Committee

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Committee room, designed 1901, in Halifax Town Hall

A committee (or "commission") is a body of one or more persons that is subordinate
to a deliberative assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as
a way to explore them more fully than would be possible if the assembly itself were
considering them. Committees may have different functions and their type of work
differ depending on the type of the organization and its needs.

Contents
1 Purpose
1.1 Functions
1.2 Power and authority
2 Procedures
2.1 Commit (motion)
2.2 Recommit
2.3 Variations for full assembly consideration
2.4 Discharge a committee
3 Types
3.1 Executive committee
3.2 Conference committee
3.2.1 Different use of term
3.3 Standing committee
3.3.1 Legislatures
3.3.2 Examples in organizations
3.4 Nominating committee
3.5 Steering committee
3.6 Special committee
3.7 Subcommittee
3.8 Committee of the whole
3.9 Central Committee
4 See also
5 References
Purpose
A deliberative assembly may form a committee (or "commission") consisting of one or
more persons to assist with the work of the assembly.[1] For larger organizations,
much work is done in committees.[2] Committees can be a way to formally draw
together people of relevant expertise from different parts of an organization who
otherwise would not have a good way to share information and coordinate actions.
They may have the advantage of widening viewpoints and sharing out
responsibilities. They can also be appointed with experts to recommend actions in
matters that require specialized knowledge or technical judgment.

Functions
Committees can serve several different functions:

Governance
In organizations considered too large for all the members to participate in
decisions affecting the organization as a whole, a smaller body, such as a board of
directors, is given the power to make decisions, spend money, or take actions. A
governance committee is formed as a separate committee to review the performance of
the board and board policy as well as nominate candidates for the board.[3]
Coordination and administration
A large body may have smaller committees with more specialized functions. Examples
are an audit committee, an elections committee, a finance committee, a fundraising
committee, and a program committee. Large conventions or academic conferences are
usually organized by a coordinating committee drawn from the membership of the
organization.
Research and recommendations
Committees may be formed to do research and make recommendations on a potential or
planned project or change. For example, an organization considering a major capital
investment might create a temporary working committee of several people to review
options and make recommendations to upper management or the board of directors.
Discipline
A committee on discipline may be used to handle disciplinary procedures on members
of the organization.[4]
As a tactic for indecision
As a means of public relations by sending sensitive, inconvenient, or irrelevant
matters to committees, organizations may bypass, stall, or disacknowledge matters
without declaring a formal policy of inaction or indifference. However, this could
be considered a dilatory tactic.[5]
Power and authority
Generally, committees are required to report to their parent body. Committees do
not usually have the power to act independently unless the body that created it
gives it such power.[2]

Procedures
When a committee is formed, a chairman (or "chair" or "chairperson") is designated
for the committee.[6] Sometimes a vice-chairman (or similar name) is also
appointed.[7] It is common for the committee chairman to organize its meetings.
Sometimes these meetings are held through videoconferencing or other means if
committee members are not able to attend in person, as may be the case if they are
in different parts of the country or the world.

The chairman is responsible for running meetings. Duties include keeping the
discussion on the appropriate subject, recognizing members to speak, and confirming
what the committee has decided (through voting or by unanimous consent). Using
Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), committees may follow informal
procedures (such as not requiring motions if it's clear what is being discussed).
[8] The level of formality depends on the size and type of committee, in which
sometimes larger committees considering crucial issues may require more formal
processes.

Minutes are a record of the decisions at meetings. They can be taken by a person
designated as the secretary. For most organizations, committees are not required to
keep formal minutes.[8] However, some bodies require that committees take minutes,
especially if the committees are public ones subject to open meeting laws.

Committees may meet on a regular basis, such as weekly or more often, or meetings
may be called irregularly as the need arises. The frequency of the meetings depends
on the work of the committee and the needs of the parent body.

When the committee completes its work, it provides the results in a report to its
parent body. The report may include the methods used, the facts uncovered, the
conclusions reached, and any recommendations.[9] If the committee is not ready to
report, it may provide a partial report or the assembly may discharge the committee
of the matter so that the assembly can handle it. Also, if members of the committee
are not performing their duties, they may be removed or replaced by the appointing
power.[10] Whether the committee continues to exist after presenting its report
depends on the type of committee. Generally, committees established by the bylaws
or the organization's rules continue to exist, while committees formed for a
particular purpose go out of existence after the final report.

