Felt’s Parliamentary Procedure/Parliamentary Inquiry

by Orson B. Felt

Layout 2

PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY.

35. If at any time a member is in doubt as to whether a rule of the assembly or of parliamentary law is violated, or if he wants information as to the parliamentary effect of any question before the assembly, or to a motion which he desires to bring up for consideration, or if he is in doubt as to the proper form relative to some business before the assembly, he may rise to a parliamentary inquiry for the purpose of information, or to secure a ruling of the chair on the subject.

Parliamentary inquiries are of the same nature of privileged questions, and may even interrupt a highly privileged question if requiring immediate action; they rank with points of order, questions of privilege, questions of consideration, etc., inasmuch as they do not require to be seconded and the member making the inquiry does not wait for recognition before stating his object in rising. They should not interrupt a member speaking unless they refer to a matter requiring immediate action. When a speaker is so interrupted he retains his right to the floor, after the inquiry is answered.

36. The form is, “Mr. Chairman, I rise to a parliamentary inquiry.” The chair then asks the member to state his inquiry, which he does. After the member has stated his inquiry the chair gives the desired information, or if the chair is undecided as to the proper procedure, he may either submit it at once to the vote of the assembly, or he may ask the opinion of the members before answering the inquiry; this giving of such opinions should not take the form of a debate, and the chair may at any time decide the question. This decision is subject to an appeal to the assembly.