Notes and Comments on Robert's Rules, Fourth Edition

Main Motion

15 15 Main Motion Since the main motion brings business before the body, what guidelines should the chair follow when main motions are presented to avoid later difficulties? First, the chair should not allow debate if there is no main motion pending (34, 114, 376). Unfortunately, new business at times consists of members rising to complain or to draw attention to a particular problem. That may lead to a discussion or gripe session, but business meetings are about taking action. Time is wasted and business will not be expedited if debate is allowed before a main motion is pending. Robert’s states: “The general rule against discussion without a motion is one of parliamentary procedure’s powerful tools for keeping business ‘on track,’ and an observance of its spirit can be an important factor in making even a very small meeting rapidly moving and interesting” (34–35). In formal procedure, the assembly and the chair are unable to do anything until a main motion is made, so when a member wishes to bring business to the attention of the assembly, his opening words should be, “I move that . . .” (See “The Chair,” page 142.) Second, the chair should insist that the main motion make sense (104–5). Too often, in an effort to be agreeable, the chair allows an unclear motion to be introduced, setting the stage for all kinds of trouble. It is the chair’s responsibility to see that the proposer of the main motion states the motion clearly. To assist the maker and to ensure clarity, the chair should state the motion before debate is allowed. Restatement of the main motion by the chair not only clarifies the motion but also transfers ownership of the motion from the proposer to the assembly. (See “Modify or Withdraw a Motion,” page 95.) An additional protection is to request that complex motions be submitted in writing (33, 101). How does the chair present a main motion to the assembly? The chair must state the motion: “It is moved and seconded that . . .” First, stating the motion ensures clarity. Too often the member’s motion is vague, poorly worded, and imprecise. By helping the member 16 Notes and Comments on Robert’s Rules see the need for changes in the wording and offering suggestions for more precise and appropriate language, the chair can help the process. When there is doubt about the wording of a motion, the motion that the chair states is the official motion. A paragraph in Robert’s emphasizes the importance of clarity, clarity, clarity: The chair should take special care to make sure that the members always understand what is the immediately pending business —the exact question to be voted on the next time a vote is taken. Failure of presiding officers to do so is one of the greatest causes of confusion in meetings. . . . It is far better to risk taxing the patience of an assembly by repeating the wording of a motion on which all may be clear, than to risk taking a vote whose effect may be unclear to even a few members. (454–55) Second, stating the motion transfers ownership of the motion from the maker to the assembly (40, 114). Thus, “It is moved and seconded that . . .” is one of the first phrases that should be drummed into the head of every chair. What main motions are not in order? In addition to the requirements that a main motion must make sense and that only one main motion can be pending at a time, Robert’s lists five conditions under which a main motion is not in order. No main motion is in order that: 1. “conflicts with the corporate charter, constitution, or bylaws . . . [or any] procedural rules applicable to the organization or assembly [that] are prescribed by federal, state, or local law”; 2. “presents substantially the same question as a motion that was finally disposed of earlier in the same session by being rejected, postponed indefinitely, or subjected to an Objection to the Consideration of a Question that was sustained”; 3. “conflicts with a motion previously adopted at any time and still in force” (other than a motion to Rescind or to Amend Something Previously Adopted); 4. “that would conflict with or that presents substantially the same question as one which has been temporarily but not finally disposed of . . . and which remains within the control of the assembly”; or, 17 Main...