Can the motion to adjourn the meeting be made while business is pending?
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is a single motion of the presiding officer or chairman to adjourn a meeting and was seconded by another member of the body enough or legal even there are still pending motions on the floor and another member objected the motion to adjourn?
Dear Emi,
Oh, this can be so confusing to people that do not understand. First the presiding officer or chairman cannot make a motion to adjourn when business is still pending. But a member can make the motion. If a member makes the motion, and it it seconded, the presiding officer immediately takes a vote. No one can object to this. All he has to do is vote no! If the members vote to adjourn, the pending motion(s) carry over to the next meeting and come up first under "Unfinished Business and General Orders."
If this motion to adjourn is politics so that the pending motion is killed (for example it has the date to do something before the next meeting), then a member who is in the "know" can rise and state before the vote is taken that the motion will not carry over to the next meeting because of the time element. Hopefully members will vote against the motion to adjourn and the meeting will continue.
Cheerio!
Little Ben
Question submitted by emi mungcal on February 26, 2013