Minnesotans for Limited Government - Bylaws
(Adopted May 27, 2008, updated April 5, 2009)
Section I: Name
The name of the organization shall be Minnesotans for Limited Government (MNLG)
Section II: Mission Statement
Minnesotans for Limited Government is dedicated to promoting the idea that individual and economic freedom be the first consideration of any government action.
Section I: Officers
Chair
The Chairman shall convene regularly scheduled PAC meetings, shall preside or arrange for other members of the executive committee to preside at each meeting in the following order: Vice-Chairs, Secretary, Treasurer and Co-Treasurer.
Vice-Chairs
The Vice Chairs will head the membership committee and assist the chairman with the above listed tasks.
Treasurer
The treasurer shall report at each regular meeting the current available funds, as well as any other pertinent information. Further, the treasurer will assist in the preparation of the budget, help develop fundraising plans, and make financial information available to members.
Co-Treasurer
Shall assist the treasurer with the above tasks and act as oversight to the overall financial operations of the PAC.
Secretary
Shall be responsible for the keeping of records of PAC actions, including the overseeing of minutes at all PAC meetings, the sending out of meeting announcements, distribution of the minutes and agenda to each officer, and assuring that corporate records are maintained.
Section II: Vacancies
When a vacancy of an officer exists, the Chairman of the PAC shall send notice of the vacancy to active PAC members. Current PAC members will then have two weeks to nominate eligible PAC members for the vacant position. Following this two week period the Chairman will be expected to inform all members of the nominated individuals and the election will take place on the subsequent monthly meeting.
Section III: BPOU Coordinators
Each house district within CD 4 will have a coordinator, who will be nominated by the Chair for the same one year term as the elected officers. The coordinators duties will be to assist in the recruiting of new members and the facilitation of PAC activity within their district.
Section IV: Elections
All officers (chair, vice-chair, secretary, treasurer and co-treasurer) shall be elected annually from among the existing members of the PAC. The elections shall take place at the first meeting in June. All applications for these positions shall be put forward at least two weeks before this election. These applications shall be viewable by all members of the PAC.
Section I: Dues
People seeking membership to the PAC must pay annual dues before they are eligible to vote on PAC affairs. The dues will be set at $25 per year, which will be up for renewal on June 1st. Those joining midway through the year will be charged the prorated amount.
Section II: Removal
Removal of members will be voted on by 2/3 vote of the present members. Notice must be given out at least two weeks before such a decision is voted on. If a member is removed, their dues will be returned at a prorated amount.
Section I: Contributions Received
All U.S. citizens are eligible to contribute to the PAC and the PAC is authorized to solicit and accept contributions from any person from whom contributions may be lawfully solicited.
All contributions must be accompanied by the date of receipt as well as the donor's name and address. Contributions aggregating over two hundred dollars ($200.00) from a single donor in one calendar year must also include the donor's occupation and employer.
The PAC may not knowingly accept contributions from foreign nationals, or other contributions prohibited by law. The PAC may not knowingly accept contributions in excess of the limits established by federal election laws.
All donations to PAC must be received or previously approved by either Treasurer or Co-treasurer.
All money which is raised for the purpose of funding political candidates or organizations will be held in an account separate from that gathered for purposes specific to the administration of the PAC.
Section II: Contributions Made
The PAC shall not make contributions or disbursements related to presidential elections. The PAC shall not make any contributions or disbursements to a political party's national, state, or district committees. The PAC will not make disbursements to candidates that exceed the limits established by federal election laws.
All of the funds disbursed to specific candidates or organizations by the PAC shall come from voluntary contributions made to the PAC. The PAC may not access or disburse money generated by membership dues paid to Minnesota for Limited Governments, or any other general treasury funds of the organization, for the purpose of financially supporting a specific candidate or organization.
Contributions to specific candidates and organizations must be approved at the regular monthly meetings by a majority vote.
Section III: Spending
All spending of the PAC must also be approved at the regular monthly meetings.
Section I: Bylaws committee
The Bylaws Committee shall be responsible for reviewing the by-laws on an annual basis and revising the bylaws as necessary. Amendments to these Bylaws may be considered at any meeting of the membership. Amendments may be initiated by a proposal signed by at least two (2) voting members, and shall be delivered to the Chairman of the Bylaws Committee. Within thirty (30) days thereafter, the Chairman of the Bylaws Committee shall send notice of the proposed amendment to the PAC Chairman. Such notification must be sent not less than thirty (30) days prior to a meeting of the membership where such amendment is to be considered. Amendments to these Bylaws shall be approved by a majority of votes cast. All revisions to the Bylaws must be approved by a vote of PAC members and shall prevail at all meetings. The Bylaws committee will be limited to the Chair and four additional members.
