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Proposal Details

Proposal ID	969
Proposal	Amendment to GPUS Rules Procedures Article I, Accreditation
Presenter	Bylaws, Rules, Policies and Procedures Committee
Floor Manager	Anita Rios
Phase	Closed - Failed
Discussion	07-22-2019 - 08-18-2019
Voting	08-19-2019 - 08-25-2019
Presens Quorum	Two Thirds of Active Accredited States/Caucuses
Consens Quorum	Two Thirds of Yes and No Votes

Background

NOTE: Quorum is 32 states/caucuses at this time.

This proposal is to update GPUS Rules and Procedures regarding accreditation of State Green Parties and Identity Caucuses, primarily amending Article I Accreditation of the GPUS Rules and Procedures (https://web.archive.org/web/20180117061852/http://gpus.org/rules-procedures/#01),
along with related sections of GPUS Bylaws and GPUS Rules and Procedures..

Presently, much of the existing text in Article I Accreditation is copied verbatim from the 1998 Accreditation procedures of the pre-GPUS Association of State Green Parties
(http://www.gp.org/minutes/santafe.shtml), the text of which was grafted into the first set of GPUS Rules and Procedures in July 2001
(http://web.archive.org/web/20011103114948/http://www.greenpartyus.org/documents/rules.html).

In July 2003, that Accreditation text was amended (http://www.gp.org/minutes/gpusminutes072003.shtml) to include an expanded section on Identity Caucuses (http://www.gp.org/documents/accreditation.shtml). In March 2017 the Accreditation text was further amend to provide that Identity Caucuses would receive two National Committee delegates instead of one, that having these two delegates was not contingent upon Identity Caucuses maintaining the membership threshold they needed to be accredited, and that Identity Caucuses could appoint up to three members of committees of the National Committee (text which was already contained in GPUS Bylaws Article III Committees).

This proposal would accomplish the following:

Eliminate duplication

- Eliminate extensive duplication in the sections within Article I on State Green Party and Identity Caucus accreditation, while still providing clearly differentiated text where necessary for each; and revise the numeration and format to be consistent with the updated
numeration and format of the rest of the party's governing documents; and shorten the overall Article I Accreditation text from its present 2,457 words to 2,040;

- Eliminate Article VII Ethical Standards in GPUS Bylaws, which is almost exclusively duplicative of parts of Article I Accreditation, and incorporate the one clause of Article VII Ethical Standards that is not duplicative into Article I Accreditation.

Clarify and amend accreditation processes

- Clarify that if the GPUS Diversity Committee is inactive at the time of an accreditation application by a Identity Caucus, that the accreditation application may nevertheless proceed through the accreditation process through review and recommendation by the Accreditation Committee - effectively waiving the existing requirement that the Diversity Committee also review the accreditation application, in the event that the Diversity Committee is inactive. This addresses the situation within the existing rules where an applicant Identity Caucus may otherwise comply with the accreditation criteria, but not be considered by the National Committee because review by the Diversity Committee is also required.

- Amends the "Temporary Inactive Status" Section of Article I, such that it no longer stipulates non-attendance at two consecutive Annual National Meetings as a criteria for being declared 'temporarily inactive.' This is to reflect that few if any business decisions are now
made at the party's annual meetings (compared to 2003 when Article I was updated, when many decisions were made at the Annual National Meeting), and that instead, today almost all decision-making takes place via the GPUS Voting page. This is also to reflect that the financial duress involved in attending annual national meetings shouldn't prevent a State
Green Party or Identity Caucus from being deemed active, if it is otherwise participating in GPUS decision-making via the GPUS Voting Page.

- Amends the "Temporary Inactive Status" Section of Article I to create an objective standard, such that if an accredited State Green Party or Identity Caucus does not participate in GPUS decision-making via the Voting Page for six months, they are automatically considered inactive
for the purpose of calculating National Committee quorum. Within the current rules, even when there is such objective evidence of inactivity, a formal and lengthy process is still required to declare an accredited State Green Party or Identity Caucus inactive for the purposes of
quorum, requiring a Accreditation Committee proposal and then a National Committee vote, rendering what should be a simple and objective quorum calculation dependent upon an uncertain discretionary process.

- Amends the "Temporary Inactive Status" Section of Article I to clarify that a temporarily inactive State Green Party or Identity Caucus may regain their active status within twelve months, simply by voting again on the National Committee. Current rules provide no clarity on how active status is regained.

- Amends the "Disaffiliation" Section of Article I and renames it "Termination of Accreditation", and amends the text such that if an accredited State Green Party or Identity Caucus does not participate in GPUS decision-making via the Voting Page for twelve months after they are declared inactive, their accreditation is considered automatically terminated. The reason for this is the same as with declaring an inactive status, to make this a simple objective situation based upon facts, rather than a lengthy and discretionary process.

- Amends the "Disaffiliation" Section of Article I and renames it "Termination of Accreditation", to make it clear that grounds for a affiliation termination proposal are either for (a) non-compliance with the accreditation eligibility criteria, or (b) substantial
non-compliance with GPUS Bylaws, Rules and Procedures, Fiscal Policy and/or Rules of the Presidential Nominating Convention; and clarifies that the affected state or Identity Caucus shall be given the opportunity for a written response before such a proposal goes to the
National Committee.

