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Proposal Details

Proposal ID	455
Proposal	Bylaws and Rules and Procedures Amendment for Platform Process
Presenter	Bylaws, Rules, Policies and Procedures Committee
Floor Manager	Tor Thorsen
Phase	Closed - Failed
Discussion	05-25-2010 - 06-01-2010
Voting	06-02-2010 - 06-08-2010
Presens Quorum	Two Thirds of Active Accredited States/Caucuses
Consens Quorum	Two Thirds of Yes and No Votes

Background

To amend the Bylaws of the Party;

to amend the Rules and Procedures of the Party;

to provide generally for a Platform revision process;

to provide for the consideration by the National Committee of
proposals to amend the Platform in certain even numbered years;

to repeal certain provisions of the bylaws, re-enacting them
as a new Article IV., related to 'Platform';

to repeal bylaws provisions related to the consideration
of Platform revisions by 'section';

to provide that each 'amendment shall be put to vote
individually as separate proposals';

to create exceptions for Platform proposals throughout
Article 6 of the Rules and Procedures of the Party, related
to 'Procedures for Proposals to the National Committee';

to provide that proposals to amend the Platform must meet a
two-third majority threshhold for adoption;

to redesignate a reserved Section 6-8 of the Rules and
Procedures of the Party, related to 'Amendments by the National
Committee' as Section 6-9;

to insert immediately prior to it, a new Section 6-8, related to
'Amendments to the Platform of the Green Party of the United
States';

to provide generally for scope and limits on the powers,
duties and discretion of the Platform Committee;

to provide for the consideration of proposed Amendments to
the Platform, for their submission to the Platform Committee,
and for their format;

to provide for the form and content of the Final Report of the
Platform Committee;

to provide timelines for the consideration of Platform
amendments;

to provide rules for the resolution of identified conflicts
among adopted proposals;

to instruct the Platform Committee to compile adopted proposals,
preparing them for publication;

to amend the rules related to objections to actions by the
Steering Committee so as to apply that procedure to actions of
the Platform Committee which are inconsistent with the Rules;

to renumber and redesignate existing provisions of the Rules;

to correct internal references.

Resolved, that the Committee on Bylaws, Rules, Policies and
Procedures endorses for National Committee's consideration the
following as amended Bylaws and amended Rules and Procedures
relating to amending the Platform of the Green Party of the
United States.

Proposal

- 1 -

Resolved, that the Bylaws of the Green Party of the United
States, Article II., Section 2., related to "National Committee"
are amended by striking the second, third and fourth paragraphs,
which currently read:

"The National Committee shall be the final decision-making
body of the Green Party of the United States and shall
be responsible for approving a deliberative process of
discussion, debate and decision-making at the local and
state levels leading to the adoption of a revised national
platform in each even numbered year.

"Final adoption of the Platform shall rest with the delegates
at each quadrennial Presidential Nominating Convention in
those years when one is convened, and otherwise with the
National Committee, after the Annual National Meeting in
even-numbered years.

"For each two-year Platform cycle, the Platform Committee
is instructed to compile, edit and organize changes to
the Platform proposed by the member state parties and
caucuses, and to report to the body with jurisdiction over
Platform revisions. The GPUS Platform shall be approved in
sections. Only sections of the platform which are being
amended will require approval. Unaffected sections will
remain intact."

and inserting in their place, the following: "The National
Committee shall be the final decision-making body of the Green
Party of the United States.

The National Committee shall approve a democratic
deliberative Platform process that encourages and facilitates
discussion and debate among Greens at all levels, leading
to voting in each even numbered year to consider amendments
to revise the Platform."

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- 2 -

Resolved, that the Bylaws of the Green Party of the United
States, are further amended by adding a new Article IV, and
renumbering the current Articles IV, V, VI, VII as Articles V,
VI, VII, and VIII respectively, to read as follows:

"ARTICLE IV. PLATFORM

4-1 Purpose and Authority

4-1.1 The GPUS Platform represents policies upon which
most Greens would agree and serves as a basis for Green
Presidential and Congressional campaigns. The Platform may
only be amended as provided by this Article.

4-1.2 In even-numbered years in which there is a GPUS
Presidential Nominating Convention, the Convention shall
be the decision-making body responsible for considering
proposed revisions to the platform. The process shall be
as established in the Rules of the Presidential Nominating
Convention.

