Parliamentary Procedure Q&A

Q: At a regular meeting a motion was adopted by the membership. At the next regular meeting someone made a motion to rescind the motion adopted last month and changed it to read about some other subject totally different. Can this be done? Is there a time limit on advising the President that the above was illegal? It occurred at the January and February meetings. I just found out about the February meeting change on March 6. - D.E.Y., Mar. 7, 1999

A: What happened was not actually a rescission, but an amendment of something previously adopted. These two motions, Rescind and Amend Something Previously Adopted, are so similar they share the same section of RONR, Section 34. The difference is that Rescind repeals a previously adopted motion, while ASPA changes a previously adopted motion. It is not possible to change a motion that has been rescinded.

First, some details. ASPA requires a second; is itself amendable; and debate can (and usually does) focus on the motion being amended. The vote required for adoption is (a) a majority of the entire membership (not just the members present and voting); (b) two-thirds of the members present and voting; or (c) a majority of the members present and voting if previous notice was supplied to the entire membership. If none of these voting requirements was met, the action taken is null and void.

An amendment must be germane to the motion being amended. (RONR p. 132.) This means, for example, that a motion to amend the main motion "... to paint the club house red" by striking out "red" and inserting "blue" is germane because it is common to the topic of the motion: painting the club house. To amend that same main motion by substituting it with "... to buy a copy of RONR" is not germane because it shares nothing in common with the motion being amended. If the amendment is not germane, it is out of order and its improper adoption is null and void.

There is no time limit.

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