What is an amendment in the second degree?

• A. An amendment to the main question
• B. An amendment to be introduced by the chair
• C. An amendment to the vote tally
• D. An amendment to the amendment

Answer: (D)

In parliamentary procedure, amendments can target a motion, and there are levels to those amendments. A first-degree amendment changes the main motion itself. If someone then proposes to modify that amendment, you have an amendment to the amendment—the second degree. So an amendment in the second degree is precisely an amendment to the amendment.

For example, if the main motion is to adopt a policy and an initial amendment adds a deadline, altering that deadline within the same amendment would be an amendment to the amendment. The other options don’t describe this level of amendment: changing the main motion is a first-degree amendment; who introduces the amendment isn’t about degree; and altering the vote tally isn’t about an amendment to the amendment.