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19 20 <br /> vacant seats. A member who has withdrawn from a meeting <br /> without being excused by majority vote of the remaining <br /> members present shall be counted as present for purposes of <br /> determining whether or not a quorum is present. <br /> Rule 18. Debate.The chair shall state the motion and then open <br /> the floor to debate, presiding over the debate according to these <br /> general principles: <br /> 1. The member making the motion or introducing the ordinance, <br /> resolution,or order is entitled to speak first. <br /> 2. A member who has not spoken on the issue shall be <br /> recognized before someone who has already spoken. <br /> 3. To the extent possible, the debate shall alternate between <br /> opponents and proponents of the measure. <br /> Rule 19. Procedural Motions. <br /> (a) In addition to substantive proposals,the procedural motions <br /> listed in subsection (b) of this rule, and no others, shall be in <br /> order. Unless otherwise noted, each motion is debatable, may be <br /> amended, and requires a majority vote for adoption. <br /> Comment: This rule substantially departs from Robert's Rules of <br /> Order. Each procedural motion in Robert's Rules of Order was <br /> reviewed to determine whether it was appropriate for use by a <br /> small board; substantial modifications and deletions were the <br /> result. The following enumeration of procedural motions is <br /> exhaustive; if a procedural option is not on the list, it is not <br /> available. <br /> (b)In order of priority(if applicable),the procedural motions are: <br /> Comment: While a substantive motion is out of order if <br /> another substantive motion is pending, several procedural <br /> motions can be entertained in succession without <br /> necessarily disposing of the immediately pending one. The <br /> order of the list below establishes which procedural motion <br /> yields to which-for example,a move to defer consideration(6) <br /> may be made while a move to refer to committee(9)is pending <br /> be-cause(6)ranks higher on the list. <br /> 1. To Appeal a Procedural Ruling of the Presiding Officer. A <br /> decision of the presiding officer ruling a motion in or out of <br /> order, determining whether a speaker has gone beyond <br />