Coordinating Committee Internal Procedures - September 12, 2011

Table of Contents

Article I Co-Coordinators (approved February 2001)
Article II reserved
Article III reserved
Article IV On-Line Proposals (approved September 12, 2011)
Article V Liaisons to Standing Committees and Working Groups (approved September 12, 2011)
Article VI Appointments to Standing Committees of the General Assembly (approved September 12, 2011)
Article VII reserved
Article VIII Personnel Committee (approved September 12, 2011)

Article I: Co-Coordinators

The co-coordinators will undertake, or otherwise engage all activities to do with facilitation and maintaining of a pro-active consensus based coordinating committee, proactively functioning to maintain and support the governance of the GPCA. The co-coordinators shall insure that the coordinating committee's actions and decisions are in accordance with the GPCA bylaws, and the GPCA-CC's own internal rules. Specific duties to include:

Coordinators will maintain regular phone and email contact with each other including weekly to bi-weekly phone meetings (more often when needed.)

GPCA-CC and Plenary Meetings:
1)  Compile agendas for CC meetings, utilizing feedback andsuggestions from all CC members, both voting and non-voting.
2)  Coordinate appropriate venues for CC teleconferences, meetings, and retreats.
3)  Facilitate monthly teleconference and other CC meetings, unless otherwise arranged before meeting time.
4)  Be responsible for facilitation and presentation of new delegate orientation at GPCA plenaries, including other presenters as necessary and appropriate.
5)  Introduce CC members and officers to plenary body.

Monitor and facilitate the CC email list to help the flow of information and to maintain a working decorum among CC members:
1)  Read all email posted to the CC list
2)  Respond to emails that are asking general questions on policy, procedure  and other decisions.  Make determination to respond to individual or to whole list.
3)  Determine whether content of posted emails should be directed to an individual or CC ad-hoc committees instead of whole list and contact sender accordingly.
4)  Facilitate online discussion by helping to focus, summarize and move discussion forward.
5)  Determine whether there is a need for an online vote. Determine time constraints.  Set up and run the vote.
6)  Keep CC list serve roster updated.  Communicate with Technical Assistant regarding CC members/officers to be added  or removed from CC list serve.

Monitor & help to Facilitate Completion of Tasks and Decisions:
1)   Maintain an updated task list, to include individual tasks, and CC ad hoc committee tasks and committee memberships.
2)  Contact CC members/officers for updates on task completion/progress.  If tasks are not getting done help problem solve, including reassigning tasks if necessary.
3)  Assist committees that are not functioning by helping to problem solve structural and procedural road blocks, or if resolution is time sensitive and urgent, by stepping in to assist, including to coordinate committee.
4)  Contact CC members/officers not engaged with tasks or meetings and help to facilitate a resolution.
5)  Be persistent in pushing tasks to completion. Bring tasks back to meeting agendas until completed or no longer valid.
6)  Facilitate and maintain an open line of communication between the CC and SC/WG co-coordinators.

Provide Communication and Assistance to CC members:
1)  Help to orient new CC members to tasks and responsibilities of CC.
2)  Provide communication assistance to any CC member whose on-line capabilities are compromised due to technical failure.
3)  Facilitate and maintain communication with those not able to attend meetings, and those non-voting CC members whose attendance is not specifically required, i.e. Liaison to Sec. of State, Tech assistant, Spokespersons, Secretaries to the CC.

Article II reserved
 

Article III reserved

3-4 Proposal Format

Article IV On-Line Proposals

4-1 Purpose

The Coordinating Committee may make on-line decisions about proposals via the process described in this Article. The same standards for quorum and approval threshold apply as with other Coordinating Committee decision making, except as provided for in 4-5. Use of on-line decision making is restricted to:

4-1.1 When a proposal has been discussed first at a regular Coordinating Committee meeting and a decision is taken by majority vote to put the item to an on-line vote. In these cases the Coordinating Committee may direct that either the voting period shall begin upon conclusion of the meeting and run through the upcoming Sunday at midnight, or the discussion period shall continue through the upcoming Sunday at midnight, after which there shall be be a week for voting.

4-1.2 When a proposal has been scheduled as part of the Coordinating Committee's annual draft schedule as per 2-2.2. In these cases, there shall be one week discussion, beginning on a Monday and ending at midnight on Sunday followed by one week of voting commencing immediately thereafter, ending at midnight the following Sunday;

4-1.3 When there is a need to meet legal and/or internal party deadlines, or to otherwise effectuate the Coordinating Committee's ability to meet and perform its duties and responsibilities in a timely manner not possible by waiting until the next teleconference or face to face meeting. In these cases, there shall be one week discussion, beginning on a Monday and ending at midnight on Sunday and one week of voting commencing immediately thereafter, ending at midnight the following Sunday.

4-1.4 When there is a need to make an expedited decision in a compressed time period not possible under 4-1.1, 4-1.2 or 4-1.3. In these cases, the Coordinating Committee may act under 4-4.

4-2 Posting

All proposals shall be posted with "ONLINE VOTE: [TITLE]" in the subject header of the email and shall be in the format described in 3-4.

