Parliamentary

Procedure

JULIUS CESAR P. VILLAFLORES

Registered Criminologist
 Have you ever experienced
Meetings
that seem endless because the business could
have been completed hours ago?

Confusion as to what exactly is being discussed and

voted on?

Irritation
because one person or a small group of people
dominate a meeting?

Thefeeling that you never get your voice heard in group

discussion?

Anger about decisions made that do not reflect the

feelings of the majority of the group?
 End the Frustration!!! Heres
How
Whatis Parliamentary
Procedure?

Whyuse Parliamentary
Procedure?

The
Importance of an
Agenda

The
Role of the
Members

Basic
Parliamentary
Procedure Skills
 What is Parliamentary
Procedure?
A predetermined set of rules that
will be used to govern the way
business will be conducted

A system of procedure that allows

an organization to effectively
conduct its official business in a fair
and democratic manner
 Why use Parliamentary
Procedure?
Focus on one item at a time
- no more than one issue will be
discussed

Extendcourtesy to
everyone
- all members have an opportunity to
participate

Observe the rule of the

majority
- no group decision is granted without
majority

Ensurethe rights of the

minority
- all members have equal access to
decision-making
 Parliamentary Procedure
Official Rule Book
is Roberts Rules
of Order.
Written by U.S.
Army general
Henry Martyn
Robert.
 Parliamentary Procedure Terms
What is a quorum?
of the members in a club
plus 1.
Minimum number of
members that must be
present at a meeting for
legal business to be
transacted.

What is a majority?
of members present at
any meeting plus 1.
Minimum number of
members that must vote for
a motion for it to pass.
 Parliamentary Procedure Basics
Presiding Officer referred
to as:
Mr./Madam President
Mr./Madam Chairperson

Everyone gets a chance to

voice their opinion or
debate.

Everyone gets the chance

to vote
Must be a yes or no vote.
 Parliamentary Procedure Basics
There are four
methods of voting.
Voice
Standing
Roll Call
Secret Ballot

Can the chairman

vote?
YES, in order to force a tie
or to break one if they are
a member of the group.
 Parliamentary Procedure Basics
Only one topic
at a time can
be discussed.
The person
who makes a
motion has the
right to discuss
it first.
 Parliamentary Procedure Basics
The Gavel
A symbol of power
and authority.
Used by the
presiding officer to
give instructions
to the members.
The number of
taps have a
specific meaning.
 Taps of the Gavel
One Tap
Follows the announcement of adjournment.
Completion of a business item.
Members to be seated.

Two Taps
Call the meeting to order.

Three Taps
All members to stand.

Series of Taps
Restores order to a meeting.
 Order the Business
A meeting should have a
set agenda.

Purpose is of the Order of

Business (Agenda) is to
keep the meeting moving
forward.

The agenda forms the

framework for the
development of a good
business meeting
 The Presiding Officer
The presiding officer (often referred
to as the chair) is the person who
conducts the meeting.

The presiding officer is a role not a

position. This means that the
presiding officer is the person who
occupies the chair at a given instant
of time.
 The Presiding Officer
The general duties of the
presiding officer are:
To call the meeting to order at the
scheduled time
To announce the business that is to come
before the body
To recognize members who wish to speak
To state and put to vote all questions
that come before the body
 The Presiding Officer
General Duties (cont)
To protect the assembly from obviously
frivolous and dilatory motions by
refusing to recognize them
To enforce the rules relating to debate
To expedite business in an orderly
manner
To decide all questions of order
To declare the meeting adjourned
 Steps to the Order the Business
Call to Order by the President & the
opening ceremony.
Minutes of previous meeting read by
the Secretary and approved by the
body in accordance to organizational
by-laws and parliamentary
procedure.
Treasurer reports on the financial
standing of the org.
 Steps to the Order the Business
Report on Chapter program of Activities
(by officers and committee chairmen).

Old Business (Business leftover from the

previous meeting)

New Business (Presented by members in

the form of motions)

