PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

                    for OUR LODGES

                    By Anthony Julian

       from re-issued copy of October 1998

Our Order consists of thousands of men and women from every walk of life, young and old, who have associated themselves together to achieve purposes common to all. It is governed on the principle that when differences of opinion arise the will expressed by the majority is binding upon all members. When the will of the majority on any question within the scope of the organization has been determined, and that will does not violate any superior law, and every member, either personally or by his elected representative has had a reasonable opportunity to vote on the question, then the will of the majority should be carried out by all the members, including those who did not vote with the majority. This is how every well-ordered society functions. Where there is a clash of opinion, therefore, the decision is made by the majority.

In order to discover the will of the majority on a given question without wasting time, without confusion, and with a minimum of friction, rules known as rules of parliamentary procedure have been evolved. Any one man or group of men did not make these rules. They have grown out of the experienceof countless deliberative assemblies, great and small, extending from nearly a thousand years ago to this day.

It is not possible within the space of this booklet to cover more than the elements of these rules. It is felt that those who preside at our Lodge meetings, and members generally, ougtht to become more familiar with the elementary rules of procedure and should follow them. It must be borne in mind that they should be applied at all times with tact and understanding.

Let us start by stating some simple but important general rules:

1.  One question, and only one, can be under consideration at any one time.

2.  Only one person may have the floor at any one time.

3.  No member may speak unless the Chair first recognizes him. There are

    these important exceptions to this rule:

a. When you rise on a point of privilege;

b. When you rise on a point of order, or on a point of parliamentary inquiry,

or for information;

c. When appealing the ruling of the Chair;

d. When you rise to object to the consideration of a question;

e. In making a motion for reconsideration.

4.  No member while speaking may be interrupted by another member. To this rule there are

    these important exceptions.

a. When you rise on a point of privilege;

b. When you rise on a point or order, or on a point of parliamentay

inquiry, or for information;

c. When appealing the ruling of the Chair;

d. When you rise to object to the consideration of  a question;

e. In make a motion for reconsideration.

5.  All speaking must be addressed to the Chair only. There is not exception to

    this rule.

6.  All speaking must be confined to the matter under consideration.

7.  Under our rules, no member has a right to speak more than five minutes on

    the question. The only exception to this rule is when a member is reporting

    for a committee.

8.  No member may speak a second time on the same question until all other

    members who desire to speak on the question have been heard.

9.  Under our rules, a member reporting for a committee has the right to speak

    last on a question growing out of his report.

10. It is never permitted to any speaker to indulge in personalities, or to use

    offensive or vulgar language. A speaker may not refer to another member

    by name.

11. When the presiding officer raps his gavel to restore order or to recall the

    speaker to the question, the speaker must stop talking until the presiding

    officer indicates that he may proceed.

The physical arrangements at the meeting place are important aids to orderly and dignified procedure. Please refer to the Rituals for the proper hall arrangements.

The presiding officer is the leader of the members in meeting assembled.

1.   He must be scrupulously fair and courteous to all members.

2.   He is the arbiter of all questions of order and privilege raised by the

     members.

3.   He maintains order in the assembly and applies the rules impartially and

     tactfully.

4.   He aids member in formulating the motions they may wish to submit to

     the assembly.

5.   He stands when he states the motion or puts a motion to vote, or passes

     upon a question of order or privilege. No motion is properly before the

     meeting until the Chair has stated it.

6.   He is attentive to the discussion.

7.   He may not speak for or against any question unless he first turns the

    chair over to the next officer in line. Having taken part in the debate he

    does not resume the chair until the question has been voted on. But he

    may give a factual explanation of the question for the guidance of the

    members.

8.   He may not make motions while president.

9.   Under our rules, he may vote at elections or in case of a tie vote.

10. After hearing the opinion of the Orator, he decides all question of law. His

    decision is subject to an appeal to higher authority as provided in our laws.

11. On a point of order, he may deprive a member of the floor or caution or

    censure him or even order him to leave the hall. This power he uses

    carefully and with restraint, but when clearly necessary he uses it with

    firmness.

12. He may declare a recess or, in cases of emergency, dissolve the meeting.

13. He has the right to expect that the members will observe the rules of

    procedure. Without the cooperation of the members in this respect. it would

    be impossible to conduct an orderly meeting.

