Editing Parliamentary procedure

{{short description|Guidelines to conduct meetings}}
{{Redirect|Parliamentary Practice|the British Parliamentary rule book|Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice}}
{{Redirect|Rules of order|the widely-used American manual|Robert's Rules of Order}}
[[File:European Parliament Strasbourg Hemicycle - Diliff.jpg|alt=Rows and rows of people are assembled circularly in a huge chamber at the European Parliament|thumb|The [[European Parliament]] during a plenary session in 2014]]
'''Parliamentary procedures''' are the accepted [[Procedural law|rules]], [[ethics]], and [[Norm (sociology)|customs]] governing meetings of an [[deliberative assembly|assembly]] or [[organization]]. Their object is to allow orderly [[deliberation]] upon questions of interest to the organization and thus to arrive at the sense or the will of the [[majority]] of the assembly upon these questions.{{sfn|Robert|2011|p=l}} [[Self-governance|Self-governing]] organizations follow parliamentary procedure to [[debate]] and reach group decisions, usually by [[voting|vote]], with the least possible friction.

In the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and other English-speaking countries, parliamentary procedure is often called ''chairmanship'', ''chairing'', the ''law of meetings'', ''procedure at meetings'', the ''conduct of meetings'', or the ''standing orders''. [[Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice|Erskine May's ''Parliamentary Practice'']] is used and often referred to as "Erskine May" in the United Kingdom, and influential in other countries that use the [[Westminster system]]. In the United States, terms used are ''parliamentary law'', ''parliamentary practice'', ''legislative procedure'', ''rules of order'', or ''[[Robert's rules of order]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bliss |first1=Edwin |url=https://archive.org/details/standardcodeofpa00stur |title=The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure |date=1993 |publisher=McGraw-Hill, Inc. |isbn=0-07-062522-0 |edition=Third |location=New York |page=xx |quote=The term 'Robert's Rules of Order' is commonly used today as a synonym for parliamentary procedure.}}</ref>

Rules of order consist of rules written by the body itself (often referred to as [[By-law|bylaws]]), usually supplemented by a published [[parliamentary authority]] adopted by the body. Typically, national, state, or provincial, and other full-scale [[legislature|legislative assemblies]] have extensive internally-written rules of order, whereas non-legislative bodies write and adopt a limited set of [[Special rules of order|specific rules]] as the need arises.

==History==
{{main|History of parliamentary procedure}}
The term ''parliamentary procedure'' gets its name from its use in the [[parliamentary system]] of government.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Robert III |first=Henry M. |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780517190036 |title=Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised In Brief |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-306-82019-9 |edition=2nd |location=Philadelphia, PA |pages=5 |display-authors=etal |url-access=registration}}</ref>

In the 16th and 17th century, the [[Parliament of England|parliaments of England]] began adopting rules of order.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Robert |first=Henry M. |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780306813542 |title=Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-306-82020-5 |edition=11th |location=Philadelphia, PA |pages=xxxiii–xxxiv |display-authors=etal |url-access=registration}}</ref> In the 1560s, Sir Thomas Smyth began the process of writing down accepted procedures and published a book about them for the [[House of Commons of England|House of Commons]] in 1583.<ref name=":0" /> Early rules included:
* One subject should be discussed at a time (adopted 1581)<ref name=":0" /><ref>Slater, Victor Louis. (2002). [https://books.google.com/books?id=kVxZ-I7lVQMC&pg=PA72&dq= ''The Political History of Tudor and Stuart England: A Sourcebook,'' p.  72]. {{ISBN|9780203995402}}</ref>
* Personal attacks are to be avoided in debate (1604)<ref name=":0" />
* Debate must be limited to the merits of the question (1610)<ref name=":0" />
* Division of a question into parts to be voted on separately (1640)<ref name=":0" />

===Westminster procedures===
The [[Westminster system|Westminster parliamentary procedures]] are followed in several [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and South Africa, as well as in the Republic of Ireland.

