Also known as: postpones temporarily · postponed temporarily · postponing temporarily · continuance · adjournment
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A parliamentary motion that sets aside a main motion for later consideration without reaching a final decision on its merits.
After the House passed a revenue bill and sent it to the Senate, a senator moved to postpone temporarily further debate on amendments. The motion passed, setting the bill aside until the next legislative day without rejecting the measure.
During a board meeting, a director moved to postpone temporarily discussion of whether to terminate an agent's purchasing authority. The motion carried, leaving the agent's status unchanged until the next scheduled session.
At a city council hearing on condemning a view easement, a member moved to postpone temporarily the vote on the taking resolution. The motion succeeded, deferring the decision while the council gathered additional appraisal data.
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In probate court, a creditor moved to postpone temporarily enforcement proceedings against a fee simple conditional estate. The court granted the motion, holding the lien action in abeyance pending resolution of the estate's alienability issues.
During contract negotiations, one party moved to postpone temporarily debate on whether an event had discharged performance obligations. The motion passed, allowing both sides additional time to review cost data before resuming.
At a trust beneficiaries' meeting, a motion to postpone temporarily any vote on terminating the irrevocable trust was approved. The group deferred the decision until the trustee could provide updated financial projections.
Postponing temporarily sets the motion aside for later consideration at a specified or unspecified future time. Postponing indefinitely disposes of the motion for the remainder of the session without a merits vote.
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The motion remains pending and returns as unfinished business at the next meeting or when the body resumes consideration.
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Yes. The motion removes the main question from immediate consideration without requiring the body to decide its substance.
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It is usually debatable only as to the time or duration of the postponement, not the merits of the underlying motion.
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…2, c. 87. The Act permits a licensed physician to perform an abortion where two other licensed physicians agree (a) "that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman, or of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman or any existing children of her family, greater…