This is an informational post regarding current RA practices for running meetings. Some of the RA's procedures are specified by the Constitution. Others are set by RA legislation. Others are just informal customs. Below, after a few preliminary comments, is an "organized" copy of some recent relevant adopted RA legislation about how we will run the RA meetings.
Regarding the method we use to run meetings, we've recently adopted some few specific procedures. We will start using them at our meeting on 30 March 2008. They're copied below, for the convenience of citizens and guests who attend our RA meetings. The RA regards them as an experiment to balance (and, we hope, to improve, meeting efficiency, fairness and citizen access.
Here are my unofficial comments, first:
* Please continue to help us, by reasonably minimizing social and side comments during official meetings. It's hard to follow the official threads, in open virtual text chat, when there are multiple distractions and "Hi Jamie" interruptions.
* When there are multiple people who want to speak, we have *specific* rules now, for time limits and order of speakers. (Read on below.) Please be aware of this, and listen for cues from the meeting's presiding officer about who has the floor.
* Citizens are welcome at RA meetings, and welcome to introduce items of business. You can see below that there are specific methods for that too.
* Please note: because these rules below are set by CDS legislation (a CDS RA majority vote), they also can be changed or waived by an RA majority vote. Rules that are established by the Constitution, on the other hand, can only be changed by changing the Constitution.
RA MEETING AGENDA RULES
(Below is text from bills passed by the RA on 24 March 2008, re-formatted for easy reading. The [bracketed captions] were not part of the legislation.)
Every agenda for the RA shall be based on a schedule of 2 hours, with no less than a 10 minute open discussion time allowed at the end and no less than 10 minutes of administrative time set at the beginning.
[Administrative time first]
During the administrative time, the LRA shall perform administrative business on the RA agenda (such electing and swearing in a Chancellor and swearing in new members) and shall entertain procedural motions from the RA (such as motions to adjust the order of the agenda, extend or adjust time for debate, or to move a item designated as "noncontroversial" to a "consent agenda" in the next session; or to move an item on the "consent agenda" to the end of the agenda for debate) and shall ask the RA to pass the "consent agenda" without debate.
[Time limits for each agenda item]
Each item on the agenda shall be allocated a time for debate by the LRA. If the LRA believes that a proposed piece of legislation shall not be controversial, it shall be allocated not less than 10 munutes for debate. If the LRA believes that a proposed piece of legislation may be controversial, it shall be allocated not less than 15 minutes for debate. All members of the RA and all citizens in attendance at the RA shall indicate to the LRA, before the start of the RA session or during the first ten minutes of the session, whether they wish to speak on an item on the agenda, and which side they wish to speak on.
[Allocating speaking time within an agenda item]
Time for debate shall be allocated as follows: for ten minute matters (3 minutes pro; three minutes con; 2 minutes pro rebuttal; 2 minutes con rebuttal; vote); for 15 minute matters (5 minutes pro; 5 minutes con; 2 minutes pro rebuttal; 2 minutes con rebuttal; 1 minute vote); time longer debates shall be set by the LRA, with each side getting equal time for original statements and for rebuttal, with pro going first, and con going second. The LRA shall divide time for debate between those wishing to speak pro and con, with the provision that half the time for debate shall be reserved for RA members wishing to speak on a matter. Prior to debate, the LRA shall announce the order of speakers and the time allowed for each speaker. Speakers may speak to the issue for the time allowed, or cede their time to another speaker of record. During the time allowed for speaking, the speaker shall not be interrupted by any person in attendance. No speaker shall speak longer than the allocated time.
[RA decision on an action item after debate closes]
Following debate, the RA shall either move to vote on the issue; move for futher debate; or move to allow amendments and further debate. If the RA wishes further debate or amendments, no vote shall be held, and the matter shall be tabled until the next session of the RA, at which time the matter shall be considered as a "prior matter of the RA" on the agenda, and shall be considered to be controversial for the purpose of setting time for debate. If the RA has voted to allow amendments, the matter shall be tabled and amendments shall be drafted and submitted to the LRA and posted on the forums at least one day prior to the date on which the LRA is to publish the RA agenda.
[Provision for citizen input]
Any citizen may propose legislation to the RA by: 1. emailing the proposal to the LRA; 2. giving the LRA a proposal inworld on notecard; or 3. posting specifically proposed text in the "legislative discussion" forum in a post that specifically requests that the LRA add the proposal to the agenda.
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