State Green Party amendments

- Add to the eligibility criteria for state Green Parties, that in addition to the existing rule stating that a applicant State Green Party should be attempting to achieve ballot status (where reasonable), that a State Green Party must also file paperwork with the state government to be recognized as an official political organization, where applicable. This is to ensure that in states where a State Green Party may not achieve ballot status, that the State Green Party nevertheless has an incentive to seek the maximum legal recognition under the applicable
circumstances, thus increasing and enhancing its legal status within that state, and hence its status as an applicant State Green Party seeking GPUS accreditation.

Amend Apportionment Committee Mission Statement

- Clarifies that when an Identity Caucus is seeking compliance with the '100 member from 15 states' requirement in the accreditation review process, that it shall be the responsibility of the Accreditation Committee to validate that said Identity Caucus members are actually members of the State Green Party in which they are reported to members. Current rules state that the Accreditation Committee must be determine whether the applicant satisfies the accreditation criteria - which should imply that such validation of membership is a responsibility of
the Accreditation Committee. But in recent years the Accreditation Committee has not verified party membership to factually determine whether the 100 members from 15 states criteria has been satisfied, and subsequent work has determined that many individuals claimed by at least
one of the applicant caucuses were not Green Party members after all.

- Adds an archiving requirement for the Accreditation Committee to maintain an on-line archive of the affiliation agreements from state Green Parties (for archival/historical reasons), of links to all National Committee votes on accreditation of State Green Parties and Identity Caucuses (so all can be found in one place without having to search through the entire National Committee results page), and of the current bylaws and other governing rules documents for accredited State Green Parties and Identity Caucuses (to aid in review of compliance with
accreditation criteria).

Placing rules in correct place in party governing documents

- Maintains the objective of the amendment in GPUS Rules and Procedures from Proposal #865 (http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=865) that increased the guaranteed number of National Committee delegates for accredited Identity Caucuses from one to two, but places that guarantee instead in Article VIII National Committee Size and Apportionment, which is where such apportionment issues are already covered in the GPUS Rules and Procedures for both State Green Parties and Identity Caucuses, instead of in Article I Accreditation, which is what #865 did.

Article I Accreditation only deals with accreditation issues, not apportionment. If Article I Accreditation were meant to deal with apportionment, then it would not only contain text for apportionment of accredited Identity Caucuses, but would include text for apportionment
of accredited State Green Parties as well, which it did not do before #865 nor did #865 amend it to do so.

- Eliminates the duplicative language from Proposal #865 that states that accredited Identity Caucuses are entitled to up to three delegates per GPUS committee, because addressing that issue is already in GPUS Bylaws Article III Committees (https://gpus.org/bylaws/#03), which is
where committee membership is already covered in GPUS Bylaws from both State Green Parties and Identity Caucuses, instead of duplicately placing it in Article I Accreditation, which is what #865 did.

Article I Accreditation only deals with accreditation issues, not committee membership. If Article I Accreditation were meant to deal with committee membership, then it would not only contain text for committee membership from accredited Identity Caucuses, but would include text for committee membership from accredited State Green Parties as well, which it didn’t before Proposal #865, nor did Proposal #865 amend it to do so.

Furthermore having such standards in different places in the party rules sets up the potential for an internal rules contradiction, if the text in different places is different. In this case the language from Proposal #865 already created such a conflict, because GPUS Bylaws Article III Committees provides that all committees may have up to three members from each accredited State Green Party or Identity Caucus, except when the National Committee votes otherwise, for example with the Finance Committee or the (ten member) Coordinated Campaign Committee, which are elected directly by the National Committee. The language from Proposal #865 conflicts with that and implies that Identity Caucuses could fill those committees directly.

- Establish a new Article VII State Green Parties, Identity Caucuses and Green Networks in the GPUS Bylaws in order to more formally define each. As regards Identity Caucuses, current GPUS Bylaw language doesn’t actually define them. Rather it defines a 'underrepresented group', then
references that such a caucus would represent an underrepresented group. This proposal states that a Identity Caucus is a group of Green Party members who share a common identity as a member of that caucus, and then retains from the existing definition, terminology around
'disenfranchised', 'under-represented' and 'non-ideological'.

Proposal

Part I: That the existing Article I Accreditation of the GPUS Rules and Procedures be deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following text:

ARTICLE 1. ACCREDITATION

Section 1.1 Accreditation

Accreditation is the act by which the Green Party of the United States (GPUS) finds whether an applicant State Green Party or Identity Caucus has met the requirements set forth in this Article to be considered an affiliated State Green Party or an accredited Identity Caucus of the GPUS, for the purposes set forth for each in GPUS Bylaws, Rules and Procedures, Fiscal Policy and Presidential Convention Rules.

Section 1.2 Accreditation Committee

1-2.1 Mission

Serve as the interface in the accreditation process between applicant state Green Parties and Identity Caucuses, and the National Committee.

1-2.2 Duties and Responsibilities

1-2.2(a) Assist applicant state Green Parties and Identity Caucuses to understand the GPUS mission, values, platform, goals and plans; the accreditation criteria applicants must satisfy, the GPUS application process they must follow, and the GPUS resources available to assist them in doing so.

