Trustee Meeting Rules and Procedures

Approved as of Cherry Hill – 2022

Please Click here for a PDF pf the Rules and Procedures

Absentee Ballot

Any Trustee who cannot attend any upcoming Trustee meeting should submit an absentee ballot, as designated by the Chair of the Board of Trustees, for the agenda items they wish to vote on. The completed absentee ballots will be given to the Board of Trustees Executive Board and the International Executive Secretary for tabulation with the voting results of the Trustees during the Trustee meetings.
San Diego ’12

Absentee ballots will remain valid as a vote under the following circumstances:
1-Motions on agenda items submitted as written in the preliminary Trustee agendas, allowing for grammatical and spelling corrections.
2-Motions on agenda items submitted as written, if amended and deemed not to change the original intent of the motion, as approved by the Board of Trustees.
Vancouver ’13

The Chair will determine the date and time by which Absentee Ballots must be received prior to any Trustee meeting.
Houston ’14
Agenda
- Author
  Any member of Gamblers Anonymous may author an agenda item to be heard before the Board of Trustees, Only current or past Trustees may submit an agenda item to the Chairman of the BOT by either mail, email or the Trustee website.
- Changing an item
  - New agenda submission items may be modified or deleted by the author up until the closing of the agenda 60 days prior to the beginning of the Trustee meeting.
  - New agenda items on the floor are considered discussion items until a motion is made. Changes to an item that has been brought to a motion can be changed through an amendment by anyone who has the floor.
  - Carried forward agenda items are treated as new agenda items when they are heard. Items carried forward to the next BOT meeting will be considered as new agenda submission items in between Trustee meetings.
  - Tabled agenda items are treated as new agenda items when they are heard.
  - Agenda items waiting for a second vote cannot be changed in any way.
- Deadline
  Agenda items must be received by the Chairman of the BOT by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the 61st day before the next Trustee meeting. All deadlines will be posted on the Trustee website home page. The Chairman of the BOT will be responsible to deliver copies of the final agenda no later than 45 days before the next Trustee meeting. Delivery of the official agendas will be available on the Trustee website. It will be the Trustee’s responsibility to request a mailed copy if Internet access is not available.
  Ontario ’17
- Grouping
  The agenda will be compiled in category order determined by the Chairman of the BOT, unless otherwise designated in the Rules and Procedures.
  Cancun ’18
- Order of items heard
  The Chairman of the BOT will take up items on the Agenda in an order that he/she deems appropriate, unless otherwise designated in the Rules and Procedures.
  Orlando 2021
- Out of order
  An item which is found to be out of order may be so deemed out of order by the Chair or the Body, irrespective of whether it is up for a merit, first, or second vote. Having passed a first vote does not preclude an item from subsequently being ruled out of order before the second vote.
  Cancun ’18
- Presenter
  The author of an agenda item, or any current or past Trustee of their choosing, can present it to the floor. Should the author not wish to present the item, any current or past Trustee may do so.When someone presents an agenda item for anyone other than themselves, there will be no changes allowed from the listed item, when making the motion, without permission from the author(s). Unless otherwise directed in the agenda item itself.
  San Diego ’16
- Quantity of items
  There is no limit to how many agenda items can be submitted by a Trustee, either current or past, or by a GA member through a Trustee.
- Submitting an item
  Only current or past Trustees may submit agenda items for the Trustee meeting. The Chairman of the BOT must approve the addition of any item to the agenda. Agenda items should be submitted via the Trustee website. If a qualified person wishes to submit an item and is unable to access the Trustee website then the Chairman will take agenda items sent via email, regular mail or fax.
  - Submitted items that may be out of order
    The Chairman of the Board of Trustees will make the initial determination if a newly submitted agenda item is out of order. If deemed to be out of order, the author may request the item to be reconsidered by the executive board, whose majority decision will be final. This process does not interfere with procedures of the Trustee meeting once the item reaches the floor.
    Portland ’08
- Unheard items carry forward
  All unheard items will automatically be placed on the next B.O.T. meeting agenda and shall be heard before new agenda items.
- Withdrawing an item
  Items submitted to the agenda before the 60 day deadline can be modified or withdrawn at any time through the Chairman of the BOT. Once the agenda is finalized an agenda item can only be withdrawn by the author or their appointed representative, when it has been called to the floor by the presiding Chair. This may be done without objection only up until discussion begins on the item.
  Houston ’08
Attendance

Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each session to determine if a quorum has been reached. The number of Trustees present will be announced and the Chair and the Board will be advised if additional Trustees have come into the room that will increase the available number of votes. It is the obligation of those Trustees who come into the session after the roll call has been taken by the Recording Secretary to make sure their presence is recorded.
Challenge

