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Subject: [geolang-comment] quorum questions (fwd)
I asked for a professional ruling from a real parliamentarian on the non-meeting at Montreal, thus: > >If a committee governed by RRO requests approval of the previous meeting's > >minutes, and it is pointed out that the previous meeting did not have a > >quorum (but nobody noticed at the time), is the previous meeting not a > >legal meeting (and therefore its acts are void), or does the failure of > >anyone to object at the time retrospectively legalize the meeting? > >I appreciate your assistance with this issue. Michael E. Malamut (referred by the American Institute of Parliamentarians) kindly replied thus: > Dear Mr. Cowan: > > AIP Headquarters has assigned your parliamentary procedure question to me. > As a Certified Professional Parliamentarian and Designated Teacher of > Parliamentary Law credentialed by the American Institute of > Parliamentarians, I have answered your question pro bono as a public > service of AIP. This response is my opinion based upon the information > provided and does not constitute an official opinion of AIP. Since I have > not read your organization's governing documents, this reply is based > solely on the information given in your e-mail message, which is copied > above. > > I am assuming that your reference to RRO is to the current tenth edition > of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised ("RONR"), published 2000, and > that RONR is the parliamentary authority used by your organization. Robert > is used by most organizations throughout the country. > > First, a committee is not required to, and normally does not, take formal > minutes. Instead, the chair or secretary of the committee typically makes > a brief memorandum simply for use of the committee. RONR p. 483. > > Second, if there was no quorum, any action taken at the committee meeting > would be considered null and void, even if no one protested at the time. > Rules regarding quorum requirements are rules protecting absent members > and therefore violations of quorum requirements are not waived by a lack > of protest at the quorumless meeting. RONR pp. 244, 255. See also RONR p. > 482 (quorum of committee is majority of committee membership). A member of > the committee can protest the quorumless meeting at any subsequent > meeting. > > I hope that this answer is helpful. If my answer is unclear, please email > me directly. If you need further information or assistance, the office of > the American Institute of Parliamentarians (888-664-0428) can help you > find a qualified Certified Professional Parliamentarian in your area to > employ. > > AIP offers many resources for individuals interested in learning more > about parliamentary procedure. The AIP websitewww.aipparlipro.org provides > information about correspondence courses and practicums. Practicums are > 3-4 day workshops/seminars held each year on both coasts. The AIP Annual > Session also offers interactive training in parliamentary procedure. The > web site also gives you access to the AIP Bookstore, which offers books, > charts, pamphlets and other helpful materials. In addition to these > resources, AIP publishes the Parliamentary Journal, which AIP members > receive with their membership. The Parliamentary Journal provides helpful > educational articles about parliamentary procedure. > > I wish you much success with your organization. > > Michael E. Malamut, PRP, CPP-T I replied briefly, thanking him and noting that we would enact the non-decisions of the non-meeting at the next actual meeting. BTW, each committee that doesn't meet at least once a calendar year evaporates, according to the TC process, so we must make certain that we get at least one by-the-book meeting in 2002. -- John Cowan jcowan@reutershealth.com www.ccil.org/~cowan www.reutershealth.com "If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants were standing on my shoulders." --Hal Abelson
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