1-2.2(b) Prepare and make available an accreditation application form for applicant Green Parties and Identity Caucuses that includes all criteria that an applicant must address, and assist in the process of ensuring that applicants submit information required under this Article.

1-2.2(c) Receive and review accreditation applications from applicant state Green Parties and Identity Caucuses; evaluate whether applicants meet the accreditation criteria; and make fair, thorough and prompt recommendations to the National Committee whether an application (i) meets the accreditation criteria and whether (ii) it should be approved, approved with amendment or denied.

1-2.2(d) Welcome accredited state Green Parties and Identity Caucuses and their representatives, and facilitate their integration into the GPUS.

1-2.2(e) Maintain an on-line archive of (i) the affiliation agreements from state Green Parties, (ii) links to all National Committee votes on accreditation of state Green Parties and Identity Caucuses, and (iii) links to the current bylaws and other governing rules documents for affiliated state Green Parties and accredited Identity Caucuses.

1-2.2(f) Prepare and make available a written formal complaint form for whether accredited state Green Parties or Identity Caucuses (i) no longer meet the accreditation requirements in this Article, and/or are (ii) in substantial non-compliance with GPUS Bylaws, Rules and
Procedures, Fiscal Policy and/or Rules of the Presidential Nominating Convention, where such formal complaint form shall require identification of specific violations and provide documentation to substantiate such claims.

1-2.2(g) Receive formal written complaints about whether state Green Parties or Identity Caucuses continue to meet the accreditation requirements in this Article; conduct inquiries into such complaints; and submit fair, thorough and prompt reports to the National Committee
whether the State Green Party or Identity Caucus continues to meet the accreditation requirements. Where a State Green Party or Identity Caucus is determined by the Accreditation Committee to no longer meet the accreditation requirements, submit a proposal to the National Committee to revoke its accreditation.

1-2.2(h) Receive formal written complaints about whether state Green Parties or Identity Caucuses are in substantial non-compliance with GPUS Bylaws, Rules and Procedures, Fiscal Policy and/or Rules of the Presidential Nominating Convention; and submit fair, thorough and prompt reports to the National Committee regarding whether such non-compliance is the case. Where a State Green Party or Identity Caucus is determined by the Accreditation Committee to be in substantial non-compliance, submit a proposal to the National Committee to revoke its accreditation.

Section 1-3: Accreditation Criteria for State Green Parties and Identity Caucuses

To be eligible for accreditation, a State Green Party or Identity Caucus must apply to the GPUS for accreditation according to the process described in Section 1.6, and:

1-3.1 Accept as its guiding principles the Ten Key Values of the GPUS (grassroots democracy, social justice and equal opportunity, non-violence, decentralization, community based economics, feminism and gender equity, respect for diversity, personal and global responsibility, and future focus and sustainability), the Six Key Values of the Global Greens (ecological wisdom, social justice, participatory democracy, non-violence, sustainability, respect for diversity), the Four Pillars of the international Green Party movement (ecological
wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy, non-violence), and/or a similar version.

1-3.2 Be organized and operate in accordance with these principles and values.

1-3.3 Have held at least one general meeting and continue to hold such meetings not less than annually.

1-3.4 Have a demonstrated history of networking with groups and organizations based in the Ten Key Values

1-3.5 Be committed to opposing racism, sexism, ageism, classism, discrimination against the differently-abled, and other forms of prejudice within the Green Party and in the larger society.

1-3.6 Agree to support presidential/vice-presidential candidates nominated by the GPUS Presidential Nomination Convention.

Section 1-4: Accreditation Criteria Specific to State Green Parties

1-4.1 Maintain an open, transparent and internally democratic statewide organization, open to and reflective of its statewide membership, including through the use of proportional representation and ranked-choice voting to elect State Green Party internal officers and
other internal leadership positions, to elect State Green Party National Committee delegates, alternates and representatives to GPUS Committees, and have governing rules to this effect.

1-4.2 Have a demonstrated, ongoing commitment to achieving gender balance and diversity in party leadership and representation - and have governing rules to this effect.

1-4.3 Make a good faith effort, where reasonable, to achieve ballot status; and where applicable, to file paperwork with the appropriate governmental agency to be recognized as an official political organization.

1-4.4 Make a good faith effort to run candidates for public office, including (where applicable) on municipal, county, public educational, judicial, special district, state and Congressional levels;

1-4.5 Have a demonstrated, ongoing commitment to empowering individuals and groups from disenfranchised communities, through party leadership responsibilities, Identity Caucuses, alliances with community-based organizations, and support for related issues and policies.

Section 1-5 Accreditation Criteria Specific to Identity Caucuses

1-5.1 Maintain an open, transparent and internally democratic organization, open to and reflective of its membership, including through the use of proportional representation elections and ranked-choice voting to elect Identity Caucus internal officers and other leadership positions, and to elect Identity Caucus National Committee delegates, alternates and Identity Caucus representatives to GPUS Committees - and have governing rules to this effect.