In Canada, for example, the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]] uses ''House of Commons Procedure and Practice'' as its primary procedural authority. Others include [[Arthur Beauchesne]]'s ''Parliamentary Rules and Forms of the House of Commons of Canada'', [[Bourinot's Rules of Order|Sir John George Bourinot's ''Parliamentary Procedure and Practice in the Dominion of Canada'']], and [[Erskine May]]'s [[Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice|''The Law, Privileges, Proceedings and Usage of Parliament'']] from Britain.<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |year=2011 |title=Parliamentary Procedure – General Article – Compendium of Procedure Home – House of Commons. Canada |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/compendium/web-content/c_g_parliamentaryprocedure-e.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204021216/http://www.parl.gc.ca/compendium/web-content/c_g_parliamentaryprocedure-e.htm |archive-date=Feb 4, 2010 |access-date=15 February 2011 |work=Parliament of Canada}}</ref>

===American procedures===
The rules of the [[United States Congress]] were developed from parliamentary procedures used in Britain.<ref>Jefferson, Thomas. (1820). [https://books.google.com/books?id=46k-AAAAYAAJ&pg=PR6&dq= ''A manual of parliamentary practice for the use of the Senate of the United States,'' p. vi].</ref> Many nations' legislatures follow American parliamentary procedure,{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} including [[Indonesia]], the [[Philippines]], [[Mexico]] and [[South Korea]].

===Other===
The [[Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union]] (1957) states<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-06-07 |title=Consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Part 6, Title I, Chapter 1, Section 1, Articles 232, 240, and 249 |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/treaty/tfeu_2016/art_232/oj |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=EUR-Lex |language=en}}</ref> that each of the [[European Parliament]], [[Council of the European Union]], and [[European Commission]] adopt their own rules. For the Parliament, these are the [[Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament]].

The procedures of the [[Diet of Japan]] moved away from the British parliamentary model, when in [[Occupied Japan]], there were efforts to align Japanese parliamentary procedures with American congressional practices.<ref>Reischauer, Edwin O. and Marius B. Jansen. (1977). [https://books.google.com/books?id=BTPNlLIy2soC&pg=PA250&dq= ''The Japanese Today: Change and Continuity,'' p. 250].</ref> In Japan, informal negotiations are more important than formal procedures.<ref>Mulgan, Aurelia George. (2000). [https://books.google.com/books?id=l_78iQKtaJMC&pg=PA292&dq= ''The Politics of Agriculture in Japan,'' p. 292].</ref>

In Italy, written rules govern the [[Italian Parliament|Houses of the Parliament]]. The [[Constitutional Court of Italy|Constitutional Court]] judges the limits beyond which these regulations cannot go, exceeding the parliamentary or political function (judgement n. 120 of 2014)<ref>The "functionalist" criterion (set by the Bill, on the initiative of Senator Maritati: Bill n. 1560/XVI) identified – inside parliamentary Institutions – acts of political bodies which, on the one hand, are not linked to the functions (legislative, political address or inspection) but which, on the other hand, are not classified as high-level administration: {{cite journal|last1=Buonomo|first1=Giampiero|title=Il nodo dell'autodichia da Ponzio a Pilato|journal=Golem Informazione|date=2014|url=https://www.questia.com/projects#!/project/89413589|access-date=2016-04-11|archive-date=2016-03-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324160801/https://www.questia.com/projects#!/project/89413589|url-status=dead}}</ref> and on their bad application when a law is passed.<ref>{{in lang|it}} [https://www.academia.edu/38400055/La_Corte_costituzionale_ancora_irrisolta_sul_ricorso_delle_minoranze_parlamentari_coautore_M._Cerase_ G. Buonomo e M. Cerase, ''La Corte costituzionale ancora irrisolta sul ricorso delle minoranze parlamentari (ord. n. 17/2019)'', Forum di Quaderni costituzionali, 13 febbraio 2019].</ref>

==Parliamentary authority usage patterns==
{{Main|Parliamentary authority|Principles of parliamentary procedure}}
Parliamentary procedure is based on the principles of allowing the majority to make decisions effectively and efficiently ([[majority rule]]), while ensuring fairness towards the minority and giving each member or delegate the right to voice an opinion.<ref>{{Harvnb|Robert|2011|p = li}}</ref> [[Voting]] determines the will of the assembly. While each assembly may create their own set of rules, these sets tend to be more alike than different. A common practice is to adopt a standard reference book on parliamentary procedure and modify it through [[special rules of order]] that supersede the adopted authority.