Once a point of order has been called and completed, any current Trustee may challenge the Chair. A challenge can be an open outcry that immediately stops the business currently on the floor. The challenge must receive a second. A maximum of 5 minutes will be allotted for discussion only on the challenge, starting with the challenger and then open to current Trustees. No person may speak more than once on the challenge. Such time will not interfere with the remaining time on the discussion, motion or amendment. If there are no other speakers on the challenge, or the challenge time limit has expired, the Chair must declare whether it will reverse or maintain the decision. If the Chair maintains its position, the Trustees will then vote on whether the presiding chair’s action was in order or not.
Montreal ’09

Points of information will not be allowed during a challenge
Vancouver ’13
Changing or Adding a Procedure

Agenda items that address Trustee meeting rules and procedures will always be the first order of business and if passed by a simple majority will take effect immediately and will become part of the Rules and Procedures Manual. If a current member of the Board of Trustee is interested in adding a procedure that is not outlined in either the Guidance Code or the Rules and Procedures Manual, it must be submitted as an agenda item. If a presiding Chair invokes a procedure during a Board of Trustee meeting that is not outlined in either the Guidance Code or the Rules and Procedures Manual, either with or without a challenge, the new procedure will immediately take effect and will become part of the Rules and Procedures Manual.
Montreal ’09
- Changing Literature
  Rules and Procedures provisions and changes do not automatically change existing literature.
  Kansas City ’09
- Maintenance of the Rules and Procedures manual
  The Trustee Website committee will be responsible for updating and maintaining the rules and procedures manual on the trustee website. Orlando 2021
Collection

The chairman of the BOT appoints 2 former trustees to do the collection at the end of each session and the collection is immediately given to the Executive Secretary, who counts the collection and the amount collected is announced at the beginning of the next session. These collections are for the I.S.O office to help defray expenses.
Committees

The Chairman of the B.O.T, establishes committees to do the necessary and ongoing work of the B.O.T, in between B.O.T, meetings. Each committee will have a Chair Liaison to oversee the committee. The liaison will either be the Chair of the B.O.T. or one of the Co-Chairs.
- Committee chair
  - Assignment
    The Chairman of the BOT will assign all committee chairs. It will be the Chairman’s discretion to either appoint someone with or without requests for someone to volunteer for the position. A committee chair must be a GA member and does not have to be a Trustee. If the designated committee chair is not a current Trustee, then a current Trustee must be appointed as a committee co-chair. If the Chairman is unsuccessful in fulfilling the above requirements before the current session is over, then the committee will not be formed.
  - Eligibility
    Committee chairs must meet the same requirements as those members wishing to be Trustees.
  - Exclusion of service
    No Officer of the Executive Board may serve as Chair or Co-Chair of a Committee at the same time.
    Cancun ’15
  - Removal
    A committee chair will be removed by the Chairman of the BOT discretion if he/she has been uncooperative and not communicating with the designated members of the Executive Board after repeated requests to do so. Inability of the committee chair to perform the duties for which the committee was charged will also be cause for removal at the discretion of the Chairman of the BOT. Removal may also be done if the chair no longer meets the requirements of being a Trustee.
  - Replacement
    If a Committee Chair or Co-Chair is removed for any reason. The BOT Chair will first seek a qualified person from the committee to assume the open position. If no one from the committee takes the position, the BOT Chair is free to appoint a qualified person from outside the committee.
    Cancun ’15
- Committee co-chair
  - Assignment
    If the designated committee chair is not a current Trustee, then a current Trustee must be appointed as a committee co-chair.
  - Eligibility
    Committee co-chairs must meet the same requirements as those members wishing to be Trustees.
  - Exclusion of service
    No Officer of the Executive Board may serve as Chair or Co-Chair of a Committee at the same time.
    Cancun ’15
  - Removal
    A committee co-chair will be removed at the discretion of the Chairman of the BOT if he/she has been uncooperative and not communicating with the designated members of the Executive Board after repeated requests to do so. Inability of the committee co-chair to perform the duties for which the committee was charged will also be cause for removal at the discretion of the Chairman of the BOT. Removal may also be done if the co-chair no longer meets the requirements of being a Trustee.
- Committee dissolution
  A committee is dissolved when its work has been completed and the BOT has voted on the work that has been performed. The Chairman of the BOT will determine if the committee should remain in effect to continue its duty if its work has been rejected by a BOT vote. Committees can be dissolved if no progress has been made since the last meeting, and also if the Chairman of the BOT is unable to find the necessary committee chair and co-chair when required. Committees will also be dissolved if they do not meet the minimum number of three (3) committee members. The committee chair and committee co-chair will be responsible for finding a suitable replacement for any member of their committee.
- Committee formation
  Requests for new BOT committees must be approved by the BOT through a shows of hands or at the discretion of the Chairman. However, the Chairman cannot prevent the formation of a committee if the BOT is in favor of it.
- Committee members
  Although volunteers are asked for at the formation of the committee, members may be added at anytime.
  - Eligibility
    Committee members must meet the same requirements as those members wishing to be Trustees.
  - Removals
    If the committee chair is unable to get the cooperation of any member, either through participation, sharing the workload or communication, the committee chair will have option to have that member removed from the committee. Removal may also be done if the committee member no longer meets the requirements of being a Trustee.
- Committee mission statements
  Committees that wish to change their mission statement must seek approval of the Board of Trustees before doing so. Kansas City ’09Newly formed committees shall submit an agenda item containing their mission statement by the deadline for the next Board of Trustees Meeting for approval by the Board of Trustees, excluding Quick Response Meetings. If a mission statement is not submitted by the deadline, an automatic agenda item will be created for the Board of Trustees to vote to continue that committee or dissolve it. If continued, the committee will be subject to the same above requirements before the deadline of the next Board of Trustees Meeting, excluding Quick Response Meetings. Orlando ’21
  - Changes to Mission Statements
    Committee mission statements can only be changed via an agenda item
    Tampa ’10
- Committee Reports
  Committee reports should only be introduced to the Board of Trustees if there is an actual report with committee progress. The Board of Trustees will still have the option to direct questions to the committee.
  Cherry Hill ’11
  