1-5.2 Have at least 100 members from at least 15 of all GPUS-affiliated state Green Parties, after which if the Identity Caucus is accredited by the National Committee, the Identity Caucus would be entitled to voting delegate representation on the National Committee under Article VIII, proposal-making status under Article VI and fundraising authority under the GPUS Fiscal Policy; or

1-5.3 Provide the name, address, and other contact information and State Green Party membership of each Identity Caucus member as part of the application process described Section 1.6.

Section 1-6 Accreditation Process

1-6.1 Applications shall include a formal letter of application in the name of the State Green Party or Identity Caucus which seeks accreditation, which includes the date, setting and minutes of the formal decision to pursue accreditation; along with the applicant’s bylaws; platform; a list of current officers; and any additional documentation that may support the application, including as required in Section 1-3 and Section 1-4 for state Green Parties and Section 1-3 and Section 1-5 for Identity Caucuses.

1-6.2 Applications shall be delivered to the GPUS Secretary, who shall notify the National Committee that the application has been received, and shall forward the application to the Accreditation Committee for review; and in the case of the Identity Caucuses, to the Diversity
Committee. These committees may request additional documentation as necessary, in order to determine whether the applicant has satisfied the accreditation criteria.

1-6.3 The Accreditation Committee for applicant state Green Parties, and both the Accreditation Committee and the Diversity Committee for applicant Identity Caucuses, shall make their reports and recommendations to the National Committee by forwarding them to the Steering Committee as per Article VI, within 90 days of receiving the application, except in extraordinary circumstances. The report shall include findings for compliance or non-compliance with each
accreditation criteria in Section 1-3 and Section 1-4 for State Green Parties and Section 1-3 and Section 1-5 for Identity Caucuses, and shall recommend for or against approval of the application based upon these findings and the committee's overall review.

1-6.4 Should the Accreditation Committee and/or the Diversity Committee recommend against approval, the applicant party or Identity Caucus shall be notified and given the opportunity to provide a written response for inclusion with the proposal as a reference when sent to the National Committee.

1-6.5 Should the Diversity Committee be inactive at the time of an application submitted by a Identity Caucus, an Identity Caucus application may otherwise proceed to the review and recommendation process by the Accreditation Committee described in this Section.

Section 1-7 Temporary Inactive Status

1-7.1 Any accredited State Green Party or Identity Caucus with National Committee voting status that has not cast National Committee votes for a period of six months (unless no votes were held during this period), shall be considered inactive for the purposes of quorum for National
Committee votes, but shall otherwise retain GPUS accreditation.

It shall be the responsibility of the GPUS Secretary to report when such non-voting has occurred to the Accreditation Committee, Steering Committee and the National Committee, and to notify the State Green Party or Identity Caucus in question about their status, of the option
to regain active status under 1-7.2 and of the implications of further non-voting under 1-8.1.

1.7-2 Any accredited State Green Party or Identity Caucus that has been determined to be inactive under 1-7.1, may regain active status by casting National Committee votes within the ensuing twelve months. When such a vote is cast, quorum shall be adjusted as necessary to reflect that active status.

Section 1-8 Termination of Accreditation

1-8.1 Any accredited State Green Party or Identity Caucus that has been determined to be inactive under 1-7.1 and hasn't regained active status under 1-7.2 shall be considered to have their accreditation terminated. It shall be the responsibility of the GPUS Secretary to report when such non-voting has occurred to the Accreditation Committee, Steering Committee and the National Committee.

1-8.2 A proposal to terminate accreditation for non-compliance with the accreditation eligibility criteria in Section 1-3 and Section 1-4 for state Green Parties, and Section 1-3 and Section 1-5 for Identity Caucuses, may be sponsored by the Accreditation Committee or by an
accredited State Green Party or Identity Caucus, and shall be forwarded to the Steering Committee as per Article VI.

1-8.3 A proposal to terminate accreditation for substantial non-compliance with GPUS Bylaws, Rules and Procedures, Fiscal Policy and/or Rules of the Presidential Nominating Convention - or substantial non-compliance with state or federal campaign finance laws, may be sponsored by the Accreditation Committee or by an accredited State Green Party or Identity Caucus. Such proposals shall first be submitted to the GPUS Secretary, who shall forward the proposal to the State Green Party or Identity Caucus in question for a written response, as well as to -
1-8.3(a) the Accreditation Committee, where it is not already the sponsor, and in the case of Identity Caucuses, to the Diversity Committee; 1-8.3(b) to the Bylaws, Rules, Policies and Procedures Committee, where a substantial non-compliance with GPUS governing rules is alleged; and 1-8.3(c) to the Finance Committee, where a substantial non-compliance with GPUS Fiscal Policy, or substantial non-compliance with state or federal campaign finance laws is alleged. - Each committee referred to may request additional documentation as necessary, to evaluate compliance.

1-8.4 Within 90 days of receiving the proposal from the Secretary, the proposal to terminate accreditation shall be forwarded to the Steering Committee under Article VI, accompanied by reports from the Accreditation Committee, Diversity Committee, Bylaws Committee and/or
Finance Committee as applicable as per 1-8.3, and by a report from the affected State Green Party or Identity Caucus.

