Report 51

Conference Rules and Procedures

General

1. A quorum consists of a majority of the National Conference members.

2. The Bishop shall chair all sessions, but may turn the chair over to a designated person if desired.

3. The printed program is the official schedule of this National Conference, subject to necessary changes.

4. National Conference members cannot be absent from sessions unless they receive permission, or are sick or otherwise unable to attend.

5. The bar includes the platform and the tables.

6. Members must be within the bar to speak or vote.

Conduct on the Floor

7. Members wishing to speak must stand up to be recognized. The chairperson will recognize the person who stood first.

8. In assigning the floor to members, the chairperson will announce the person's name along with the conference or department which that person represents.

9. Upon being recognized, members must proceed to a microphone. Members are not permitted to simply speak from their seats. This is very important; unless members use the microphones, the proceedings of the National Conference cannot be properly recorded.

10. Members shall not be interrupted while they are speaking, except by the chairperson. The chairperson may interrupt a person for such things as departing from the question, using offensive references to people, or using disrespectful language.

11. Members cannot speak longer than five minutes at a time.

12. Members cannot address the same question more than twice without the consent of the conference.

13. Members cannot address an issue for the second time until all other members wishing to speak to the issue have had their chance.

Committees and Reports

14. Any item of business, petition, or Discipline revision proposal must be submitted in printed form to the National Conference delegates no later than noon on Wednesday.

15. Committee reports will be prepared in sufficient quantity for distribution to all voting and advisory members.

16. Committees making reports are entitled to five minutes to close the debate on the motion to adopt. All committees are guaranteed the right to explain their report.

17. The chairperson will determine the order in which Discipline revision proposals are considered.

18. The chairperson will determine the order in which committee reports are presented.

19. The chairperson may refer conference work to committees.

20. Rev. Todd Fetters, conference secretary, will record each day's proceedings.

21. Written motions, reports, and other papers, after the first reading, and all communications to the conference shall be passed to the secretary.

22. The Committee to Read and Edit Minutes will read and correct the minutes of each day, presenting their report as the first order of business each day.

Nominations and Elections

23. The Nominating Committee will nominate at least twice the number of persons required for all positions.

24. The Nominating Committee may move to suspend the preceding rule as it sees fit.

25. All national conference officials will be elected by ballot. The practice of casting a unanimous ballot will not be used.

26. The Nominating Committee will include with each name printed on the ballot a brief description of that person's qualifications.

27. National conference officials shall be elected in this order (subject to any changes required as a result of Discipline revision):

a. Bishop
b. Director of Education
c. Director of Global Ministries.

28. A simple majority is needed to elect national conference officials. If nobody receives a simple majority on the first ballot, the person receiving the lowest number of votes will be dropped from the ballot, and delegates will vote again. This procedure will be followed until a person is elected.

29. If persons need to be elected for boards, commissions, leadership teams, or committees, they will be elected by ballot. A plurality is needed to elect persons. When there is a tie, another vote will be taken.

30. With each election, the chairperson will appoint tellers to receive and count the ballots.

31. A complete list of all votes cast shall be read to the conference.

Courtesies of the Conference

32. These persons are granted the courtesies of the conference, an advisory relationship, and a seat within the bar:

• Marci Hammel (Finance Director).
• Steve Dennie (Communications Director).
• Donna Hollopeter (Associate Director of Global Ministries).
• All former bishops who are not serving as elected delegates (Wilber Sites, Raymond Waldfogel, C. Ray Miller, Clarence Kopp, and Ray Seilhamer).
• All other former general officials who are not serving as elected delegates (C. Stanley Peters, Howard Anderson, Eugene Habecker, Kyle McQuillen, Carlson Becker).
• The members of the Executive Leadership Team who were not elected as delegates: Dave Rahn and Dan Paternoster.

33. Interpreters are granted the courtesies of the conference and a seat within the bar.

Parliamentary Issues

34. The person who makes a motion may withdraw it before the motion has been amended or voted upon.

35. After a motion or resolution has been voted upon, members who vote with the prevailing side may move to reconsider the vote. However, a motion to reconsider must be made either that day or the next day.

36. Members may call for a standing vote on any motion.

37. The chairperson shall decide all points of order (in consultation with the parliamentarian, if desired) subject to an appeal of the conference. If someone makes an appeal, the question shall be taken without debate, except that the person appealing may state the grounds of the appeal and the chair may give the grounds of the decision.

38. Members wanting to speak to a question of privilege must state the question briefly, but not proceed until the chairperson has ruled that it is, indeed, a question of privilege.

39. In all matters not covered by these rules, Robert's Rules of Order shall be followed.

40. A two-thirds vote of the members present is needed to change or suspend these rules.

41. The referenda items need a two-thirds vote of approval.