  If a committee report is not submitted to the Trustee website by the prescribed deadline, the Chair of the Board of Trustees will not allow any presentation on the committee’s progress during the Trustee meeting, but will only allow for questions to be answered from the Trustees. Printed information regarding progress of the committee may always be distributed to the Trustees.
  Boston ’12
  
  Committee reports are given a maximum of 5 minutes. Committee chairmen are required to submit their committee reports to the Trustee website no later than 2 weeks before the beginning of the Trustee meeting to give the Trustees time to study the work and formulate their opinions for discussion.
  Vancouver ’13
  - Oral
    Either the chairperson or a designated member of the committee makes a committee report at each Trustee meeting.
    Vancouver ’13
  - Printed
    All printed committee reports should be posted to the Trustee website no later than 2 weeks before the Trustee meeting. Any printed reports that are completed subsequent to the cutoff date will not be included on the Trustee website. It will be the committee’s responsibility to see that all current Trustees attending the Trustee meeting get a copy of the committee report before the official committee report is given. Any reports handed out during the Trustee meeting must also be given to the Recording Secretary to be included in the meeting minutes.
  - Visual
    Visual presentations must receive the approval of the Chairman of the BOT, in advance of the agenda deadline. Requests for visual presentations after that date will not be accepted if there is any additional cost to the conference committee, the B.O.T. or the I.S.O. It is requested that the presenting member(s) try to bring whatever equipment they can to help defray the costs associated with a visual presentation.
- Discussions on committee reports
  Time allowed for discussion is 10 minutes and additional 10 minute segments must be voted upon by the BOT.
  Vancouver ’13
- Motions from committee reports
  Motions will not be accepted from committee reports. If a committee wishes to make a motion it should be submitted as an agenda item separate from the report.
Conference (International)

The Conference Oversight and Assistance Committee will be designated oversight of every International Conference, replacing the responsibilities of the Co-Chairs.
Boston ’12

Areas or Intergroups preparing a bid to be awarded an International Conference will contact the Conference Oversight & Assistance Committee no less than 30 days prior to the start of the Trustees meeting where the bid will be presented and will provide a copy of an unsigned contract with a local hotel. No contract will be made under the name of Gamblers Anonymous.
Boston ’12

Areas or Intergroups preparing a bid to be awarded an International Conference will provide the Conference Oversight & Assistance Committee a copy of the final unsigned contract with a local hotel, a letter from the local Intergroup(s) that they are willing to take the responsibility of hosting an International Conference and a written agreement from the hotel to accept the conference if the bid is accepted, no less that 14 days prior to the start of the Trustees meeting where the bid will be presented.
Boston ’12

Conference bids will be heard during the Trustee meetings at a time designated by the Chairman of the BOT. Gam-Anon members from the areas presenting bids may speak as part of the bid presentation. Gam-Anon members, during the conferences in which they hold delegate meetings, will be able to reflect their preferences for area selection, which will be announced to the BOT before it takes its vote for the preferred area. Conference presentations that require audio or visual aid equipment will be approved at the discretion of the Chairman of the BOT and the Conference Committee Chair of the current conference in which the vote will be held if applicable. Bids will be awarded by a simple majority of the BOT.
Cancun ’18

There will be a 15 minute time limit per Area bidding on an International Conference. If additional time is needed it may be decided by the BOT to extend time.
Cancun ’15