Part II: That the existing 8-1.2 of Article VIII National Committee Size and Delegate Allocation of the GPUS Rules and Procedures be amended to reflect two delegates per Identity Caucus, not one as follows, changing from:

8-1.2 All active, accredited state parties as defined in Article I Apportionment are entitled to a minimum of two delegates. All recognized networks are entitled to one non-voting delegate, which shall not be included in the calculation of the 150 ± 2 delegates as established in
8-1.1. Delegates are permanently apportioned to caucuses and are not included in the calculation of the 150 ± 2 delegates as established in 8-1.1. State parties, caucuses, and networks may voluntarily choose to have fewer delegates than those allotted to them.

to

8-1.2 All active, accredited Identity Caucus as defined in Article I Apportionment are entitled to two delegates. All active, accredited State Green Parties as defined in Article I Apportionment are entitled to a minimum of two delegates, but may have more depending upon the
apportionment formula defined in Article 8. All recognized Green Networks are entitled to one non-voting delegate. Delegates from Identity Caucuses and Green Networks shall not be included in the calculation of the 150 ± 2 delegates as established in 8-1.1. State Green Parties, Identity Caucuses and Green Networks may choose to appoint fewer delegates than those allotted to them.

Part III: That the existing GPUS Rules 6-2.1(e) of Article VI Types of Proposals and their Approval Threshold (Consens Quorum) be amended to change ‘Caucuses’ to ‘Identify Caucus’, ‘Networks’ to ‘Green Networks’ and to include "and Termination of Accreditation" as follows, changing from

6-2.1(e) Accreditation of State Parties, Caucuses, and Networks

to

6-2.1(e) Accreditation and Termination of Accreditation of State Green Parties, Identity Caucuses, and Green Networks

Part IV: Deleted existing Article VII Ethical Standards and replace it with a new Article VII State Green Parties, Identify Caucuses and Green Networks as follows:

ARTICLE VII State Green Parties, Identity Caucuses and Green Networks

7-1 State Green Parties

7-1.1 The terms 'state party' and 'State Green Party' shall refer to accredited Green Parties from any state, commonwealth, district or territory entitled to voting representation or non-voting delegate status in the United States House of Representatives.

7-1.2 State Green Parties are accredited according to the process described in Article I of the GPUS Rules and Procedures. Accredited Green Parties shall be considered to have affiliated with the GPUS

7-1.3 Accredited State Green Parties shall be entitled to National Committee voting delegates as defined in Article II and apportioned according to Article VIII of the Rules and Procedures; to Committee representation as defined in Article III; to convention delegates as defined in the Rules of the Presidential Nominating Convention; to make proposals to the National Committee as defined in Article VI of the GPUS Rules and Procedures; and shall be governed by GPUS Fiscal Policy.

7-2 Identity Caucuses

7-2.1 Identity Caucuses represent a grouping of Green Party members, not specifically ideological in nature, who share a common identity as part of an historically disenfranchised and significant sector of society; and which seek a representative voice in society, within the Green Party movement and within the GPUS, in order to advance the GPUS Mission and the caucus mission.

7-2.2 Identity Caucuses are accredited according to the process described in Article I of the GPUS Rules and Procedures. Accredited caucus shall be considered as caucuses of the Green Party of the United States and have that in their formal name.

7-2.3 Accredited Identity Caucuses shall be entitled to National Committee voting delegates as defined in Article II; to Committee representation as defined in Article III; to convention delegates as defined in the Rules of the Presidential Nominating Convention; to make
proposals to the National Committee as defined in Article VI of the GPUS Rules and Procedures; and shall be governed by GPUS Fiscal Policy.

7-3 Green Networks

7-3.1 Green Networks bring Greens together who play a primary role in realizing the party's primary functions and who are not otherwise organized as a committee or caucus, in order to network with each other and with State Green Parties and the GPUS.

7-3.2 Networks are accredited by the National Committee. Accredited networks shall be entitled to National Committee non-voting delegates as defined in Article II; to Committee representation as defined in Article III; and be governed by GPUS Fiscal Policy.

Resources

IMPLEMENTATION: Bylaw change would become effective upon passage.

CONTACTS: David McCorquodale, 302-750-2213, mccorq@comcast.net; Charles Sherrouse, 267-972-5752, options@cri tpath.org

References

The existing text for GPUS Article I Accreditation at the time of
consideration of this proposal is found here
(https://web.archive.org/web/20180117061852/http://gpus.org/rules-procedures/#01)
and is copied below at the end of this document.

• In July 2011 Proposal #599
(http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=599), which amended Article
VIII National Committee Size and Apportionment
(http://www.gp.org/documents/rules.shtml#08), references (in 8-1.2) that
“All accredited Identity Caucuses that have 100 registered members as
per Article I Apportionment are considered active for the purposes of
this Article and are entitled to one delegate.” And in 8-2.2(c) #599
provides that it is a responsibility of the Apportionment Tabulation
Committee to “Solicit accredited Identity Caucuses to verify that they
still meet the Accreditation guidelines at the time of reapportionment.”

• In September 2011, Proposal #619
(http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=619) - a proposal to
substantially lower the Identity Caucus accreditation threshold - was
considered and ultimately withdrawn by its sponsors.

