BECOME AN ENDORSING CHAPTER

Posted on by Laura McDonald

Amend Article III, Section 2 – Admission

To become an endorsing chapter, your chapter must vote to endorse.

Step 1: Gather the following documents:

–Proposal to Amend the National Bylaws, Article III, Section 2
–Rationale Source Documents
-The President General’s Message from October 2023
-The President General’s FAQ
–Legal Memorandum provided by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Harmeet Dhillon

If Your Chapter Regent is Even-Handed

  • The best practice is to let your regent know of your intent to make this motion to be an endorsing chapter. Consider sending her a private email or making a phone call letting her know your intentions. Ask her if she will put the item on the meeting agenda and if she will send copies of the documents listed above to all chapter members so that all members have a chance to read and digest the information – you will have to provide these documents to your regent – all can be downloaded using the links above.
  • At this point, the process should be no different than making a motion of any other sort – there should be debate -a majority vote is required to adopt the motion.

If Your Chapter Regent is NOT Even-Handed

  • Sadly, some chapter regents are not compliant when this topic comes up. First, please remind your regent that “While regents should maintain impartiality, they have a duty to ensure members understand both sides of any issue. For informed decision-making, all members deserve to know the complete picture.” -S. Johnston (Texas State Regent, March 18, 2025)
  • If you know up front that your regent is in personal opposition to this effort, whether they are apathetic, fearful of losing their status or position within the DAR, or an ideologue, then you will have to bring the motion up at the appropriate time during your meeting – usually this would fall under New Business.
  • Ask to be recognized at which point you will make the motion… “I move that the _______________Chapter authorizes the regent to be an endorsing chapter to the proposal to amend the National Bylaws, Article III, Membership, Section 2, Admission“
  • Be sure that you have someone there to second the motion.
  • You will also need to provide copies of the documents listed above to your chapter members. You may consider emailing these documents to them in advance so that they have time to read and digest all of the information.

FAQs/Parliamentary Pointers

Q: Members are being told that if their chapter endorses, members who have aspirations for state/national positions will have to leave their chapter because they cannot be associated with a chapter that endorses. Can National retaliate against chapters just for endorsing the Martha Laird Proposal to amend the National Bylaws?

A: NO. Not by the rules.

Eligibility requirements for serving in office are prescribed in DAR governing documents.

“…the board has only such power as is delegated to it by the bylaws or by vote of the society’s assembly referring individual matters to it.” – RONR (12th ed.) 49:5

“…it is not necessary to have a rule prohibiting a member from throwing a brick at the presiding officer…” – Henry M. Robert, Parliamentary Law, Q&A #190.

Members seeking a bylaw amendment are acting in good faith according to Article XXI of the National Bylaws. Accusing members of crimes in pursuit of that goal is a serious violation of parliamentary law and basic human decency.

  • The Texas State Regent has made unsubstantiated claims that members who support a bylaw amendment to keep the DAR a women’s only organization have committed serious crimes saying they are responsible for the doxxing of members, inciting death threats against members and their family and of spreading hate and vitriol.
  • The Texas State Regent has provided no evidence that members have incited death threats. Instead, she makes these claims based on hearsay causing reputational damage to those she disagrees with. If such crimes have been committed there should be evidence of this and members should face disciplinary charges and expulsion and legal consequences.
  • When pressed for evidence of these claims or whether or not this is merely hearsay, the Texas State Regent remains silent.
  • At best the State Regent’s claims are reckless, showing a disregard for the reputational damage she is causing to members. At worst her claims are used as a means to send a message to members that if you speak out on an issue (as is our right as members) that state or national disagrees with, you will be met with accusations meant to destroy your reputation.
  • Lastly, Robert’s Rules of Order explicitly prohibits these tactics:
    • Debate must be confined to the merits of the pending question. Speakers must address their remarks to the chair, maintain a courteous tone, and — especially in reference to any divergence of opinion — avoid injecting a personal note into debate. To this end, they must never attack or make any allusion to the motives of members. As already noted, speakers should refer to officers only by title and should avoid the mention of other members’ names as much as possible. RONR 4:30
    • A member or officer has the right that allegations against her good name shall not be made except by charges brought on reasonable ground. If thus accused, she has the right to due process-that is, to be informed of the charge and given time to prepare her defense, to appear and defend herself, and to be fairly treated. RONR 63:5

Q: Are State and/or National Officers allowed to participate in the debate of the motion?


A: If they are not a member of the chapter – NO. If they are a member of the chapter – Yes.

Q: What if a State and/or National Officer attends the chapter meeting and speaks before debate begins?

A: The ASSEMBLY has control over the order of events of their meeting. Members can politely move that the state and/or national officer speak after the chapter has had a chance to debate and vote without the influence of the officer(s). This can be done by amending the meeting agenda. Meeting agendas must be adopted. See RONR § 41:63

Q: Am I violating the Circularization Policy by talking about the Proposal to Amend the National Bylaws with members?

