Index:Robert's Rules of Order - 1915.djvu

Title	Robert's Rules of Order
Author	Henry Martyn Robert
Year	1915
Source	djvu
Progress	To be proofread
Transclusion	Index not transcluded or unreviewed

Pages (key to Page Status)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

Order of Precedence of Motions

5

Table of Rules Relating to Motions

6

Preface

13

Introduction.

Parliamentary Law

15

Plan of the Work

20

Definitions

22

Part I. — Rules of Order.

Art. I. — How Business is Conducted in Deliberative Assemblies.

§	1.	Introduction of Business	25
	2.	What Precedes Debate	26
	3.	Obtaining the Floor	27
	4.	Motions and Resolutions	33
	5.	Seconding Motions	36
	6.	Stating the Question	38
	7.	Debate	38
	8.	Secondary Motions	40
	9.	Putting the Question and Announcing the Vote	40
	10.	Proper Motions to Use to Accomplish Certain Objects	43

Art. II. — General Classification of Motions.

§	11.	Main or Principal Motions	51
	12.	Subsidiary Motions	54
	13.	Incidental Alotions	56
	14.	Privileged Motions	57
	15.	Some Main and Unclassified Motions	58

Art. III. — Privileged Motions.

§	16.	Fix the Time to which the Assembly shall Adjourn	59
	17.	Adjourn	60
	18.	Take a Recess	64
	19.	Questions of Privilege	66
	20.	General and Special Orders and a Call for the Orders of the Day	68

Art. IV. — Incidental Motions.

§	21.	Questions of Order and Appeal	78
	22.	Suspension of the Rules	83
	23.	Objection to the Consideration of a Question	87
	24.	Division of a Question, and Consideration by Paragraph or Seriatim	89
	25.	Division of the Assembly, and Motions relating to Methods of Voting, or to Closing or Reopening the Polls	95
	26.	Motions relating to Methods of Making, or to Closing or to Reopening Nominations	96
	27.	Requests growing out of Business Pending or that has just been pending, as, a Parliamentary Inquiry, a Request for Information, for Leave to Withdraw a. Motion, to Read Papers, to be Excused from a Duty, or for any other Privilege	97

Art. V. — Subsidiary Motions.

§	28.	Lay on the Table	104
	29.	The Previous Question	111
	30.	Limit or Extend Limits of Debate	118
	31.	Postpone Definitely, or to a Certain Time	121
	32.	Commit or Refer, or Recommit	125
	33.	Amend	134
	34.	Postpone Indefinitely	152

Art. VI. — Some Main and Unclassified Motions.

§	35.	Take from the Table	154
	36.	Reconsider	156
	37.	Rescind	169
	38.	Renewal of a Motion	171
	39.	Ratify	173
	40.	Dilatory, Absurd, or Frivolous Motions	174
	41.	Call of the House	175

Art. VII. — Debate

§	42.	Debate	178
	43.	Decorum in Debate	180
	44.	Closing and Preventing Debate	182
	45.	Principles of Debate and Undebatable Motions	184

Art. VIII.— Vote.

§	46.	Voting	188
	47.	Votes that are null and void even if Unanimous	201
	48.	Motions requiring more than a Majority Vote	202

Art. IX. — Committees and Boards.

§	49.	Committees Classified	206
	50.	Boards of Managers, etc., and Executive Committees	207
	51.	Ex-Officio Members of Boards and Committees 210
	52.	Committees. Special and Standing	211
	53.	Reception of Reports	220
	54.	Adoption or Acceptance of Reports	223
	55.	Committee of the Whole	229
	56.	As if in Committee of the Whole	233
	57.	Informal Consideration	234

Art. X. — The Officers and the Minutes.

§	58.	Chairman or President	236
	59.	Secretary or Clerk	244
	60.	The Minutes	247
	61.	Executive Secretary	250
	62.	Treasurer	251

Art.XI.—Miscellaneous.

§	63.	Session	253
	64.	Quorum	257
	65.	Order of Business	261
	66	Nominations and Elections	263
	67	Constitutions, By-laws, Rules of Order, and Standing Rules	264
	68	Amendments of Constitutions, By-laws, and Rules of Order	269

Part II. — Organization, Meetings, and Legal Rights of Assemblies.

Art. XII. — Organization and Meetings.

§	69.	An Occasional or Mass Meeting.
		(a) Organization	275
		(b) Adoption of Resolutions	277
		(c) Committee to draft Resolutions	280
		(d) Semi-Permanent Mass Meeting	283
	70.	A Permanent Society.
		(a) First Meeting	284
		(b) Second Meeting	286
		(c) Regular Meeting	291
	71.	Meeting of a Convention.
		(a) An Organized Convention	292
		(b)A Convention not yet Organized	296

Art. XIII. — Legal Rights of Assemblies and Trial of Their Members.

§	72.	Right of an Assembly to Punish its Members	299
	73.	Right of an Assembly to Eject any one from its Place of Meeting	299
	74.	Rights of Ecclesiastical Tribunals	300
	75.	Trial of Members of Societies	302

Plan for Study of Parliamentary Law.

Introduction

305

Lesson Outlines

308

Index

313

ORDER OF PRECEDENCE OF MOTIONS.

The ordinary motions rank as follows, the lowest in rank being at the bottom and the highest at the top of the list. When any one of them is immediately pending the motions above it in the list are in order, and those below are out of order. Those marked (⅔) require a ⅔ vote for their adoption; the others require only a majority.

Undebatable $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	Fix the Time to which to Adjourn (when privileged).	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ Privileged
	Adjourn (when privileged).
	Take a Recess (when privileged).
	Raise a Question of Privilege.
	Call for the Orders of the Day.
	Lay on the Table.
	Previous Question (2/3).	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ Subsidiary
	Limit or Extend Limits of Debate (2/3).
Debatable $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	Postpone to a Certain Time.
	Commit or Refer.
	Amend.
	Postpone Indefinitely.
	A Main Motion.

* Can be amended: the others cannot be amended.

t The first three motions are not always privileged. To Fix the Time to which to Adjourn is privileged only when made while another question is pending, and in an assembly that has made no provision for another meeting on the same or the next day. To Adjourn loses its privileged character and is a main motion if in any way qualified, or if its effect, if adopted, is to dissolve the assembly without any provision for its meeting again. To Take a Recess is privileged only when made while other business is pending.