4-1.3 In even numbered years in which there is no
Presidential Nominating Convention, the National Committee
shall be the decision-making body responsible for considering
proposed revisions to the platform. The process shall be
consistent with the National Committee's decision-making
procedures as specified in the Rules and Procedures.

4-1.4 Amendments to the Platform may be submitted for
consideration by any Accredited State Party or Caucus. Each
amendment shall be put to vote individually as separate
proposals, each with its own identification number.

4-2 Consideration of Proposed Platform Amendments

4-2.1 Consistent with a timeline proposed by the Platform
Committee and adopted by the National Committee, the Platform
Committee shall administer a process providing notice to
Member Parties and Caucuses of their opportunity to propose
amendments and comment on those proposed by others."

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- 3 -

The Rules and Procedures of the Green Party of the United
States, Article 6, related to "Procedures for Proposals to
the National Committee", are amended, by striking paragraph
6-1.4 which currently reads:

"All proposals for National Committee consideration must
be submitted to the Steering Committee. A proposal shall
be considered submitted to the Steering Committee when it
has been submitted to and acknowledged by the Secretary."

and inserting in its place the following:

"All proposals for National Committee consideration must be
submitted to the Steering Committee, except for proposals to
amend the Platform which are governed by paragraph 6-8. A
proposal shall be considered submitted to the Steering
Committee when it has been submitted to and acknowledged
by the Secretary."

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- 4 -

The Rules and Procedures are further amended, in Section 6-2,
related to "Types of Proposals and their Approval Threshold
(Consens Quorum)", paragraph 1, related to questions requiring
a two-third threshold for adoption, by inserting a new
subparagraph (j), to read:

"6-2.1(j) Amendments to the Platform

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- 5 -

The Rules and Procedures are further amended, in Section 6-3,
related to "Decision-Making Timelines", by striking the first
sentence of 6-3.1, which reads:

"6-3.1 When it submits a proposal, a proposal's sponsor(s)
may request in advance one of the following timelines,
and then may amend that request later as specified in
Section 6-6:"

and inserting the following:

"6-3.1 When submitting proposals, except proposals to
amend the Platform, which shall be governed by Section 6-8,
a proposal's sponsor(s) may request one of the following
timelines, and then may amend that request later as specified
in 6-6.3:"

----------------------------------------------------------

- 6 -

The Rules and Procedures are further amended, in Section 6-3,
related to "Decision-Making Timelines", by striking the first
sentence of 6-3.2, which reads:

"6-3.2 In addition to the options provided in 6-3.1, the
Steering Committee may:"

and inserting the following:

"6-3.2 In addition to the options provided in 6-3.1, for all
proposals other than those intended to amend the Platform,
the Steering Committee may:"

-----------------------------------------------------

- 7 -

The Rules and Procedures are further amended, in Section 6-4,
related to "Proposal Format", by striking the first sentence
of 6-4 which reads:

"The format for proposals shall be:"

and inserting the following:

"6-4 The format for all proposals, other than those offered
to amend the Platform of the Party, shall be:"

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- 8 -

The Rules and Procedures are further amended, in Section 6-5,
related to "Steering Committee Review", by inserting at the
beginning of 6-5.1 the words "Except as provided for Platform
amendments, " such that the resulting introductory section
would read:

"6-5.1 Except as provided for Platform amendments, the
Steering Committee shall have the responsibility to review
whether a proposal satisfies the following criteria:"

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- 9 -

The Rules and Procedures are further amended, in Section 6-6.1,
related to "Online Discussion Period", by striking the paragraph
at 6-6.1 which reads:

"6-6.1 The regular starting time of the discussion period
shall begin at 12:01am Eastern Time on Mondays. The regular
discussion period shall be for either two or three weeks,
as specified in Section 6-3 followed by a voting period of
one week, ending at 11:59pm Pacific Time on Sundays."

and inserting the following:

"6-6.1 The regular starting time of the discussion period
shall begin at 12:01am Eastern Time on Mondays. The
discussion period shall be as specified in Section 6-3,
except for proposed amendments to the platform which shall
be governed by 6-8. All discussion periods shall be followed
by a voting period of one week, ending at 11:59pm Pacific
Time on Sundays."