• In March 2017, Proposal #864
(http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=864) amended Article VIII
National Committee Size and Apportionment by removing the following text
“8-2.2(c) Solicit accredited Identity Caucuses to verify that they still
meet the Accreditation guidelines at the time of reapportionment; i.e.
having 100 registered members per Article I Apportionment. A report of
membership from the Co-Chairs of the Identity Caucus, forwarded to the
Chair of the Apportionment Tabulation Committee and copied to the
National Committee Votes List, shall be considered verification. Such
information shall be included in the background to the proposal to the
National Committee as described in 8-2.1(c)” and amended Article I
Accreditation to add the following text: “1(b): When a Identity Caucus
gains accreditation by GPUS, it is awarded one voting delegate and one
alternate to the GPUS National Committee, and up to three voting members
to each Standing Committee. This apportionment is permanent, and does
not change in relation to membership strength. Additional individuals
from a Identity Caucus, with the consent of the Identity Caucus, are
welcomed to volunteer for GPUS working committees as permitted by
committee rules. 1(c): An accredited Identity Caucus may be
disaffiliated by the National Committee only for just cause, such as
egregious action not in general accordance with the Ten Key Values. A
Identity Caucus may be disaffiliated if there is no participation in NC
voting by its delegate or alternate for one year. Disaffiliation actions
may be appealed to the NC. Identity Caucuses that are disaffiliated may
later be reaccredited.”

• In March 2017, Proposal #865
(http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=865) amended Article I
Accreditation to change the minimum number of National Committee
delegates from one per Identity Caucus to two: 1(b): When a Identity
Caucus gains accreditation by GPUS, it is awarded two voting delegates
and one alternate to the GPUS National Committee, and up to three voting
members to each Standing Committee. This apportionment is permanent, and
does not change in relation to membership strength. Additional
individuals from an Identity Caucus, with the consent of the Identity
Caucus, are welcomed to volunteer for GPUS working committees as
permitted by committee rules.

• In July 2018, Proposal #871
(http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=871) amended Article VIII
National Committee Size and Apportionment to reflect the same language
8-1.2 as was included in Proposal #865 for Article I Accreditation 1(b):
8-1.2 All active, accredited state parties as defined in Article I
Apportionment are entitled to a minimum of two delegates. All recognized
networks are entitled to one non-voting delegate, which shall not be
included in the calculation of the 150 ± 2 delegates as established in
8-1.1. Delegates are permanently apportioned to caucuses and are not
included in the calculation of the 150 ± 2 delegates as established in
8-1.1. State parties, caucuses, and networks may voluntarily choose to
have fewer delegates than those allotted to them.

• Accreditation Information document from 2003 proposal
https://gpus.org/committees/accreditation/accreditation-information/

