A. The recording of official state House of Delegates business
meetings by any electronic device is strictly prohibited
without the express approval of the TSTA President or Executive
Director.
B. Any rule herein provided may be suspended by two-thirds
(2/3) vote of the members present and voting.
C. The order of business may be suspended by two-thirds
(2/3) vote of the delegates present and voting.
D. All voting delegates who have been properly certified to
the state House of Delegates shall wear the proper identification
badges visible on the front at all times during the
state House of Delegates.
E. Only certified voting delegates have permanent floor privileges
for the duration of the state House of Delegates.
Staff may be on the floor only when conducting official
state House of Delegates business. No other person may
be on the floor unless at the direction or invitation of the
TSTA President or Executive Director.
F. All main motions and amendments shall be in writing,
signed by the maker and seconder, and sent to the Chair
before recognition is sought to offer the motion. If a delegate
is recognized to make a motion and that motion has
not been submitted in writing before such recognition, then
that delegate shall lose recognition and will have to seek
recognition again after submitting the motion in writing.
G. Objection to the consideration of a motion shall only be in
order immediately after the maker of the motion or NBI
has had the opportunity to speak to it.
H. Any delegate wishing to speak must rise, address the
Chair, and give name, local association, region, and
whether speaking as an individual or for a group before
being assigned the floor.
I. No more than two (2) delegates will be recognized for requests
for information prior to debate on any given motion
and amendment. Further points of information will be
recognized in the regular speaking order.
J. No delegate shall speak in debate more than twice to the
same question during the same meeting, nor longer than
three (3) minutes at one time.
K. A delegate shall not speak for or against a motion and
move to close debate on the same recognition.
L. Calling the Previous Question shall require approval
by two-thirds (2/3) of the delegates present and voting.
M. A counted vote shall be taken only after approval, by a
standing vote, of a majority of the delegates present. The
doors shall be closed while a count is being taken under
the charge of the Credentials, Bylaws, and Elections
Committee.
N. All new business items not previously submitted shall be
presented in writing to the Chair within one hour after
adoption of these Standing Rules. The maker of any submitted
NBI that will be ruled out of order as written shall be notified at least
30 minutes before the beginning of the second business session and
be allowed to move a modified NBI.
O. When the Chair of the Legislative Committee presents
the Legislative Program, it shall include a motion to adopt that
program. That motion shall remain pending while any
amendments dealing with the Legislative Program are considered.
All such amendments shall be written in a Legislative
Program Amendment Form and shall be declared out
of order if not written in the form of an amendment to the
Legislative Program.
P. New business items (NBIs) coming before the House of
Delegates shall be considered in the order received.
Q. The order of business shall provide one hour for consideration
of new business items at the second business
session and at least one hour for consideration of new business
items at the start of the third business session.
R. New business items (NBIs) adopted by the state House of
Delegates shall be assigned to an appropriate TSTA
committee or TSTA center by the Executive Director and
President. It shall be the responsibility of committees or
centers to carry out directions of the state House of Delegates’
adopted new business items until achieved or
changed by a subsequent state House of Delegates action.
S. A committee chairperson and/or designee and the Executive
Director and President shall report to succeeding Houses of
Delegates action taken to achieve the purposes of the new
business items referred as provided in Item R. above.
T. Smoking shall not be permitted on the floor of the House
of Delegates.
U. Cell phones shall be in silent mode during all business
sessions.
These Standing Rules are subject to amendment from the floor before adoption. Amendments are approved by simple majority vote, and final adoption as amended by two-thirds (2/3) vote.