Robert's Rules Minute is a new periodic feature of County Officials E-News. We plan to share more topic-specific procedural information related to Robert's Rules of Order in the future; stay tuned!
Under Robert’s Rules, the Motion to Reconsider allows a commission to revisit a decision made earlier. But there’s an important catch: generally, only a member who voted on the prevailing side may move to reconsider.
Why? The rule prevents the losing side from repeatedly bringing back the same issue hoping for a different result.
Reconsider also has specific timing requirements and is different from Rescind or Amend Something Previously Adopted, which may be appropriate when the assembly wants to change an earlier action later.
As always, check applicable Tennessee law and your local rules, which take precedence over Robert’s Rules.
Learn more about parliamentary procedures in e-Li, our electronic library.