GM 2012-05-16 CCitizen Motion

Patrick Fitzgerald to move for the enactment of a Special Rule of Order.

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 That permission may be withdrawn or reinstated for any non-member individually or for all as a group with a majority vote on an undebatable motion to do so.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.

(privilege of the assembly means that it takes precedence over everything except a motion to recess, to adjourn, or to set when the assembly adjourns to, and those are all undebateable)

Additional comment about the motion:

Plain Language Version (for non-bureucrats): The default will now be everyone can have teh privilege to speak. If someone or all non-members are being disruptive any member can make a motion to revoke that privilege and it is dealt with immediately. There will be no debate (it should be obvious why this was invoked anyways) and go immediately to voting. A motion to restore the privileges cannot be made until things have changed (typically by moving on from the motion or order of business that caused this in the first place)