BOG1_Results

The House of Delegates (HOD) is governed by the HOD Rules of Procedure, which control debate and procedure within the House. Any actions not covered under these rules are governed by Robert’s Rules of Order. The HOD Rules of Procedure have not been amended or changed since 2010.

Since 2010, there have been substantial changes to the way that the House of Delegates operates. Most notably, the HOD has been operating with remote appearances and electronic voting since 2020. In 2022, the HOD meeting was conducted in a hybrid format, allowing for Delegates to choose either remote or in-person appearance at the meeting.

The HOD Rules of Procedure did not envision conducting business through these remote and electronic means. Our experience over the last few years has demonstrated the need for revisions to the rules to better serve this new hybrid meeting environment. The proposed amendments to the HOD Rules of Procedure address remote appearances, debate, electronic voting, and amendments. They are intended to promote a smooth and efficient meeting, allow for robust, transparent, and fair participation by all delegates, and enable the president to maintain decorum of the HOD meeting.

The proposed amendments to the HOD Rules of Procedure were presented for public comment between May 23 and June 20, 2023. Four public comments were received, primarily indicating that having the option to participate remotely was appreciated. One comment requested an adjustment to require remote delegates to show their names on the online platform. That change was added to the rules.

A synopsis of the changes are as follows:  

Rule 1 has been amended to allow for the Board of Governors to decide whether to hold an in-person, hybrid, or completely remote House of Delegates meeting each year.

Rule 3 has been amended to establish the procedure for delegates to utilize the electronic platform for the House of Delegates.

Rule 5 has been amended to require delegate resolutions to be submitted at most 180 days prior to a House of Delegates meeting. This period allows for the submission of delegate resolutions to occur after the year’s election to the House of Delegates. This change is to avoid a circumstance where a delegate submits a resolution prior to the election and does not win reelection.

Rule 6 has been amended to clarify that delegates appearing remotely are counted for quorum.

Rule 7 has been amended to clarify debate will function. Delegates may utilize online queues to different online queues. and that motions are to be taken from a separate queue.

Rule 8 has been amended to address the usage of an electronic voting system for taking votes during the proceeding.

Rule 9 has been added to simplify the amendment process and avoid amendments within amendments due to the technological limitations within the electronic platforms used for voting.

The Board of Governors recommends adoption of these amendments, to go into effect immediately.