Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised: A Crash Course

Why Roberts Rules? Parliamentary procedure helps meetings run smoothly and
without confusion. NFTY has adopted the current edition Roberts Rules of Order, Newly
Revised (RONR) as its parliamentary authoritythe set of rules it uses to run its
meetings.
Who is Robert, anyway? Henry Martyn Robert, retired U.S. Army brigadier general saw
issues in conducting official business. First published in 1876, Robert spent 176 pages
outlining the rules. Obviously, the rules caught on and now Roberts Rules of Order,
Newly Revised, 10th edition contains 643 pages.
RONR should only be used to help and not hinder. Be flexible. The NFTY-SAR
Constitution states: Roberts Rules of Order shall influence the rules of procedure at
NFTY-SAR events, but they shall not be bound by it. Even Robert said, The assembly
meets to transact business, not to have members exploit their knowledge of parliamentary
law.
Why this crash course? The NFTY-SAR Constitution states: Roberts Rules of Order
shall influence the rules of procedure at NFTY-SAR events, but they shall not be bound
by it. A NFTY-SAR rules guide shall be maintained continually containing specific
current rules of order and shall be openly distributed to all delegates.
Without further adieu

Basics of the Plenary Session

Who? The NFTY-SAR President will call and serve as the chair for all meetings. The
duties: Start and end meetings, recognize speakers, interpret motions, guide the meeting.
The PARLIAMENTARIAN is the expert on Roberts Rules. The Parly helps the chair and
the delegates. See the Parly with any questions.
The SERGEANTS-AT-ARMS are used to pass around papers and distribute and collect
ballots. In NFTY-SAR they are also used to keep quiet.
The DELEGATES are either the president or an appointed proxy. Each TYG receives one
vote.
Quorum. The number of voting members needed to conduct business. The NFTY-SAR
Constitution requires 30%.
How does it go? The NFTY-SAR President will call for any agenda items prior to the
meeting. It is his duty to create an agenda and stick to it. Agendas are your friend. The
basic breakdown:
I.

Call to Order
**Chair will call to order with a tap of the gavel.

II.

Opening traditions
**The secretary, usually the CVP, will call the roll. The chair will appoint sergeants-at-arms.
Also, if ever the case, here is where Pledge of Allegiance, National Anthem, or invocations
go.

III.

Reading of the Minutes

**Usually skipped in NFTY-SAR either by using general consent (more on that later).

IV.

Board Reports
**Reports are traditionally given at this time. The chair may choose to scatter them through
the new business to break monotony. The adviser may also choose to report at this time.

V.

Unfinished Business
**Business that was on the table at the last meeting or was scheduled to come up. Does not
happen often in NFTY-SAR.

VI.

New Business
**Any resolutions or amendments on the agenda. Any speakers on the agenda. Stick to the
agenda as much as possible. If there is something truly important that is not on the agenda, it
can be brought up at the end of the scheduled items. Best to check with the chair first.

VII.

Good and Welfare

**A tradition in NFTY-SAR which allows delegates a chance to speak about their TYG.

VIII.

Adjournment
**The chair can use general consent to end the meeting. If there is objection (or if the chair
wants to give one last chance for a motion) it needs a 2/3s vote.

Motions
Main motions in NFTY-SAR are usually written resolutions or amendments. This
looks complicatedit isnt. It makes a lot more sense when seen in action.
The process simplified.
Being recognized- To make it easy on the chair, only the voting delegate may
touch the placard. He raises the placard and says only, MOTION.

Stating the motion- The chair will recognize the delegate, who will then stand
and state his motion. Be flexible. The chair will try to take motions in order.
However, delegates who have not spoken get priority. The CVP will record the
motion.
-Motions need at least two people to considered. Another delegate will raise his placard
and say, SECOND. There is no need to wait. THIS IS NOT A CONTEST. Seconds are
not recorded.

Debate- If the motion is debatable, the chair will open the floor. A delegate will
put his thumb up to speak pro, or his thumb down to speak con.
-The maker of the motion has first priority, then anyone who has not yet
spoken. Speakers will alternate pro/con.
-Speakers will start with two minutes each. The CVP will keep time. After speaking, if
there is still time, the speaker may yield his time to the next speaker or yield to
questions. The chair will facilitate the debate.

Amendments- In NFTY-SAR, to change a resolution or amendment, the delegate

must write down what changes to be made on the amendment sheet. The delegate
will bring the sheet to the parliamentarian, who will number the amendment.
-If the author accepts the amendment as friendly, the amendment changes the
resolution automatically.
-If the author rejects the amendment as hostile, the delegate must then move
that the amendment be brought to the floor. The assembly can debate the
amendment and vote whether or not to amend the resolution.

