Subject: Disorder of a member
To: "Peter B Gilkey" (gilkey@uoregon.edu)
From: "Paul E. Simonds" (simonds@uoregon.edu)
Date: Wed, 27 May 2009 21:39:07 -0700

Peter,

Here are some procedures you may find useful. Article 61 "If a member commits only a slight breach of order, such as addressing another member instead of the chair in debate, or, in a single instance, failing to confine his remarks to the merits of the pending question -- the chair simply raps lightly, points out the fault, and advises the member to avoid it. The member can continue speaking if he commits no further breaches.

If the offense is more serious than in the case above -- as when a member repeatedly questions the motives of other members whom he mentions by name, or persists in speaking on completely irrelevant matters in debate -- the chair normally should first warn the member, but with or without such a warning the chair or any other member can "call the member to order". If the chair does this, he says, "The member is out of order and will be seated."

Thus you not only have the power to recognize a member for the floor, you have the power to rescind that recognition for bad behavior. You may well find this useful, or, knowing you can use it may be the magic that prevents its necessity.

Paul (simonds@uoregon.edu)