A: There are no rules in the National Bylaws against members having general conversations. The National Board of Management decides whether a member has violated the circularization policy. -B. Przybylski (National Parliamentarian, March 28, 2025).

Q. Are State and/or National Officers allowed to participate in debate of the motion to endorse?

A. If they are not a member of the chapter – NO. If they are a member of the chapter – Yes.

Q: What if a State and/or National Officer attends a meeting and speaks before our chapter has a chance to make a motion and debate?


A: Member may make a motion to have the Officer speak after the chapter has had a chance to vote on the motion. This can be requested politely and respectfully. The meeting agenda is amendable and must be adopted by the ASSEMBLY.

Q: Am I violating the Circularization Policy by sending the proposal and supporting documents to other members via email or in any other format?

The Circularization Policy can be found in the Handbook and in the Standing Rules at the back of the National Bylaws. The wording is different in each case. Standing Rule #2 reads:

Circularization. No member of the National Society is authorized to issue circulars about the National Society or state organization or the organization of chapters without the approval of the National Board of Management.

There is clearly no violation of Standing Rule #2.

The Handbook reads:

Since 1896, the NSDAR has used the term `circularization’ to mean “cause to become widely known,” as in spreading information or circulating a rumor that disturbs the harmony or injures the good name of
the National Society. [Reaffirmed by National Board of Management ruling, October 2012]. No member of the National Society is authorized to issue circulars about the National Society or state organization or the organization of chapters without the approval of the National Board of Management. (NSDAR Bylaws Standing Rule A.2) No member is authorized to circulate information, including via email or social media, in an effort to create disharmony, dictate policy or harm the good name of the National Society its states or its chapters. This is necessary in order to preserve uniformity and to prevent conflict of authority. All inquiries shall be referred to the individual’s duly elected representative on the National Board of Management for potential consideration by that governing body.

To parse this out, the areas of concern are
-spreading misinformation
-circulating a rumor that disturbs the harmony or injures the good name of the National Society
-in an effort to create disharmony, dictate policy or harm the good name of the National Society, its states or its chapters

By sending this legitimate proposal to your fellow members, duly adopted by the Martha Laird Chapter on February 22, 2025, you are not:
-spreading misinformation
-circulating a rumor that disturbs the harmony or injures the good name of the National Society
-sending with the effort to create disharmony, dictate policy or harm the good name of the National Society, its states or its chapters, but rather the opposite. Our efforts are to restore harmony, shore up existing policy, and restore the good name of the National Society.

The following request was sent to the National Parliamentarian, Texas State Parliamentarian and Texas State Regent in many different emails: Please provide clarity as to how members are to seek chapter endorsements according to Article XXI of the National Bylaws without threat of violating the Circularization Policy.

Since all declined to address this direct request as to how members are to seek chapter endorsements according to Article XXI of the National Bylaws without threat of violating the Circularization Policy we should assume that presenting this legitimate proposal, whether verbally, via email, or in physical form to seek chapter endorsements according to Article XXI of the National Bylaws is not a violation of the Circularization Policy.

Q: Is there a 2/3 vote required to adopt the motion?

A: No – this is not a motion to amend chapter bylaws! Your chapter bylaws likely has an article on the requirements to amend chapter bylaws – this is not a motion to amend your local chapter bylaws. This is a motion to endorse the proposal to amend the National Bylaws – a majority vote is required to adopt the motion.

Q: What if my Chapter Regent and/or Recording Secretary refuses to sign the adopted motion?

A: Robert’s Rules of Order, 12th Edition, Section 47.7 states, in part, that a duty of the presiding officer includes authenticating by her signature, when necessary, all acts, orders, and proceedings of the assembly.  The Regent’s signature on the proposed resolution is simply an authentication/affirmation of the action taken by the Chapter and is not a representation of the Regent’s personal opinion.  The same holds true for the Secretary as she is the custodian of the records.

When your Chapter Regent and Recording Secretary were installed as officers they swore an oath that they “accept the responsibilities and duties of the office they now assume.”

They also promised to “faithfully perform the duties of their office to the best of their ability and understanding, God being their helper.”

Q: What if a motion is made to “table” the motion or “lay the motion on the table”?

A: You have a few choices. You can interrupt to say “Point of Order” which the chair knows is a violation complaint.

The motion to Lay on the Table enables the assembly to lay the pending question aside temporarily when something else of immediate urgency has arisen or when something else needs to be addressed before consideration of the pending question is resumed…

This motion is commonly misused in ordinary assemblies-in place of a motion to Postpone Indefinitely (11), a motion to Postpone to a Certain Time (14), or other motions. Particularly in such misuses, it also is known as a motion “to table.”

