Annual Meeting, Annual Session,
or Convention?
By Paul McClintock, CP-T, PRP
AIP held its annual session August 7-9. Why is it called an annual session rather than an annual meeting? "A meeting of an assembly is a single official gathering of its members in one room or area to transact business for a length of time during which there is no cessation of proceedings and the members do not separate, unless for a short recess" (Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR) p. 79). "A session...is a meeting or series of connected meetings devoted to a single order of business...in which...each succeeding meeting is scheduled with a view to continuing business at the point where it was left off at the previous meeting" (RONR p. 80). Most meetings are separate sessions (one-meeting sessions), so the concepts merge in most cases.
Sometimes a meeting can't finish its business, and the assembly schedules another meeting to finish it. The second meeting is part of the same session. RONR (p. 90) calls this second meeting an "adjourned meeting"; The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure calls it a "continued meeting" (TSC p.107-108).
Multi-day conventions of delegates are probably the most common type of multi-meeting sessions, along with months-long sessions of state and national legislative bodies. A convention, of course, is an assembly where only delegates (rather than of the entire membership) can vote.
The term "annual meeting" can refer either to the only membership meeting held each year, or to one of many regular membership meetings that has been designated as the annual meeting at which elections are held.
A recess (a short break) does not end a meeting, but gatherings on separate days should be considered separate meetings.
Note that the term "executive session" (RONR p. 92) or "closed session" (TSC p. 108) uses "session" in a different way, and merely refers to the meeting or portion of a meeting held "behind closed doors" in secret, for such matters as contract discussions and disciplinary proceedings.
Why It Matters
A majority vote can suspend a standing rule for the remainder of the current session (RONR p. 18). TSC (p. 85) doesn't allow suspension of a standing rule (called "adopted policies" in TSC, p. 211); in TSC, only procedural rules can be suspended.
Voting down a motion or postponing a motion indefinitely kills it for the duration of the session (RONR p. 121); it is out of order for the same or substantially the same motion to be renewed during this time. However, a motion would be in order even at the same session if there was a change in wording or circumstances sufficient to present substantially a new question (RONR p. 327).
"Although the motion to Suspend the Rules for the same purpose cannot be renewed at the same meeting, such a motion can be renewed at the next meeting or any later meeting, even if the next meeting is held on the same day or is part of the same session" (RONR p. 328).
Even though a motion voted down at one session can be renewed at the next session by just two people (the maker and seconder), if a motion is laid on the table at one session and not taken from the table before the next session (assuming it's within a quarterly time period), then it takes a majority vote to take the motion from the table. (RONR p. 330.)
When the next session is more than a quarter later, a motion cannot be postponed to a future session, but if within a quarterly time period, it can be postponed to the next session. (RONR p. 330.)
(C) Copyright 2008 Paul McClintock, CP-T, PRP
President, North Sound Chapter of AIP, nscaip.googlepages.com
President, Electronic Chapter of AIP, www.e-aip.org
Prepared for the summer 2008 Northwest Nugget newsletter of AIP Northwest Region 1, aipnwr1.googlepages.com