Postpone to a certain time

Postpone to a certain time (RONR)
Class	Subsidiary motion
In order when another has the floor?	No
Requires second?	Yes
Debatable?	Yes
May be reconsidered?	Yes
Amendable?	Yes
Vote required	Majority, unless it makes the question a special order, in which case a two-thirds vote is required

In parliamentary procedure in the United States, a motion to postpone to a certain time (or postpone definitely or postpone) is used to delay action on a pending question until a different day, meeting, hour or until after a certain event. Then, when that time comes, the consideration of the question is picked up where it was left off when it was postponed.

Explanation and use

Using Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), action on a pending question may be postponed to another time. Alternatively, a motion can be postponed until after a specific event has occurred, such as after an officer makes a relevant report. A postponed question becomes an order of the day (a general order or a special order in the order of business) for the time to which it is postponed.^[1] Postponing a motion is permitted so long as:

There is a meeting on the date the motion is postponed to. For example, a main motion cannot be postponed to a day where there is no regular meeting or where a special meeting has not been planned yet.
The date to which the main motion is being postponed is not too late for it to be effective. For example, if the main motion proposes that there be a picnic on September 3, the motion cannot be postponed to September 5, because that would be too late for it to be carried out.

Under Demeter's Manual, if a motion to postpone definitely specifies a time that falls after the next regular meeting, or after a certain event which will not occur until after the next regular meeting, then it is treated as a motion to postpone indefinitely, which effectively ends consideration of the pending question.^[2]

A motion to postpone an action or event that was previously scheduled is distinct from the subsidiary motion to postpone to a certain time, and is a type of the motion to amend something previously adopted.^[3]

Generally, a motion to postpone is applied to a main motion and not to other motions alone.^[4]

Debate on the motion to postpone to a certain time should be brief and confined only to the reasons for and time of the postponement.^[5] Amendments to it may only relate to the desired date that the assembly will resume consideration or if the question is to be a special order.^[5]

The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure (TSC) treats the motion to postpone to a certain time similar to that in RONR. A difference is that TSC does not allow this motion to be reconsidered.^[6]

Improper use of tabling a motion

Frequently, a motion is improperly "tabled" until the next meeting. In this case, the proper procedure would have been to postpone the motion to the next meeting.^[7]

References

^ Robert, Henry M.; et al. (2011). Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (11th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo Press. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-306-82020-5.
^ Demeter, George (1969). Demeter's Manual of Parliamentary Law and Procedure, Blue Book, p. 89
^ Robert 2011, p. 180
^ Robert 2011, p. 181
^ ^a ^b Robert 2011, p. 182
^ Sturgis, Alice (2001). The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, 4th ed., p. 58–62
^ Robert III, Henry M. (2011). "Frequently Asked Questions about RONR (Question 12)". The Official Robert's Rules of Order Web Site. The Robert's Rules Association. Retrieved 2016-02-13.

[1] Robert, Henry M.; et al. (2011). Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (11th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo Press. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-306-82020-5.

[2] Demeter, George (1969). Demeter's Manual of Parliamentary Law and Procedure, Blue Book, p. 89

[3] Robert 2011, p. 180

[4] Robert 2011, p. 181

[:0-5] Robert 2011, p. 182

[6] Sturgis, Alice (2001). The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, 4th ed., p. 58–62

[7] Robert III, Henry M. (2011). "Frequently Asked Questions about RONR (Question 12)". The Official Robert's Rules of Order Web Site. The Robert's Rules Association. Retrieved 2016-02-13.

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v t e Parliamentary procedure
Major concepts	History of parliamentary procedure Principles of parliamentary procedure Deliberative assembly Committee Session Quorum Chair Floor Recognition Motion Second Debate Main motion Order of business Minutes Voting methods in deliberative assemblies Majority Unanimous consent
Subsidiary motions	Postpone indefinitely Amend Commit Postpone to a certain time Limit or extend limits of debate Previous question Cloture Lay on the table
Privileged motions	Call for the orders of the day Raise a question of privilege Recess Adjourn Fix the time to which to adjourn
Incidental motions	Point of order Appeal Suspend the rules Objection to the consideration of a question Division of a question Consideration by paragraph or seriatim Division of the assembly Motions relating to methods of voting and the polls Motions relating to nominations Prayer motion Request to be excused from a duty Requests and inquiries (Parliamentary inquiry, Request for information, Request for permission to withdraw or modify a motion, Request to read papers, Request for any other privilege)
Motions that bring a question again before the assembly	Take from the table Rescind, repeal, annul or amend something previously adopted Discharge a committee Reconsider
Legislative procedures	Call of the house Hoist Motion to pass on Recall of Parliament
Disciplinary procedures	Censure Declare the chair vacant Impeach Naming
Parliamentary authorities	Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR) The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure (TSC or Sturgis) Demeter's Manual of Parliamentary Law and Procedure Riddick's Rules of Procedure Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice Jefferson's Manual Lex Parliamentaria Odgers' Australian Senate Practice House of Representatives Practice Bourinot's Rules of Order Beauchesne's Parliamentary Rules and Forms Morin code ABC of Chairmanship
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