Commit (motion)
Commit (RONR)
Class Subsidiary motion
Requires second? Yes
Debatable? Yes, although debate on the motion must be confined to its merits only,
and cannot go into the main question except as necessary for debate of the
immediately pending question.
May be reconsidered? Yes, if a committee has not begun consideration of the
question. A negative vote on this motion can be reconsidered only until such time
as progress in business or debate has made it essentially a new question.
Amendable? Yes
Vote required Majority
In parliamentary procedure, the motion to commit (or refer) is used to refer
another motion�usually a main motion�to a committee.

A motion to commit should specify to which committee the matter is to be referred,

and if the committee is a special committee appointed specifically for purposes of
the referred motion, it should also specify the number of committee members and the
method of their selection, unless that is specified in the bylaws.[11]

Any proposed amendments to the main motion that are pending at the time the motion
is referred to a committee go to the committee as well.[10]

Once referred, but before the committee reports its recommendations back to the
assembly, the referred motion may be removed from the committee's consideration by
the motion to discharge a committee.

Recommit
In the United States House of Representatives, a motion to recommit can be made
with or without instructions. If the motion is made without instructions, the bill
or resolution is simply sent back to the committee. If the motion is made with
instructions and the motion is agreed to, the chairman of the committee in question
will immediately report the bill or resolution back to the whole House with the new
language. In this sense, a motion to recommit with instructions is effectively an
amendment.[12]

Variations for full assembly consideration

In Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), the motion to commit has three
variations which do not turn a question over to a smaller group, but simply permit
the assembly's full meeting body to consider it with the greater freedom of debate
that is allowed to committees. These forms are to go into a committee of the whole,
to go into a quasi-committee of the whole, and to consider informally. Passing any
of these motions removes the limitations on the number of times a member can speak.
[13] The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure has informal consideration, but
does not have "committee of the whole" and "quasi committee of the whole".[14]

Discharge a committee
Discharge a committee (RONR)
Class Motion that brings a question again before the assembly
In order when another has the floor? No
Requires second? Yes
Debatable? Yes; debate can go into question in hands of the committee
May be reconsidered? Negative vote only
Amendable? Yes
In Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, the motion to discharge a committee is
used to take a matter out of a committee's hands before the committee has made a
final report on it. A committee can use this motion to discharge a subcommittee.
[15]

The vote required is a majority vote if the committee has failed to report at the
prescribed time or if the assembly is considering a partial report of the
committee.[16] Otherwise, it requires a majority vote with previous notice; or a
two-thirds vote; or a majority of the entire membership.[16]

Under The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, the assembly that has referred
a motion or a matter to a committee may, by a majority vote, withdraw it at any
time from the committee, refer it to another committee, or decide the question
itself.[17]

Types
Executive committee
Organizations with a large board of directors (such as international labor unions,
large corporations with thousands of stock holders or national and international
organizations) may have a smaller body of the board, called an executive committee,
handle its business. The executive committee may function more like a board than an
actual committee.[18][19] In any case, an executive committee can only be
established through a specific provision in the charter or bylaws of the entity
(i.e. a board cannot appoint an executive committee without authorization to do
so).[18] Members of the executive committee may be elected by the overall
franchised membership or by the board, depending on the rules of the organization.
However formed, an executive committee only has such powers and authority that the
governing documents of the organization give it. In some cases, it may be empowered
to act on behalf of the board or organization, while in others, it may only be able
to make recommendations.[18]

Conference committee
Governments at the national level may have a conference committee. A conference
committee in a bicameral legislature is responsible for creating a compromise
version of a particular bill when each house has passed a different version.

A conference committee in the United States Congress is a temporary panel of

negotiators from the House of Representatives and the Senate. Unless one chamber
decides to accept the other's original bill, the compromise version must pass both
chambers after leaving the conference committee. The committee is usually composed
of the senior members of the standing committees that originally considered the
legislation in each chamber.

Other countries that use conference committees include France, Germany, Japan, and
Switzerland.[20] In Canada, conference committees have been unused since 1947.[21]
In the European Union (EU) legislative process, a similar committee is called a
Conciliation Committee, which carries out the Triologue negotiations in case the
Council does not agree with a text amended and adopted by the European Parliament
at a second reading.

Different use of term

In organizations, the term "conference committee" may have a different meaning.
This meaning may be associated with the conferences, or conventions, that the
organization puts together. The committees that are responsible for organizing such
events may be called "conference committees".

