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Proposal Details

Proposal ID	462
Proposal	Amendment to GPUS Bylaws, 2010 Platform Process
Presenter	Steering Committee
Floor Manager	Mike Feinstein
Phase	Closed
Discussion	06/15/2010 - 06/20/2010
Voting	06/21/2010 - 06/27/2010
Result	Adopted
Presens Quorum	31 0.6666
Consens Quorum	57 0.6666 of Yes and No Votes

Background

In November 2009 the GPUS National Committee (NC) approved proposals #420 (http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=420), #435 (http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=425) and #428 (http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=428) to establish that the NC may amend the GPUS platform in the even numbered years other than the years in which the Presidential Nominating Convention is held. However, subsequent efforts to further define the process #438 (http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=438) and #455 (http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=455) were not approved by the NC, leaving a lack of clarity about key points in the platform process.

Because the decision-making process to submit a new proposal by either the BRPP or the Platform Committee is likely too lengthly to produce a new proposal in the short time needed before the platform process is expected to move to the discussion phase on individual proposals, the Steering Committee is the only committee that could put a proposal before the National Committee to resolve these questions in a short enough time. This proposal is designed to go before the NC for a one week discussion and one week vote, in order to resolve the outstanding issues. At the same time, it is meant to be as minimal as needed in order to address the process this year and to leave future rule making about the platform process til later.

In contrast to Proposal #455, this proposal does not seek to substantially revise Article VI of the GPUS Rules and Procedures. Rather it eliminates some of the proposed changes that would place procedural and administrative tasks upon the Platform Committee that may not be practical at this late date. Of the remainder, it takes most of decisions about the 2010 platform approval schedule and place them into a one-time-for-2010-only schedule, along with making the same phrasing change in Article II of the GPUS Bylaws about the National Committee's role in the platform process as recommended in #455 and formalizing the bylaws language about the platform process in a single bylaws section, Article IX.

Proposal

That the National Committee approve the following three sections:

Section 1

That for 2010 only, the National Committee agrees upon the following time line and process for Platform discussion and voting and agrees that this timeline and process has the force of the party's Rules and Procedures:

A) All proposed amendments submitted by state parties and caucuses to the Platform Committee by April 15th, 2010 shall be posted upon the GPUS voting page as separate proposals with their own identification number. The Steering Committee shall choose Floor Managers to do the physical posting of these proposals to the voting page. The Platform Committee shall work with the Steering Committee to ensure that the Floor Managers for each proposal receive the text of each proposed amendment and shall review the proposal once posted on the GPUS Voting Page for consistency in content and format.

B) The Platform Committee shall be listed on all proposals as the presenter, followed by the sponsoring state or caucus as the sponsor.

C) The Platform Committee may co-sponsor a platform amendment submitted under this process and have it listed as such on the GPUS voting page.

D) No other platform amendments may be proposed in 2010, except that the Platform Committee may bring forward housekeeping amendments after August 22nd. Housekeeping amendments to the Platform are those limited strictly in their effect to the correction of typographic, grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors in the existing Platform.

E) The Platform Committee shall identify potentially conflicting proposed platform amendments, work with sponsors to resolve them before they enter the voting period, and when any such conflict remains, submit a report to the National Committee once the proposed amendments have entered the discussion phase, identifying the conflict in specificity; and optionally, make recommendations on how to resolve the conflict.

F) The one week voting periods for any proposed amendment shall take place between Monday, July 11th and shall conclude Sunday, August 22nd, except if a process is necessary for addressing competing proposals. Those proposals may be considered by Sunday, August 29th.

G) The Platform Committee shall establish the schedule for which proposals shall be voted upon when by grouping proposals in chapters/common areas to be voted upon at the same time. The Platform Committee shall also seek to balance the number of proposals to be voted on at any one time by scheduling the votes to occur over the entire voting period.

H) Notwithstanding 'G', proposal sponsors may extend the discussion period for their own proposal for either one or two weeks, in order to consider amendments to achieve broader agreements, so long as that extension does not extend past August 22nd, unless the original vote on the proposal was scheduled to conclude on August 22nd, which which case it may be extended to August 29th.

I) For each amendment adopted, the Platform Committee shall compile the amendment into the revised Platform, such that the revised Platform may be publicized.

J) The Platform Committee shall provide for the archival of past party Platforms.

K) For internal committee decision-making processes, the Platform Committee's internal decision-making process shall allow for an expedited decision-making process as follows: "A call for an expedited decision-making process may be made in writing to the Platform Committee email list by the proposer of a proposal or the Platform Committee Co-chairs, when they believe there is urgent need to do so in order to meet the objectives of the 2010 platform process. In such cases, a three-day discussion period shall commence, followed by a three day voting period and may only be stopped if a Platform Committee member expresses an unresolved concern in writing to the Platform Committee email list during the discussion period that such an expedited time line is not warranted to meet the objectives of the 2010 platform process.

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Section 2

That Article II., Section 2., related to "National Committee" of the GPUS Bylaws is amended by striking the second, third, fourth and fifth 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.

The presidential nominating convention of the Green Party is the delegated decision-making body responsible for nominating the national Green Party's presidential and vice presidential candidates and approving the Green Party's national platform in those years in which it convenes."

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."

"The presidential nominating convention of the Green Party is the delegated decision-making body responsible for nominating the national Green Party's presidential and vice presidential candidates and approving the Green Party's national platform in those years in which it convenes"

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Section 3 That a new ARTICLE IX PLATFORM be added to the GPUS Bylaws and shall read as thus:

ARTICLE IX. PLATFORM

9-1 Purpose and Authority

9-1.1 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.

9-1.2 In even-numbered years in which there is a GPUS Presidential Nominating Convention, the Convention shall be the decision-making body responsible for amending the platform. The process shall be as established in the Rules of the Presidential Nominating Convention.

9-1.3 In even numbered years in which there is no Presidential Nominating Convention, the National Committee shall be the decision-making body responsible for amending the platform. The process shall be as established in the GPUS Rules and Procedures.

9-1.4 Amendments to the Platform may be submitted for consideration by any accredited state party or caucus, or any committee whose Mission Statement authorizes it.

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Resources

None

References

Platform related proposals approved by the National Committee in 2009 and 2010

#428 http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=428

#435 http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=425

#420 http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=420

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