Parliamentary Procedure Q&A

Q: Who elects the Bylaws Committee in a new organization? Should this election not be done by the members at large? If the Bylaws Committee was formed by internal members of the board is this not illegal? This is a new organization and they seem to form their own rules and regulations. - Arnold Baskin, Nov. 6, 1998

A: Normally, when an organization is just beginning, a motion is adopted that a committee be appointed by the chair to draft bylaws (RONR p. 549). At a subsequent meeting, a motion is made to adopt the bylaws presented by the committee. During discussion of the motion, each bylaw is scrutinized by the group, and amended where a majority believes it proper. (See RONR Section 28, Consideration By Paragraph Or Seriatim.) Finally, when a majority is in agreement with every section of the bylaws, the vote is taken on their adoption as a whole.

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