What Is Parliamentary Law?

1. What Is Parliamentary Law? Parliamentary Matters

2. Parliamentary Law is-- • The rules for the game of democracy • Rules and customs that govern deliberative and decision making assemblies and organizations Parliamentary Matters

3. What Is Parliamentary Procedure? Parliamentary Matters

4. Parliamentary Procedure is-- • The process of following parliamentary law along with any rules of order the organization or assembly may have adopted Parliamentary Matters

5. Why Use Parliamentary Procedure? Parliamentary Matters

6. Use Parliamentary Procedure to-- • Protect the rights of: • The majority • The minority • Individual members • Absentees • All of these together. Parliamentary Matters

7. Use Parliamentary Procedure to-- • Maintain order • Expedite business • Allow the organization or assembly to accomplish its purposes. Parliamentary Matters

8. Using Parliamentary Procedures at a Chapter and Business meetings Parliamentary Matters

9. and a secretary Minimum Necessary Officers Every deliberative assembly must have: • a presiding officer Parliamentary Matters

10. Presiding Tips • Knowledge is strength. Become thoroughly familiar with your own governing documents and with correct usage of parliamentary procedure • Maintain control over the progress of the meeting. Don’t allow members to press on or speak without a motion being made, seconded, and stated by the chair • Keep the membership informed. State the exact motion, or amendment so the assembly always knows what is under consideration Parliamentary Matters

11. ALWAYS: Maintain order Provide strong leadership Remain impartial Be tactful Be fair Exercise good judgment NEVER: Get excited Be unjust, even to troublesome members Take advantage of a member’s lack of knowledge Be more technical than necessary Say “I” Presiding Officer Tips Continued: Parliamentary Matters

12. Call to Order • On time • One rap of gavel • “The meeting will come to order.” Parliamentary Matters

13. Establish a Quorum* • Attendance sign-in • Roll call • Adopt agenda • as presented • as corrected *The minimum number of members who must be present for business to be transacted. Majority of Chapter members Majority of those present Two-thirds majority What do your bylaws or standing rules state? Parliamentary Matters

14. Determine if a quorum is present In the absence of a quorum, the only legal actions that can be taken are: Fix the time to which to adjourn Adjourn Recess Take Measures to obtain a quorum Parliamentary Matters

15. Opening Ceremonies(optional) • Invocation • Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America • Inspiration • Welcome and Introductions Parliamentary Matters

16. Standard Order of Business • Minutes • Reports of officers, boards and standing committees • Special committee reports • Special orders • Unfinished business • New business MRS SUN Parliamentary Matters

17. Minutes • Minutes are approved in chronological order • No motion is required • The Chair asks: Are there any corrections to the minutes? • Minutes are adopted as presented, mailed, corrected, etc. • Corrections can be made any time any year, whenever they are discovered Parliamentary Matters

18. What are Minutes? • Official record of the proceedings of a deliberative assembly • Legal public record of a meeting • Should reflect what was done in the meeting, not what was said by the members • Should never reflect the recorder’s opinion, favorable or otherwise, on anything said or done Parliamentary Matters

19. Purpose of Minutes Demeter’s Manual on Parliamentary Law and Procedure indicates they serve to: • Refresh the memory of the members who were present at the meeting, • Inform those who were absent from the meeting, and • Make possible a compiled history of the organization’s acts and accomplishments Parliamentary Matters

20. First Paragraph • Kind of meeting: regular, special, adjourned regular, or adjourned special • The name of the assembly • The date, time, and place of the meeting • If the regular chairman and/or secretary were not present, who substituted for them • Whether the minutes of the previous meeting were approved Parliamentary Matters

21. Body of the Minutes • All main motions or motions to bring a main question again before the assembly, except those that were withdrawn Bold motions in copy to be easily found at a later date. • The wording in which each motion was adopted or disposed of, including (parenthetically): • If the motion was debated, and/or • If the motion was amended Parliamentary Matters

22. Body of the Minutes • All secondary motions that were not lost or withdrawn • All notices of motions • All points of order and appeals • Whether sustained or lost • Reasons given by the Chair for his or her ruling • Do not include what did not occur • NEW!! The name of the seconder of a motion should not be entered into the minutes unless ordered by the assembly. RONR Pg. 453 Parliamentary Matters

23. Last Paragraph of Minutes • The hour of adjournment • Signed by the person writing the minutes • Respectfully submittedno longer used • After final approval, the word “Approved” with the secretary’s initials and date should be written below Parliamentary Matters

24. Reports • Officers report in the order listed in the bylaws • Standing committees report in the order listed in the bylaws • Special Committees Parliamentary Matters

25. Standing Committees: • Are constituted to perform a continuing function • Are named in the bylaws or • May be authorized by resolution if provided for in the bylaws • Report to the organization, not to the board (Monthly and Annual Report) Parliamentary Matters

26. If a detailed report is required, it should contain: • A description of the way in which the reporting committee undertook its charge • The facts uncovered or information obtained • The findings or conclusions derived from the facts or information • Resolutions or recommendations Parliamentary Matters

27. Nominating committee: • Members of committee chosen in advance by the method prescribed in the bylaws • May nominate more than one candidate for each office but not advisable that it be done • Members of the committee are not barred from becoming nominees for office themselves • Committee members should contact each person in advance to obtain acceptance of the nomination Parliamentary Matters

28. Special Committee Reports • Special committees report in the order they were established • Special committees cease to exist after their final report or • when task is complete • at the end of a biennium Parliamentary Matters

29. Special Orders • Items postponed from the previous meeting by a 2/3 vote, may be considered at a specific time, and may interrupt business • Items required by the bylaws to be handled at a particular meeting • Nominations • Budget Parliamentary Matters

30. Unfinished Businessand General Orders • Items on the agenda and not completed at the last meeting • Items postponed from the last meeting Parliamentary Matters

31. New Business • Any new item of business can be introduced when no other question is pending Parliamentary Matters

32. Steps when a Motion is Made After a person is recognized by the presider, they officially obtain and are assigned the floor, The presider needs to follow these six steps in handling a motion: • A member makes a motion. • Another member seconds the motion . If from a committee it does not need a second. • The chair states the question. • Members debate the motion. Debate limit? • The chair puts the question to a vote. • The chair announces the result of the vote.

33. Closing Activities • Good of the Order • Announcements • Program • Adjournment Parliamentary Matters

34. The goals for an ideal meeting— Participated in by everybody, Monopolized by nobody, and Where everybody is a somebody! Parliamentary Matters

35. Alpha Iota State Convention Romulus, MichiganApril 16, 2011 • Presenters and NAP members • Gloria Richards, Nu • J-Jay Pechta, Gamma Parliamentary Matters