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1. COMMITTEE MISSION
This committee is primarily responsible for organizing annual meetings of The Green Party of the United States, including assisting the host city in planning, organization, and facilitation of each annual meeting, and conducting appropriate follow-up. The full mission statement is located here.
2. COMMITTEE ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE
2.1 Membership of Committee: The ANMCommittee shall consist of up to 3 voting members from each state and caucus.
2.2 Non-voting advisors may be nominated by any member, approved by majority vote, reappointed annually without limit, and removed by majority vote called by any two members. Advisors can participate in all committee activity including but not limited to email, meetings, and conference calls but will not have a vote.
2.3 Applicants for committee membership shall verify or submit written permission from their party to serve, or otherwise verify that such permission has been received by the committee’s cochair(s).
2.4 Applicants shall provide the committee with a short statement expressing their interest and experience or training in areas described in the committee’s mission and purpose section(s).
2.5 Upon receipt of an application and permission the cochairs shall post the prospective committee member’s introductory letter to the committee’s listserv.
2.6 If no committee member raises an objection to the applicant’s membership within four days of posting, the applicant automatically becomes a member of the committee.
2.7 If a member of the committee raises objections to an applicant’s membership, a three-day vote of the members shall be held with a majority vote required for membership.
2.8 Members with objections must detail their concerns for the committee.
2.9 The application of any person for whom membership is denied shall be automatically forwarded to the NC for reconsideration.
2.10 Listserv privileges shall begin with membership.
2.11 State parties, through their cochairs, may change permission status for any committee member from their state at any time, subject to GPUS by-laws.
2.12 Members who have not actively participated and contributed either by e-mail, teleconference or in person for the prior two months shall be considered inactive. A quorum will consist of a majority of active members only. The co-chairs shall determine which members are active for purpose of reaching quorum. Co-chairs will inform any inactive member of their status. Inactive members may participate freely, and voting rights of an inactive member will be reinstated after participating in one meeting.
2.13 Votes shall be by active members, not by state.
3. COMMITTEE OPERATION:
3.1 The committee shall operate by consensus as much as possible, with more formal rules adopted as necessary.
3.2 MEETINGS
The committee will meet no less than once per month but may set more frequent meetings. Meetings will be in-person or by teleconference.
Regular meeting times will be set at the prior meeting and special meetings must be noticed to the committee members at least 3 days in advance. Meeting agenda items are normally published in advance but they may be added at the beginning of any meeting.
3.3 PROPOSALS
Proposals require no advance notice but advance notice is encouraged. The committee will seek to operate by consensus. If there is no consensus a proposal may be brought to a vote. A two-thirds vote of the committee members present at the meeting is required to pass a proposal. When concerns are expressed but not withdrawn this must be reported in the minutes. If the proposal is being forwarded to the Steering Committee or the National Committee the concerns must be included in the forwarded report.
3.4 An e-mail vote on a proposal may be authorized at a committee meeting and will follow the same rules for quorum and passage as a proposal presented in a meeting. Such proposals will have an explicit deadline set and will require support of two-thirds of those with voting privileges at the meeting for passage. The committee members participating in the call can decide to conduct the vote on-line if they deem necessary.
4. REPORTING PROCESS
4.1 The committee co-chairs shall submit a periodic report to the National Committee for its review.
4.2 Minutes will be kept of each committee meeting and after the committee approves the minutes they shall be posted electronically in order to be reviewed by National Committee.
5. COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR ELECTIONS
5.1 The election of the committee co-chairs shall take place on the first committee meeting after The Green Party of The United States annual meeting. Gender balance and co-chairs from different states shall be the norm and any member of the committee is eligible to serve as co-chair.
Co-chairs shall serve a two-year term with a limit of two consecutive terms.
6. COMMITTEE MEMBERS RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
6.1 The Committee is expressly prohibited from using disagreements regarding differing views on issues and/or business before the committee as a cause for curtailment or elimination of membership privileges.
6.2 Committee members are required to behave in accordance with the Ten Key Values of the Green Party and abide by netiquette guidelines as posted at “The Core Rules of Netiquette,” by Virginia Shea, which can be viewed at: www.albion.com/netiquette/book .