The Conference Oversight and Assistance Committee will be responsible for conference and Trustee only meeting reports at all Trustee meetings. The committee chair will have 5 minutes to present each event without interruption, other than points of order, followed
by 5 minutes of discussion. The committee chair may yield to other responsible parties for each event. Discussion time can be extended by additional 5-minute segments.
Montreal ’19
Confidential Trustee Listing

The Confidential Trustee Listing, published by the International Service Office, is only available to current members of the Board of Trustees, officers of the Board of Trustees, Chairman of the Board of Regents, International Executive Secretary, and all Board of Trustees committee chairs and co-chairs. The International Service Office will maintain a listing of Trustees’ personal addresses which may be used in the event of a Mail Meeting. These street addresses are not to be included on the published version.
Cancun ’15
Discussion on Item

The presiding chair of the Trustee meeting will introduce all items to the floor, at which time the author or designated current or past Trustee is permitted to initiate the discussion amongst the BOT.
- Alternating opinions
  The chair will accept alternating opinions to be heard starting with those in favor of the item. If a motion is on the floor and only one opinion is available for that item, the chair will only hear a maximum of 5 qualified speakers before calling for the vote. Items without a motion do not need alternating opinions and will run the full allotted time or until there are no further speakers.
- Frequency of speaking
  All qualified members who wish to speak on an item must do so before anyone can speak again on the same item.A person may speak on an item for a second time only after everyone who has not spoken once has spoken. A person may speak a maximum of 2 times on an item.
  Kansas City ’09
- Impact of procedural issues
  Procedural issues such as the full process of amendments and roll call votes, points of information, points of order, and challenges, will not count toward the 15 minute limit on agenda items.
- Items affecting the Board of Regents
  When any motion is made and seconded, to accept an agenda item that directly affects the Board of Regents and/or the International Service Office, the author will have the first opportunity to speak on the item. The next person to speak will be the Chair of the Board of Regents or any BOR member who replaces the Chair in his/her absence, to advise the floor of what the Board of Regents’ position is on that item. Cancun ’15
- Re-framing an Item
  If any item fails and time still remains for discussion, the Chair will call any request to re-frame the failed item out of order.
  San Diego ’16
- Show of Hands
  A show of hands will be allowed during any discussion, for the purpose of helping the person who has the floor to add additional foundation to the discussion. A show of hands will not be counted, is not considered a straw vote, will not be memorialized in any minutes and will not be an official position of the Board of Trustees, except as it may apply to the formation of a committee. Orlando ’21
Disruptive members

The person chairing the BOT meeting has the obligation to address disruptive members by requesting that they respect the BOT process and may also request that a disruptive member leave the meeting room if they continue to cause a disturbance.

Any member that is asked to leave the meeting room shall lose all privileges at the microphone for the remaining sessions of the Trustee Meeting. Cancun ’18
Executive Board

Responsibilities and Duties
It is suggested that members of the Executive Board not speak on items when they are facilitating/chairing the meeting.
San Diego ’12

Election Procedures for the Chairman and Co-Chairs of Board of Trustees, or replacement of a Co-Chair that is no longer able to carry out his/her responsibilities.
1. The Chair will open up the floor for nominations for each office individually as each office is filled. A person can nominate him/herself. No seconds will be required. There will be no limit to the number of nominations that will be accepted.
2. When there are no more nominations, the Chair will close the nominations.
3. The Chair will read the nominations to the room.
4. The Chair will ask each nominee to declare their intention from the nomination process.
5. The Chair will read the list of those nominees who have accepted the nomination and become part of the ballot.
6. Each current Trustee will select one person out of the candidates’ names to write on a ballot. If more than one name is written on any ballot, the ballot will be invalid and not counted.
7. The ballots will be counted by 3 GA members who are not Current Trustees or listed on the ballot.
8. If any one candidate receives more than 50.0% of any votes, that person will be the elected individual for that position, if not,
9. The Chair, or a designated person if the Chair is running for office and still in contention for office, will announce the top 3 names of those candidates who received the most votes and who will be on the 3-candidate ballot.
10. If there are candidates that are tied in any one of the top 3 positions, so as to increase the total number of candidates in excess of 3, the remaining procedures will take effect.
11. Each current Trustee will once again select one name out of the 3 remaining names for the ballot.
12. If no one candidate has received more than 50.0% of the vote, any candidates that receive less votes than the top 2 candidates will be eliminated unless condition 16 below applies.
13. A final vote between the 2 remaining candidates will decide the winner for that position.
14. Any vote resulting in a tie will be redone until such time as there is no tie.
15. If after the 3-candidate ballot, there are 2 candidates with a tied number of votes and 1 candidate with less than that amount. The 2 candidates receiving the tied number of votes will comprise the final ballot.
16. If after the 3-candidate ballot there is 1 candidate with the most votes, but not a majority and 2 candidates with a tied number of votes, a runoff ballot only between the tied votes will be taken to ensure a 2nd candidate to be listed for the final ballot vote against the candidate who received the highest number of votes.
  Cancun ’15
Exclusion of service
No Officer of the Executive Board may serve as Chair or Co-Chair of a Committee at the same time.
Cancun ’15
Good and Welfare