• Existing text of GPUS Rules and Procedures Article I: Accreditation

ARTICLE I: ACCREDITATION
SECTION 1
I. Introduction – Goals of the Accreditation Process
To assure that applicants understand: - a) the Green Party of the United
States, its goals, values and plans, - b) the criteria we expect them to
fulfill, - c) the resources available from the Green Party of the United
States to assist them in party-building in order to fulfill the criteria
To assist applicants in the application process.
To speedily deliberate and make recommendation to the NC.
II. Criteria for State Party Membership in the Green Party of the United
States.
Acceptance of the four pillars of the international Green Party movement
[ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy, non-violence]
or the Ten Key Values as guiding principles.
Organized and run in accordance with these values.
A statewide organization open to, and reflective of, a statewide membership.
Agrees to support national candidates selection by Green convention.
Makes good faith effort, where reasonable, to achieve ballot status.
Makes good faith effort to run state and local candidates.
Has applied to GREEN PARTY for accreditation, and has included written
by-laws, platform, and other documentation with that application.
Has a history of networking with other environmental and social justice
organizations.
Evidence of commitment to, and good faith efforts to achieve, gender
balance in party leadership and representation.
Evidence of good faith efforts to empower individuals and groups from
oppressed communities, through, for example, leadership
responsibilities, identity caucuses and alliances with community-based
organizations, and endorsements of issues and policies.
III. Role and Duties of Accreditation Committee.
To prepare and distribute application materials and instructions.
To review applications and make recommendations.
To hear appeals and grievances.
To review disaffiliation requests.
To recommend disaffiliation based on outcome of 3) or 4).
IV. Accreditation Process.
1. Application to the Green Party of the United States
Applications should be delivered to the secretary of the Green Party of
the United States, who will notify the NC that the application has been
received, then forward the application to all members of the
accreditation committee for review. The accreditation committee may
request additional paperwork, eg. by-laws, platform, etc. and
assurances, in order to determine that the applicant party satisfies the
criteria listed above.
2. Accreditation Committee Review - Process should be speedy and
non-bureaucratic. If we are to err, it should be on the side of
permissiveness. Applicant should experience us as a welcoming committee
and their advocate to the NC.
3. An accredited state party which has failed to cast votes for a period
of six months, or has not sent delegates to two consecutive meetings of
the National Committee, may be assigned to temporary inactive status,
upon recommendation of the Accreditation Committee and majority vote of
the National Committee. Parties assigned to temporary inactive status
will retain GREEN PARTY accreditation and, insofar as possible, will
continue to receive NC correspondence; but shall not be counted toward
the NC quorum.
4. Should a party with temporary inactive status not regain its active
status within one year, the Accreditation Committee may recommend a
formal disaffiliation vote by the NC.
5. Report to Coordinating Committee. - The committee shall makes it
report to the NC, except in extraordinary situations, within 60 days of
receiving the application. The report may be presented either to a
meeting of the NC, or via e-mail, whichever can be done most promptly.
The report to the NC should explain the committee’s findings for each of
the eight affiliation criteria, and recommend for or against approval of
the application.
6. Appeals Process - An application which is contested by an individual
or group may require the gathering of extensive evidence by the
committee. This might include an on-site visit by an authorized
representative of the committee. A written report should be mailed or
e-mailed to the NC and the matter should be discussed and decided and
the next general meeting of the GREEN PARTY National Committee. Should
the accreditation committee recommend against approving an application,
the committee is obligated to report that negative recommendation to the
applicant party, giving the applicant party adequate time to prepare an
appeal to the NC.
V. PROCEDURES FOR REVOCATION OF ACCREDITATION
1. A duly executed disaffiliation application may be granted without
discussion. The committee should try to determine the reason and report
to the NC.
2. A grievance lodged against an accredited state (party) by an
individual or group should be investigated by the committee as in the
appeals process above. A hearing should be held at the next general
meeting. The NC should formulate rules for conducting such hearings.
VI. ACCREDITATION OF CAUCUSES
(Notes:
gpus.org/committees/accreditation-committee/accreditation-information/
is the original caucus accreditation process document that was posted on
GP.org. It was incorrectly labeled at the time as the “Addendum on
Accreditation”. See web.archive.org/…documents/rules.html for
verification purposes.)
ABOUT GPUS
APPLICATION PACKET
THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS
ACCREDITATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS
PROCEDURES FOR CAUCUS AFFILIATION
Addendum: Santa Barbara resolution
1. ABOUT GPUS
1.a: The Green Party of the United States is a federation of
independent, State-level Parties. (Around the country, local Green
organizations are represented in different ways, depending on by-laws
and representational systems; GPUS rules, however, require that its
members be State-level organizations serving statewide constituencies.)
1.b: When a caucus gains accreditation by GPUS, it is awarded two voting
delegates and one alternate to the GPUS National Committee, and up to
three voting members to each Standing Committee. This apportionment is
permanent, and does not change in relation to membership strength.
Additional individuals from a caucus, with the consent of the caucus,
are welcomed to volunteer for GPUS working committees as permitted by
committee rules.
1.c: An accredited caucus may be disaffiliated by the National Committee
only for just cause, such as egregious action not in general accordance
with the Ten Key Values. A caucus may be disaffiliated if there is no
participation in NC voting by its delegate or alternate for one year.
Disaffiliation actions may be appealed to the NC. Caucuses that are
disaffiliated may later be reaccredited.
1.c.1: GPUS’s home page is www.gp.org
1.c.2: Our by-laws are available at: www.gpus.org/bylaws
1.c.3: The Green Party’s operating procedures are:
www.gpus.org/rules-procedures
1.c.4: The Green parties’ platform can be found at: www.gp.org/platform
2. APPLICATION PACKET
To apply for GPUS membership, your caucus is invited to submit a
completed application packet, which should include the following
documentation in the order indicated:
2.a.1: A letter of application addressed to the Co-chairs of the
Accreditation Committee which indicates the date and setting of the
application decision (i.e., annual meeting 2/15/01, teleconference
3/22/02, on-line decision 6/18/02), including a list of at least 100
members in at least 15 GPUS- affiliated states, containing name,
address, and state party membership of each member (see section 6.b.1-5
below).
2.b The name, address and state party membership of up to three
delegates to the Diversity Committee.
2.c: The current by-laws of the caucus.
2.d: The current platform of the caucus.
2.e: A list of at least 100 members, in at least 15 GPUS affiliated
states, containing name, address, phone number (if available), email