--------------------------------------------------------------

- 10 -

The Rules and Procedures are further amended, in Section
6-6.4, related to "Online Discussion Period", by inserting
into the first sentence of paragraph at 6-6.4, the words:
"except for proposals to amend the platform," so that the
resulting sentence reads as follows:

"6-6.4 The Steering Committee may extend a discussion
period for up to two weeks, except for proposals to amend
the platform, so long as the total discussion period does
not exceed four weeks, if it approves findings stating
specifically how this would benefit the National Committee's
decision-making process."

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- 11 -

The Rules and Procedures are further amended, by striking Section
6-7.1,
related to "Amendments by the Sponsor(s)", which reads:

"6-7.1 During the online discussion period, sponsors may
amend their proposal and resubmit the amended version
to the National Committee if at least 48 hours before the
commencement of the voting period, they make their submission
to the Secretary and notify the Floor Manager. The sponsors
shall also post the text of such amended proposals to
the National Committee votes list to help ensure that the
National Committee has the greatest opportunity to discuss
the amended proposal."

and inserting in its place the following:

"6-7.1 Except for proposals to amend the Platform, sponsors
may amend their proposal and resubmit the amended version
to the National Committee during the discussion period, if
they make their submission to the Secretary and notify the
Floor Manager at least 48 hours before the commencement of
the voting period. The sponsors shall also post the text
of such amended proposals to the National Committee votes
list to help ensure that the National Committee has the
greatest opportunity to discuss the amended proposal."

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- 12 -

The Rules and Procedures are further amended by redesignating
Sections 9, 10 and 11 of Article 6, as Sections 10, 11 and
12 and further by striking Section 6-8 in its entirety,
which reads:

"Section 6-8 Amendments by the National Committee"

and inserting in its place the following:

"Section 6-8 Amendments to the Platform of the Green Party
of the United States

"6-8.1 Consideration of Proposed Amendments to the Platform

"6-8.1(a) Proposed Amendments to the Platform shall be
scheduled for discussion and voting consistent with the
timeline and procedures provided by Article IV of the
Party's Bylaws and these Rules and Procedures.

"6-8.1(b) The Platform Committee shall develop and publish
a methodical system of collecting and publishing feedback
on amendments offered to the Platform.

"6-8.1(c) When submitting platform amendments to the National
Committee that have been submitted to the Platform Committee
according to 6-8.2 and 6-8.3, the Platform Committee shall
report in writing all potential conflicts which arise due
to the proposed amendments. In addition, the Platform
Committee may offer recommendations, a proposed draft
of the Platform, or simply submit the offered amendments
without recommendations or a proposed draft, so long as
whatever action taken be supported by documented feedback
the Platform Committee received. Such recommendations
themselves are not considered proposals under 6-8.2.

"6-8.2 Submission of Platform Amendments to Platform
Committee

"6-8.2(a) Platform amendments shall be submitted to the
Platform Committee according to the format described
in 6-8.3. Platform amendments must be submitted at least
seventy days prior to the Annual National Meeting. Should the
Mission statement of the Platform Committee authorize it,
the Platform Committee may, on its own motion and pursuant
to their internal processes, offer proposed amendments
to the Platform limited strictly in their effect to the
correction of typographic, grammatical, spelling, and
punctuation errors in the existing Platform.

"6-8.2(b) The Platform Committee shall assist sponsors in
formatting their amendments in a consistent form, to identify
typographic, grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors
and in soliciting feedback from Greens across the nation,
including state parties, caucuses and local Greens. However,
sponsors or their designated contacts identified in 6-8.3
(b), must explicitly approve the amendment as written when
submitted to the voting queue.

"6-8.2(c) The Platform Committee shall identify potentially
conflicting proposed amendments and shall work with sponsors
to resolve them before they enter the voting period. Should
any such conflict remain, the Platform Committee shall
identify the conflict with specificity in a report submitted
to the National Committee when submitting the amendment
proposals to the National Committee.