By adopting the motion to Lay on the Table, a majority has the power to halt consideration of a question immediately without debate. Such action violates the rights of the minority and individual members if it is for any other purpose than the one stated in the first sentence of this section. In ordinary assemblies, the motion to Lay on the Table is not in order if the evident intent is to kill or avoid dealing with a measure. If a time for resuming consideration is specified in making the motion, it can be admitted only as a motion to Postpone (14), in which case it is debatable.

A motion can be made to postpone to a later date and members can debate on this before a vote is taken.

Remember, a motion to Postpone Indefinitely is a motion to kill the question and is also debatable.

-Roberts Rules of Order § 17 LAY ON THE TABLE

-NSDAR Handbook – Miscellaneous Parliamentary Points

Q: If a motion (question) has been “Laid on the Table”, how does the assembly “Take it from the Table?”

A: First, remember that if a motion has been “laid on the table” it should only have been done because it was necessary to deal with a more urgent matter, and should not have been used as a means to kill or avoid dealing with the motion. RONR § 17 LAY ON THE TABLE

A motion to “Take from the Table” can be made during the same meeting after the urgent matter has been handled.

A member will make a make a motion at that time… “I move to Take from the Table the motion relating to endorsing the proposal to amend National Bylaws Article III, Section 2…”

Or, this can be done at the next Regular Meeting (so long as it is within the quarterly time interval), usually under Unfinished Business… “I move to Take from the Table the motion relating to endorsing the proposal to amend National Bylaws Article III, Section 2…”

This can also be done at a Special Meeting if the call of the Special Meeting specifies either the particular question that lies on the table or its subject matter.

This motion to “Take from the Table” requires a second, it is not debatable, and requires a majority vote.

Roberts Rules of Order § 34 TAKE FROM THE TABLE

Q: My Regent, State and/or National Officer told me that if we don’t allow a man who self-identifies as a Transwoman to be a member, then the IRS will take away our 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax status and the DAR will go bankrupt because we are discriminating…

A: Several states and the District of Columbia have laws that protect transgender people from discrimination in certain contexts, including employment, public accommodations, education, housing and other areas. NSDAR is an employer in DC, so it is unlawful for the Society to discriminate against transgender people in hiring decisions, for example. NSDAR is also a public accommodation, so it would be unlawful for the Society to prevent transgender members of the public from coming to the Library, Museum or Constitution Hall, or from accessing bathrooms.

While the DAR is indeed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, it is also a Private Member Association. Its membership policies are generally considered outside of the scope of anti-discrimination laws when
membership is restricted to people who share a protected characteristic – in this case, women.

Remember, the DAR has discriminated against a protected class since its inception – this protected class is men (mind you, men who do not claim to be women).

Q: My Regent, State and/or National Officer told me that the DAR is not a political or religious organization and therefore we cannot amend the National Bylaws to exclude men that claim to be women…

A: As it pertains to politics – indeed, the DAR should not make political statements. When the DAR makes the statement (as in the President General’s FAQ) that men who identify as women are women – it is a political statement not rooted in truth, biology or even the DAR’s own internal documents. Members should not succumb to this form of gaslighting. The DAR has a First Amendment Right to determine membership eligibility – just as it has done since its founding in 1890.

Limiting membership to natal females is not political – indeed, the opposite is true – telling members that men are women as long as they “live and identify as a woman” is a political statement.

Further, it seems the DAR picks and chooses when its ok to be political and when its not ok – for many months (if not longer) the DAR Museum displayed a so-called P***y Hat in the “Sewn in America” exhibit. Not only does this hat represent a political viewpoint, but the vulgarity of the name and the ideology it represents has no place within the halls of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

A: As it pertains to religion – The motto of the DAR is “God, Home and Country.” We quote scripture at the opening and closing of each meeting and most ceremonies. We offer prayer to the God of Abraham. Yes, the name of Jesus was removed from DAR documents (around 2012). We will seek to restore His name.

Lastly, your regent, state and or national officer should be asked if only religious members know the difference between a man and a woman. While some things are only spiritually discerned, biological sex is not one of them.

Q: Is there a Deadline for Endorsing the Proposal?

A: Yes – the submission of the proposal along with all chapter endorsements must be submitted to the Chair of the National Bylaws Committee by October 1st of any year.

If your chapter adopts the motion to endorse, please be sure to submit the signed endorsement to the Martha Laird Recording Secretary as soon as possible!

Q: Where do I send the signed Chapter Endorsement?

A: Please be sure to fill in all of the required fields on the last page of the endorsement and send to: dar33club@gmail.com.

Each endorsement must include:

  • Date Motion Passed
  • Chapter Name
  • Chapter State
  • Regent Name
  • Regent Address
  • Regent Signature
  • Recording Secretary Name
  • Recording Secretary Address
  • Recording Secretary Signature

IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER…

  • Consider making the motion when you know you have supportive members in attendance!
  • When a motion is made on behalf of a committee no second is required (skip to 5:53 in the video below title “Is a Second Required?”).

Leave a Reply