Committee of the whole is a committee composed of all the members present at a meeting of an organization. A group may form a committee of the whole when members wish to consider a matter informally together, instead of having a committee of a few members discuss the matter and report to the group. Legislative bodies and large organizations often form a committee of the whole.
The committee of the whole is a complicated, time-consuming device. The members of a group must first vote to resolve (change) themselves into such a committee. After the committee has been formed and has completed its discussion, the members must vote on the committee’s proposal or report. They then vote to rise from the committee, or end the committee meeting, and report to the group. The chairman of the committee reads the report to the group. The group can then discuss and vote on the report.
Most organizations may consider a matter informally without forming a committee of the whole. This procedure is often a more practical means of dealing with group business.