After the meeting has been properly opened, the roll of officers, the records of the preceding regular and special meetings read, corrected, if need be, and approved, and communications read, the transaction of the business of the Lodge is properly before the meeting. Business should be transacted with expedition but not in a hurry. Matters to be acted on by the Lodge must be presented inb the form of motions, resolutions or orders. A motion is a proposition. It should be clearly stated and must cover some matter that falls within the scope of of the purposes of the Order. The Lodge may consider only one main motion, resolujtion or order at a time. While the main motion is pending, only matters that are subsidiary or incidental to the main motion or matters that are of a privileged character may be presented to the meeting.

For the guidance of the presiding officers and members of our Lodges, we set forth the various motions that may be made and the order of their sequence. All these motions require a second unless otherwise specified, and all of them are debatable and amedable unless otherwise stated.

1. THE MAIN MOTION OR QUESTION

2. SUBSIDIARY MOTIONS

a.  Motion to postpone indefinitely      NOT AMENDABLE

b.  Motion to amend. An amendment to an amendment  can not be

           amended. That is to say, amendments in the third degree are not     permitted. Motions may be amended by adding, by striking out, by

    inserting, by striking out and inserting, by substitutig or by dividing.

c.  Motion to commit or refer to committee or to recommit to a committee

   May be renewed after progress.

d.  Motion to postpone to a definite time. Debatable only as to the

    propriety of postponement.

e.  Motion to limit or extend limit of debate.  Debatable only if made as a

    main motion.

f.   Motion to close debate. Sometimes called the previous question. Not

    debatable. Not amendable.

g.  Motion to lay on the table. Not debatable. Not amendable.

3. INCIDENTAL MOTIONS

a.  Motion to suspend rules. Not debatable. Not Amendable.

b.  Withdrawal of a motion. The maker of a motion may withdraw it at any

    time before it is voted on, provided there is no objection made by any

    member. If objection is made, the maker must obtain leave to withdraw

    by a majority vote. No second required. Not Debatable. Not

Amdendable

c.  Objection to consideration. No second required. Not debatable. Not

    amendable.

d.  Points of order, parliamentaryh inquiry, and inforation. No Second

    Required. NOt debatable. Not amendable. Chairman decides a point

     of order or may submit point to a vote of the assembly without his decision.

e.  Appeal from the ruling of the Chair. Must be seconded. Not debatable if

made when an undebatable motion is pending. Not amendable.

The presiding officer mus relinquish the chair until the appeal is decided.

The appeal must be made immediately after the Chair announces its

ruling. The question on apeal is "Shall the ruling of the chair be

sustained?"

4.  PRIVILEGED MOTIONS.

a. Question of privilege. No second required. Not debatale. Not

amendable. The Chair decides.

b.  Motion to take a recess.

c.  Motion to adjourn. Not debatable. Not amendable. May be renewed

only after some progress has been made.

5.  MISCELLANEOUS MOTIONS

a. Motion to reconsider. Not amendable. May not be renewed. Must be

made at the same meeting at which vote sought to be reconsidered

was taken. Under our special rules only members who voted with

the majority on the question sought to be reconsidered may make or

second a motion to reconsider. Not debatable if motion to which it

applies was undebatable. Reconsideration of a motion to

reconsideration is not permitted.

b.  Motion to rescind, repeal or annul. Motions to reconsider or to rescind

are not in order if the votes sought to be reconsidered or rescinded

have been acted upon by the Lodge to the extent that its position has

been materially changed. A motion to rescind is not in order if a motion

to reconsider may be made.

VOTING

Our special rules provide that all motions, including even the motion to close debate, are decided by a majority vote. Our rules also require that a vote be taken by a show of hands unless a motion is previously made and carried to vote by ballot or roll call. After a vote has been taken by a show of hands and a member doubts the vote and requests that the vote be verified by a roll call, then the vote will be so verified if at least four other members join in the request. Elections are regularly held by secret ballot. A motion to vote by ballot or roll call is not debatable. Since the judgment of the assembly is expressed by vote, it is a serious breach of order while a vote is being taken for any person to try to influence a member's vote.

Where are own laws are silent, the rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order have been adoped as binding.

This page was last updated: November 23, 2013