Which statement best describes the requirement for a second on committee recommendations?

• A. A second is never required for any committee recommendation.
• B. A second is always required for committee recommendations.
• C. A second is required only if the committee has more than one member.
• D. No, recommendations from a committee of more than one member do not require a second.

Answer: (D)

In parliamentary practice, a second is a requirement for motions brought from the floor. A committee’s recommendation, however, is presented as a single report rather than a floor motion. When the committee has more than one member, its recommendations can be considered and acted upon as a unit without the need for a second to be placed on a floor motion. If someone wants to debate or amend items within the report, those would become floor motions and would require a second, but the initial act of presenting and accepting the committee’s recommendations does not. That’s why the correct understanding is that no second is required for committee recommendations from a multi-member committee.