4-3 Discussion

Although on-line discussion may not afford the same responsive nature as that envisioned for live meetings of the Coordinating Committee in Section 2-5 Consensus-Seeking, the purpose of the discussion period shall be for:

4-3.1 Hearing and responding to clarifying questions;

4-3.2 Hearing concerns and affirmations and hearing responding to concerns;

4-3.3 Considering and accepting amendments.

If a proposal is amended during the discussion period, it shall be reposted as amended before the voting period commences. The sponsors of a proposal may also chose to withdraw the proposal before the discussion period concludes, but may not do so once the voting period commences.

4-4 Expedited Proposals

When a decision can only be made within a compressed time period to respond to pressing legal, financial or political deadlines, the Coordinating Committee may make a decision within 48 hours if it achieves a 2/3 quorum and an approval threshold of 80%. In such cases, the proposal shall be posted as "48 HOUR ONLINE VOTE: [TITLE]" in the subject header of the email and shall be in the format described in 3-4.
 

Article V Liaisons to Standing Committees and Working Groups

5-1 Duties

As per GPCA Bylaws 6-1.8, each committee and working group shall be assigned a Coordinating Committee Liaison, who will serve as a voting, ex-officio member of that committee or working group. The Liaison is charged with facilitating communications between the committee or working group and the Coordinating Committee. Liaisons appointed to Committees also serve as one of the Committee co-coordinators.

5-2 Term

The Liaison shall serve for as long as they are on the Coordinating Committee or two years, whichever is less. Upon the Liaison's term ending on the Coordinating Committee or upon two years, the Liaison position shall be considered vacant and a new appointment process shall commence. There are no term limits on the Liaison position.

5-3 Appointment

5-3.1 The Coordinating Committee shall fill open Liaison seats on an annual basis and/or whenever vacancies occur.

5-3.2 If there is only one candidate for Liaison, the Coordinating Committee shall first test for consensus. If consensus exists, the candidate shall be considered appointed. Where there is not consensus, there shall commence a three day voting period through midnight the ensuing Thursday. Votes shall be cast on a voting page equipped for instant run-off voting and shall include a No Other Candidate option. Any candidate receiving a majority of votes cast is considered elected.

5-4 Recall

A Liaison may be recalled by a 2/3 vote of the Coordinating Committee. A proposal for recall must be co-sponsored by 1/3 of the Coordinating Committee to be placed before the Coordinating Committee for a vote.
 

Article VI Appointments to Standing Committees

6-1 Notice of vacancy

In order to meet its noticing requirement under GPCA Bylaws 6-1.4, the Coordinating Committee shall send a notice of vacancy of standing committee seats at least twice a year, once in the second week of November and once in the second week of June. Notice shall include the number of seats open on each committee, a link to the committee's home page and the eligibility, the appointment criteria in 6-2 and 6-3 and the appointment process in 6-4.

6-2 Eligibility

All candidates must submit a written request to the Coordinating Committee seeking appointment to the standing committee and to demonstrate compliance with GPCA Bylaws 6-1.4, which states that all applicants must have "attended at least one General Assembly within the last five", the request shall include a statement of which General Assemblies the candidate attended.

6-3 Criteria

When considering appointments to standing committees under GPCA Bylaws 6-1.4, the Coordinating Committee shall consider the following for each candidate:

6-3.1 Their working knowledge of GPCA bylaws and operating procedures;

6-3.2 Criteria drafted by the standing committee;

6-3.3 Input and nominations of the standing committee membership and co-coordinators;

6-3.4 Input and nominations submitted by active counties or Coordinating Committee members; and

6-3.5 Biographies and candidate statements presented by the candidate.

6-4 Appointment

If there are as many or fewer candidates than open seats, the Coordinating Committee shall first test for consensus on the full list of candidates. If consensus exists, then all candidates shall be considered appointed. Where there is not consensus, or where there are more candidates than there are open seats, there shall commence a six day voting period through midnight, the ensuing Sunday. During this time discussion may continue on the Coordinating Committee email list. Candidates shall be appointed by ranked choice voting, per GPCA Bylaws 7-1.8. As a further test, after the ranked choice vote is tabulated, a candidate must also be ranked on at least 40% of the ballots to be appointed. Both thresholds must be met for the appointment to occur.

6-5 Recall

A committee member may be recalled by a 2/3 vote of the Coordinating Committee. A proposal for recall must be co-sponsored by 1/3 of the Coordinating Committee to be placed before the Coordinating Committee for a vote.

Article VII reserved
 

Article VII Personnel Committee

8-1 Duties and Authority

The Personnel Committee is a sub-committee of the Coordinating Committee, charged with implementing the GPCA Personnel Policy as approved by the General Assembly in May 2003 (www.cagreens.org/cc/internal/PersonnelPolicy.pdf) and with proposing amendments to the Personnel Policy.

8-2 Membership

The Personnel Committee shall be composed of six members appointed by the Coordinating Committee, each serving two year terms, with three members appointed annually and with appointments to occur in January of each year.

8-3 Appointment

8-3.1 If there are as many or fewer candidates than open seats, the Coordinating Committee shall first test for consensus on the full list of candidates. If consensus exists, then all candidates shall be considered appointed. Where there is not consensus, or where there are more candidates than there are open seats, candidates shall be appointed by ranked choice voting, per GPCA Bylaws 7-1.8.