Proposed Bylaws Amendments for 2015

The following bylaws amendments shall be voted upon the delegates of the 2015 Biennial National Convention:

Amendment #1
Article III: Membership

Section 1:
There shall be four categories of membership: Regular, Associate, Honorary and Student.

A. Regular membership shall be limited to individuals who affiliate with the Republican Party, who have paid current minimum dues and who support the purposes of the Caucus, as defined by the Statement of Principles. Regular members are qualified to serve in any official capacity in the Caucus (assuming they also meet any other specific qualifications for the position), to act as delegates at any Convention and to enjoy all the privileges extended in these Bylaws. If a question of eligibility for Regular membership is raised with the Board, the Board shall hear evidence presented by the Secretary and make a final determination by a simple majority vote.

B. Associate membership shall be open to individuals, no matter their political affiliation, who have affirmatively indicated their support for the purposes of the Caucus. Associate members shall receive such services and privileges as the Board of Directors may specify.

C. Honorary membership may be extended to any person designated by the Board of Directors or chartered State Executive Committees. Honorary members shall enjoy such rights, privileges or honors as may be explicitly conferred thereby, either individually or as a group.

Section 2: The Board of Directors shall set the minimum annual dues requirement for Regular membership in the Caucus, which shall not exceed sixty dollars. Dues shall be current until the anniversary date of the member’s previous dues payment.

Section 3: Dues payments received by the Caucus shall be shared with the applicable Chartered State organization in a fixed amount, not to exceed twenty-five dollars, and disbursed to that State organization on an agreed schedule at least quarterly and at least thirty days before a Caucus convention. Dues payments received by Chartered State organizations shall be shared in the same fixed amount and disbursed to the Caucus on the same agreed schedule, after reconciliation of transfer balances by the national and state Treasurers. The Caucus, or Chartered State organizations, may offer premium membership rates or services, which shall be subject to the same fixed dues sharing amounts as Regular membership. Student rate memberships in the amount of $10 or less shall not be subject to dues-sharing. No Regular membership shall be offered for a period in excess of two years.

Section 4: The Caucus or Chartered State organizations may waive their portion of dues for any special circumstance or condition approved by their respective executive committees, but shall pay the fixed shared amount of dues to the other entity, either from the exceptional membership dues payment or from general revenues. Either entity may offer periodic payments smaller than the Regular minimum dues, but shall disburse the shared portion before any other allocation of receipts.

Section 5: Contributions received by the Caucus or Chartered State organizations from contributors who are not Regular Members shall first be applied toward minimum annual dues and shared in the same fashion as other dues receipts, unless the contributor explicitly declines such membership. All other contributions or donations may be expended as specified by the respective executive committees, but shall not be donated to any electoral campaign.

Section 6: Any membership may be suspended or revoked by a majority vote of the Board of Directors of the Caucus or the applicable Chartered State executive committee for just cause, which may include malfeasance in office, misappropriation of funds, misrepresenting the positions of the Caucus, or conduct which reflects poorly on the Caucus. Any member suspended or revoked by a State charter organization shall have the right to appeal to the National Board of Directors within 90 days, and the National Board of Directors shall render a decision within 90 days of appeal.

Amendment #2
Article VIII: State/Regional Charters

Section 1. The Board shall encourage and certify the Chartering of state or regional Caucus organizations in the United States of America which qualify under the provisions of these Bylaws and Rules. A State Charter may be granted to any group of ten or more Regular members who are residents of the subject state and who have signed a Petition for Charter and submit it in writing to the Board of Directors. A Regional Charter may be granted to any group of 6 or more Regular members who reside in a common geographical area. The Board may certify qualified State or regional charters by a majority vote at its next regular meeting. Charters for the District of Columbia or any United States territory or possession may be approved by the Board and granted the same status as State Charters.

Section 2. The Board may set such minimum criteria for State or regional Charter Bylaws and require such verification of Regular membership as it deems appropriate for certification.

Section 3. The Board may suspend or revoke a State or regional Charter by a 3/4 vote whenever a Charter is shown to be in violation of its own, or National, Bylaws and Rules.

Section 4. The Board may appoint Coordinators for any unchartered state or territory of the United States for the purpose of facilitating the development of a local Caucus organization.

Amendment #3
Article V: Officers

Section 1. The Officers of the Caucus shall consist of a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, who shall all be voting members of Board and subject to the provisions of the preceding Article. Candidates for Officer shall have been Regular members of the Caucus for at least one year prior to their nomination. Candidates for Chairman and Vice-Chairman shall have been Regular members for at least two years and a voting or alternate member of the Board of Directors for at least six months prior to their nomination.

Section 2. Elected Officers shall assume office at the close of the Convention at which they are elected. Any Officer may be dismissed for misconduct or malfeasance upon thirty days notice to the Officer and a majority vote of all members of the Board. Any Officer vacancy may be filled by a majority vote of all members of the Board. New Officers must qualify under the provisions of the previous Section and shall assume office immediately upon election by the Board. If Officer vacancies occur between Board meetings, the seceding officer listed in the preceding section, followed by At-Large Board members,
shall serve as the acting Officer until the next meeting of the Board.

Section 3. The Officers shall perform such duties as are prescribed in these Bylaws.

A. The Chairman shall be the primary spokesman of the Caucus; shall execute the resolutions of the Board of Directors; shall preside at meetings of the Board and official sessions of any Convention, unless absent or replaced by an Acting Chairman, and shall ensure the administration of all provisions of these Bylaws. The Chairman may appoint any Regular members as special project or liaison directors of such
standing committees or special executive committees or projects as he deems appropriate for the performance of these duties.

B. The Vice-Chairman shall assume the duties and obligations of Chairman in his absence, and assist the Chairman in his duties.

C. The Secretary shall record and distribute the minutes of all Board meetings and Conventions, certify Delegates, conduct such ballots as the Board may direct, and act as Parliamentarian for all official business of the Caucus.

D. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all Caucus funds, shall propose annual and quarterly budgets, safeguard the financial resources of the Caucus and make such periodic reports of finances as the Board may require.

The following amendments were proposed to our statement of principles and positions:

Amendment #4
Marriage

We recognize that there are diverse and sincerely held views on civil marriage within the Republican Liberty Caucus and the Republican Party. We encourage and welcome a thoughtful conversation among Republicans about the meaning and importance of marriage.

We support an end to any government role in the definition or administration of marriage. The role of state governments should be limited to the registration of civil contracts of union. Until this becomes the standard practice, equal protection under the Bill of Rights requires that the federal government act to insure that all adult individuals have the freedom to marry and to have their marriages recognized by all levels of government.

Amendment #5
Life & Health

All individuals have an inherent right to life and to sovereignty over their own body and personal welfare.

The proper role of government is to protect the rights of the minority and, as in all aspects of health care, should be strictly limited. Government is not qualified to decide who should live, who should die, or what level of care people should be allowed to have and every person should be responsible for their own health and wellness decisions.

We favor civil discussion and robust debate of the abortion issue acknowledging that there can be honest and ethical differences of opinion and interpretation of the scientific and civil liberty aspects of the issue.

In keeping with our general opposition to government involvement in healthcare decisions, we oppose any allocation of government funds or resources to facilitate abortion, advocate in the public discussion, or to jeopardize the right of any woman to defend her own life and health.

We support resolving this issue through the proper judicial and legislative channels specified in the Constitution.