, reconsideration in a committee is the same as in a meeting of the society or its board. A vote cannot be reconsidered in a committee of the whole.
37:36 This motion may be made in forms such as the following:
a) For the reconsideration of a main question: “I move to reconsider the vote on the resolution relating to the annual banquet. I voted for [or “against”] the resolution.”
b) To move the reconsideration of a subsidiary, privileged, or incidental motion related to the main question, while the main question is pending: “I move to reconsider the vote on the amendment to strike out ‘Friday’ and insert ‘Saturday.’ I voted for [or “against”] the amendment.”
c) When the reconsideration of a subsidiary or incidental motion is desired after the main question to which it adhered has been acted upon: “I move to reconsider the votes on the resolution relating to the annual banquet and on the amendment to strike out ‘Friday’ and insert ‘Saturday.’ I voted for [or “against”] the amendment.”
37:37 If the maker of the motion to Reconsider fails to state which side he voted on, the chair, before making any other response, directs the member to do so:
CHAIR: The member moving the reconsideration must state how he voted on the resolution [“motion,” “amendment,” etc.].
37:38 If the resolution was adopted by unanimous consent, the chair asks whether the member was present at the time. If the member did not vote with the prevailing side, another member who did so can make the motion to Reconsider, if he desires. The motion must be seconded.
37:39 If it is in order to take up the motion to Reconsider when it is made, the chair immediately states the question as follows:
CHAIR: It is moved and seconded to reconsider the vote on the following resolution [reading it].
37:40 If it is not in order to take up the motion to Reconsider when it is moved, the chair says instead:
CHAIR: It is moved and seconded to reconsider the vote on the resolution relating to… The Secretary will make a note of it.
He then continues with the pending business.
37:41 When it is in order to call up the motion to Reconsider and a member wishes to do so, the member rises and addresses the chair:
MEMBER A (obtaining the floor): I call up the motion to reconsider the vote [or “votes”] on…
CHAIR: The motion to reconsider the vote [or “votes”] on… is called up. The question is on the motion to reconsider… [etc.].
37:43 If a reconsideration that could not be taken up when it was moved is one that later comes before the assembly automatically, then when that point is reached, the chair says, for example:
CHAIR: The question is now on the motion to reconsider the vote on the amendment to…
37:44 After debate on a motion to Reconsider, assuming that this motion is adopted, the chair puts the question and states the result as follows:
CHAIR: As many as are in favor of reconsidering the vote on the resolution relating to the annual banquet, say aye.… Those opposed, say no.… The ayes have it and the vote on the resolution is reconsidered. The question is now on the resolution, which is… [etc.].
Or:
CHAIR: The ayes have it and the votes on the resolution and the amendment are reconsidered. The question is now on the amendment, which is… [etc.].
37:45 Note that if the result of the vote on the motion to Reconsider is negative, it is the only vote taken. But if the motion to Reconsider is adopted, this is followed—after any debate—by the taking of the vote or votes that are consequently reconsidered.
37:46 Reconsider and Enter on the Minutes is a special form of the motion to Reconsider that has a different object from the regular motion. Its purpose is to prevent a temporary majority from taking advantage of an unrepresentative attendance at a meeting to vote an action that is opposed by a majority of a society’s or a convention’s membership. The effect of this form of the motion arises from the fact that when it is moved—on the same day that the vote to be reconsidered was taken—it cannot be called up until another day, even if another meeting is held on the same day.7 Thus, with a view to obtaining a more representative attendance, it ensures reconsideration of a question on a different day from the one on which the question was put to vote. The name of this form does not imply that the regular motion to Reconsider is not also recorded in the minutes.
37:47 Differences from the Regular Form of the Motion. Reconsider and Enter on the Minutes differs from the regular form of Reconsider in the following respects:
1) It can be moved only on the same day that the vote proposed to be reconsidered was taken. The regular form of the motion to Reconsider can be used on the next succeeding day within the session on which a business meeting is held.
2) It takes precedence over the regular motion to Reconsider. Also, this motion can be made even after the vote has been taken on the motion to Reconsider, provided that the chair has not announced the result of the vote. In this case the regular motion to Reconsider is then ignored. If it were not for the rule that the motion to Reconsider and Enter on the Minutes takes precedence over the regular motion to Reconsider, the motion to Reconsider and Enter on the Minutes would generally be forestalled by the regular motion, which would be voted down, and then Reconsider and Enter on the Minutes could not be moved.
