LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Page 45

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SPECIAL STANDING RULES
same serious consideration and adoption in all its
parts as the main motion itself.
13. The convention chairman, in consultation with the
floor committee chairmen, may identify any issue to
which a maximum of 11⁄2 hours of continuous consideration may be allotted. The following schedule will be
employed for these issues:

1. The Chair shall see that the agenda is followed as
closely as possible.
2. Resolutions of each floor committee shall be
prioritized by number and shall normally be
presented in the numerical sequence published in
Today’s Business.
3. When recognized by the Chair, members of the
convention shall state their name. They shall also
state the name of the District or of the administrative
unit (board, faculty) they represent.
4. The two-minute rule shall apply for all who speak
from the floor and for the committee during debate.
5. While any voting delegate may call the question at
any time, after every 30 minutes of debate on any
one motion (except those specified in Standing Rule
13) there shall be an automatic call of the question
by the Chair. The Chair may also call for a vote on
the close of debate (two-thirds majority required)
when in his judgment the assembly has heard
sufficient speaking on both sides of the issue.
6. Voting shall ordinarily be carried out by use of an
electronic response system that requires delegates to
be present at the beginning of the business portion of
each session. When not used, instead of only a voice
vote on motions before the convention, the Chair shall
ordinarily also call for the raising of the right hand.
7. If a substitute motion is offered and seconded, the
presenter shall be offered two minutes to provide the
rationale for presenting it. The convention shall then
first decide by majority vote without debate whether
or not to consider the substitute. If the decision is in
the affirmative and the substitute motion is
subsequently adopted, the original motion fails; if the
substitute motion does not receive favorable action
either to consider or to adopt, the original motion is
again before the house. (This is the so-called “Behnken
rule” for dealing with substitute motions.)
8. Questions of privilege shall be addressed in writing to
the Chair, or its appointee, instead of consuming
convention time.
9. In the sessions of the last two days, the President shall
have the privilege of calling up for action resolutions
that in his judgment must be acted upon by the
convention before adjournment.
10. Resolutions prepared by the floor committees that are
not acted upon by the convention before adjournment
die. The subject matter may be reintroduced at the
next convention by means of an overture.
11. Minutes shall be distributed every morning in
Today’s Business. The first item of business in the
afternoon session shall be the formal approval of
these minutes. However, at that time only corrections
involving convention action shall be offered from the
floor for consideration. Simple editorial corrections
involving, for example, misspelling of names and
faulty titles and references shall be submitted in
writing to the Secretary for incorporation in the
minutes after verification.
12. The preface, preamble, rationale, and whereas
sections shall be considered an integral part of the
resolution or overture and, as such, subject to the

Maximum of 15 minutes
If needed, 30 minutes
Maximum of 45 minutes

Committee presentation
Debate on the main motion
Presentation of and debate
on amendments, substitute
motions (if accepted), the
main motion or the main
motion as amended

During the first 45 minutes, no motion may be made
to table or to cease debate, although the Chairman
shall have the right to inquire of the assembly at any
point during the entire 90 minutes regarding its readiness to vote. Alternate pro and con speaking will be followed during the debate. Time not used in one portion
of the schedule as identified above will not be added to
the succeeding segment or segments. If not concluded
earlier, at the end of 90 minutes debate shall cease and
the motion shall be called.
14. A member who has spoken on an issue may not at the
close of the speech move the previous question.
15. Use of sound producing devices such as pagers,
telephones, computer modems, or communication
devices requiring voice communication is not
permitted in the voting and advisory delegate, Council
of Presidents, and press sections of the convention
floor.
16. With the exception of Omnibus resolutions, usually
amendments to proposed floor committee resolutions
or substitute resolutions for them are submitted for
printing in Today’s Business in time for publication
prior to convention consideration of such resolutions.
Amendments, amendments to amendments, and
substitute resolutions proposed in the course of the
discussion must be provided to the Secretary prior to
being offered from the floor.
17. Unless covered by these standing rules of the
convention, parliamentary procedure shall be governed
by the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Action: Adopted as amended (1)
(Rule 16 was amended by inserting the word usually in
the first line. The word are was substituted for shall be in
the third line. Later in the convention the delegates agreed
that there should be separate votes on closing debate on an
amendment or amendments and a resolution. A motion to
amend the Standing Rules by stating, that before a resolution can be amended, spoken to, or called for a vote, the
Chairman will open the microphone for questions only to
the committee was defeated. Standing Rule 5 was interpreted to mean that at the end of every 30 minutes of debate the assembly would be asked to determine if it wished
to terminate debate on the resolution and amendments. An
amendment to add to Rule 14 and no member may make a
motion to cease debate on the amendment and the resolution simultaneously was declined.)
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