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Robert's Rules of Order is a widely used parliamentary authority book containing rules of order intended to be adopted for use by a deliberative assembly. The original text was written in 1876, but was revised several times, with the latest version called Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised and usually available at the campus library.

Contents 1 What is a motion? 2 Handling Motions 3 Classification of Motions 3.1 Privileged Motions 3.1.1 Fix time of next meeting 3.1.2 Adjourn 3.1.3 Recess 3.1.4 Question of Privilege 3.2 Subsidiary Motions 3.2.1 Lay on the table 3.2.2 Previous Question 3.2.3 Limit Debate 3.2.4 Postpone to a certain time 3.2.5 Refer to committee 3.2.6 Committee of the whole 3.2.7 Amend 3.3 Main Motions 3.3.1 Make motion for general business 3.3.2 Take from the table 3.3.3 Reconsider 3.3.4 Rescind 3.3.5 Make special order of business 3.4 Incidental Motions 3.4.1 Point of Order 3.4.2 Appeal from decision of the chair 3.4.3 Suspend the rules 3.4.4 Object to consideration 3.4.5 Parliamentary inquiry 3.4.6 Request for information 3.4.7 Withdraw a motion 4 See Also

What is a motion?

A motion is anything that a member wants to happen. It can range from spending money to holding events to turning up the AC.

Handling Motions

The general sequence in proposing and dealing with motions from the floor is as follows:

1. A member seeks recognition for the floor (raises their hand)
2. Chairman recognizes the member (member obtains the floor)
3. Member makes a motion
4. Another member seconds the motion
5. Chairman states the question
6. Debate (amendment and secondary motions)
7. Chairman puts the question to a vote
8. Chairman announces the result of the vote

Classification of Motions

Written according to precedence

	Second Needed	Amendable?	Debatable	Required Vote?	Interrupt Speaker
Privileged Motions
Fix time of next meeting	Yes	Yes	***	1/2	No
Adjourn	Yes	No	No	1/2	No
Recess	Yes	Yes	***	1/2	No
Question of privilege	No	No	No	**	Yes
Subsidiary Motions
Lay on the table	Yes	No	No	1/2	No
Previous Question	Yes	No	No	2/3	No
Limit debate	Yes	Yes	No	2/3	No
Postpone to a certain time	Yes	Yes	Yes	1/2	No
Refer to a committee	Yes	Yes	Yes	1/2	No
Committee of the whole	Yes	Yes	Yes	1/2	No
Amend	Yes	Yes	*	1/2	No
Main Motions
Make motion for general business	Yes	Yes	Yes	1/2	No
Take from the table	Yes	No	No	1/2	Yes
Reconsider	Yes	No	*	1/2	Yes
Rescind	Yes	Yes	Yes	2/3	No
Make special order of business	Yes	Yes	Yes	2/3	No
Incidental Motions
Point of Order	No	No	No	**	Yes
Appeal from decision of the chair	Yes	No	*	1/2	Yes
Suspend the rules	Yes	No	No	2/3	No
Object to consideration	No	No	No	2/3	Yes
Parliamentary inquiry	No	No	No	None	Yes
Request for information	No	No	No	None	Yes
Withdraw a motion	No	No	No	1/2	No

• * Debatable only when the motion to which it applied was debatable.
• ** Requires only chair's decision, majority vote if appealed from the chair.
• *** Original motion not debatable, amendment debatable.

Privileged Motions

Privileged Motions are such as, while not relating to the pending question, are of so great importance as to require them to take precedence of all other questions, and, on account of this high privilege, they are undebatable

Fix time of next meeting

A motion made to set the time of the next meeting for the assembly if one is not already set (i.e. "I move to that we meet Monday at 8:00 pm").

Adjourn

A motion made to suspend the meeting until the next scheuled meeting. If this motion is qualified in any way (i.e. "I move to adjourn to tomorrow"), then it is a main motion and subject to debate.

Recess

A motion made to have an intermission of the meeting.

Question of Privilege

Motions relating to the rights and privileges of the assembly. Generally these motions are so everyday that they don't even take the form of the motion (i.e. "Can you speak up please?").

Subsidiary Motions

Subsidiary Motions are such as are applied to other motions for the purpose of most appropriately disposing of them. By means of them the original motion may be modified, or action postponed, or it may be referred to a committee to investigate and report, etc. They may be applied to any main motion, and when made they supersede the main motion and must be decided before the main motion can be acted upon.

Lay on the table

This motion is to enable the assembly, in order to attend to more urgent business, to lay aside the pending question in such a way that its consideration may be resumed at the will of the assembly as easily as if it were a new question, and in preference to new questions competing with it for consideration (i.e. "I move that we table the current discussion until we finish with the elections").

Previous Question

This motion is to close debate immediately, to prevent the moving of amendments or any other subsidiary motions except to lay on the table, and to bring the assembly at once to a vote on the immediately pending question, and such other pending questions as were specified in the demand, or motion.

Limit Debate

Motions, or orders, to limit or extend the limits of debate

Postpone to a certain time

Often confused with tabling, postponing the current question requires setting a specific time.

Refer to committee

The Object of the motion to refer to a standing or special committee is usually to enable a question to be more carefully investigated and put into better shape for the assembly to consider, than can be done in the assembly itself

Committee of the whole

This motion allows the assembly to discuss a matter in a more informal tone, usually when the motion on the floor is unclear or not in a proper form.

