Quorum : A majority of the registered voting members of the House of Delegates shall constitute a quorum, provided at least two-thirds of the regularly elected delegates are registered for the opening session. The majority opinion of the House in determining what it wants to do and how it wants to do it should always remain the ultimate determinate of how the House operates procedurally. It is the obligation of the Speaker to sense the will of the House, to preside accordingly, with his/her rulings subject to change from, and reversal by, the assembly. Precedence of Motions : Motions are made so that those that are lower on the list can be modified by those that are higher. It is perfectly acceptable to skip a step in the list when making motions (for example, it is not required to amend a motion in order to move to limit debate). Votes are taken, starting from those higher on the list toward those lower on the list, until a complete disposition has been made of the matter at hand. It is not uncommon to move up the list in procedure before completely disposing of the matter at hand. See Exhibit I, Principle Rules Governing Motions.
First and second order amendments are allowed. Third order amendments are not allowed.
Method of Doing Business The House of Delegates follows adopted rules that govern the conduct of debate on business under its consideration. These rules are established by the LSMS Charter and Bylaws, by tradition, and decreed by the presiding officer. When the House is in session, certain items of business are traditional, and do not require action by the House. Such items include, but are not limited to, address of the outgoing President, remarks of the Speaker, presentation of awards, recognition of distinguished guests, and addresses by invited non-members. It is the prerogative of the Speakers to schedule only those items as is appropriate without interfering with the regular business of the House. Unscheduled presentations may be arranged with the Speakers or by two thirds vote of the House. However, the Speakers discourage extraneous presentations, not on the basis of merit, but because of their primary obligation to conserve the time of the House for deliberations on the regular business already established for consideration in accordance with LSMS Bylaws and the rules of the House. The minutes of the Board of Governors meetings, committee reports, and special reports are included in the Delegates Handbook. Items of business or recommendations to be considered by the House in these reports are presented as resolutions. The annual reports of committees are for informational purposes. When voting to approve the minutes of the Board of Governors a delegate may extract a specific action of the Board for discussion and amendment but the minutes themselves cannot be altered by the House. The Committee on Rules and Order of Business meets prior to the opening session of the House of Delegates to consider late items and special rules for the meeting. The committee may be asked by the Speakers to consider parliamentary questions during the meeting and to consider
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