6.3 Other actions that will not be tolerated include:
- misrepresentation of the committee’s or a member’s work,
- financial improprieties,
- violent personal attacks and/or threats, verbal or physical,
- discrimination against federal or state (where applicable) protected classes,
- harassment
- any other unethical or illegal activities related to committee business or function.
6.4 Blatant and/or persistent violation of these guidelines can lead to suspension of privileges or termination of membership via the processes described below.
6.5 Before beginning any process leading to curtailment or elimination of membership privileges, the committee shall take steps to maintain a productive working environment by informal actions by committee members followed by informal actions by committee co-chairs. These steps shall include:
- communication with the member’s state party requesting they intercede with the committee member regarding the behavior(s) in question.
- use of facilitation, counseling, mediation, and/or arbitration services, as provided through the Dispute Resolution Committee or a mutually agreed upon outside source if necessary, which shall be encouraged and expected. No member shall be subject to official action before being permitted to consent to mediation and/or arbitration.
6.6 If all efforts listed above fail a petition may be filed by any three or more members of the committee (including co-chairs) from three different states (hereafter known as “the petitioners”) to require the committee co-chair(s) to initiate and administrate formal action to curtail membership privileges. If all co-chairs are also petitioner, the committee shall elect another non-petitioner member to administrate. If there is no non-petitioner, the member should probably just quit!
6.7 Procedures for discussion and consensus /voting on the petition shall be according to regular procedures as described in these P&Ps.
6.8 The specific written charge(s) and proposed action, as determined by the petitioners, shall accompany the petition.
6.9 The petitioners shall have full discretion for determining the charges and proposed scope of action.
6.10 A 2/3 quorum and 2/3 vote, by state, of the committee, shall be sufficient to confirm charges and the initiate action(s) detailed in the petition.
6.11 The committee co-chair(s) shall initiate and execute approved action(s) and notify the member immediately following the vote.
7. APPEAL PROCESS
7.1 Immediately following a member’s confirmed notification of a committee’s vote to take action to curtail or eliminate membership privileges, the committee’s cochairs shall notify the NC voting listserv and Secretary of the action in writing and the Secretary shall re-post the petition on the NC listserv.
7.2 The committee member in question may, within seven (7) days of these postings, appeal the committee’s action by notifying the NC and the Secretary of the appeal, in writing (in person, by mail, or by email), with the secretary reposting the notice, as above.
7.3 Any two or more delegates from different states, other than the person making the appeal, may within seven days of the posting of the appeal, accept the appeal.
7.4 If two or more delegates from different states accept the appeal the SC shall then schedule a two week discussion and one week vote including the following procedures
- The petitioners shall designate a presenter
- The SC shall appoint a floor manager
- The committee’s cochair(s), or their designee(s), shall present support for the original petition for action
- The vote shall have a two-week discussion period and a one-week voting period
- A majority vote shall be sufficient to overturn the committee’s action.
7.5 If an appeal is not accepted by at least two NC delegates from different states within seven (7) days of the posting of the appeal on the NC listserv, it shall signify that the NC acquiesces to the committee’s action and the decision of the committee shall be considered final.
7.6 If the NC votes to overturn a committee’s action the committee shall be required to immediately reinstate all privileges to the committee member in question.
8. SCHEDULING:
8.1 This committee shall organize its activities as necessary to schedule conventions so as to comply with applicable federal law.
8.2 If possible and appropriate, this committee shall act according to the following schedule:
By October 15 each year – solicit expressions of interest from States/Locals to host the annual meeting (Request for Proposals)
By December 15 each year – deadline for receipt of Annual National Meeting site proposals to the ANMC.
By January 15 – ANMC submits proposals to NC for consideration
By February 15 – NC makes selection and announces date and location of annual meeting
Spring – ANMC and SC site visit
Summer – conduct annual meeting and request evaluations of the meeting from the participants
September – review meeting evaluation forms
October – review these P & P’s for improvement, and draft new RFP for next annual meeting
9. BUDGET
9.1 This committee shall annually, at the appropriate time, request budget line items for
- operation of the committee;
- pre-meeting site visit by committee, staff, and GPUS Steering Committee.
- conduct of the annual meeting, including post-meeting survey and evaluation.
10. AMENDMENT
These policies and procedures may be amended by the National Committee.
Reference: #193 Policies and Procedures of the Green Party Annual National Meeting Committee (12/18/05)