Request to be excused from a duty

The motion to request to be excused from a duty is used when a member of a deliberative assembly wishes to be excused from, for instance, attending a certain number of meetings, preparing talks or papers, serving on committees, etc. It is also called a resignation and could be from an officer position or even from the organization itself.

Explanation and Use

Request to be excused from a duty (RONR)

Class	Incidental motion
In order when another has the floor?	Yes
Requires second?	Yes, if motion is made by member to be excused, no, if made by another member
Debatable?	Yes
May be reconsidered?	Negative vote only
Amendable?	Yes
Vote required	Majority

Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised

The motion to request to be excused from a duty is used when a member of a deliberative assembly wishes to be excused from, for instance, attending a certain number of meetings, preparing talks or papers, serving on committees, etc. A non-compulsory duty can be declined at the time the member is named to it (or first learns of it) but if he remains silent, he is regarded as accepting it. At that point, if the member is unable or unwilling to discharge the duty, he generally submits a resignation in writing to the secretary or appointing power, and the chair assumes a motion that the resignation be accepted. Unlike the other requests and inquiries, this motion is debatable and amendable. The member should not abandon the duties until the resignation has been accepted or there has been a reasonable opportunity for it to be accepted.

Sometimes a member wants to withdraw the resignation. This could be done at any time before the resignation is placed before the accepting body. After it is placed before the assembly, it can only be withdrawn by the consent of that body.