Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure

Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure, commonly referred to as Mason's Manual, is the official parliamentary authority of most state legislatures in the United States.[1] This 700+ page book has been "[a]dopted as the authority on questions of parliamentary law and procedure in California, it is to legislatures what Robert's Rules of Order is to club groups. Gleaned from court decisions and legislative precedents, salted by practical experience, it is... [used] by legislatures throughout the U.S. and its territories."

Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure
Cover of 2000 edition
AuthorPaul Mason
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectParliamentary procedure
PublisherNational Conference of State Legislatures
Media typePrint and online digital
Pages752
ISBN9781580249744
Websitewww.ncsl.org/about-state-legislatures/masons-manual-2020-edition

The Manual covers motions, procedures, vote requirements, etc. applicable to legislatures. It includes the rules of order, principles, precedents, and legal basis behind parliamentary law.

The author, Paul Mason (1898–1985), was a scholar who worked for the California State Senate. He is best known for writing Constitutional History of California in 1951 and Manual of Legislative Procedure in 1935.

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) was assigned copyright ownership by Mason prior to his death. The NCSL assigned the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries (ASLCS) the task of editing and maintaining the manual for future printings. In 1984, the ASLCS created the Mason's Manual Revision Commission consisting of ASLCS members.[2] It is responsible for editing and revising the manual to keep pace with the modern challenges and developments in parliamentary procedures.

The most recent edition is the 2020 edition.[3]

Footnotes
  1. "Parliamentary Authority" (PDF). NCSL. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  2. Mason's Manual (1989 edition), Foreword, NCSL, Denver. p. ix.
  3. "Mason's Manual 2020 Edition". National Conference of State Legislatures. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
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