Amendments are debatable only if the motion to which they apply is debatable.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Sometimes
• D. Not sure

Answer: (A)

In parliamentary procedure, whether you can discuss an amendment depends on whether the main motion it changes is open to discussion. An amendment is a modification to that motion, so it shares the same debate status as the motion it amends. If the main motion is debatable, you may discuss and vote on the amendment as part of the same debate. If the main motion is not debatable, there is no opportunity to debate the amendment either. That’s why this statement is true: amendments are debatable only when the motion they apply to is debatable. For example, you can debate an amendment to a budget approval because the main motion is debatable; but if the main motion isn’t debatable, the amendment isn’t debatable either.