"6-8.3 Format for Submission of Platform Amendments to the
Platform Committee

"Pursuant to the Bylaws 4-1.4, all proposed amendments
to the Platform may be submitted for consideration by any
Accredited State Party or Caucus. In order to be considered
by the National Committee, the format for proposals to
amend the Platform shall be:

"6-8.3(a) SPONSOR(S): (State Party, Caucus, and if pursuant
to 6-2.8(d), the Platform Committee, and including date
the amendment was approved by Sponsor)

"6-8.3(b) CONTACT: Primary Presenter(s) (name, phone number,
email)

"6-8.3(c) TITLE: (Concise accurate description of subject
of change)

"6-8.3(d) ABSTRACT: (concisely and completely summarizing
the effect of adoption on the Platform of the Party and
identifying each existing Platform provision subject to
modification by chapter number, section letter, subsection
number, and paragraph)

"6-8.3(e) PROPOSAL: (reproducing explicitly existing Platform
language proposed to be repealed or amended, plus including
any new text intended to replace or supplement that language
and also identifying where the amendment language would
be inserted)

"6-8.3(f) SUPPORTING MATERIAL: (resources providing
background or justification for the proposed revisions)

"6-8.3(g) OTHER: (Sponsors may list other information not
addressed in their submission in support of their proposed
amendment.)

"6-8.4 Final Report of the Platform Committee

"The Platform Committee, not later than midnight, immediately
preceding the convening of the plenary at the Annual Meeting,
shall make its Final Report to the National Committee. The
Final Report shall set the calendar for the consideration
of proposals for each chapter, including the schedule for
debate and votes on each proposal not withdrawn by its
author. Except when two-third of the active members of the
Platform Committee approve written findings that it would
be an impractical goal to meet, the calendar included in
the Final Report shall provide that voting conclude by the
fiftieth day following the closing of the Annual National
Meeting. In the report, the Platform Committee shall also
include any findings supported by a majority of the Committee
that the adoption of any two or more proposed amendments to
the Platform would create a policy conflict in the Platform,
describing explicitly what that conflict would be. The
submission of their report does not preclude the Platform
Committee from continuing to work to reconcile conflicting
proposals by working to develop a substitute proposal
supported by the sponsors of the conflicting proposals.

"Section 6-8.5 Decision-Making Timelines

"6-8.5(a) All proposed amendments submitted to the Platform
Committee under 6-8.2 shall enter the discussion period 30
days prior to the adjournment of the Annual National Meeting.

"6-8.5(b) All proposed amendments to a single chapter of the
platform shall be voted upon during the same time period. In
order to provide for this, the Platform Committee shall
decide the order of chapters to be considered.

"6-8.5(c) All proposed amendments shall have at
least one week of discussion after the Annual National
Meeting. Proposal sponsors may not extend the discussion
period for their proposed amendments. All voting upon
proposed amendments shall be conducted pursuant to the
calendar published in the Final Report of the Platform
Committee. Other than those 'housekeeping' amendments
proposed by the Platform Committee as described in 6-8.2(a),
which may be voted upon at any time, or proposals described
in 6-8.5(d).

"6-8.5(d) Should any two or more amendments found by the
Platform Committee to create a policy conflict in the
Platform achieve a 2/3 vote of the National Committee,
the conflicting amendments, and any substitute agreed to
by two or more sponsors of those conflicting amendments,
along with an option for accepting the status quo in
lieu of other options, and an option for rejecting the
Platform Committee findings of conflict and instructing
the Committee to reconcile all such amendments enjoying
two-third support shall be placed before the National
Committee for a resolution of the conflict. The National
Committee shall conduct a vote under the rules for single
transferrable voting as provided by Article VII of these
Rules and Procedures relating to elections. Notwithstanding
the previous support of a two-third majority, only the
option enjoying majority support in the subsequent vote
shall be adopted.

"Section 6-8.6 Adopted Amendments

"6-8.6(a) Except as provided in 6-8.4 relating to conflicting
amendments, should two-thirds or more of the body vote in the
affirmative, the proposed amendment is adopted. Otherwise
the proposal is defeated and discussion on the defeated
item shall no longer be in order for consideration before
the National Committee until a new Platform amendment
cycle begins.

"6-8.6(b) For each amendment adopted, the Platform Committee
shall compile the amendment into the revised Platform,
such that the revised Platform may be publicized.

"6-8.6(c) The Platform Committee shall provide for the
archival of past party Platforms.

"Section 6-9 Amendment of Proposals before the National
Committee

"Reserved."

