The motion to LAY ON THE TABLE is the single most misunderstood and misused motion.
The purpose of Lay on the Table is to temporarily set aside a matter to take up some other matter, and then return to the tabled matter later the same session. The term comes for the practice of literally laying the papers on a corner of the table, to be taken up later. Using Lay On The Table to kill a motion is NOT the proper use of the motion and can be ruled out of order by the Chair. Lay on the Table cannot be used to hold a matter over until a future meeting.
Lay on the Table also has time limits. If the meeting is a regular monthly meeting, a matter that has been tabled dies at the end of the meeting if it has not been taken off the table. If the desire is to hold a matter over to the next regular meeting (as in next months regular Board meeting) the proper motion is to Postpone until the next meeting.
If the meeting is one in a series of meeting, closely spaced, as in a convention, then the matter that was Tabled may be held unitl the next meeting in the series, and if not takem up then, it dies.