Special Rules of Order

These rules apply at general meetings and exist to supplement the 11th edition of Robert's Rules of Order in our general meetings.

=Open Debate= Instead of debate being handled by the chair recognizing individual members to speak, debate can also be held on Internet chat with everyone being allowed to speak at once. This rule cannot be used when the debate is not being conducted by an Internet chat session. This debate is called open debate, in contrast to the usual style of alternating debate.

In open debate, anyone can speak once. Normal debating limits do not apply. The default limit for open debate is 20 minutes, although this can be changed by a motion to Limit or Extend Limits of Debate. If a member wishes to move a motion, he should seek the floor exclusively by addressing the chair; the chair will ask the assembly to be quiet and recognize the member. Where a member would normally have a right to the first speech, that member has the right to a 5-minute speech at the start of an open debate.

Open debate can be imposed or lifted by a motion to Limit or Extend the Limits of Debate. Unless otherwise specified by the assembly, the time spent talking in open debate does not count for time in regular debate, nor vice versa. By default, a motion to switch the type of debate lasts until the immediately pending question is disposed of. If the motion is put off in some fashion, it will continue to apply if it comes again before the assembly on the same day.

=Permitting non-members to speak during meetings= Non-members shall normally be permitted to speak at meetings, including in debate. That permission may be withdrawn or reinstated for any non-member individually or for all as a group with a majority vote on an undebatable motion to do so. This motion is a question of the privilege of the assembly. The motion cannot be renewed or the opposite motion made after it is adopted unless it presents a fundamentally different question or the parliamentary situation has changed.

=IT Committee= The IT Committee shall be a standing committee of the Party, chaired by the IT Director. The IT Director will be elected by the Executive Board and serve for a term in the same manner as an officer. Additional members may be appointed or removed by the Executive Board or a general meeting as they see fit. The IT Committee is responsible and has power to oversee the technical operations of the Party. The IT Director shall have full access to the computer systems of the Party except as otherwise ordered by a general meeting; additional access may be provisioned by the IT Committee. Both general meetings and the Executive Board may issue directions to the IT Committee.

=Project Development Committee= The Project Development Committee shall be a standing committee of the Party, chaired by the Projects Manager. The Projects Manager shall be elected by the Committee, the Executive Board, or a general meeting from among the members of the Party. Except as otherwise decided by a general meeting or the Executive Board, the Committee can rescind an election of the Projects Manager made by a general meeting or the Executive Board.

The Executive Board and the Political Council may, from time to time, designate official Party projects within their respective areas to be managed by the Committee. Each such project shall have a leader appointed by the designating body. In case of a vacancy in a project's leadership, the Committee can appoint a replacement.

The membership of the Project Development Committee shall be the Projects Manager and the leaders of all Party projects managed by the Committee. The Committee can, by suspension of the rules or special rule of order, extend the rights to make motions and to speak to non-members, and should, wherever reasonable, ensure that all Party members participating on projects are able to participate in its meetings.

The Project Development Committee shall manage and coordinate the Party's projects. It shall receive and consider project proposals and recommend new projects to the Executive Board or the Political Council, as appropriate. It shall also recommend that projects be dropped Within the direction of the Committee, individual project leaders can make decisions with regards to their respective projects.

Nothing in this rule shall be construed as preventing the establishment of committees to manage specific projects.