Which option describes how a committee gains the authority to take final action?

• A. It is never allowed.
• B. It is granted by the assembly.
• C. It is automatically granted to any committee.
• D. It is decided by a roll-call vote of all members.

Answer: (B)

In parliamentary procedure, a committee’s power to take final action only exists because the assembly explicitly grants it. When the assembly creates or assigns a committee, it can specify that the committee may act on behalf of the body on certain matters, within defined limits. That authorization is typically set out in the resolution establishing the committee or in the charge given in the motion appointing it. Without that clear delegation, a committee can only make recommendations and cannot bind the organization with final decisions.

So, the mechanism by which a committee gains the authority to act finally is the grant from the assembly. It’s not that such power is automatic for any committee, nor that it’s never allowed, and it isn’t decided by a roll-call vote of all members—the authority comes from the assembly’s formal authorization.