3) It can be applied only to votes that finally dispose of main motions; that is, to: (a) an affirmative or negative vote on a main motion; (b) an affirmative vote on postponing indefinitely; or (c) a negative vote on an objection to the consideration of a question, if the session extends beyond that day.
4) It cannot be applied to votes on motions whose object would be defeated by a delay of one day. For example, a motion asking a visitor to address a convention the following day cannot have this motion applied to it.
5) If more than a quarterly time interval (9:7) will intervene before the next regular business session, it cannot be moved at the last business meeting of the current session.
6) It cannot be called up on the day it is made, except that when it is moved on the last day—but not the last meeting—of a session of an organization that is not scheduled to meet again within a quarterly time interval (9:7), it can be called up at the last business meeting of the session.
37:48 After a motion to Reconsider and Enter on the Minutes has been called up, its treatment is the same as that of the regular motion to Reconsider.
37:49 Procedure for Use of the Motion. To illustrate the use of this form of the motion, suppose that at a long meeting of a county historical society, many members have left, unknowingly leaving a quorum composed mainly of a small group determined to commit the society to certain action that a few of those present believe would be opposed by most of the membership. A member in opposition can prevent the vote on such action from becoming final by moving “to reconsider and enter on the minutes the vote on…” To be in a position to do this, such a member—detecting the hopelessness of preventing an affirmative result on the vote—should vote in the affirmative himself. If the motion to Reconsider and Enter on the Minutes is seconded, all action required by the vote proposed to be reconsidered is suspended, and there is time to notify absent members of the proposed action.
37:50 If no member of the temporary minority voted on the prevailing side and it is too late for anyone to change his vote (see 45:9), notice can be given that a motion to rescind the assembly’s action will be made at the next meeting. At this next meeting, provided that such notice has been given, the motion to Rescind can then be adopted by a majority vote.
37:51 Protecting Against Abuses of the Motion. The motion to Reconsider and Enter on the Minutes may occasionally be subject to attempted abuse, particularly in ordinary societies with single-meeting sessions, since it gives any two members power to hold up action taken by a meeting. In the average organization this motion should generally be reserved for extreme cases, and is in order only when final decision on the question could, if necessary, wait until the next regular meeting, or when an adjourned or special meeting to take it up is a practical possibility.
37:52 If an actual minority in a representative meeting makes improper use of this motion by moving to reconsider and enter on the minutes a vote which requires action before the next regular meeting, the remedy is to fix the time for an adjourned meeting (9, 22) on another suitable day when the reconsideration can be called up and disposed of. In such a case, the mere making of a motion to set an adjourned meeting would likely cause withdrawal of the motion to Reconsider and Enter on the Minutes, since its object would be defeated.
1. If the term of all or a specified portion of the assembly’s membership will expire before the start of the next regular session, as may happen in a board or an elected legislative assembly, the rule is the same as though more than a quarterly time interval will have elapsed—that is, a question can be taken from the table only until the end of the same session at which it was laid on the table.
2. However, if an amendable motion is taken from the table at a later session, motions to amend it may be made without regard to whether or not the same or similar motions to amend it were either adopted or rejected during any previous session.
3. Or a committee can take it out of a subcommittee’s hands.
4. The motion to Reconsider has a special form known as Reconsider and Enter on the Minutes, however, which outranks the regular form of the motion (see 37:46–52).
5. Exception (c) does not apply to a motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate, on which the vote can be reconsidered even if such an order has been partly carried out.
6. However, passage of a motion to reconsider adoption of the Previous Question (16:16) or of Objection to the Consideration of a Question (26:6) is deemed to have resulted in the reversal of the original vote on those motions (that is, the Previous Question is deemed defeated or the objection is deemed overturned) without taking another vote. It should also be noted that, if reconsideration of a vote taken on an amendable motion takes place during a later session, motions to amend the motion being reconsidered may be made during its reconsideration without regard to whether or not the same or similar motions to amend it were either adopted or rejected during any previous session.
7. For an exception, see item (6) below.