# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_2010_S56 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 56 SPECIAL STANDING RULES substitute motion does not receive favorable action either to consider or to adopt, the original motion is again considered . (This is an adaptation of the so-called “Behnken Rule” for addressing substitute motions .) 17 . While any voting delegate may move to close debate (call the question) at any time, a vote on closing debate (two-thirds vote required) on the pending motion shall be put by the chair after every twenty (20) minutes of debate (except those to which Standing Rule 7 pertains) . The chair may also call for a vote on closing debate (two-thirds vote required) when in his judgment the assembly has heard sufficient speaking from both sides of the issue . 18 . In order to promote an orderly and non-distracting convention atmosphere, the following guidance shall apply to the use, and area of use, of electronic equipment, including wired and wireless communication devices, laptops, cell phones, smart phones, pagers, PDAs, or other similar devices . In all cases where use is permitted, the sound-producing capabilities of such devices shall not be used . Except as approved by convention staff, personal extension cords shall not be allowed on the convention floor . 19 . To conserve convention time, questions of privilege shall be Area of Convention Hall Voice Voting and Advisory Delegates COP, BOD, CCM, COS, Press, Special Guests Visitors, Front Half Seating Area Visitors, Back Half Standing Area Convention Staff, All Areas No No No Yes Type of Usage Permitted in Designated Area Text Messages Other Electronic Laptop Computers (no communication, Communications, including laptops e.g. e-mail or Internet) No No Yes Yes, convention Yes --business only Yes Yes --Yes Yes --- Yes Yes Yes --- addressed in writing to the chair . 20 . Whenever an amendment is offered from the floor that seeks to make editorial or other helpful suggestions to a pending resolution coming from a floor committee, the chair of the floor committee shall have the option of accepting such an amendment . If it is accepted, then the amendment is made without further debate or formal vote of the assembly . 21 . A motion to close debate (“call the question”) shall apply only to the immediately pending question . 22 . Amendments of non-contiguous words may be made to a pending question so long as the consequence of such non-contiguous amendment does not constitute in effect a substitute motion . 23 . The privilege of granting delegates the right to record their votes in the minutes with respect to a particular resolution shall be granted by the assembly by a majority vote without debate . If such privilege is granted, the votes of record shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary of the Synod within 15 minutes after the close of the day’s business on which such privilege was granted . 24 . The point of information (to ask a substantive question) will not have any special preference in recognition . Any delegate desiring to make such request shall be allowed to do so only if called upon by the chair in regular order and shall not have any priority over other delegates in being recognized by the chair . The request for a point of information shall be granted 2010 Convention Proceedings by the chair only if the request is made prior to any motion to close debate on the question being considered . 25 . Procedure for Floor Nominations a . Floor nominations for the officers of the Synod, as these are identified and ordered in Bylaw 3 .12 .4 .2(a)—namely, the President, the First Vice-President, and the other vicepresidents in that order, and the election by ballot of the Secretary, the Vice-President–Finance—Treasurer, and the elective members of the Board of Directors of the Synod— shall be accepted prior to the election of those offices according to the standing rules of this convention, in accord with Bylaw 3 .12 .3 .7,* which states, “floor nominations shall be brought individually before the convention for approval before being added to the ballot,” and as interpreted, “In other words, each floor nomination is to be acted upon separately by a convention vote. When the convention approves the receipt of each nomination, oneby-one, by an affirmative vote of the assembly according to accepted parliamentary rules, this constitutes an amendment of the slate.” (CCM Opinion 05-2456) b . After the election of the officers of the Synod, as those are identified and ordered in Bylaw 3 .12 .4 .2(a) and noted above, floor nominations for all other elective positions of boards and commissions shall be opened for a period of forty (40) minutes in accord with Bylaw 3 .12 .3 .7,* as detailed above . Unless ceased earlier by a two-thirds vote of the assembly, at the end of forty (40) minutes a vote to cease nominations shall be called by the convention chairman . If a two-thirds vote to cease nominations is not received, the period for floor nominations shall be extended by twenty (20) minutes . At the end of twenty (20) minutes, a vote to cease nominations shall again be called by the convention chairman . If a two-thirds vote to cease nominations is not received, the period for floor nominations shall be extended an additional twenty (20) minutes . This cycle shall continue in twenty (20) minute intervals until a two-thirds vote for nominations to cease is received from the assembly . 26 . Unless covered by these Special Standing Rules, parliamentary procedure shall be governed by the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised . * Bylaw 3.12.3.7 (a) The convention may amend the slate by nominations from the floor. (b) Floor nominations shall be brought individually before the convention for approval before being added to the ballot. No floor nominations shall be accepted which would preclude, by virtue of election limitations of such office, election of any pending nominee already on the slate of candidates received from the Committee for Convention Nominations without disclosing such potential effect immediately to the convention. (c) Such floor nominations may only be made from the list of names which have previously been offered to the Committee for Convention Nominations prior to the final deadline established and published by the committee, unless the convention shall otherwise order by a simple majority vote.