An Chomhdháil Bhliantiúl Motions

Welcome to the An Chomhdháil Bhliantiúl Motions page!

There are three types of motions that you can propose at An Chomhdháil Bhliantiúl; Directive Mandates, Directive Policies, and Constitutional Amendments. This page goes into detail on each, what your motion should look like, deadlines and how to submit them! The links to submit motions are at the bottom of this page.

Need more information? Send us an email at studentvoice@issu.ie or Check out our FAQs page.

ISSU Motions 101

There are three types of motions that you can propose at An Chomhdháil Bhliantiúl:

• Directive Mandates

• Directive Policies

• Constitutional Amendments

Who can submit motions?

• Student Councils from member schools can submit up to 5 motions.

• Regional Officers (ROs) can propose one motion each with the approval of the majority of ROs and Student Councils Reps in their region.

• Coiste Gnó members may submit up to 3 motions each.

What are the different thresholds for acceptance?

• Directive Mandates and Directive Polices require a simple majority of delegates (50%+1) to pass.

• Constitutional Amendments require a two-thirds majority (66.67%) to pass.

How long do motions last?

• Directive Mandates and Directive Polices last for three years after they are voted on.

• Constitutional Amendments are embedded into the constitution, so they only change when amended again.

What does the timeframe for the motions procedure look like?

• 24th February 2025 - Directive Mandate / Directive Policy / Constitutional Amendment Applications Open.

• 23rd March 2025 - Deadline for submitting Directive Mandates / Directive Policies / Constitutional Amendments.

• 26th March 2025 - First draft of Directive Mandates / Directive Policies / Constitutional Amendments are published and amendment to motions window opens.

• 8th April 2025 - Amendment to motions window closes.

• 12th April 2025 - Publication of the final Directive Mandates / Directive Policies / Constitutional Amendments proposals with Amendments.

• 22nd April 2025 - Day 1 of An Chomhdháil Bhliantiúl where motions and their amendments are debated and voted on!

You can reach out to the Returning Officer for independent guidance on writing any type of motion.

Directive Mandates 101

• Directive Mandates are a priority action for a certain Coiste Gnó officer (or the entire Coiste Gnó) to carry out.

• When writing a Directive Mandate, you are aiming to mandate an officer to complete something in their term.

• Example Directive Mandate: The Leas-Uachtarán is mandates to achieve 100% membership status.

• When writing a Directive Mandate…

  • Set real priorities - focus on major issues, not minor ones

  • Mandate results, not effort - say “achieve”, not “work on” or “strive to”

  • Focus on outcomes, not methods - give the Coiste Gnó officer flexibility to reach the goal

  • Ensure the mandate has a clear completion point

Directive Policies 101

• Directive Policies are an official stance of the ISSU membership. They guide the ISSU in decisions on policy matters and affects public positions, submissions, and meetings and how the ISSU advocates on key issues. If it is an ISSU policy, the ISSU cannot deviate from the stance.

• When writing a Directive Policy, you are aiming to create an opinion of the ISSU.

• Example Directive Policy: The ISSU supports lowering the voting age to 16.

• When writing a Directive Policy…

  • Get the format right – Policies express ISSU’s opinion, not specific actions

  • No specific officers – Policies apply to all ISSU officers, roles change over time

Constitutional Amendments 101

• A constitutional amendment represents a fundamental change to union procedures or rules. These binding rules, similar to ISSU’s laws, establish the structure of the union and can only be changed at An Chomhdháil Bhliantiúl. Amendments can range from minor adjustments, such as renaming a role, to major transformations, like restructuring the entire union.

• When writing a Directive Policy…

  • Unintended consequences – Avoid CAs that accidentally affect unrelated areas and cause major issues.

  • Choose the right location – Place amendments in the correct article to ensure clarity and effectiveness.

  • Avoid being too prescriptive – Keep CAs flexible to prevent future problems with rigid rules.

  • Use the correct language - Don’t include for example, for example.

General things to remember

• Clarity - A clear title for your motion is essential. Delegates should be able to know exactly what the motion is from the title.

• Duplicates - If you see (during the amendments period) that a similar motion has been proposed by another delegate, work together to write a new one and put forward to one motion.

• Positive - Motions that attack specific officers or parts of the union are less effective and often put voters off supporting them, focus on positive language to garner support and votes.

• No Campaigning - Proposing motions and amendments is not a space for campaigning by candidates and should not be hijacked as such.

• Work hard - When writing your motion or amendment, do research, reach out and ask questions. It is important that your policy is well thought out, specific and strategic so it will achieve what it sets out to do if it is passed.

An Chomhdháil Bhliantiúl Documents

Submit Motions Here!