The committee that was appointed to study a main motion…hasn't. Or maybe they've met over and over again and they still have failed to do much of anything. If the committee is not a standing committee and was appointed solely to study a main motion, nothing can be done on it until the committee makes a recommendation. Perhaps something has happened that makes taking action on a main motion urgent. Whatever the reason — urgent or otherwise — it has become necessary for the membership to do something. It's also, after all, a very real concern that the main motion could die in committee.

First, Give 'Em a Deadline

Is the date for a meeting when you want to take care of a main motion you've referred to committee coming up? Don't panic. The first thing that a group or organization can do is give a committee a deadline to report (it can even make it a special order so that it comes up at a specific time on the agenda). A motion to set a time to report requires only a majority vote to adopt. A chair or a membership should use foresight and give a committee a date to report by. Sending a motion or a matter to study to a committee is supposed to save time, aggravation, and controversy, not cause it by not reporting on time!

If the committee still fails to report, the membership can take the matter out of its hands. First, no other business can be ongoing when a motion to discharge the committee takes place. Previous notice should be given, either in written form such as a letter or e-mail or fax, or orally at the meeting before the one where the discharge of committee motion will take place.

Making the Motion

A member wishing to make a motion to discharge a committee should make certain that previous notice has been given, or the chair will have to note the fact before a vote is taken. Without previous notice, either a two-thirds vote or a majority of the entire membership is needed; with previous notice, a majority vote is needed to adopt.

There are two different ways to take a main motion from consideration by a committee. If it is a standing committee, a member should say, “I move that the [X committee] be discharged from further consideration of the motion [X].” If it's a special committee appointed to study a certain motion or matter, then a member should say, “I move to discharge the committee to which was referred the motion relating to [X].”

Both motions need another member to second them. The motions are debatable (in terms of being in the committee, not the content of the motion in the committee) and are also amendable. The chair should ask if there is any discussion, and a vote should be taken. If the motion to discharge the committee is adopted, then there can be action on the main motion that had been sent to the committee. It can be discussed immediately.