Parliamentary Procedure 101

Ever been to a government meeting and heard the terms Roberts Rules or AIP? These are the most common forms of parliamentary procedure. Parli Pro is a process to make discussion among large numbers of people efficient.

ASDA uses American Institute of Parliamentarian's Standard Code within the House of Delegates. Here is a quick run through of some phrases and actions you might hear at Annual Session.

Quorum: To start the session, the Speaker will have the delegates count starting from 1 and going to the last delegate. This is to ensure Quorum is present. Quorum is the minimum required number of delegates to make the actions of the meeting valid. The ASDA House of Delegates quorum is 2/3 of the delegates.

Point of Information: A point of information is just that. A question that is neutral asking for more information about the resolution. An example would be "Point of information: what is the financial implication of this resolution." The delegate is seeking more information. Take care to not share your opinion when requesting a point of information.

Amendment: A delegate can make an amendment to a resolution by writing it down, approaching the priority mic, stating "I move that we amend…" and then stating the resolution and the new language for the amendment. Think of an amendment like a train. If you want to add, remove or change the train cars you first need to decide which cars you want to use before you can start moving the train again. When the amendment is introduced the original resolution just like the train stops. Everything that happens is now about the amendment. Questions, debate and the vote will focus exclusively on the amendment (remember we have to decide which train cars will be on the train). Once the amendment is passed or rejected, the original motion will continue just like the train

Point of Order: Is the term used when procedures such as the ones explained are not followed properly. The amendment process alone can send the House into confusion and sometimes procedures are taken out of step. If you believe procedures were missed, address the priority mic saying "Point of order" followed by the steps missed in the process

Now that you know the tips and tricks, we look forward to seeing you at Annual Session!

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