The following is the order in which business is carried out:
Introducing Business (Making Motions)
- Business is always introduced in the form of a main motion. At NCS, these are the motions printed in the delegate workbook.
- A main motion may be introduced by an individual member or by a committee. At NCS, the Board of Directors will have planned who will introduce a proposal, usually either a board member or a member of a council which made the proposal.
Seconding a Motion
- After a motion has been made, another member, without rising and obtaining the floor, may second the motion.
- A second merely implies that the member who seconds, agrees that the motion should come before the assembly and not that he or she necessarily favors the motion.
- A main motion made by a committee (or the National Board of Directors) requires no second, since its introduction into the assembly has been approved by a majority of the committee.
- The purpose of a second is to prevent time from being consumed by the assembly having to dispose of a motion that only one person wants to see introduced.
Placing a Motion Before the Assembly
- After a motion has been made and seconded, the chair repeats the motion verbatim, thus placing it before the assembly for debate and action.
- During the brief interval between the making of a motion and the time when the chair places it before the assembly by restating it, the maker of a motion may modify or withdraw it simply by stating the intention to do so; after the motion has been restated by the chair, it is officially before the assembly and must be dealt with appropriately (e.g., adopted, rejected, postponed).
- Once the main motion has been made, a motion to amend (a type of subsidiary motion) can be made to the main motion.
Debate
- Debate is often limited with time limits in the standing rules and/or program itself, or by action of the assembly to cut off debate by calling the question.
- The notion of a two minute limit is in the standing rules. Time limits are often set with the program itself when the program (agenda) is adopted.
- Every member of the assembly has the right to speak on every debatable motion before it is finally acted upon; this right cannot be interfered with except by a motion to limit debate or by the chair’s enforcement of previously adopted time limits or debate limits.
- All discussion must be confined to the immediately pending question and to whether or not it should be adopted.
- While debate is in progress, amendments or other secondary motions can be introduced and disposed of accordingly. However, there is a limit to how many amendments can be introduced and debated at once.
- During debate, no member can attack or question the motives of another member.
- The maker of a motion, although allowed to vote against it, is not allowed to speak against it.
The following is from the 2017 NCS Standing Rules/Debate section:
- National Council delegates shall identify themselves before speaking to the question. Girl Scout council delegates shall give name and council, and if applicable, the number of the motion form they have submitted. All other National Council members shall give name and position as members of the National Council.
- No speaker shall speak longer than two minutes in debate on each question. Timing of the two-minute period allowed the speaker for debate shall begin immediately following the required identification.
- No speaker shall speak a second time on a question until National Council members wishing to speak a first time have done so.
- No speaker shall speak more than twice on the same question on the same day without permission of the assembly.
- No more than four delegates from the same Girl Scout council nor more than four National Board members shall speak on the same side of the question.
- Once a main motion has been moved and then stated by the Chair, motions from the interrupting microphone will not be permitted until the maker of the motion has had the opportunity to speak to the motion.
- Standing rules such as those immediately above are printed in the delegate workbook. They are presented for approval and can be amended at that time by the Delegate Assembly.
Amendments
- As noted above, before the chair has restated a motion, the maker has the right to modify his or her motion or to withdraw it entirely. After the chair has restated it, however, a motion may be modified only by means of an amendment.
- There are six ways to amend a motion:
- Add words, phrases, or sentences at the end of a motion;
- Insert words, phrases, or sentences;
- Strike words, phrases, or sentences;
- Strike and insert words, phrases, or sentences;
- Strike and add words, phrases, or sentences; and
- Substitute whole paragraphs or an entire text.
- Only two amendments (primary, which is the original proposal, and secondary, a change that is introduced by a delegate) may be pending on a main motion at any time.
- Discussion of an amendment must relate only to the amendment, unless the whole motion is involved by substitution.
- An amendment must be germane to the question under consideration.
Additionally, from the 2017 NCS Standing Rules Proposals/Amendments section:
- Proposals not included in the Workbook or sent with the call to the National Council Session will not be considered and will be ruled out of order.
- Amendments to the proposals must be within the scope of notice. Amendments not within the scope of notice shall be ruled out of order.
- All amendments must be submitted in writing on the form designated for that use, signed by the maker, and sent to the presiding officer prior to being moved on the floor of the National Council Session.
- Amendments dealing with grammar, spelling, or punctuation shall not be allowed. The CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA and Chair of the National Board shall be empowered to make any and all necessary editorial changes.
Voting
- Per the GSUSA Constitution/ARTICLE XVII, amendments to the Constitution require a two-thirds affirmative vote.
- Other secondary motions that are made require a majority.
- A member has no right to explain his or her vote during voting since that would be the same as debate at such a time.
- Any member may request a division of the assembly if there is uncertainty as to the true result of the vote.
Additionally, from the 2017 NCS Standing Rules/Rules of Voting section:
- Electronic voting shall be the standard method of voting. Each voting member of the National Council is given an electronic voting device. Voting with these devices can be very fast, so National Council members need to be ready to vote.
- The presiding officer shall be authorized to expedite business by using methods of voting other than electronic voting as the officer deems appropriate. This shall include, but not be limited to, a vote by unanimous consent, voice, show of hands, standing, and ballot.
- Delegates may take their portable electronic voting devices with them when they are standing in line awaiting their turn to speak. Delegates may vote on any secondary motion while standing in line at the microphone. Delegates must return to their seats for any vote on a main motion/proposal and for elections.
- Electronic voting devices shall not be removed from the meeting room. If a delegate must leave the meeting room during a business meeting, the electronic voting device must be turned in to an usher.
Announcing a Vote
- In announcing the vote on a motion, the chair should:
- report on the voting itself, stating which side has prevailed;
- declare that the motion is adopted or lost; and
- state the effect of the vote or order its execution.
- At NCS sessions, results of electronic voting are commonly displayed on a screen for all to see.