Standing committee
A standing committee is a subunit of a political or deliberative body established
in a permanent fashion to aid the parent assembly in accomplishing its duties, for
example by meeting on a specific, permanent policy domain (e.g. defence, health, or
trade and industry). A standing committee is granted its scope and powers over a
particular area of business by the governing documents.[22] Standing committees
meet on a regular or irregular basis depending on their function, and retain any
power or oversight originally given them until subsequent official actions of the
governing body (through changes to law or by-laws) disbands the committee.

Legislatures
Most governmental legislative committees are standing committees. The phrase is
used in the legislatures of the following countries:

Australia
Australian House of Representatives committees
Australian Senate committees
Canada
List of committees of the Canadian House of Commons
Standing committee (Canada)
China
Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China
Iceland
List of standing committees of the Icelandic parliament
India
Standing committee (India)
Malaysia
Dewan Rakyat committees
Dewan Negara committees
United Kingdom
Public bill committee
United States
Standing committee (United States Congress)
Under the laws of the United States of America, a standing committee is a
Congressional committee permanently authorized by United States House of
Representatives and United States Senate rules. The Legislative Reorganization Act
of 1946 greatly reduced the number of committees, and set up the legislative
committee structure still in use today, as modified by authorized changes via the
orderly mechanism of rules changes.

Examples in organizations
Examples of standing committees in organizations are an audit committee, an
elections committee, a finance committee, a fundraising committee, a governance
committee, and a program committee. Typically, the standing committees perform
their work throughout the year and present their reports at an annual meeting of
the organization.[23] These committees continue to exist after presenting their
reports, although the membership in the committees may change.

Nominating committee
A nominating committee (or nominations committee) is a group formed for the purpose
of nominating candidates for office or the board in an organization.[24] It may
consist of members from inside the organization. Sometimes a governance committee
takes the role of a nominating committee. Depending on the organization, this
committee may be empowered to actively seek out candidates or may only have the
power to receive nominations from members and verify that the candidates are
eligible.

A nominating committee works similarly to an electoral college, the main difference

being that the available candidates, either nominated or "written in" outside of
the committee's choices, are then voted into office by the membership. It is a part
of governance methods often employed by corporate bodies, business entities, and
social and sporting groups, especially clubs. The intention is that they be made up
of qualified and knowledgeable people representing the best interests of the
membership. In the case of business entities, their directors will often be brought
in from outside, and receive a benefit for their expertise.

In the context of nominations for awards, a nominating committee can also be formed
for the purpose of nominating persons or things held up for judgment by others as
to their comparative quality or value, especially for the purpose of bestowing
awards in the arts, or in application to industry's products and services. The
objective being to update, set, and maintain high and possibly new standards.

Steering committee
A steering committee is a committee that provides guidance, direction and control
to a project within an organization.[25] The term is derived from the steering
mechanism that changes the steering angle of a vehicle's wheels.

Project steering committees are frequently used for guiding and monitoring IT
projects in large organizations, as part of project governance. The functions of
the committee might include building a business case for the project, planning,
providing assistance and guidance, monitoring the progress, controlling the project
scope and resolving conflicts.

As with other committees, the specific duties and role of the steering committee
vary among organizations.

Special committee
See also: Select committee
A special committee (or working, select, or ad hoc committee) is established to
accomplish a particular task or to oversee a specific area in need of control or
oversight.[26] Many are research or coordination committees in type or purpose, and
are temporary. Some are a sub-group of a larger society with a particular area of
interest which are organized to meet and discuss matters pertaining to their
interests. For example, a group of astronomers might be organized to discuss how to
get the larger society to address near earth objects. A subgroup of engineers and
scientists of a large project's development team could be organized to solve some
particular issue with offsetting considerations and trade-offs. Once the committee
makes its final report to its parent body, the special committee ceases to exist.
[26]

Subcommittee
A committee that is a subset of a larger committee is called a subcommittee.
Committees that have a large workload may form subcommittees to further divide the
work. Subcommittees report to the parent committee and not to the general assembly.
[8][27]

Committee of the whole

Main article: Committee of the whole
When the entire assembly meets as a committee to discuss or debate, this is called
a "committee of the whole". This is not an actual committee but a procedural device
that is more commonly used in legislative bodies.

Central Committee
Main article: Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of
communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling
in the 20th century and of surviving communist states in the 21st century. In such
party organizations the committee would typically be made up of delegates elected
at a party congress. In those states where it constituted the state power, the
Central Committee made decisions for the party between congresses, and usually was
(at least nominally) responsible for electing the Politburo. In non-ruling
Communist parties, the Central Committee is usually understood by the party
membership to be the ultimate decision-making authority between Congresses once the
process of democratic centralism has led to an agreed-upon position