There will be no Good and Welfare as part of the Trustee meeting. Trustees who wish to say something about the Trustee meeting should do so in the Trustee Line.
Handouts at Trustee Meetings

All handouts to be distributed at any International Gamblers Anonymous Trustee Meeting must first be approved by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees before they can be passed out or transmitted to the Trustees.
Cherry Hill ’11
Head Table

The head table at the BOT meetings will comprise the following:
1. The International Executive Secretary of the ISO.
2. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
3. The two (2) Co-Chairs of the Board of Trustees.
4. The Chairman of the Board of Regents.
5. Any other officers approved by the BOT, or GA members appointed by the Chairman to assist in any process of the Trustee meeting.
- Rights of the Head Table
  Upon election, the Chairman, 1st and 2nd Co-Chairman and the I.E.S. shall have the same rights as current Trustees with regard to speaking on agenda items and raising a point of order or information.
  Louisville ’10
Interpreters
- Agenda Items Requiring Interpreters
  Any agenda item that requires an interpreter shall be allotted 25 minutes per item.
  Cherry Hill ’11
- Interpreters in Closed Sessions
  Interpreters are allowed to be present in a closed session of the BOT if there are current Trustees who need their assistance.
  Cherry Hill ’11
Items to be heard that are not on the agenda

No item shall be heard if not submitted to the Chairman of the BOT for the agenda prior to the 60 day deadline. However, the Chairman of the BOT may add items to the agenda at anytime, even after the start of the Trustee meeting, if deemed important or urgent.
Items to be Reheard

The chairman of the BOT may choose to rehear an item on the current agenda, previously heard by the board, if the chair determines that the item was misrepresented.
Cancun ’18
Literature
- Alternate Forms of Approved Literature
  Any item of existing approved literature that is going to be changed in size, purpose or platform of delivery, but leaves the content unchanged, will only have to go through one literature vote by the Board of Trustees. All such items must be available to the Trustees for review no later than the closing of each Board of Trustees agenda, or the items will be out of order. They will also be exempt from the two-year rule.
  Tampa ’14
- Approval Process
1. Any item of new literature that a member wishes to have approved by the Board of Trustees, as either GA approved or GA appropriate, must be placed on the Trustee agenda through established procedures. Any item for merit approval including, but not limited to, documents, CD’s, etc. must be submitted to the agenda as an attachment in an editable format (i.e. WORD). Please check with the Literature Committee Chair prior to submission to determine if your document meets the required format.
2. The proposed new literature must be available to all current Trustees via the Trustee Website agenda as an attachment no later than the closing date of the next Trustee agenda as outlined by the BOT.
3. If the item is to be considered as GA approved literature, the Trustees will initially vote solely on the merit of proceeding with the proposed literature. Items to be considered as GA appropriate literature are exempt from this step.
4. If the item is approved on merit, each Trustee will have 60 days from merit approval to advise the Literature Committee of any recommendations to improve the literature.
5. The Literature Committee will prepare, in collaboration with the author of the item, suggestions to improve the item based on the submissions from the BOT following the 60-day comment period. Neither the author nor the Literature Committee shall be bound by BOT suggestions – these are only recommendations from individual members. In addition, the Literature Committee shall make any necessary spelling and grammar changes. The committee will decide on the final version of the piece to be submitted for the first vote.
6. Once the committee has completed its work it will be responsible for submitting the corrected item for inclusion on the Trustee Agenda where it must go through two additional votes to become GA approved literature. There shall not be any changes made to the item between the first and the second vote.
7. New proposed literature produced by a BOT committee will only undergo editing changes involving spelling and grammar, providing the item passes the first of two votes.
8. If new literature is to be considered as GA appropriate literature, it must pass only one vote, after which the item will be submitted to the Literature Committee for editing changes involving only spelling and grammar prior to printing and distribution.
  Cherry Hill ’11
- Combo Book Changes
  Orlando ’18
- Corrections of Literature
  Boston ’12
  Vancouver ’13
- Literature Attachments Pending Approval
  No potential literature item can be handed out at any Board of Trustee meeting unless each page is clearly and diagonally watermarked in large letters with statements similar to the following
  This item is NOT GA-Approved Literature
  It is NOT to be distributed or used in any GA room.
  Cherry Hill ’11
- Moving Parts of Text in Approved Literature
  Moving parts of text in approved literature to another part of the same piece of literature requires only 1 vote.
  Kansas City ’09
- Required Formats for Submission
  Any agenda item submitted for BOT approval that may require work by the Literature Committee must appear as an agenda attachment in an editable format acceptable to the Literature Committee.
  Montreal ’09
  - Vote of Confidence
    Prior to a 1st literature approval vote, any Board of Trustees committee may request a Vote of Confidence. This is a non-binding vote that allows the Board of Trustees to directly indicate if a committee’s work is progressing in the right direction. A Vote of Confidence will allow the committee to try and improve the literature, if necessary, for submission at a subsequent Trustee meeting.
    Houston ’14
Mail Meetings
- How they are called
  Notice of a mail meeting will be sent via regular mail or electronic mail. Vancouver ’13
- Who can call them
  Mail meeting can be called by the chairman of the BOT at any time between physical meetings. Participation will be counted as attendance as though it were a physical meeting.
- What subject matter qualifies for requesting a mail meeting
  The purpose would be to settle an issue that could not wait until the next physical meeting or to lighten up the next agenda.
- Deadline for returning mail meeting votes
  All votes submitted via regular mail must be returned to the ISO no later than 3 weeks subsequent to the mail meeting distribution date. All regular mail responses should have the words ‘Mail Meeting Vote’ on the envelope. Votes may be submitted electronically through a platform approved by the Board of Trustees using the same deadlines as those utilized by regular mail ballots.
  Cherry Hill ’11
- Notification to Trustees of the mail meeting results
  At least 3 current members of the Board of Regents will tabulate the mail meeting ballots. The International Executive Secretary of the ISO will notify the Trustees of the final vote on each item within 10 days after the deadline for submitting the mail meeting responses.
Meetings
- Meeting time for Trustee meeting
  The Trustee meeting start time will be announced by the Chairman of the BOT when the Final Agenda is released. The Chairman of the BOT will designate when that session ends and the starting and ending times for all other sessions of the Trustee meeting. Orlando 2021
- The Chairman of the BOT will designate when that session ends and the starting and ending times for all other sessions of the Trustee meeting.
- Who may attend a Trustee meeting
  All sessions of a Trustees Meeting shall be open to all G.A. members, with the exception of items affecting the Corporation of GA as a whole, as determined by the executive board of the Board of Trustees. These sessions will only be opened to members of the executive board, to current members of the Board of Trustees, to current members of the Board of Regents and to the International Executive Secretary.
  Phoenix ’16
Merit Vote