Amend

An amendment of a pending question requires only a majority vote for its adoption, even though the question to be amended requires a two-thirds vote. An amendment of a constitution or by-laws, or rules of order, or order of business, previously adopted, requires a two-thirds vote; but an amendment of that amendment requires only a majority vote. When a motion or resolution is under consideration only one amendment of the first degree is permitted at a time, and one amendment of that amendment -- that is, an amendment of the second degree is allowed also. An amendment of the third degree would be too complicated and is not in order. Instead of making it, a member may say that if the amendment of the amendment is voted down, he will offer such and such an amendment of the amendment.

Main Motions

A Principal or Main Question or Motion, is a motion made to bring before the assembly, for its consideration, any particular subject. No Principal Motion can be made when any other question is before the assembly. It takes precedence of nothing, and yields to all Privileged, Incidental and Subsidiary Questions

Make motion for general business

A motion made to bring before the assembly, for its consideration, any particular subject.

Take from the table

In ordinary deliberative assemblies, a question is supposed to be laid on the table only temporarily with the expectation of its consideration being resumed after the disposal of the interrupting question, or at a more convenient season. As soon as the question that was introduced when the first question was laid on the table, is disposed of, any one may move to take this first question from the table.

Reconsider

This motion is peculiar in that the making of the motion has a higher rank than its consideration, and for a certain time prevents anything being done as the result of the vote it is proposed to reconsider. It can be made only on the day the vote to be reconsidered was taken, or on the next succeeding day, a legal holiday or a recess not being counted as a day. It must be made by one who voted with the prevailing side. Any member may second it. It can be made while any other question is pending, even if another member has the floor, or after it has been voted to adjourn, provided the chair has not declared the assembly adjourned.

Rescind

Any vote taken by an assembly, except those mentioned further on, may be rescinded by a majority vote, provided notice of the motion has been given at the previous meeting or in the call for this meeting; or it may be rescinded without notice by a two-thirds vote, or by a vote of a majority of the entire membership.

Make special order of business

To make a Special Order requires a two-thirds vote, because it suspends all rules that interfere with its consideration at the specific time, except those relating to motions for adjournment or recess, or to questions of privilege or to special orders made before it was made.

Incidental Motions

Incidental Motions are such as arise out of another question which is pending, and therefore take precedence of and must be decided before the question out of which they rise; or, they are incidental to a question that has just been pending and should be decided before any other business is taken up

Point of Order

A Question of Order takes precedence of the pending question out of which it arises; is in order when another has the floor, even interrupting a speech or the reading of a report; does not require a second; cannot be amended or have any other subsidiary motion applied to it; yields to privileged motions and the motion to lay on the table; and must be decided by the presiding officer without debate, unless in doubtful cases he submits the question to the assembly for decision.

Appeal from decision of the chair

Whenever the presiding officer decides a question of order, he has the right, without leaving his chair, to state the reasons for his decision, and any two members have the right to appeal from the decision, one making the appeal and the other seconding it.

Suspend the rules

When the assembly wishes to do something that cannot be done without violating its own rules, and yet it is not in conflict with its by-laws or with the fundamental principles of parliamentary law, it "suspends the rules that interfere with" the proposed action. The object of the suspension must be specified, and nothing else can be done under the suspension. The rules that can be suspended are those relating to priority of business, or to business procedure, or to admission to the meetings, etc., and would usually be comprised under the heads of rules of order

Object to consideration

An objection may be made to the consideration of any original main motion, and to no others, provided it is made before there is any debate or before any subsidiary motion is stated

Parliamentary inquiry

A parliamentary inquiry, if it relates to a question that requires immediate attention, may be made while another has the floor, or may even. interrupt a speech. A member wishing to raise a point of order and yet in doubt, should rise to a parliamentary inquiry and ask for information. Or, for instance, he may wish to have the assembly act immediately on a subject that is in the hands of a committee, and he does not know how to accomplish it; -- his recourse is a parliamentary inquiry.

Request for information

A request for information relating to the pending business is treated just as a parliamentary inquiry, and has the same privileges. The inquirer rises and says, "Mr. Chairman, I rise for information," or, "I rise to a point of information," whereupon the chair directs him to state the point upon which he desires information, and the procedure continues as in case of a parliamentary inquiry. If the information is desired of the speaker, instead of the chair, the inquirer upon rising says, "Mr. Chairman, I should like to ask the gentleman a question." The chairman inquires if the speaker is willing to be interrupted, and if he consents, he directs the inquirer to proceed. The inquirer then asks the question through the chair, thus, "Mr. Chairman, I should like to ask the gentleman," etc. The reply is made in the same way, as it is not in order for members to address one another in the assembly. While each speaker addresses the chair, the chair remains silent during the conversation. If the speaker consents to the interruption the time consumed is taken out of his time.

Withdraw a motion

A request for leave to withdraw a motion, or a motion to grant such leave, may be made at any time before voting on the question has commenced, even though the motion has been amended. It requires no second. It may be made while incidental or subsidiary motions are pending, and these motions cease to be before the assembly when the question to which they are incidental or subsidiary is withdrawn.

See Also

• Robert's Rules of Order at Wikisource.org
• Robert's Rules of Order at Wikipedia.org