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- 13 -

The Rules and Procedures are further amended by renaming
Section 6-10, which is currently named:

"Section 6-10 Appeals of Procedural Decisions Made by the
Steering Committee, Floor Manager or Facilitator"

as Section 6-11, now reading:

"Section 6-11 Appeals of Procedural Decisions Made by
the Steering Committee, Platform Committee, Floor Manager
or Facilitator"

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- 14 -

The first sentence of the redesignated paragraph 6-11.1 is
amended by adding the words: "Committee, the Platform", so
that resulting sentence shall read:

"6-11.1 Should any five members of the Green National
Committee of the Party representing any five state parties or
caucuses assert that any ruling of the Steering Committee,
the Platform Committee or the Floor Manager on any point
with respect to the handling of a Proposal submitted for the
consideration of the National Committee was made contrary
to the rules governing such rulings, such objection shall
be recognized, and shall serve to initiate an appeal from
the decision."

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- 15 -

Paragraph 6-11.2 is amended by adding the words: "Committee,
the Platform", and "or Platform Committee" so that resulting
paragraph shall read:

"6-11.2 The facilitator at a face-to-face meeting, or the
Floor Manager, when conducting business by email, shall
acknowledge the appeal by stating to the body the point
ruled on, the Steering Committee, Platform Committee or
facilitator's decision on it and shall then put the appeal
to the National Committee. The question put to the body
shall be framed as: 'Shall the body sustain the decision
of the Steering Committee (or Platform Committee or the
Floor Manager or the facilitator) that . . . '"

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- 16 -

The Rules are further amended by redesignating and striking
in its entirety, the paragraph reading:

"6-10.4 The ruling of the Steering Committee, Floor Manager
or facilitator shall be sustained unless overruled by the
vote of a majority of those voting, who voted in opposition
to the question of sustaining the decision, provided votes
have been cast by Delegates from at least a simple majority
of the state parties and caucuses eligible to cast votes on
the matter. All appeals from the decision of the Steering
Committee or facilitator at a face-to-face meetings shall
be made immediately, and no appeal shall be in order after
other business has intervened from the time of the alleged
error of the Steering Committee or facilitator and before
the appeal is sought. All appeals from the decision of the
Steering Committee or Floor Manager when conducting business
by email shall be made not later than midnight Pacific time,
the third complete day after the publication to the votes
list of the decision appealed."

and inserting in its place, the following:

"6-11.4 The ruling of the Steering Committee, the Platform
Committee, Floor Manager or facilitator shall be sustained
unless overruled by the vote of a majority of those voting,
who voted in opposition to the question of sustaining the
decision, provided votes have been cast by Delegates from at
least a simple majority of the state parties and caucuses
eligible to cast votes on the matter. All appeals from the
decision of the Steering Committee, Platform Committee
or facilitator at a face-to-face meetings shall be made
immediately, and no appeal shall be in order after other
business has intervened from the time of the alleged error of
the Steering Committee, Platform Committee or facilitator and
before the appeal is sought. All appeals from the decision
of the Steering Committee, Platform Committee or Floor
Manager when conducting business by email shall be made
not later than midnight Pacific time, the third complete
day after the publication to the votes list of the decision
appealed, or when related to a Platform proposal, not later
than midnight Pacific time, the seventh complete day after
the publication to the votes list of the decision appealed."

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- 17 -

The redesignated paragraph 6-12.2, is amended by correcting a
back-reference to paragraph 6-11.1, so that it will correctly
reference 6-12.1, instead.

Resources

Changes to the Bylaws and to the Rules and Procedures shall
take effect upon adoption by the National Committee.
ion by the National Committee.

References

Platform amendments approval by online voting following mid-term ANM
http://green.gpus.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=438, Failed

PROPOSAL TO AMEND GPUS PLATFORM IN SECTIONS
http://green.gpus.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=428 Adopted

Housekeeping Amendment to GPUS Bylaws, Regarding Platform Cycle
http://green.gpus.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=425 Adopted

Bylaws Amendment -To Allow for A Two-Year Platform Cycle
http://green.gpus.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=420 Adopted

Approval of the GPUS Platform Committee Updated Rules, Policies and
Procedures
http://green.gpus.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=196 Adopted

Platform Policy on Caucus Submissions
http://green.gpus.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=35 Failed

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