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Standing Orders for the BGCM
1. The President shall maintain order and decide all points of order.
2. The President shall decide priority of speeches, according to the order in which a delegate catches
his/her eye.
3. The President shall call for the terms of a motion, or an amendment, before any speech is
delivered thereon. Except in the case of an emergency approved by the Executive Committee and
the General Council no motion or amendment can be moved unless submitted in accordance with
the terms of Rule 6 of the Federation's rules.
4. In the case of a disorder arising, the President shall have the power to adjourn the meeting to a
time he/she shall fix, and his/her leaving the Chair shall terminate the session.
5. Should there be equality of votes on any issue where the vote is taken by show of hands the
President may, subject to the terms of Rule 7, exercise a casting vote.
6. When a report is submitted by a committee, a member of that committee shall have the right to
move its adoption.
7. The previous question, or the motion to pass to next business, shall always have priority, and if
carried, the next business must be taken.
8. The mover only of an original motion shall have the right to reply, but in his/her reply he/she must
not introduce new matter. Other delegates can only be heard by permission of the meeting, and to
clear up misunderstandings with regard to essential parts of their previous speeches.
9. If a delegate rises to a point of order, he/she must specify the rule or practice which he/she thinks
is being violated. The delegate in possession of the floor must sit down while the point of order is
being raised, and the objector must sit down while the President is giving a ruling.
10. Discussion shall cease if the motion 'that the question be now put' is carried by a two thirds
majority.
11. At an adjourned debate the mover of the adjournment shall be first heard.
12. No amendment shall be proposed which would be tantamount to a direct negative of the whole
proposal.
13. An amendment must be seconded in the same way as motions, otherwise it must drop.
14. When an amendment has been moved and seconded it must be stated from the Chair before the
debate is allowed to proceed.
15. There can be only one amendment before the meeting at one time.
16. If the amendment is put and carried it then becomes the substantive motion to which another
amendment can be moved before it is put and carried as the substantive motion.
17. If the amendment is put and lost the original motion is then open to the moving of another
amendment which, if carried becomes the substantive motion.
18. No delegate can move two amendments of the same motion.