GPUS Steering Committee
Meeting Agenda – Sunday, April 27, 2014 – 8:00 p.m. ET
I. CALL SETUP & BACKGROUND – 10 minutes
a) Facilitator – Jody Grage
b) Start recording of call
c) Roll Call
d) Agenda revisions
II. Old Business
a) Forum Project/Bulletin Board Proposal – SR – 25 minutes
b) EPA letter, CO, 5 minutes
III. Standing Business – 50 min
a) Treasurer’s Report JT
b) Finance Items:- JT
1) Office sub-lease
2) Merchandise Plan for ANM
3) Treasurer recruitment and job qualifications
c) Fundraising Report
d) VOTING QUEUE – BD
In the queue: ID 740 – Platform Process, voting 4/28-5/4
Received for the queue:None
e) Liaison Reports Discussion: All
IV. New Business
a) Bylaws amendment 4-3.2 Steering Committee eligibility TY (See Addendum below) 15 minutes
b) ANM Programming and Facilitators. KY – 10 minutes. We need to discuss what to do with the GNC part of the program, as well as anything else we would like to see happen there.
TOTAL TIME: 115 minutes
Budd Dickinson
Secretary
ADDENDUM
Bylaws amendment 4-3.2 Steering Committee eligibility
Background: This is a proposal that if approved by the NC, would expand eligibility standards for SC elections. It is in the interest of the GPUS to have the new eligibility standards in place for as long as possible during the nomination period. Having the SC sponsor it that way helps ensures that.
Under GPUS Bylaws, the call for nominations is between 75-80 days before the ANM. That means the call for nominations this year goes out April 27 – May 1 (ANM – 75 – 80). The deadline for nominations is 28 days before the ANM under GPUS Bylaws, meaning the deadline this year is June 22.
As a significant bylaws change, this proposal should have at least three weeks discussion. If the SC places this proposal into the voting queue on Monday, April 28 for three weeks discussion, then the voting can conclude on May 25th, putting the new eligibility standards into effect for approximately half of the nomination period.
*Sponsor: Steering Committee
Subject/Title: Bylaws amendment 4-3.2 Steering Committee eligibility
Requested Proposal Decision-Making Timeline:* Three weeks
*Background and Purpose: *Given the multiple responsibilities of the Steering Committee, it is in the interest of the GPUS to draw upon qualified candidates to select its members.
Current GPUS Bylaws 4-3.2 (http://www.gp.org/documents/bylaws.shtml#04-03) provide that current – and only current – GPUS National Committee delegates (but not alternates) are eligible to be elected as Steering Committee co-chairs.
While the number of appointed National Committee members is generally over 120, given the responsibilities and time commitment to serve on the Steering Committee, and given competing party responsibilities at all levels/and/or inexperience/and/or lack of interest of many National Committee members, the de facto group from within Steering Committee members are drawn, is actually a small subset of the National Committee at any one time.
The result has been a small number of candidates each year. Once elected, many Steering Committee members also don’t finish their term, attend the meetings and/or do the work.
One of the principles behind the current bylaws requirement that Steering Committee members also be National Committee delegates at the time of nomination and election, is that they would be directly connected to, and experienced with, the body that elected them, to which they will have their primary obligations.
However, since the passage of proposal #126 in March 2005 (http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=126), and incorporated today in 4-3.2, “Once elected, National Committee membership is no longer a condition of serving until the end of the term” – meaning, ongoing National Committee membership is actually not an absolute to be on the Steering Committee.
Therefore, if ongoing National Committee membership is not an absolute to be on the Steering Committee, but experience as a National Committee delegate is, then this proposal would expand eligibility to include present and former National Committee delegates, because both groups have National Committee experience.
A second proposed expansion would be to expand eligibility to include National Committee current alternates as well as past and former delegates.
Article VIII “National Committee Size and Apportionment” of the GPUS Rules and Procedures defines (in 8-1.4) the number of alternates each state party or caucus may appoint. Article IX “National Committee Listserve Protocols and Politics governing the National Committee Votes list”, gives equal access and participation rights to delegates and alternates (http://www.gp.org/index.php/rules-and-procedures-of-the-green-party-of-the-united-states.html#09). And perhaps most significantly, alternates may vote in National Committee votes.
Given these similar experiences in the decision-making process to those of delegates, an argument can be made on the basis of this consistency for also expanding eligibility to include National Committee alternates. However, in anticipation of potential concerns about the inclusion of alternates, as well as potential difficulties in verifying past alternates, this proposal would include current alternates, but not past alternates.
In summary, to increase the pool of eligible, experienced Greens for the Steering Committee, this proposal would expand the base to include present and past National Committee Delegates and Alternates.
In all cases, all Steering Committee members would be required to be subscribed to the National Committee Votes List while serving on the Steering Committee, as at present, so that regardless of when someone served on the National Committee, they would have a direct connection to the current National Committee through the Votes List .
Proposal: That GPUS Bylaws 4-3.2 be amended from its current language
Quote:4-3.2 To be eligible to be elected Co-chair, one must be a current member of the National Committee at the time of nomination and election. Once elected, National Committee membership is no longer a condition of serving until the end of the term. However, all Co-chairs must be subscribed to the National Committee Votes List while serving on the Steering Committee.
to read as follows:
Quote:4-3.2 To be eligible to be elected Co-chair, one must be a current or past delegate, or CURRENT alternate of the National Committee at the time of nomination and election. All Co-chairs must be subscribed to the National Committee Votes List while serving on the Steering Committee.
Implementation/Timeline/Resources: To be effective upon conclusion of vote, if approved.
References: GPUS Bylaws 4-3.2
http://www.gp.org/documents/bylaws.shtml#04-03
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Budd Dickinson