Proposed Standing Rules for Hybrid Meeting
Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous 2025 Annual Session Proposed Standing Rules for Hybrid Meeting
Meeting Rules
1. Login time. The tech team shall provide internet meeting service availability to begin at least 10 minutes before the start of each meeting and workshop, if possible.
2. Quorum. A quorum shall be established and announced by the presiding officer or tech team, which can observe the in-person attendees and see the online list of participating voting members. After that, the continued presence of a quorum shall be presumed unless the tech team notifies the presiding officer of the lack of a quorum.
3. Technical requirements and malfunctions. Each attendee is responsible for the electronic connection to the meeting; no action shall be invalidated on the grounds that the loss or poor quality of an attendee’s individual connection prevented the attendee from participating in the meeting or workshop, nor will a refund be granted.
4. Forced muting or disconnections. The presiding officer may cause or direct the muting or disconnection of an attendee’s connection if it is causing undue interference with the meeting.
5. Recordings. Attendees shall not record any session or workshop.
6. Assignment of the floor. To seek recognition by the presiding officer, a virtually attending voting member shall type the member’s first name, first initial of the last name, city, and state, province, or county in the chat feature, and a voting member attending in person shall provide the member’s first name, first initial of the last name, city, and state, province, or country to a microphone monitor and state:
- the purpose for which recognition is being sought;
- the intention to speak for or against the motion; or
- (iii) the intention to make a Factual Inquiry, Parliamentary Inquiry, or Question of Privilege. The microphone monitor will enter the information into the chat feature for the in-person attendees. The raise hand feature shall not be used for these purposes.
An in-person tech team member(s) will monitor the chat feature and collaborate to ensure equity of recognition and keep track of the speaking order. The queue shall be cleared after the presiding officer states each new debatable motion.
Factual Inquiries, Parliamentary Inquiries, and Questions of Privilege shall be given priority in recognition.
7. Interrupting motions. Voting members wishing to make the interrupting motions, Point of Order and Appeal from the Decision of the Chair, shall raise their hands or audibly address the presiding officer either in person or virtually. No other motions will be allowed to interrupt. An in-person tech team(s) will assist the presiding officer to ensure interrupting motions are promptly addressed.
8. Identification of speaker. When recognized by the presiding officer, voting members shall state their first names, first initial of last name, city, and state, province, or country.
9. Motions must be submitted in writing. Voting members wishing to make a main motion or offer an amendment must email the motion in accordance with the posted procedure before being recognized.
10. Display of motions. The tech team will display the main motions or the pertinent parts of main motions, amendments, and other documents currently before the assembly to the extent feasible.
11. Names of members making motions. The motion maker’s name shall not be included in the minutes of the annual session.
12. Debate. Only FA voting members registered for the World Service Conference have the right to speak on issues before the assembly. A voting member may speak up to twice, for up to two minutes each time, on a debatable motion.
13. Discussion time. The total discussion time for each main motion shall be limited to twenty minutes, unless the Chair, in the Chair’s sole discretion, chooses to allow up to 5 additional minutes. Any further extensions will require unanimous consent or a two-thirds vote to suspend the rules.
14. Voting and balloting. Only FA voting members who are registered by the registration deadline for the World Service Conference and in compliance with the membership date of record shall have the right to vote. Votes shall be taken by general consent or by an external electronic voting service. A virtually attending voting member shall object to general consent by typing the member’s name and voting number in the chat feature with the note that the member is objecting. A voting member attending in person shall rise in place and provide the member’s name and voting number and state that the member is objecting. Objection by Ballot votes, if required, shall be taken anonymously using an external electronic voting service.
15. Bylaws and Standing Orders corrections. The Bylaws Committee shall be authorized to correct article and section designations, punctuation, grammar, syntax, and cross-references and to make such other technical and conforming changes as may be necessary to reflect the intent of the decisions arising from the FA World Service Conference business meeting.
16. Candidates’ speeches. Each candidate whose name has been circulated to the voting members before the FA World Service Conference business meeting (or that person’s designee) shall have up to two minutes for remarks. Candidates shall speak in alphabetical order by first name by position.