Section II: Fund Raising Committee
The purpose of the fund raising committee is to raise revenues, outside of membership dues or events, for MNLG
Section III: Events Committee
The mission of the Events Committee is to organize original events as well as Minnesotans for Limited Government involvement in outside activities that are consistent with the group’s goals of education, forming relationships with like-minded organizations, increasing membership, and building a community of active members.
Section IV: Platform Committee
The platform committee shall be responsible for reviewing the platform on an annual basis and revising the platform as necessary. Changes to the platform may be considered at any meeting of the membership. Changes may be initiated by a proposal signed by at least two (2) voting members, and shall be delivered to the Chairman of the Platform Committee. Within thirty (30) days thereafter, the Chairman of the Platform Committee shall send notice of the proposed amendment to the PAC Chairman. Such notification must be sent not less than thirty (30) days prior to a meeting of the membership where such amendment is to be considered. Changes to the platform shall be approved by a majority of votes cast. All revisions to the platform must be approved by a vote of PAC members and shall prevail at all meetings. The Platform committee will be limited to the Chair and an additional four members.
Section V: Communications Committee
The Communications Committee will be responsible for any communications, internal or external, that MNLG may require.
Internal Relations Sub Committee
The Internal Relations sub committee is responsible for communications within MNLG, including, but not limited to, notifying members of events/meetings, and recruiting volunteers for events.
Website Sub Committee
The website committee will be responsible for the creation and maintenance of the website.
Welcoming Sub Committee
The Welcoming sub committee will be responsible for new member outreach, supplying new member information to the internal communications sub committee, and maintaining/updating the new member survey as needed.
Public Relations Sub Committee
The Public Relations sub committee exists for the purpose of disseminating news, events, and information to the general public. This is accomplished through press releases, a speaker’s bureau, and other public mediums and forums subject to approval of the full body of MNLG by a simply majority.
Section VI: Elections Committee
The tasks of identifying, endorsing, and supporting candidates shall be accomplished through the Elections Committee. The Elections Committee shall exist on a permanent basis. A panel set up to interview potential candidates, and a person assigned to serve as a contact with endorsed candidates, will exist as dormant sub-committees. Furthermore, permanent sub-committees will be needed to carry out yearly action.
Information Sub Committee
An Information sub committee will be necessary in aiding candidates and will also be a net benefit to MNLG in deciding strategy. The compilation of an accurate, targeted voter database will be an ongoing process and a mix of individual effort and group activity can be used to acquire information. As well as a voter database, precinct-by-precinct election results, street level demographics, and a list of potential campaign donors will be useful in supporting candidates. The Elections Committee should then periodically offer an analysis of information gathered. Since the database will include the personal information of individuals and information of unique value to MNLG, access to it shall be kept on a need to know basis.
Endorsements Sub Committee
The Endorsement sub committee will be employed when appropriate to issue an endorsement questionnaire, identify potential candidates, and present candidates to the body of MNLG. The endorsement sub-committee will operate as outlined in the MNLG bylaws.
Volunteer Coordinator Position
A Volunteer Coordinator will be assigned to each candidate to serve as a point of communication between the campaign and MNLG. The Volunteer Coordinator will be responsible for outlining and scheduling any volunteer work and notifying MNLG members. The V.C will also be responsible for relaying to the candidate any relevant information MNLG may have.
Section VII: Ad-Hoc Committees
Ad-Hoc Committees may be appointed at the discretion of the Chairman or Vice Chairman. Such committees shall remain active until they have accomplished the purposes for which they were appointed or until inauguration of the succeeding Chairman. Ad-Hoc committees may also be dissolved by a 2/3 vote of PAC membership. Standard rules of committee election and membership apply.
Section IIX: Membership to Committees
The PAC will elect the chair of each committee, who will in turn nominate the additional members required for their committee. The chairs and members of each committee shall be elected for the same one-year as the elected officers, with election of the chair taking place during the same meeting as the officers. Unless otherwise noted, the size of the committee will be at the discretion of the committee chair.
Section I: Monthly Meetings
The PAC shall convene within the first full week of the month for regularly scheduled meetings.
Section II: Special Meetings
The chairman or the vice-chairman may request additional or special meetings but must give 48 hour notice to all members.
Section III: Quorum
No official actions or decisions of the PAC may take place at a meeting which does not have a minimum of 10 voting members.
Section IV: Communication
Email will be the official communication tool of the PAC, and all required notification will be delivered using this method. All email notifications will also be made available by way of the MNLG website.
Section V: Parliamentary Procedure
If requested by a member of the PAC, meetings will be run in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.
In order to dissolve this organization, the chairman must present a resolution recommending that the organization be dissolved to the active membership. This written recommendation will include a description of how remaining financial assets are to be distributed. A proposal for dissolution may be considered at a regular or special meeting of the active membership only after thirty (30) days notice in writing is given to each member in good standing. The resolution to dissolve shall be adopted upon receiving at least 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by active members present at the regular or special meeting. This organization shall not be dissolved if 20% of the members in good standing dissent.
0 comments:
Post a Comment