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 Main Motion

Main motion is a motion whose

introduction brings business before the
assembly. It can be made only when no
other motion is pending, and it ranks lowest
in the order of precedence of motions.
 Types of Main Motions
• Original • Incidental

Original main motion Incidental main motion is

introduces a substantive incidental to or relates to
question as a new subject the business of the
assembly, or in past and
future action.
 On Incidental Main Motion
It does not mark the beginning of a particular
involvement of the assembly in a substantive matter,
as an original main motion does.
• a motion to adopt recommendations a
committee has prepared upon instructions (not
relating to a referred motion)
• a motion to ratify emergency action taken at a
meeting when no quorum was present
 Main motions may arise out of a
committee report

• Definition of Report of Boards or Committees

It is an official statement formally adopted by,
and submitted in the name of, the reporting
body, informing the parent assembly of action
taken or recommended, or information
obtained.
 Motions for Action on Reports
Immediately after committee’s report- unless
it is a report containing only information on
which no action is taken- an assembly normally
considers whatever action may be recommended
in or arise out of the report.
Specific recommendations for immediate
action by the parent assembly should be grouped
at the end and should generally be cast in the
form of one or more proposed resolutions.
 Motions for Action on Reports

When a board or committee report has been

received and the chair has stated the question
on the adoption of the motion, resolution(s),
recommendation(s), or report, the matter is
treated as any other main question, is open to
debate and amendment, and can have any of
the subsidiary motions applied to it.
 Motions for Action on Reports

If a committee to which the main question was

referred has recommended that it be amended
or definitely or indefinitely postponed, the
motion to take such action is debatable and (for
primary amendment or definite postponement)
amendable, under the regular rules for these
motions.
 Adoption of an entire Report
• Motion to adopt an entire report
In rare instances after an assembly has received a report, it
may have occasion to adopt the (entire report); an
affirmative vote on such a motion has the effect of the
assembly’s endorsing every word of the report- including the
indicated facts and the reasoning- as its own statement.
Motion should be made by someone other than the
reporting member and requires a second.
Adoption of the entire report is seldom wise except when
it is to be issued or published in the name of the whole
organization
Conditions for amendment of Report by assembly before
its adoption
An assembly that is to adopt an entire report which it
has received can amend the report, but the text as
published or recorded must not make the reporting
committee appear to say anything different from the
wording that was actually reported. For this reason, the
published or recorded text should show clearly the
reported version and the changes that the assembly has
made- e.g. by enclosing in brackets all that was struck out
and underlining or putting in italics all that was inserted,
and including a note explaining this notation at the
beginning of the report.
 The making of a main motion

• “I move that . . . [announcing the proposal]”

• “I move the adoption of the following resolution: Resolved,
That . . .
Resolved, That . . .”
• “I move the adoption of the resolution relating to. . . which I
have sent to the Chair.”
 Wording of the main motion

• A motion should not be offered if its only effect is to propose

that the assembly refrain from doing something.

• Motions to reaffirm a position previously taken by adopting a

resolution or motion are not in order (it serves no useful
purpose because the original motion is still in effect)
• Avoid a motion containing a negative statement because this
might confuse the members as to the effect of voting.

Example:
Instead of “That the association go on record as not in favor of
the proposed public bond issue,” it should be moved “that the
association oppose or declare its opposition to the bond issue.”
 Resolution
Title

Whereas, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ;
Whereas, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . .;
Resolved,
That . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .;
Resolved, That . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Thank you very much for listening!
Have a nice day!