Parliamentary Opinions II #9

An exercise to study Parliamentary Opinions II which is based on the Opinions Column in the Parliamentary Journal published by the American Institute of Parliamentarians.

Pick the best answer or answers based on Parliamentary Opinions II. If there are check boxes, there may be more than one answer.

When a body is correcting the minutes, what should be considered?
1. Correction of basic facts, grammar, or action taken.
2. Striking out embarrassing material not needed.
3. Addition of information to cover omissions.
4. Modification to give an accurate picture.
If the minutes are mailed in advance, do they need to be read at the meeting?
1. No, but they can be amended.
2. No. Only the mailed out minutes can be approved.
3. Yes, the reading still needs to be done as not all will have received the mailed version.
4. Yes, reading is still required.
A motion is made and Objection to Consideration is made and passed. What is recorded in the minutes?
1. The main motion and the fact that it was disposed of by Objection to Consideration.
2. The main motion is not mentioned at all.
3. The main motion is mentioned as being disposed of.
4. Objection to Consideration is mentioned.
A new secretary takes over at the end of the meeting. Who takes care of the minutes?
1. The old secretary writes up the minutes and the new secretary presents them at the next meeting.
2. The old secretary writes up the minutes and presents them at the next meeting.
3. The new secretary writes up the minutes and presents them at the next meeting.
4. The new secretary writes up the minutes and the old secretary presents them at the next meeting.
Is there a difference between approving minutes and verifying them?
1. Under modern practice, there is no difference.
2. Verifying them involves showing they are accurate which is different from approving them.
3. They are two separate processes that take place at different meetings.
4. They have always been the same thing.
A motion that took a majority of the entire membership was declared passed by a majority vote. The error was discovered after the meeting. What should be done?
1. The chair should declare that the motion was not passed at the next meeting.
2. There is nothing that can be done.
3. The motion needs to be rescinded at the next meeting.
4. Nothing needs to be done or said as it is automatically void.
Are the results of a mail vote recorded in the minutes?
1. Yes, in the minutes of the meeting at which the results are reported.
2. No, as the vote was taken outside of a meeting.
3. Yes, the results go in the minutes of the meeting that ordered the mail vote.
4. No. The results are only announced in the publication of the organization.
Do members who were not present at a meeting have a right to vote on the minutes of that meeting?
1. Yes, any member may vote on the minutes and amendments to them.
2. Yes, they may vote on the minutes but not on amendments to them.
3. No, as they do not have basic knowledge about them.
4. No, as the minutes are actually a continuation of the previous meeting.
A society has traditionally approved the minutes of the annual meeting at the next annual meeting. This year they switched to having a committee appointed to approve them. Do the minutes need to be read at the next annual meeting?
1. No. The minutes have been properly disposed of. Corrections can be made by the two-thirds vote.
2. No. The minutes have been properly disposed of. Corrections can no longer be made.
3. Yes. A one time change does not affect tradition.
4. Yes. Approval by committee does not remove the reading of the minutes at the next meeting.
A member who was not present at a board meeting moved to approve the minutes of that meeting. Is that proper?
1. Yes although it might be preferred to have a member who was present to make the motion.
2. Yes, only a member who was not present may so move.
3. No, you must be present at the original meeting to make such a motion.
4. No, only the secretary can make such a motion.
A society does not meet for about five months over the summer. What can be done about the minutes for the meeting before the break?
1. The board may be appointed to approve the minutes.
2. The society can wait until the next meeting if it so decides.
3. A committee can be appointed to approve the minutes.
4. Nothing can be done.
The secretary left the organization without turning over the minutes. What should be done?
1. Every effort must be made to recover the minutes.
2. If the minutes cannot be recovered, they need to be recreated.
3. The old minutes are not important so nothing needs to be done.
4. The minutes must be returned or the organization ceases to exist.
What is the correct title for the president when he presides over the board of directors?
1. The bylaws need to be looked at to see if there is some specific title mentioned in them.
2. The basic rules of courtesy need to be followed.
3. Custom can prevail in this issue.
4. Only the term president can be used.
Should past presidents be made ex-officio members of the board of directors?
1. No. The issue of the size of quorum can cause problems.
2. No. This puts a heavy strain on new officers taking a different tact in things.
3. Yes. The former elected officers have a wealth of information.
4. Yes, they continue to have the support of the society.
Should the immediate past president be a member of the board of directors?
1. No. There can be tremendous problems with this practice.
2. No. Officers are elected to specific terms and that should be all.
3. Yes as this provides continuity.
4. Yes as this is the natural way things are done.
The immediate past president is a member of the board. He resigns for some reason. The board has the power to fill empty positions. What can the board do in this case?
1. Nothing as there is no longer an immediate past president.
2. They can appoint the person who was president before the one who resigned.
3. They can choose from any of the former presidents to fill the position.
4. The current president must resign and assume the post of immediate past president.
The immediate past president is an ex officio member of the board but does not have a vote. He is not required to attend meetings. What does this mean?
1. The immediate past president can attend all board meetings including executive sessions.
2. The immediate past president is not counted in the quorum.
3. The immediate past president is not entitled to attend meetings meeting in executive session.
4. The immediate past president can make motions.
The board wants to amend the standing rules of the organization. The bylaws only say that the board runs things between meetings. Can the board amend the standing rules?
1. No. They can suspend them for one meeting but only the assembly can amend them.
2. No but they can suspend them indefinitely.
3. Yes. The board has full power as they are running things between meetings.
4. Yes. The changes can be changed back at the next general meeting.
If a board consists only of non-members of an organization, can the board propose amendments to the bylaws?
1. No as they are not members of the organization.
2. Yes, if the bylaws give them the power to do that.
3. No, but they can recommend that the bylaws be changed in specific ways.
4. Yes, that is a normal function of the board.
The board has the power to elect its officers. Can the board assign this task to the Executive Committee?
1. No, this is a task specifically assigned to them.
2. No, they can only assign this task to the general membership.
3. Yes, as the board has the right to give committees power to do things.
4. Yes, this is normal practice.