Parliamentary Rules and Procedure

Order of Business:
1. Call to Order
2. Invocation
3. Roll Call
4. Reading and Consideration of the Minutes of the Previous Meeting
5. Reports of Standing Committee
6. Reports of Special Committee
7. Unfinished Business
8. New Business
9. Announcement
10. Adjournment
Motion A proposal that the assembly may either adopt a certain view or a certain
action on a question pending before it.
Two Preparatory Phrases in making a motion:
- I move that
- I propose that
The Basic Sequence in a Motion:
Proposer: I move that
Presiding Chair (if seconded): It has been moved and seconded that
Presiding Chair: Is there any discussion?
Presiding Chair: Are you ready for the question?
Presiding Chair: As many as are in favour of the motion, please raise your right
hand.
Presiding Chair: The motion is carried (or lost) (bang the gavel)
The 31 Procedure and Rules of Motion

Section no. 1: To fix the time to which to adjourn.

Purpose: To provide a future time and place for the continuation of the
meeting in progress.
Section no. 2: To adjourn.
Purpose: To formally terminate the meeting in progress.
Section no. 3: To take a recess.
Purpose: To provide a brief intermission during the meeting.
Section no. 4: To raise a question of privilege.
Purpose: To enable a member to secure immediate action upon a question
that involves the comfort, convenience, rights or privileges of the organization or
any of its members.
Section no. 5: To call for the orders of the day.
Purpose: To enable the assembly to bring before it for consideration any
business assigned for a particular time.
Section no. 6: To lay on the table.
Purpose: To set aside a pending question for consideration at a later and
determined time.

Section no. 7: To call for the previous question.

Purpose: To suppress discussion on a pending question and bring it

immediately to a vote.
Section no. 8: To modify the limits of the debate.
Purpose:
To limit debate - to limit the time of discussion on a pending
question.
To extend limits - to remove standing restrictions in order to allow
more time for discussion on a pending question.
Section no. 9: To postpone definitely.
Purpose: To defer the consideration of a question to a definite time in the
future.
Section no. 10: To commit or refer.
Purpose: To enable the assembly to secure a careful and thorough
investigation of a question before it without loss of time or of its right to finally
decide the same.
Section no. 11: To amend.
Purpose: To modify a question in order to make it more satisfactory to the
assembly.
Section no. 12: To postpone indefinitely.
Purpose: To suppress a question before the assembly without incurring the
risk of having it come to a directive.
Section no. 13: Main Motion

Purpose: To bring before the assembly a substantive proposition for its

consideration.
Section no. 14: To take from the table.
Purpose: To resume the consideration of a question that has been
previously laid on the table or set aside temporarily.
Section no. 15: To reconsider.
Purpose: To set aside the vote previously taken on a question and to
reopen it to a new discussion and vote.
Section no. 16: To reconsider and have entered on minutes.
Purpose: To suspend action on a question that has been decided by a
temporary majority.
Section no. 17: To rescind or repeal.
Purpose: To render null and void a question previously passed.
Section no. 18: To Expunge.
Purpose: To express strong disapproval to an action taken by the assembly
and to have it rescinded.
Section no. 19: To adopt a report.
Purpose: To accept or agree to a report as an official act of the assembly.

Section no. 20: To suspend rules.

Purpose: To allow the assembly to do something which is forbidden by the

rules or some previously adopted orders of the organization.
Section no. 21: To withdraw or modify.
Purpose: To enable the proposer of a motion to remove from the
consideration of the assembly his own motion or to modify the same.
Section no. 22: To read papers.
Purpose: To allow a member to read a paper document or book as part of
his speech.
Section no. 23: To object to the consideration of a question.
Purpose: To avoid the consideration of questions which the assembly
considers irrelevant, contentious, unprofitable, or objectionable.
Section no. 24: To raise a point of order.
Purpose: To raise attention to an error in the observance or enforcement of
the rules of parliamentary procedure or those of the organizations.
Section no. 25: To raise a parliamentary inquiry.
Purpose: To be informed on matters pertaining to parliamentary law and
procedure.
Section no. 26: To raise a point of information.
Purpose: To be informed on any matter related to the pending business or
to the assembly and its activities.
Section no. 27: To appeal from the decision of the chair.

Purpose: To ask the assembly to decide whether the decision made by the
presiding officer should be upheld or overruled.
Section no. 28: To divide the assembly.
Purpose: To verify the vote taken on a question or to secure a more
accurate count of the vote.
Section no. 29: To divide the question.
Purpose: To divide long and complicated proposition into separate and
distinct parts to facilitate their consideration.
Section no. 30: Motions relating to nominations.
Purpose:
To close nominations - to prevent further nominations.
To reopen nominations - to allow more nominations for a
particular office.
Section no. 31: Motions relating to voting.
Purpose:
Method of voting - to propose the manner of voting or the
kind of vote to decide an election or a question.
To close polls - to stop the reception of ballots.
To reopen polls - to continue with the reception of the
ballots.
To change vote - to allow a member to change his vote.