A parliamentary structure conducts business through [[Motion (parliamentary procedure)|motions]], which cause actions. Members bring business before the assembly by introducing [[main motion]]s. "Members use [[subsidiary motion]]s to alter a main motion, or delay or hasten its consideration."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sturgis |first1=Alice |url=https://archive.org/details/standardcodeofpa00stur |title=The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure |date=1993 |publisher=McGraw-Hill, Inc. |isbn=0-07-062522-0 |edition=Third |location=New York |page=16 |url-access=registration}}</ref> Parliamentary procedure also allows for rules in regards to nomination, voting, debate, disciplinary action, appeals, and the drafting of organization [[charter]]s, [[constitution]]s, and [[bylaws]].

===Organizations and civic groups===
In the US ''[[Robert's Rules of Order]] Newly Revised''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Robert |first1=Henry |title=Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised |date=2020 |publisher=Public Affairs, Hachette Book Group |location=New York |isbn=978-1541736696 |edition=12th}}</ref> aspires to be a comprehensive guide, based on the original 1876 version written primarily to help guide voluntary associations in their operations of governance: "New editions have marked the growth of parliamentary procedure as cases occurring in assemblies have pointed to a need for further rules or additional interpretations to go by."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Robert |first1=Sarah |url=https://archive.org/details/scottforesmanr00robe |title=Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised |date=1981 |publisher=Scott Foresman and Company |isbn=0-673-15471-8 |edition=1981 |location=Glenview, Illinois |page=preface, pg. ix |url-access=registration}}</ref> ''Robert's Rules of Order The Modern Edition''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Patnode |first1=Darwin |url=https://archive.org/details/robertsrulesofo400robe |title=Robert's Rules of Order the Modern Edition |date=1989 |publisher=The Berkley Publishing Group |isbn=0-425-11690-5 |location=New York |url-access=registration}}</ref> and ''[[The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure]]''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sturgis |first1=Alice |url=https://archive.org/details/standardcodeofpa00stur |title=The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure |date=1988 |publisher=McGraw-Hill, Inc. |isbn=0-07-062522-0 |location=New York |url-access=registration}}</ref> aspire to be concise. "This book is a basic reference book but does not claim to be comprehensive. For most organization and for most meetings, it will prove very adequate."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Patnode |first1=Darwin |url=https://archive.org/details/robertsrulesofo400robe |title=Robert's Rules of Order The Modern Edition |date=1989 |publisher=The Berkley Publishing Group |isbn=0-425-11690-5 |location=New York |page=17 |url-access=registration}}</ref> "[[Alice Sturgis]] believed that confusing or unnecessary motions and terminology should be eliminated. Her goal was to make the process simpler, fairer, and easier to understand, and The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure did just that ..."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sturgis |first1=Alice |url=https://archive.org/details/standardcodeofpa00stur |title=The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure |date=1988 |publisher=McGraw-Hill, Inc. |isbn=0-07-062522-0 |edition=Third |location=New York |page=xxi - "To the Reader" preface, by Edwin C. Bliss |url-access=registration}}</ref>

A common text in use in the UK, particularly within [[trade union|trade unions]], is [[Walter Citrine]]'s ''[[ABC of Chairmanship]]''.

In English-speaking Canada, popular authorities include Kerr & King's ''Procedures for Meeting and Organizations''. The [[Conservative Party of Canada]] uses ''Wainberg's Society meetings including rules of order'' to run its internal affairs.

In French-speaking Canada, commonly used rules of order for ordinary societies include [[Victor Morin]]'s {{lang|fr|[[Morin code|Procédures des assemblées délibérantes]]}} (commonly known as the {{lang|fr|Code Morin}})<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991008181931/http://web.uvic.ca/~cpssa/morineng.htm ''Code Morin'' at University of Victoria]; retrieved 2013-1-13.</ref> and the {{lang|fr|Code [[Confédération des syndicats nationaux]]}}.

===Legislatures===
Legislative assemblies in all countries, because of their nature, tend to have a specialized set of rules that differ from parliamentary procedure used by clubs and organizations.