Merit votes are not permitted for any new literature coming out of a BOT recognized committee.
Orlando ’13
Minutes

Minutes of the Trustee meetings will be taken via a recording device in order to archive the information. The IES will send the written minutes to the Trustees for approval.
- Approval Process
  The Trustees will have 30 days after the unofficial minutes have been released to contact International Executive Secretary with any corrections, amendments and amplifications that may need to be addressed. The International Executive Secretary will exercise best efforts to confirm the information that is being requested to be changed. The IES will discuss the final version of the item in question with the member bringing up the Correction. The formal acceptance of the minutes will be made at the next physical Trustee meeting.
- Displaying Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
  The Trustee website will store and display the minutes from all Trustee meetings.
  Houston ’08
Motions

Motions on agenda items are made either during the presentation or discussion of the item. Motions must be seconded in order for the BOT to vote on any item. Only current Trustees may make or second a motion.

The maker of the motion cannot speak against the motion.
After a motion has been made, a time limit exactly one (1) minute shall be allowed for a trustee to second the motion. During this period, no other business may take place, with the sole exception of a point of order being called.
If the motion fails to be seconded within the time limit for a member to second the motion, all discussion regarding the item shall end.

Orlando 2021

- Appearance of Approved Motion
  A Trustee making a motion on an agenda item, should clearly indicate where in our literature or in the GA program this item should be placed if it is passed by the BOT.
- Amendment
  A motion to amend a motion can be made by any current Trustee who has the floor and will have its own allotted time segment. Amendments are voted on before the original motion and only affect the original motion if they are approved by the same majority required to pass the motion.An amendment must be germane to the motion on the floor to be in order. Motions to amend must be seconded. The time taken to go through any amendment process will not count against the original 15 minutes allotted to the agenda item.
- Extending Time of Discussion Due to Amendments
  Any proposed amendment to a motion will be granted up to 10 minutes extra time for subsequent discussion.
- Motion form
  A standard motion form is provided by the recording secretary and must be completed word for word with the motion and must include the name of the Trustee making the motion, his area number and the name of the seconder.
- Motion to Commit or Refer
  A motion to commit or refer, sends an item back to the committee, or allows for the formation of a new committee, so that the item may be more carefully investigated and put into better condition for consideration by the Board of Trustees. Such a motion takes precedence over the main motion, amendments and points of order. It yields to motions to table. This motion is debatable and can be called out of order if the Chair considers the motion to commit or refer to be an unnecessary delaying tactic.
  Houston ’14
- Postponing agenda items
  A motion to postpone delays action on an agenda item until later in the BOT meeting, but cannot be carried over to the next meeting. It is a debatable motion with debate centering only on the postponement.
- Tabling agenda items
  A Trustee must have the floor to make a motion to table and it is not subject to discussion or an amendment. A motion to table requires a second and a two-thirds majority vote to pass, which automatically places the item on the agenda for the next Trustee meeting and will be the first order of business after any Rules and Procedures agenda items and before any new business items are heard. A motion to table has no priority.
  Cancun ’18
  
