4.
A report may be recommitted to the committee with or
without instructions, or that committee may be discharged and the matter referred to a new
committee for further consideration so as to present it in a form more likely to meet the
general concurrence of the body.
5.
A committee may be appointed with power for a specific
purpose. This gives them power to dispose conclusively of the matter without further
reference to the body.
6.
The first named in the appointment of a committee is by
courtesy considered to be the chairperson, but the committee has the right to name its own
chairperson.
7.
Committees of arrangement, or for other protracted service,
report progress from time to time and are continued until their final report or until
their appointment expires by limitation.
8.
A committee is discharged by a vote when its business is
done and its report accepted. Usually, in routine business a committee is considered
discharged by the acceptance of its report.
Standing Committee
A committee appointed to act for a given
period or during the recess of the body is called a Standing Committee. It has charge of a
given department of business assigned by the body and acts either with power, under
instructions, or at discretion, as may be ordered. A Standing Committee is substantially a
minor board and has its own chairperson, secretary, records, and times of meetings.
Appeal
The Moderator announces all votes and
decides all questions as to rules of proceeding and order of debate. Any member who is
dissatisfied with his decisions may appeal to the body. The Moderator puts the question,
"Shall the decision of the chair be sustained?" The vote of the body, whether
negative or affirmative, is final. The right to appeal is undeniable but should not be
resorted to on trivial occasions.
Previous Question
Debate may be cut short by a vote to take
the previous question. This means that the original or main question under discussion be
immediately voted on regardless of amendments and secondary questions and without further
debate. A two-thirds vote is necessary to order the previous question.
1.
If the motion for the previous question is carried, then
the main question must be immediately taken without further debate.
2.
If the motion for the previous question is lost, the debate
proceeds as though no such motion had been made.
3.
If the motion for the previous question is lost, it cannot
be renewed with reference to the same question during the same session.
5 of 8
Go to page 6