LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 56

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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.