  Any agenda item that is tabled over 2 successive Trustee meetings, without a motion pending, will not be automatically placed on the next agenda. If so desired, it must be resubmitted as a new agenda item.
  Louisville ’10
  
  Agenda items up for a 2nd vote can be tabled, but are at risk for not being passed due to the requirement of some items requiring passage at 2 consecutive physical meetings.
  Boston ’12

Motions may be made on any item on the agenda, irrespective of how the item is listed, except when specifically outlined otherwise in the Rules and Procedures. The motion must be relevant to the item under consideration.
Montreal ’19

Call the question:
A member must have the floor in order to make this motion. When making this motion, it suggests that one person would like to stop debate and vote. This motion requires a second. There have to be at least two people in the room who want to cut off debate before it can be considered. This motion cannot be discussed or debated. As soon as the chair hears a second, they immediately take the vote ON WHETHER TO CEASE DISCUSSION. It takes TWO-THIRDS of the voting members in favor to cut off debate. If indeed two-thirds of the group want to stop debate and vote, then the chair immediately takes the vote on the pending motion – the motion that the group is considering at this time. No further discussion is allowed. Orlando 2021

25. Past Trustee Discussions

Any agenda items that become discussions and do not result in a motion should not be printed or distributed. They are opinions of one group of Trustees at one particular period of time.

26. Point of Information

A point of information may be posed in an open outcry by any current or past Trustee and be related to the subject that is on the floor. The point of information must be a question and does not interrupt the business currently being conducted on the floor. It will be handled when the current speaker has concluded his/her business, or if the person speaking wishes to yield to the point of information. The person calling for the point of information can only ask the question to the Chair and does not constitute being in control of the floor, nor does it allow for information to be given or to present debate.

Cherry Hill ’11

A point of information will not be heard once voting on any issue on the floor begins.
Tampa ’10

- Point of Information Limitations
  When time expires on an Agenda Item, no more Points of Information will be heard, unless the allotted time is extended. If there is no vote to extend time, and there is a motion on the floor, then the presiding Chair shall call for the vote. Once a vote has been taken and the results heard, no further Points of Information regarding that item will be allowed.
  Boston ’12

27. Point of Order

A point of order may be posed by any current or past Trustee by rising and stating out loud, ‘point of order’, if he/she thinks that the Chairperson is invoking an improper procedure. The person shall briefly point out specifically in what manner the Chair is out of order. The Chair will respond to give the reasoning behind the decision of the Chair and either affirm or rescind the decision in question. No other discussion will be allowed from the floor on the point of order. Any current Trustee may challenge the decision of the Chair.
Cherry Hill ’11

28. Proxies

Proxies will not be allowed for any aspect of any Trustee meeting, physical or otherwise.
Orlando ’13

29. Quick Response Meetings

A quick response meeting should be used only in an emergency, i.e. expense items over the BOR limit, a vacancy of the IES position, etc. A quick response meeting requires a response from the voting Trustees within 15 days. Responses will be counted as though it were a physical meeting.

Consequences of not voting
Any Trustee who does not participate in the quick response meeting will be considered absent, just as if a physical Trustee meeting is missed.
Counting Votes
The votes should be counted in the presence of at least 3 BOR members.
How they are called
Notice is sent to all voting Trustees by either email, regular mail or fax notifying them of the quick response meeting and this notice will contain the emergency question or problem that must be voted upon.
Notification to Trustees of the quick response meeting results
The IES will send out the results of the vote as soon as the vote is finalized.
Submitting Ballots
All responses sent by regular mail must be signed by the Trustee and sent to the ISO in an envelope clearly marked according to the instructions on the ballot. Original ballots signed by the Trustee, scanned and emailed or faxed to the I.E.S. at the I.S.O. will also be allowed. Votes may be submitted electronically through a platform approved by the Board of Trustees using the same deadlines as those utilized by regular mail ballots. All ballots must be received by the 15-day response deadline
Cherry Hill ’11
Who can call them
Quick response meetings can only be called by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, or, by the 1st. co-chair, if the Chairman is incapacitated.

