Standard Order of Business

Opening Proceedings

• The chair is responsible for determining the presence of a quorum. In the absence of a quorum, the assembly may take only the following actions:
  • Fix the time to which to adjourn (i.e., set an adjourned meeting for any time prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting)
  • Adjourn
  • Recess, making the assumption that a quorum will eventually be present
  • Take measures to secure a quorum, which may include phoning absent members and/or transporting them to the meeting
• The presiding officer may rap the gavel once and announce, “The meeting will come to order.”
• An organization may offer an invocation or prayer. If so, this should be first.
• Members may choose to sing the National Anthem and/or recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
• A member may read an inspirational or motivational message after the patriotic ceremonies.
• Members may observe rituals, such as reciting an organizational pledge or recounting the object or ideals of the organization.
• Under certain circumstances, members may adopt an agenda in lieu of the standard order of business.

Parts of the Standard Order of Business

1. Minutes: The minutes are read and approved in chronological order. The chair asks, “Are there any corrections to the minutes?” Typically, the assembly adopts both the corrections to the minutes and the minutes themselves by unanimous consent.
2. Reports of officers, boards, and standing committees: Officers report in the order listed in the bylaws. The secretary presents the board of directors’ report (if there is a board and/or report). Standing committees report in the order listed in the bylaws.
3. Special committee reports: Given in the order in which the committees were established.
4. Special orders: Items that the bylaws require the assembly to handle at a particular meeting, such as the election of officers, or at a specified time, the assembly may interrupt business to consider any item postponed by a two-thirds vote and made a special order (from the same or a previous meeting).
5. Unfinished business and general orders: Unfinished business includes items that were under discussion or still scheduled for discussion when the last meeting adjourned (the term “old business” is not used). Gen­eral orders include any items postponed from the last meeting by a majority vote.
6. New business: May be introduced when no other question is pending.

Closing Activities

• Under the Good of the Order (or general welfare of the society) heading, members may obtain the floor and provide informal observations about the organization’s work, reputation, membership, or another similar issue.
• The chair or other members may make announcements.
• The program is presented before the meeting adjourns. This might include a talk, film, guest speaker, or other program of a cultural, educational, or civic nature. However, the assembly should never turn over a meeting to another member or guest speaker. Instead, a member of the assembly should either introduce a guest speaker (if the assembly doesn’t yet know the speaker) or present a speaker (if members already know the speaker).
• The meeting is adjourned either by motion and vote, or, if members do not have any further business, the presiding officer may declare the meeting adjourned without a motion or vote.

Taking Up Business Out of Its Proper Order