Adjournment & Closing Ceremony

 Order of Business
How does one conduct the meeting
as it is laid out in the order of
business (Agenda)?
Order of Business (Agenda) handled by
using various motions and rules governing
them which are part of parliamentary law.
 Types of Motions
Main Motions
Subsidiary Motions
Privileged Motions
Incidental Motions
Motions That Bring a Question Again
Before the Assembly
Main Motions
 Main Motions
Purpose:
Used to introduce new ideas to the meeting.
Must be stated in the form:
I move that .
I move to .
Cannot be in a negative form.
Requires a second.
Amendable
Debatable
Majority Vote
 Main Motions
Main Motions that are not legal:
Break any local, state, or national law.
One that brings up a previously failed
motion.
Items that are out of the power of the
group.
Negative motions.
Political & religious support.
 Main Motions
The person who makes a motion
cannot speak against it.
Main motions can be reconsidered.
Cannot interrupt another speaker.
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I move that the council
should participate in using parliamentary
procedure every meeting.
 Steps to Handling a Main
Motion
Stand
Ask to be recognized by the President.
President recognizes you by name.
Motion is correctly stated.
Motion is seconded.
Motion is repeated by President.
Motion is discussed.
President restates motion.
Motion is voted upon.
Results of vote announced by President.
Subsidiary
Motions
 Lay on the Table
Purpose:
To defer action on the motion until later in the
meeting or until the next meeting.
Requires a second
Not amendable
Not debatable
Majority Vote
Cannot interrupt another speaker
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I move to lay this motion on the
table.
 Previous Question
Purpose:
To force an immediate vote on the motion.
Requires a second
Not amendable
Not debatable
2/3 Majority Vote
Cannot interrupt another speaker
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I move the previous question.
Mr. President, I call for the previous question.
 Limit or Extend Debate
Purpose:
To limit or lengthen the time allowed for
discussion on a motion when it is clear that
there will be an excessive amount of discussion
or when the amount of time for the meeting is
limited.
Requires a second
Amendable
Amount of time or number of speakers only
2/3 Majority Vote
Cannot interrupt another speaker
 Limit or Extend Debate
Maker of the motion must specify:
The amount of time
The number of speakers that can debate the
motion.
Proper Examples:
Mr. President, I move that we limit debate on
this motion to 3 discussions for the motion and
3 discussions against the motion.
Mr. President, I move to limit debate to a
minimum of 5 minutes.
 Postpone Definitely
Purpose:
Allow for the motion on the floor to be deferred to a
different day, meeting, or until after a certain event.
Requires a second
Amendable
Debatable
Majority Vote
Cannot interrupt another speaker
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I move to postpone this motion until the
December Regular Meeting.
 Refer to Committee
Purpose:
Used to send a pending question to a small
group so that the question may be carefully
investigated.
Requires a second
Amendable
Debatable
Majority Vote
Cannot interrupt another speaker
 Refer to Committee
Two ways to appoint a committee:
Standing committee
One of the 15 listed in the Program of Activities
Special committee
Appointed by the president
Number of members can be 3 or more
President must specify when the
committee should report back to the
chapter.
Usually the next chapter meeting.
Committee can be given full power to act.
 Refer to Committee
Proper Examples:
Mr. President, I move that we refer this
motion to the Leadership Committee.
Mr. President, I move we refer this motion to
a committee of three appointed by the
chair.
 Amend
Purpose:
Use to modify or change a main motion.
Must be closely related to the
original topic.
Can be amended in 4 ways:
Inserting in the middle
Adding to the end
Striking out
Striking out and inserting
 Amend
Requires a second
Amendable
Debatable
Majority Vote
Cannot interrupt another speaker
Can be reconsidered
Improper amendments:
Anything not germane or related
Frivolous or absurd
Leaves an incoherent wording
 Amend
Proper Example:
Motion on the floor:
- the council should participate in using
parliamentary procedure every meeting.
Amendment:
Mr. President, I move to amend the motion by
inserting starting on November 1st after every
meeting. So the motion would read, I move that
the council should participate in using
parliamentary procedure every meeting starting
on November 1st .
 Postpone Indefinitely
Purpose:
To kill a main motion.
Requires a second
Not amendable
Debatable
Majority Vote
Cannot interrupt another speaker
Can be reconsidered only if passed
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I move to postpone this motion indefinitely.
Privileged
Motions
 Fix Time to Which to
Adjourn
Purpose:
To set the time, and sometimes the place for
another meeting to continue business of the
session.
Requires a second
Amendable
Not debatable
Majority Vote
Cannot interrupt another speaker
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I move to postpone the pending
resolution to the adjourned meeting set for next month
 Adjourn
Purpose:
To end the meeting.
Needs a second
Not amendable
Not debatable
Majority Vote
Cannot interrupt another speaker
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I move to adjourn.
 Recess
Purpose:
This allows for a short break in the meeting.
Needs a second
Amendable
Debatable
Majority Vote
Cannot interrupt another speaker
Must specify the length of time in the motion
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I move to take a 5 minute recess.
 Raise a Question of
Privilege
Purpose:
Allows for people in the group to ask for
changes in the temperature, for ideas to be
clarified, for motions to be explained, for others
to repeat their discussion or motions, and
anything that may help the meeting run
smoothly.
Does not need a second
Not amendable
Not debatable
No vote, Presidents decision
Can interrupt another speaker
 Raise a Question of
Privilege
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I rise to a question of
privilege.
President says, State your question
Then the member says whatever they have
to and the president decides on whether it
will be allowed or not.
 Call for the Orders of the
