Legal Definitions - substitute amendment

A substitute amendment is a proposal to replace the *entire* text of a pending motion, bill, or resolution with a completely new and different text. Instead of making small changes, additions, or deletions to the original, a substitute amendment offers an alternative version designed to achieve a similar, or sometimes entirely different, objective. If adopted, the original text is discarded in favor of the new, substituted text.

• Example 1: Legislative Debate

  Imagine a state legislature is debating a bill (Bill A) that proposes to increase the sales tax by 1% to fund road repairs. During the debate, a legislator introduces a substitute amendment. This amendment completely rewrites Bill A, proposing instead to fund road repairs by reallocating existing funds from other state agencies and issuing municipal bonds, without any increase in sales tax. If this substitute amendment is passed, the original Bill A (with its sales tax increase) is entirely replaced by the new proposal for funding road repairs.

  This illustrates a substitute amendment because the new proposal doesn't just modify the original sales tax bill; it completely replaces its funding mechanism and approach with an entirely different plan.

• Example 2: Corporate Board Meeting

  At a quarterly board meeting for a technology company, a motion is on the table to invest $5 million in developing a new virtual reality gaming platform. A board member believes this is too risky and proposes a substitute amendment. This amendment completely replaces the original motion, instead proposing to invest $3 million in enhancing the company's existing augmented reality software and allocating the remaining $2 million for market research into emerging technologies. If the substitute amendment passes, the original plan for the VR gaming platform is abandoned in favor of the new strategy.

  This demonstrates a substitute amendment because the board member's proposal entirely replaces the initial investment strategy with a different allocation of funds and a revised focus, rather than simply adjusting the original motion's details.