Objection to the consideration of a question

Last updated
Objection to the consideration of a question (RONR)
Class Incidental motion
In order when another has the floor? When another has been assigned the floor, until debate has begun or a subsidiary motion has been stated by the chair
Requires second? No
Debatable? No
May be reconsidered? Negative vote (sustaining objection) only
Amendable? No
Vote required Two-thirds against consideration sustains objection

In parliamentary procedure, an objection to the consideration of a question is a motion that is adopted to prevent an original main motion from coming before the assembly. This motion is different from an objection to a unanimous consent request.

Parliamentary procedure body of rules, ethics and customs governing meetings and other operations of legislative bodies and other deliberative assemblies

Parliamentary procedure is the body of rules, ethics and customs governing meetings and other operations of clubs, organizations, legislative bodies and other deliberative assemblies.

In parliamentary procedure as defined in Robert's Rules of Order, a motion is a formal proposal by a member of a deliberative assembly that the assembly take certain action.

A deliberative assembly is a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure to make decisions.

Contents

Explanation and use

If a member feels that an original main motion should not be considered, an objection to the consideration of a question could be made. [1] It is often used to prevent an embarrassing question from being introduced and debated in the assembly.

According to Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), this motion is not debatable and requires a two-thirds vote against consideration. [2] This objection may be applied only to an original main motion, that is, a motion that brings a new substantive issue before the assembly. [2] The objection may be raised only before debate has begun on the motion, as the purpose is to completely suppress debate on the motion. [2]

<i>Roberts Rules of Order</i> Book on parliamentary procedure by Henry Martyn Robert

Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, commonly referred to as Robert’s Rules of Order, RONR, or simply Robert’s Rules, is the most widely used manual of parliamentary procedure in the United States. It governs the meetings of a diverse range of organizations—including church groups, county commissions, homeowners associations, nonprofit associations, professional societies, school boards, and trade unions—that have adopted it as their parliamentary authority.

According to Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure , the purpose of the objection to consideration is to bar from discussion or consideration "any matter that is considered irrelevant, contentious or unprofitable, or that, for any reason, is thought not advisable to discuss." [3]

<i>Masons Manual of Legislative Procedure</i>

Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure, commonly referred to as Mason's Manual, is the official parliamentary authority of most state legislatures in the United States. This 700+ page book has been "Adopted as the authority on questions of parliamentary law and procedure in California, it is to legislatures what Robert's Rules of Order is to club groups. Gleaned from court decisions and legislative precedents, salted by practical experience, it is... [used] by legislatures throughout the U.S. and its territories. Adopted by the parliament of India and Pakistan."

This motion is different from an objection to a unanimous consent request. [2]

The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure does not have this motion and provides alternative motions for accomplishing the same purpose. [4]

<i>The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure</i> book by American Institute of Parliamentarians

The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure is a book of rules of order. It is the second most popular parliamentary authority in the United States after Robert's Rules of Order. It was first published in 1950. Following the death of the original author in 1975, the third (1988) and fourth (2001) editions of this work were revised by a committee of the American Institute of Parliamentarians. In April 2012, a new book, entitled American Institute of Parliamentarians Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure (AIPSC) was released.

Improper use of tabling a motion

Using the rules in RONR, a main motion is improperly killed by tabling it. In this case, before debate has begun, it would have been proper to make an objection to the consideration of the question. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

In parliamentary procedure, an adjournment ends a meeting. It could be done using a motion to adjourn.

In deliberative bodies a second to a proposed motion is an indication that there is at least one person besides the mover that is interested in seeing the motion come before the meeting. It does not necessarily indicate that the seconder favors the motion.

In parliamentary procedure, unanimous consent, also known as general consent, or in the case of the parliaments under the Westminster system, leave of the house, is a situation in which no member present objects to a proposal.

In parliamentary procedure, the previous question is generally used as a motion to end debate on a pending proposal and bring it to an immediate vote. The meaning of this specialized motion has nothing to do with any question previously considered by the assembly.

In parliamentary procedure, reconsideration of a motion may be done on a matter previously decided. The motion to "reconsider" is used for this purpose. This motion originated in the United States and is generally not used in parliaments. A special form of this motion is reconsider and enter on the minutes.

In parliamentary procedure, the motion to postpone indefinitely is a subsidiary motion used to kill a main motion without taking a direct vote on it. This motion does not actually "postpone" it.

In parliamentary procedure, a motion to appeal from the decision of the chair is used to challenge a ruling of the chair.

In parliamentary procedure, a suspension of the rules allows a deliberative assembly to set aside its normal rules to do something that it could not do otherwise. However, there are rules that cannot be suspended.

In parliamentary procedure, a motion to postpone to a certain time is used to delay action on a pending question until a different day, meeting, hour or until after a certain event. Then, when that time comes, the consideration of the question is picked up where it was left off when it was postponed.

In parliamentary procedure, a motion for division of a question is used to separate a motion into a set of motions.

Debate in parliamentary procedure refers to discussion on the merits of a pending question; that is, whether it should or should not be agreed to. It is also commonly referred to as "discussion".

In a deliberative assembly, disciplinary procedures are used to punish members for violating the rules of the assembly.

In disciplinary procedures, the motion to declare the chair vacant is used as a remedy to misconduct or dereliction of duty by the chair of a deliberative assembly, when the rules allow it. It is usually combined with a motion to elect a new chair.

In parliamentary procedure, requests and inquiries are motions used by members of a deliberative assembly to obtain information or to do or have something done that requires permission of the assembly. Except for a request to be excused from a duty, these requests and inquiries are not debatable nor amendable.

The motion to pass on is a dilatory parliamentary motion used in legislative procedure. It is distinct from the motion to table or to postpone to a certain time. The motion delays consideration of a matter for a later time without indicating prejudice with respect to it. According to Mason's Manual, matter passed on in this way remains subject to subsidiary motion. The motion to pass on is not subject to debate, but requires a majority vote.

Parliamentary procedure is the body of rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings and other operations of clubs, organizations, legislative bodies, and other deliberative assemblies. General principles of parliamentary procedure include rule of the majority with respect for the minority.

In parliamentary procedure, the verb to table has the opposite meaning in different countries:

References

  1. ↑ Robert, Henry M.; et al. (2011). Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (11th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo Press. p. 267. ISBN   978-0-306-82020-5.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Robert 2011 , p. 268
  3. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures (2000). Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure, 2000 ed., p. 218
  4. ↑ Sturgis, Alice (2001). The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, 4th ed., p. 233–234
  5. ↑ Robert III, Henry M. (2011). "Frequently Asked Questions about RONR (Question 13)". The Official Robert's Rules of Order Web Site. The Robert's Rules Association. Retrieved 2016-02-19.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.