Day
Purpose:
Forces the group to return to the set
agenda, without finishing the current
business.
Does not require a second
Not amendable
Not debatable
2/3 Majority Vote Against to Fail
Can interrupt another speaker
 Call for the Orders of the
Day
Can only be made on motions that
are not on the set agenda for that
meeting.
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I call for the orders of the day.
The president should say, orders of the day
has been called. All those who wish to
return to the orders of the day, raise your
hand. All those opposed to returning to the
orders of the day, same sign.
Incidental
Motions
 Appeal
Purpose:
To reverse the decision of the chair, after they
have made an error.
Requires a second
Not amendable
Debatable
Only motion where the President can discuss
Majority Vote
Can interrupt another speaker
 Appeal
Most of the time you should support
the decision of your president.
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I appeal the decision of the
chair.
President should say, Appeal the decision
of the chair has been called, all those who
wish to uphold the decision of the chair say
yea, all opposed nay.
 Division of the Assembly
Purpose:
Forces an immediate revote by hand.
Does not require a second
Not amendable
Not debatable
No vote needed
Can interrupt a speaker
Proper Example:
Can be made by saying division loud enough for the
entire group to hear.
Or by standing and saying I call for a division of the
assembly
 Division of a Question
Purpose:
Allows a motion that has been made to be spilt
into two different motions.
Can only be made on motions that have
two main ideas that are not dependent on
each other.
Does not require a second
Not debatable
Not amendable
No vote required
Cannot interrupt another speaker
 Division of a Question
Proper Example:
Motion on the floor:
I move that the council should participate in using
parliamentary procedure every meeting starting on
November 1st and to have a basketball tournament.
Mr. President, I move that we divide this
question into two motions. The first stating we
should participate in using parliamentary
procedure every meeting starting on
November 1st and the second that we have a
basketball tournament.
Objection to the Consideration
of a Question
Purpose:
Used when a member thinks that the
activity or action of the group is not
appropriate.
Does not require a second
Not amendable
Not debatable
2/3 Majority Vote
Can interrupt another speaker
Objection to the Consideration
of a Question
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I object to the consideration
of the question.
President should say, Objection to the
consideration has been called. All those who
wish to consider the motion raise your
hand. All those who object to the
consideration raise your hand.
 Parliamentary Inquiry
Purpose:
To obtain information on a matter of parliamentary law .
Does not require a second
Not amendable
Not debatable
No vote required
Can interrupt another speaker
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I rise to a parliamentary inquiry.
President says, The member will state the inquiry
Then the member state the question.
 Point of Order
Purpose:
Used when a member thinks that the rules of the group
or the rules of parliamentary procedure are being
violated.
Does not require a second.
Not amendable
Not debatable
President decides on verdict
Can interrupt another speaker
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I rise to a point of order
President says, State your point
After member state point, president says your point is
well taken or Your point is not well taken.
 Suspend the Rules
Purpose:
Allows the chapter to break the rules of parliamentary
procedure, or the current constitution for a short period
of time.
Requires a second
Not amendable
Not debatable
2/3 Majority Vote
Cannot interrupt another speaker
Proper Example:
Mr. President, because of the lack of time tonight, I move
to suspend the rules and move directly to new business.
 Withdraw a Motion
Purpose:
Allows for the maker of a motion to
completely take it off the floor for
discussion.
No second required
Not amendable
Not debatable
If made before the president first states
the motion, it is automatically
withdrawn with no second or vote.
 Withdraw a Motion
If made after the president first states the
motion, the following steps must be taken:
President must ask if anyone objects to the
maker withdrawing the motion
If someone objects.
Must be seconded and passes with majority vote.
If no one objects.
The motion is automatically withdrawn.
Cannot be made after discussion had
begun.
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I would like to withdraw my
motion.
 Motions That
Bring a Question
Again Before the
Assembly
 Reconsider
Purpose:
To reevaluate a decision made earlier.
Requires a second
Not amendable
Debatable
Majority Vote
Cannot interrupt another speaker
If passed, the motion to be reconsidered is
handled as if it were never voted on.
Can only be made by a person who voted on the
winning side.
 Reconsider
If passed, the motion is handled
immediately if:
Only a main motion with amendments is on
the floor.
Handled after the current business if:
Discussion on refer to committee or
postponement has been started.
 Reconsider
Motions that can be reconsidered:
Main Motions
Amendments
Refer to Committee
Postpone Definitely
Previous Question
Extend/Limit Debate
Appeal
Fix Time to Adjourn
 Reconsider
Motions that can be reconsidered if the
passed:
Postpone Indefinitely
Motions that can be reconsidered if the
failed:
Object to Consideration of Question
Rescind
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I move to reconsider the motion
to have a cookout on March 1st for all FFA
members.
 Rescind
Purpose:
To repeal a previous action.
Requires a second
Amendable
Debatable
2/3 Majority Vote without prior warning
Cannot interrupt another speaker
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I move to rescind the motion adopted at
the January meeting have a cookout on March 1st for all
FFA members.
 Take from the Table
Purpose:
To take a motion that is on the table off of the
table.
Requires as second.
Not amendable
Not debatable
Majority Vote
Cannot interrupt another speaker
Proper Example:
Mr. President, I move to take the motion that
the chapter have a cookout for the members off
the table.
THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING!

GOD BLESS!