30. Recording Secretary

If the International Executive Secretary is not available to act as recording secretary for the Trustee meetings, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees will appoint a GA member who is not a current Trustee to act as the Recording Secretary.

31. Robert’s Rules

The order of business and parliamentary procedures of all GA Trustee meetings, unless otherwise prescribed by the Guidance Code or the decisions of the Board of Trustees, shall be governed by Roberts Rules.

32. Straw votes

Requests for straw votes for a decision on any item brought to the floor, are not allowed, as they neither adopt nor reject the item.
Kansas City ’09

33. Time

Time Limit
Agenda items, other than committee reports and conference bids, are limited to 15 minutes in length excluding procedural issues. The BOT must approve each additional 15 minute segment. Only current Trustees can vote to extend time.
Montreal ’09
- Committee
  Committee reports are limited to 15 minutes. If there is an audio/visual segment, the presentation will be limited to 15 minutes during which no questions will be entertained by the chair. The presentation period cannot be extended. A 15 minute discussion period will commence at the conclusion of the presentation, with the BOT approving additional 15 minute segments, if deemed necessary.
- Conference bids
  There will be a 15 minute time limit per Area bidding on an International Conference. If additional time is needed it will be decided by the BOT to extend time.
  Houston ’14
- Discussion on motion
  Time for discussion on agenda items, other than committee reports and conference bids, is limited to 15 minutes in length excluding procedural issues, which includes points of order and information, the entire amendment process, and roll call votes. The BOT must approve additional 15 minute segments.
  
  The presenter of an item has an initial 5-minute time limit to speak on the item. All others have a 2-minute time limit when speaking on any item. The presiding chair for any item, will remind the speakers when their appropriate time limit has been reached, as a reminder to wrap up their thoughts, as quickly as possible.
  Cherry Hill ’17
  
  Once a motion is made on any item during a Trustee meeting and seconded, the timer for discussions will be restarted.
  Phoenix ’16

34. Trustee Meeting Only

When there is only a Trustee Meeting, and no Conference, the net proceeds from the registration fees and any other revenue, after all expenses are paid, shall be turned over to the I.S.O. and an email with all the details sent to all current Trustees.
Cherry Hill ’15

35. Trustee Orientation

The Chairman of the BOT, or his or her designee, will hold an Orientation Meeting with the newly elected Trustees, or returning Trustees prior to the Fall, even-year, Trustee Meeting. Time and place will be up to the Chairman of the BOT.
Louisville ’10

36. Trustee Website

Reference Material

Kansas City ’09

- Trustee Line
  - Who may submit an item to the Trustee Line
    The Trustee Line is only open to submissions by current and past Trustees, current officers of the Board of Trustees the current Chairman of the Board of Regents and the International Executive Secretary. Houston ’14
  - Trustee Website
- The Chairperson of the Board of Trustees must have the Rolling Agenda open and visible on the Trustee Website within 30 days of the closing of the previous Board of Trustees Meeting. Cherry Hill ’22

37. Voting

Abstentions

Abstentions will be used to determine if a quorum is met on Roll Call votes and votes requiring a two-thirds majority. Abstentions will not be called for in any votes requiring a simple majority. Abstentions will not be used as part of the total votes on an item.

Orlando 2021

- Counting votes
  Votes taken during the Trustee meeting should be counted by the chairman and both co-chairs of the BOT and recorded in the minutes. Votes do not have to be recorded for extending time.
- Counting votes – decisions requiring a simple majority
  The Chair or Co-Chair will accept either unanimous votes or overwhelmingly one-sided votes on agenda items without requiring a hand count. If a vote appears fairly close by a show of hands, the person currently chairing the meeting shall ask for a hand count.
  Kansas City ’09
- Counting votes – decision requiring a two-thirds majority
  All votes requiring a two-thirds majority will be counted.
  Kansas City ’09
- Eligibility
  Only current Trustees are eligible to vote on agenda items at the BOT meeting.
- Points of Information during a vote
  A point of information will not be heard once voting on any issue on the floor begins.
  Tampa ’10
- Roll Call Votes
  When a roll call vote is requested and seconded, the recording secretary will call the names of the eligible voters present and record their votes. The votes are counted and the results will be immediately announced. Only current Trustees can call for or second a call for a roll call vote. The call must receive a second before the next item is called to be deemed valid.
  Tampa ’14

Trustee Meeting Rules and Procedures

Approved as of Cherry Hill – 2022

Absentee Ballot

Agenda

Attendance

Challenge

Changing or Adding a Procedure

Collection

Committees

Conference (International)

Confidential Trustee Listing

Discussion on Item

Disruptive members

Executive Board

Good and Welfare

Handouts at Trustee Meetings

Head Table

Interpreters

Items to be heard that are not on the agenda

Items to be Reheard

Literature

Mail Meetings

Meetings

Merit Vote

Minutes

Motions