Move to previous question. To end debate, delegates can call for the previous
question. I MOVE TO THE PREVIOUS QUESTION. The chair will states the
motion, and the assembly then votes whether or not to end debate.
-If the motion passes with 2/3s majority, the assembly will vote on the main motion.
-If the motion fails, the assembly will return to debate.

Voting
Two main types of voting.
Majority vote- Requires more than half of the votes cast.
2/3s vote- Requires two-thirds of the votes cast.
[Easy way to calculate: Multiply the negative vote by two. This number must
be less than or equal to the affirmative votes to carry the motion.]
There are four main ways to vote.
Voice. Used when a vote only needs a majority.
-The chair will say: This motion requires a majority to adopt. All those in favor,
say aye. Only the delegates in favor will speak.
-Then, the chair will say: All those opposed, say no. The delegates in opposition
will speak.
**Voice votes can be hard to determine. If the chair is unable to determine the
result, he can ask for a standing vote.
Standing. Used when 2/3s vote is needed or when a voice vote cannot be
determined.
-The chair will say: This motion requires a 2/3s vote to adopt. All those in favor
will stand. Only the delegates in favor will stand.
-Then the chair will say: All those in opposed will stand. Only the delegates in
favor will stand.
**If the chair cannot determine the result, he can ask for a counted standing vote.
Secret Ballot. All elections use a secret ballot vote. Additionally, if a delegate
feels a motion is controversial, he can call for a vote by secret ballot.
-The sergeants-at-arms will pass out the ballots.
-After delegates have finished marking, the sergeants-at-arms will collect the
ballots.
-The chair, regional adviser, and another neutral party will count the ballots.
-The chair will announce the results, but the actual numbers will not be revealed.
General consent. When the chair feels a motion will pass without dissent, he can
use general consent. THIS METHOD IS EASIEST AND WILL BE USED AS
MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
-The chair will say: If there are no objections, we will ____.
-The chair will pause to listen for dissent.
-The chair will then say: There be no objection, we will ____.

Cheat Sheet of Common Motions

**The Chair cannot make motions but can help guide the meeting by suggesting
motions. [ex. limit debate, adjourn the meeting] It goes something like this:
Chair: The chair will now entertain a motion to ________.
XFTY Delegate: Motion!
Chair: Yes XFTY
XFTY: Motion to ___________.
Chair: We have a motion by XFTY to __________. Is there a second?
YFTY: Second.
Chair: Cool. [or something more appropriate]
Motion
Adjourn

What it means
End the meeting

How to say it
I move that we adjourn

Amend [hostile]

Change wording

Caucus

Discuss with TYG

I move that we bring amendment _ to

the floor
I move that we caucus

Limit/Extend
Debate

Limit/Extend Debate

I move that we limit debate to [give

specifics]

Previous Question

End debate

I move to the previous question

Vote by secret
ballot

Keeps specific results secret

I move that we vote by secret ballot

Personal Privilege

Cant hear, water, bathroom,

need something, etc.

Point of personal privilege

[If emergency or cant hear, just
interrupt]

Point of
Information

Short question for speaker

Point of information
[hold up placard with question mark]

***Any questions? Just ask for the parliamentarian to come over.

Point of WHAT?!
Point of privilege: A point if personal privilege is used when someone needs something
relating to personal comfort. An issue of personal privilege could pertain to the
temperature, noise levels in the room, personal comfort, etc.
Point of information: A point of information is used to ask a question about a motion or
about the processes taking place.
Point of order: A point of order is used if the chair violates the rules of order and must
be called immediately after the chair has done so.
Point of clarification: A point of clarification is used when a person wants to clear up
something that was stated. This is a statement not a question.
Point of parliamentary inquiry: This point is used when there is a question about
procedure during the meeting.

Motion to HUH?!
Motion to debate: When a resolution or amendment is on the table and there is
controversy, or you want to hear more about it, you can motion to debate. When a
motion to debate is on the table, both the pro and con sides receive a certain amount of
time, depending on the motion.
After the pro or con speaker is done during a debate, if they have extra time, they
can yield their time in a few ways.
Yield to the floor: If you yield the time to the floor, the floor is now open to
motions from anyone.
Yield to the next friendly speaker: yielding time to the next friendly speaker
allows another person, arguing on the same side as you to speak on behalf of pro
or con.
Yield to questions: Yielding to questions opens the floor to questions from
anyone to the person who yields.
Motion to table: This is a motion raised when there is an issue on the agenda that you
would like to discuss at a separate time. You must call motion to table the resolution
until _______.
Motion to previous question: This motion is raised during debate when you would like
the take a vote. After a motion to previous question has been made, a vote must be taken
on whether to go into voting.
Motion to caucus: This motion allows you to have a certain amount of time to discuss
the issue at hand with the voting delegates in your youth group.