In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, the naïve Mr. Smith yields the Senate floor out of courtesy to a colleague, In doing so he loses his ability to debate on his legislation to prevent graft and corruption,  Mr. Smith learned the hard way about the importance of knowing procedural rules. Officers and members of boards and and associations need to know the rules of order to achieve their goals and help their enterprises succeed. Our expertise includes:

  • Meeting and Session Governance Services
  • Presiding Officer Services
  • Delegate Convention or Assembly Services
  • Strategic Procedural Planning Services
  • Bylaw Drafting, Review, and Revision Services
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Call out the sheriff! Legislators on the lamb!

Madison, WI -- Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker needs to balance the budget, and he wants to do it by cutting spending and eliminating certain collective bargaining procedures of various government unions. His budget bill is being taken up by the Wisconsin State Senate where Republicans hold the majority of 19 to 14. But, fiscal bills require a quorum of three-fifths (60%) of the Senate members or 19.8 rounded to 20. Democrats have fled the state of Wisconsin to prevent a vote from being taken that they know they will lose.

The State Republican  Senator Scott Fitzgerald made a motion for a call of the Senate. The motion for a call of the house in general parliamentary procedure requires, if adopted, the Sergeant at Arms lock to the doors of the assembly, after which a roll call is taken to find out who is present and more importantly who is absent without excuse. Those who are absent without excuse can be arrested and brought to the assembly. Generally, legislative bodies  are the only types of assemblies that have the power to enforce a motion for a call of the the house. The Wisconsin State Senate has this authority. So now, 14 Democrat Senators are on the lamb and generally believed to be in Illinois.

The last time I can remember this happening was in Texas in 2004 when the Texas legislature was about to take a vote on the redistricting plan put together by the Republican controlled legislature. The Democrat members of the Texas legislature fled to Louisiana to prevent a quorum from being present and thereby stalling the plan from being implemented. (Needless to say, if the plan were implemented Democrats stood to lose some seats.) The Texas Rangers gathered up a posse to round up the fleeing legislators. You can't help but chuckle at the thought of a posse of Texas Rangers on horses chasing down those delinquent legislators!

The mere fact that a motion for a call of the house exists says something about us humans and the lengths that we're willing to go to have our way. Back at our nation's founding, one of the charges against King George in the Declaration of Independence was that "HE has called together Legislative Bodies at Places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the Depository of their public Records, for the sole Purpose of fatiguing them into Compliance with his Measures." Of course this was considered unfair.  I wonder what the founders would say of the actions of  either of the  Wisconsin Democrats or the Texas Democrats?



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In the News
Independence Hall, Philadelphia,PA is where the Second Continental Congress debated and passed the Declaration of Independence, and where the Constitutional Convention debated and adoped the U.S. Constitution.

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In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, the naïve Mr. Smith yields the Senate floor out of courtesy to a colleague, In doing so he loses his ability to debate on his legislation to prevent graft and corruption,  Mr. Smith learned the hard way about the importance of knowing procedural rules. Officers and members of boards and and associations need to know the rules of order to achieve their goals and help their enterprises succeed. Our expertise includes:

  • Meeting and Session Governance Services
  • Presiding Officer Services
  • Delegate Convention or Assembly Services
  • Strategic Procedural Planning Services
  • Bylaw Drafting, Review, and Revision Services
  • Written Opinions Services
  • Training Programs




At the Republican Convention: House Rules or Robert’s Rules and perhaps a Dark Horse

What drama and intrigue! Will there be a contested convention? A brokered Convention? Will there be an attempt to nominate a dark horse (or white knight depending on your point of view) at the Convention?

This last question was on the minds of many pundits when a member of the Republican National Committee made a proposal last week to change the parliamentary authority identified in Rule 30 of the Rules of the Republican Party from the arcane Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives (House Rules) to the slightly less arcane rules of Robert’s Rules of Order.

First, it is standard operating procedure for most private associations to identify a parliamentary authority in its bylaws or rules. The parliamentary authority is only used when the bylaws or rules of an organization are silent. Items that fall into this category are specific motions, specific characteristics of motions and other procedural matters.

Under normal circumstances such a choice is completely uncontroversial, but the Republican Convention of 2016 will be nothing but controversial!

Read more.


Past Stories

Senate changes cloture rule without changing the Rules.

Does the fox guarding the hen house have a conflict of interest?

$1 billion spent on Presidential campaigns; and that's just to be nominated!

Coin tosses break ties in Iowa Caucuses!

Activist Shareholders demand proxy access, but does it lead to Good Governance

Elections Fair and Square

Ambiguous bylaws lead to Court loss for Condominium Association

15% Rules leads Republicans to Court; Raises questions on abstentions

U.S. Senate Filibuster Rule Averts the Nuclear Option

Stock Market Drops 108--because of Meeting Minutes?

House Rules: U.S. Senate and the State House of Representatives gear up rules for new session

Presidential debate moderators become focus of debates

Call out the Sheriff! Legislators on the lamb!

In the News
Independence Hall, Philadelphia,PA is where the Second Continental Congress debated and passed the Declaration of Independence, and where the Constitutional Convention debated and adoped the U.S. Constitution.