A.The Purpose and Construction of Amendments
3. Strike Out and Insert Words
E. Sticking to the Subject: The Germaneness Rule
A. THE PURPOSE AND CONSTRUCTION OF AMENDMENTS
When a group is debating a main motion, such as “That the Tennis League establish a division open to juniors and seniors enrolled in city high schools,” you may think the proposal can be improved if it is changed in some way.
You may like the idea of a student division, but think it should be limited to seniors. You may believe that not only city high school students, but also those from adjoining counties, should be eligible. You may think that the students should be part of the regular league rather than members of a separate division.
To try to get the group to agree with these ideas, you can propose amendments—which, if adopted, modify the wording and, within limits, often the meaning of the main motion.
Amendments should say exactly where in the main motion the change is to be made, and precisely what words to use. Put an amendment together just as if you were giving detailed, word-by-word directions to the secretary how to change the main motion. So don’t say something like, “I move to amend so that students from suburban counties can also join.” Instead, say, “I move to amend by inserting ‘and suburban county’ before ‘high schools.’”
The chair can, and often should, require that amendments, like main motions, be submitted by the mover in writing. [RONR (12th ed.) 4:18.]
The vote on your amendment does not decide whether the main motion will be adopted, only whether the wording in the main motion will be changed. After an amendment is adopted, the main motion as amended may be further debated and further amended. In the end, a vote is taken on the main motion as amended. Only if the motion passes on that vote will the group finally decide to do what your amendment—together with the rest of the main motion—proposes to do. [RONR (12th ed.) 12:4.]
B. SIMPLE WORD CHANGES
The basic rules for amendments that make simple word changes are not very difficult to understand. There are three types of these amendments.
1. Insert or Add Words
Suppose that you want to allow suburban county high school students to join, as well as city high school students.
You may do this with an amendment to insert words. After being recognized by the chair when no one else is speaking, you say, “I move to insert the words ‘and suburban county’ before the words ‘high schools.’” (If you wanted words to be put at the end of the motion, that would call for an amendment to add words and you would say, for example, “I move to add the words ‘and those in suburban county high schools.’”) [RONR (12th ed.) 12:26–30, 12:32.]
If some other member seconds your amendment, the chair states it, and then you can seek recognition again to speak for the amendment. After any further debate, the chair puts the question on your amendment, and the group votes.
In the following example, note how the chair, in stating and then putting the question, ensures that the members know exactly what is under consideration. The chair:
1) states the amendment;
2) gives the main motion as it would read if the amendment were to be adopted; and
3) makes clear once more what is the amendment that is to be debated or voted on.
In announcing the result of the vote on the amendment, the chair finishes by restating the wording of the main motion as it then stands. [RONR (12th ed.) 12:33–40.]
2. Strike Out Words
Suppose you believe the new student division should be open to high school seniors, but not juniors.
You can do this by an amendment to strike out words. During the debate on the main motion, when no one is speaking, you seek recognition, and if the chair gives you the floor, you say, “I move to strike out the words ‘juniors and.’” [RONR (12th ed.) 12:46–50, 12:53–55.]
3. Strike Out and Insert Words
The third type of motion to amend words combines the motion to strike out words and the motion to insert, or add, words. Suppose you think the high school students should be members of the regular Tennis League, not members of a separate division.
You obtain recognition and say, “I move to strike out the words ‘establish a division open to’ and insert the words ‘accept as members.’” [RONR (12th ed.) 12:56–68.]
We have seen that there are three forms of amendment that apply to words: insert, or add, words; strike out words; and strike out and insert words. There are also three forms of amendment that apply to whole paragraphs (or larger units) that roughly parallel the three forms of amendment that apply to words.
1. Insert or Add a Paragraph
The rules that apply to inserting or adding a paragraph or paragraphs are largely identical to those that apply to inserting or adding words. A motion to insert or add paragraphs may also insert or add larger units that may consist of many paragraphs, such as an article or a section. [RONR (12th ed.) 12:31–32.]
2. Strike Out a Paragraph
It is possible to offer a motion to strike out an entire paragraph, or paragraphs. An amendment to strike out paragraphs may cover larger units, such as sections or articles. [RONR (12th ed.) 12:51–55.]
3. Substitute
The form for amending paragraphs that parallels striking out and inserting words has its own name: to substitute. A substitute replaces a paragraph or paragraphs in the immediately pending motion with one or more paragraphs given in the amendment. A substitute may be offered for a paragraph or paragraphs, or any larger units: sections, articles, or even an entire main motion. [RONR (12th ed.) 12:69–90.]
To illustrate, take the example of the main motion we have been using.
D. AMENDING AMENDMENTS
An amendment to a main motion may itself be amended by a “secondary amendment,” sometimes called an “amendment of the second degree” or an “amendment to the amendment.” The rules for secondary amendments, which can get complex, are covered in RONR (12th ed.) 12:1–91. Secondary amendments may not themselves be amended—there can be no “third degree” or “tertiary” amendments, because they would be too confusing.
Instead of proposing a secondary amendment, one simple approach is to tell the group that if it will vote down the pending amendment, you will then offer a different version, which you may then describe. [RONR (12th ed.) 12:12, 12:65.]
E. STICKING TO THE SUBJECT: THE GERMANENESS RULE
Any amendment proposed must in some way involve the same question raised by the motion it amends. This is known as the requirement that an amendment must be germane. (We have already covered the similar rule that debate must be germane to the pending motion, on page 30.)
If the main motion is, “That the Tennis League establish a division open to seniors enrolled in city and suburban county high schools,” an amendment to add “and oppose any city tax increase” would not be germane. It would not be in order because opposition to a tax increase does not relate to or involve the motion establishing a division for students. [RONR (12th ed.) 12:16–21.]
F. THE “SETTLED” RULE
The time of the group should not be wasted by making it vote over and over again on the same thing. So once the group has voted on an amendment, that specific matter is considered settled, at least for that meeting.1 If the group has voted down an amendment to add certain words, you cannot propose another amendment to add substantially the same words in the same place.
For the same reason, if the group has adopted an amendment to insert certain words, a later amendment that would change just those words is not in order. However, it is sometimes possible to propose an amendment that takes “a bigger bite”—one that amends the main motion in a way that changes parts of the motion that have not previously been amended together with the words that were earlier inserted.
The basic rule is that after the group has voted that certain words shall, or shall not, be part of a motion, you cannot offer another amendment that raises the same question of content and effect. Common sense is necessary to apply this principle from case to case. [RONR (12th ed.) 12:25.]
1. There are ways a group can go back and change something it has already decided, but often only through special motions with their own rules. See Chapter 7.