What Does It Mean to Table Something?
“Tabling” an item is a term most often applied to an issue or agenda item within the context of a formal meeting. The term has different meanings in different English-speaking countries, with a crucial difference between U. S. and British usages. .(reference 1)
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British Usage
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To table an issue means that the issue is “placed on the table” for consideration or discussion.
U.S. Usage
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To table an issue means that discussion of the issue is postponed, possibly indefinitely.
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Parliamentary Procedure
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Under “Robert’s Rules of Order,” the recognized compendium of parliamentary procedure, a motion to “lay on the table” asks the body to set aside an issue until after a different, more pressing, issue has been addressed. The first issue remains on the body's docket until taken up again and resolved.
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