Parliament: A Legislative Body
Parliament, a legislative body, represents citizens and holds responsibility for enacting laws, engaging in debates on critical issues, and monitoring government activities.
Principles of Parliamentary Procedure
Parliamentary procedure adheres to the principles of majority rule, ensuring fairness for the minority and granting each member the right to express their views.
Decision-Making Process
Voting serves as the mechanism for determining the assembly’s will, with the majority effectively and efficiently making decisions.
Benefits of Parliamentary Procedure
Implementing parliamentary procedure enhances the efficiency of council meetings and minimizes the likelihood of procedural flaws or illegality challenges to actions taken.
Rules and Regulations
Each legislative body can establish its own rules for conducting meetings or adopt established guidelines like Robert’s Rules of Order.
Basic Rules
Parliamentary procedure dictates that only one topic can be considered at a time, motions require a “second” for consideration, negative motions are generally prohibited, and only one person can speak at a time. Each member has equal rights, and every item presented for consideration receives a full and open debate. While the rights of the minority must be respected, the majority ultimately prevails.
Motions
Motions, formal procedures for initiating actions, introduce business to the council. Various types of motions exist, including main motions, subsidiary motions, incidental motions, and renewal motions.
Main Motions
Main motions present specific subjects for the council’s action and cannot be introduced while other motions are being considered.
Subsidiary Motions
Subsidiary motions guide or alter the handling of main motions. Examples include tabling, closing debate, limiting or extending debate, postponing to a specific time, referring to a committee, amending, and postponing indefinitely.
Incidental Motions
Incidental motions are administrative motions that can be made at any time and take precedence over main and subsidiary motions. Examples include points of order, appeals from the chair’s decisions, parliamentary inquiries, points of information, divisions of the assembly, requests to withdraw motions, suspensions of rules, and objections to considering questions.
Renewal Motions
Renewal motions require further discussion or disposal of a motion after the group has acted. Examples include reconsidering, taking from the table, and rescinding.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_procedure
- https://mrsc.org/explore-topics/governance/meetings/parliamentary-procedure
- http://www.house.gov/the-house-explained/the-legislative-process
FAQs
What is parliament?
Parliament is a legislative body that represents citizens and is responsible for making laws, debating important issues, and overseeing the government’s activities.
What are the principles of parliamentary procedure?
Parliamentary procedure is based on the principles of majority rule, fairness towards the minority, and giving each member the right to voice their opinion.
What is the decision-making process in parliament?
Voting is used to determine the will of the assembly, with the majority making decisions effectively and efficiently.
What are the benefits of following parliamentary procedure?
Following parliamentary procedure can make council meetings more efficient and reduce the chances of actions being challenged for procedural deficiencies or declared illegal.
What are the basic rules of parliamentary procedure?
Only one subject can be considered at a time, and motions require a “second” before being put to a vote. Negative motions are generally not permitted, and only one person can speak at a time. Each member has equal rights, and each item presented for consideration is entitled to a full and free debate. The rights of the minority must be protected, but the will of the majority ultimately prevails.
What are the different types of motions in parliamentary procedure?
There are four main types of motions in parliamentary procedure: main motions, subsidiary motions, incidental motions, and renewal motions.
What is the purpose of main motions?
Main motions bring a particular subject before the council for action and cannot be made when other motions are already under consideration.
What is the purpose of subsidiary motions?
Subsidiary motions direct or change how a main motion is handled.