address (if available) and state party membership of each member.
2.f: Additional materials that the Accreditation Committee can read and
use to establish your caucus’ credentials. This could include
newsletters, news clippings, incorporation papers or other legal
documents, literature, etc.
3. THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS
3.a: Identity Group Formation: When anyone in the Green party becomes
aware of an identity group being interested in forming a caucus, that
person will notify the Diversity Committee.
3.b: Receipt of Application: Once a caucus is ready to consider
accreditation, its official representatives will send two copies of the
letter o application and packet (the Application) to the GPUS national
office, once addressed to the co-chairs of the Accreditations Committee
(AC), the other to the co-chairs of the Diversity Committee (DC). It is
strongly suggested to also send as much of the packet as possible via
email to the Accreditations and Diversity Committees at their respective
email addresses. The AC and the DC will keep each other completely
updated in all areas of identity caucus accreditation.
3.c: Committee Assignment, liaisons: As soon as the Application is
received, the AC and the DC shall each assign a committee member to the
application. The AC shall communicate to the applicant the AC and DC
members assigned to the application, indicating the AC shall be the
primary contact for official communications regarding the accreditation
process and the DC shall assist and facilitate the process, acting as an
advocate for the applying caucus. Both the AC and the DC co-chairs shall
forward the application to all members of their respective committees
for review.
3.d: Evaluation process: The AC shall notify the National Committee that
the application has been received. The Accreditation Committee may
request additional paperwork, clarifications and assurances, in order to
determine that the applicant party satisfies the criteria listed below.
The Accreditation Committee review process should be speedy and
non-bureaucratic. If we are to err, it should be on the side of
permissiveness. Applicant should experience Greens as a welcoming
committee. The Diversity Committee will assist the caucus in formation
to complete the necessary documentation, working hand in hand with the
Accreditation Committee.
3.e: Report to and vote by the Coordinating Committee: Except in
extraordinary situations, the AC shall make its report to the NC in the
form of a formal proposal, within 60 days of the AC chair receiving a
complete application. A complete application is one that includes all of
the documentation necessary for the NC to make an informed decision and
shall be considered received when the national office issues notices of
its receipt to the applying caucus.
The proposal shall be presented according to the customary procedure to
submit proposals for discussion and vote by email or at a national
meeting of the NC, whichever can be done most promptly. The proposal to
the NC should explain the committee’s findings for each of the
accreditation criteria, and recommend for or against approval of the
application and accreditation of the Identity Caucus’s one delegate and
one alternate to the NC. Any request for clarification directed to the
AC or the DC shall be addressed without prejudice.
If the AC and the DC cannot reach consensus on the report, the proposal
shall include both the AC and the DC’s recommendations. A two-third’s
majority vote is required to approve an Identity Caucus.
3.f: Appeals process: Should the AC and the DC recommend against
approving an application, the AC is obligated to report that negative
recommendation to the applicant caucus, giving the applicant caucus
thirty days to prepare an appeal to the NC.
3.g: Additional Documentation: The NC may require the gathering of
additional evidence. This might include on-site visits by authorized
representatives of the NC to caucus headquarters, gatherings or other
meetings. A written report with specific recommendations should be
communicated to the NC and the matter should be discussed and decided a
the next general meeting of the NC.
4. Goals of the Accreditation Process
4.a: To ensure that applicant Identity Caucuses and State Parties
understand:
i. The goals, values, plans and organization of the Green Party of the
United States, - ii. The criteria Identity Caucuses and state parties
are expected to fulfill. - iii. The resources available from the GPUS to
assist Identity Caucuses and state parties in party-building in order to
fulfill the criteria.
4.b: to verify that Identity Caucuses and state parties are indeed
bona-fide organizations meeting the values and criteria set forth in
this proposal and related documents.
4.c: To welcome new Identity Caucuses and their representatives, and
facilitate their integration into the party.
5: Criteria for Identity Caucus Membership in the GPUS
The Caucus must:
5.a: Accept of the four pillars of the international Green Party
movement [ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy,
non-violence], or the GPUS’s Ten Key Values, as guiding principles.
5.b: Be organized and run in accordance with these values.
5.c: Be open to and reflective of natural members of the Identity Caucus.
5.d: Have held at least one meeting and will continue to hold such
meetings not less than annually.
5.e: Have elected its leadership and delegates in a democratic and
transparent manner.
5.f.: Agree to support national candidates selected at the national
Green Nominating Convention.
5.g: Maintain a current list of at least 100 members in 15 state parties
with name, address and their state party membership.
5.h. Represent a historically disenfranchised or underrepresented and
significant sector of the population.
6. Temporary Inactive Status
An accredited Identity Caucus which has failed to cast votes for a
period of six months, or has not sent delegates to two consecutive
meetings of the Coordinating Committee, may be assigned to temporary
inactive status, upon recommendation of the Accreditation Committee and
majority vote of the National Committee.
Caucuses assigned to temporary inactive status will retain GPUS
accreditation and, insofar as possible, will continue to receive NC
correspondence; but shall not be counted toward the NC quorum.
7. Revocation of Accreditation for Inactivity
Should a caucus with temporary inactive status not regain its active
status within one year, the Accreditation Committee may recommend a
formal revocation vote by the NC. Addendum: Santa Barbara resolution.
Here is the specific wording of the resolution approved in Santa
Barbara, establishing the basic framework for accrediting caucuses:
IDENTITY CAUCUS ACCREDITATION PROCESS (IDCAP or ICAP) - Adopted July
2003, Washington D.C.
When a caucus for an underrepresented group has formed, that caucus will
submit its application for accreditation according to the same
procedures used for state party accreditation. A caucus application will
include documentation of caucus membership, showing that 100
individuals, from at least 15 states, who are both members of the
underrepresented group itself, and of their respective state Green
parties, have joined the caucus; and that the caucus uses democratic
procedures for its internal leadership selection and general
decision-making. As with state parties, the caucus application will
include documentation for the caucus’s by-laws, principles, history and
activities.
(Notes:
gpus.org/committees/accreditation-committee/accreditation-information/
is the original caucus accreditation process document that was posted on
GP.org. It was incorrectly labeled at the time as the “Addendum on
Accreditation”. See web.archive.org/Â…documents/rules.html for
verification purposes.)

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