In the United Kingdom, [[Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice|Erskine May's ''Parliamentary Practice'']] (frequently updated; originally ''Treatise on the Law, Privileges, Proceedings and Usage of Parliament''; often referred to simply as ''Erskine May'') is the accepted authority on the powers and procedures of the [[Westminster parliament]]. There are also the [[Standing orders in the Parliament of the United Kingdom|Standing Orders for each House]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Standing Orders |url=https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/standing-orders/ |website=UK Parliament}}</ref>

Of the 99 [[State legislature (United States)|state legislative chambers]] in the United States (two for each [[U.S. state|state]] except [[Nebraska]], which has a [[Unicameralism|unicameral]] legislature), ''[[Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure]]'' governs parliamentary procedures in 70; ''[[Jefferson's Manual]]'' governs 13, and ''[[Robert's Rules of Order]]'' governs four.<ref>''[https://web.archive.org/web/20191212161525/http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/masons-manual-for-legislative-bodies.aspx Using Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure: The Advantages to Legislative Bodies]'', [[National Conference of State Legislatures]].</ref> The [[United States Senate]] follows the [[Standing Rules of the United States Senate]], while the [[United States House of Representatives]] follows ''Jefferson's Manual''.

''Mason's Manual'', originally written by constitutional scholar and former [[California Senate]] staff member [[Paul Mason (author)|Paul Mason]] in 1935, and since his death revised and published by the [[National Conference of State Legislatures]] (NCSL), governs legislative procedures in instances where the [[State constitution (United States)|state constitution]], [[State law (United States)|state statutes]], and the chamber's rules are silent.<ref>See, for example, ''Standing Rules of the California Assembly'', in [http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=hr_1&sess=CUR HR 1, 2007-08 Regular Session].</ref><ref name=ncsl>[http://www.ncsl.org National Conference of State Legislatures web site]</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=National Conference of State Legislatures|title=[[Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure]]|year=2000|publisher=NCSL|location=Denver, CO|isbn=1-58024-116-6}}</ref>

According to the NCSL,<ref name=ncsl/> one of the many reasons that most state legislatures use ''Mason's Manual'' instead of ''Robert's Rules of Order'' is that ''Robert's Rules'' applies best to private organizations and civic groups that do not meet in daily public sessions. ''Mason's Manual'', however, is geared specifically toward state legislative bodies.

==Parliamentarians in the United States==
{{Main|Parliamentarian (consultant)}}In the United States, individuals who are proficient in parliamentary procedure are called parliamentarians (in countries with parliamentary governments the term refers to a [[member of Parliament]]).

Several organizations offer certification programs for parliamentarians, including the [[National Association of Parliamentarians]] and [[American Institute of Parliamentarians]]. Agriculture teachers who coach teams in the [[Parli Pro|parliamentary procedure contest]] of the [[National FFA Organization]] (formerly Future Farmers of America) can earn the title Accredited Parliamentarian. Parliamentarians perform an important role in many meetings, including counseling organizations on parliamentary law, holding elections, or writing amendments to the constitution and bylaws of an organization.


==Parliamentarians in the Republic of Ireland==
{{Main|Standing Orders of Dáil Éireann}}
[[Dáil Éireann]] follows standing orders originally adopted on 11 September 1922.<ref name=oireachtas>{{Cite web |title=How Parliament is run |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/how-parliament-is-run/ |website=Houses of the Oireachtas}}</ref> They were first adopted by the [[Third Dáil]] on 11 September 1922.<ref name=oireachtas/>
==See also==
* [[Group decision-making]]
* [[Lawmaking procedure in India]]
* [[Parliamentary procedure in the corporate world]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{NIE Poster|Parliamentary Law}}
* [http://www.robertsrules.com The Robert's Rules Association]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160904122247/http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/House/compendium/web-content/c_a_index-e.htm Compendium of Procedure for Canada's House of Commons]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20191212161525/http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/masons-manual-for-legislative-bodies.aspx National Conference of State Legislatures: Using Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure]
* [http://www.parliamentarians.org/ National Association of Parliamentarians]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151117170758/http://aipparl.org/site/ American Institute of Parliamentarians]

{{Parliamentary procedure}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Parliamentary Procedure}}
[[Category:Parliamentary procedure| ]]
[[Category:Political law]]