What happens when a procedural motion is moved "That the matter lie on the table"?

Let me be upfront: this one is for the procedural enthusiasts. If you’ve ever chaired a formal meeting and found yourself in a tangle with a motion that wasn’t quite right to proceed with but couldn’t simply be dismissed, this is for you.

The Scenario

A motion is on the floor. It’s been properly moved and seconded. But something isn’t right — not wrong enough to rule it out of order, but problematic enough that proceeding immediately seems unwise.

Perhaps key information is missing. Perhaps a party who should have been consulted hasn’t been. Perhaps the matter relates to a legal question that hasn’t yet been fully resolved. Perhaps time simply needs to pass before the matter can be properly decided.

The meeting can’t just ignore it. But it also shouldn’t debate and decide it right now.

What are the options?

The Motion to Lie on the Table

“To lie on the table” is a formal procedural motion. 

The purpose of the motion is to defer further consideration of the matter currently before the meeting, without setting a specific time for when it will be revisited.

It works like this: a member moves “that the matter lie on the table.” This is a debatable motion — members can speak to whether deferral is appropriate. If carried, the matter is set aside. It remains available for the meeting to retrieve at any point — a member can move “that the matter be taken from the table” — but it’s removed from the current agenda.

When It’s the Right Tool

The motion to lie on the table is appropriate when:

More information is needed before the meeting can decide wisely. Rather than proceeding on incomplete information or deferring to a future meeting, the group sets the matter aside pending the arrival of that information.

An expert or interested party should be heard before a decision is made. If someone with directly relevant knowledge is absent, tabling gives space for their input to be obtained.

Emotions in the room are running too high for productive deliberation. Sometimes the right decision is to let the temperature drop before the matter is revisited.

The meeting is running short on time. The matter can be returned to at the same or a future meeting when sufficient time is available.

What It Doesn’t Do

The motion to lie on the table is not a way to kill a motion that’s being proposed but is expected to fail. It doesn’t make the matter disappear. The matter remains on the table — literally and figuratively — available to be retrieved at any time.

It’s also not a substitute for a proper adjournment of discussion. If the intent is to defer the matter to a specific future meeting, a motion to defer with a date is more appropriate than the open-ended “lie on the table.”

The Chair’s Responsibility

When a motion to lie on the table is proposed, the chair should ensure the meeting understands:

What happens to the matter after it’s tabled (it remains available but inactive until retrieved).

Under what circumstances it’s likely to be retrieved and when (if that’s known).

That tabling is a procedural decision, not a substantive one — it doesn’t express any view on the merits of the original motion.

This transparency prevents the motion from being used as a covert way to block business, while still allowing it to serve its legitimate purpose of sensible deferral.

The Broader Principle

Procedural tools exist to serve the meeting’s business, not to obstruct it. The motion to lie on the table, used appropriately, is one of the most useful tools a chair has for managing situations where proceeding immediately isn’t wise.

Understanding it clearly — what it does, what it doesn’t, and when it’s appropriate — is part of the literacy that makes a chair genuinely effective in formal meeting contexts.

Please Note: The author accepts no responsibility for anything which occurs directly or indirectly as a result of using any of the suggestions or procedures detailed in this blog. All suggestions and procedures are provided in good faith as general guidelines only and should be used in conjunction with relevant legislation, constitutions, rules, laws, by-laws, and with reasonable judgement.