Rotary Council on Legislation 2013 Summary Report to District 5010 Rotarians

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1 Rotary Council on Legislation 2013 Summary Report to District 5010 Rotarians Overview The Council on Legislation (COL) is Rotary s legislature. Meeting in the spring every three years, the Council is made up of one representative from every Rotary District. John Germ served as the chair of the 2013 Council held in Chicago on April 22 to 26, and Carolyn Jones served on the Constitution and Bylaws Committee. Gayle Knepper was D5010 s Council representative. The purpose of the Council is to consider proposals by Rotary clubs, districts and the RI Board for changes in the way Rotary operates at every level of the organization. Club proposals must first be endorsed by the district to be forwarded to the Council. During the week, COL delegates considered 149 proposals that addressed the policies that govern Rotary International and its member clubs of which 56 were adopted. The proposals reflect a wide range of issues of interest to Rotarians around the world. A total of 376 items of proposed legislation were received by Rotary International, of which some were consolidated due to similarity in topic, withdrawn by the proposer or were referred to the Board of Directors for consideration in advance of the Council. The legislation adopted will become effective on 1 July 2013 and the RI Manual of Procedure MOP updated, except in the event of 5% or more votes from clubs opposing the action (see page 2). Types of Legislation A. Enactments Proposals to amend the RI Constitution, the RI Bylaws, or the Standard Rotary Club Constitution are known as enactments. Changes must be approved by a vote of at least 2/3 of the delegates. B. Resolutions Proposals in form of a resolution do not seek to change the RI constitutional documents but express an opinion or make a recommendation to the RI Board. They ask the RI Board to do something. Changes may be approved by a simple majority vote. If the resolution would require or request an administrative act that is within the discretion of the RI Board or the general secretary, the issue may be handled through a memorial to the Board. A memorial is a request to the Board for action on a specific matter. In many cases where amending the constitutional documents is not necessary, the proposer's purpose can be more efficiently and quickly accomplished by a memorial. The RI Board hears memorials at every meeting. COL Legislation Action Highlights During the 2013 Council on Legislation, delegates:! Approved a US$1-a-year increase in per capita dues that clubs pay to Rotary International, starting in The increase was proposed by the RI Board based on a five-year financial forecast that showed if there were no dues increase, RI s deficit would grow to $9 million in 2018 and reduce the General Surplus Fund below the level required in the RI Bylaws. The Council action raises annual per capita dues paid to RI to $54 in , $55 in , and $56 in Dues for are $53.! Increased the number of clubs that can take part in pilot projects to 1,000, up from the previous limit of 200. The RI Board uses pilot projects, which last for up to six years, to test new ideas, methods, and organizational frameworks for clubs. Pilot clubs that take part in these experiments are fully functioning Rotary clubs that are exempt from some requirements in the Standard Rotary Club Constitution.! Approved a measure allowing Rotarians outside the United States and Canada to receive an electronic version of their official Rotary regional magazine if available. Rotarians in the US and Canada received the digital version option as a result of the 2010 Council.! Approved a measure for the secretary to be an official member of a club board and a measure that a club board may have one or more vice presidents.! Approved a measure to eliminate minimum level of semi-annual club dues paid to RI and defeated a measure to increase the minimum level of dues paid Council on Legislation Summary Report May 5,

2 ! Approved a measure for honorary club members to wear a Rotary emblem.! Approved changing the name of Rotary s Fifth Avenue of Service, currently called New Generations, to Youth Service to clarify whom is being served and through use of terminology felt to be more universally understood.! Approved allowing a district to have an unlimited number of e-clubs, removing a previous restriction of two e- clubs per district. It was also approved to provide E-Clubs with the ability to set regional boundaries if they so desire.! Approved a measure to circulate the club s official membership report to RI to club members.! Approved a measure creating the office of vice governor, who would fill in if the governor becomes unable to serve. The vice governor would be selected by the district's nominating committee from among the district's past governors.! Approved a proposal to simplify the process for a former member of a club to rejoin the club and a measure to exempt the member from paying another admission fee.! Approved a proposal that requires a person to be a club member for at least one year at the time he/she is nominated for club president, except with service otherwise approved by the Governor.! Approved a measure to give clubs more discretion on termination of members for non-attendance at consecutive meetings.! Approved a measure providing clubs with the ability to extend a leave of absence for over 12 months for medical reasons and to exempt from attendance calculations.! Approved a proposal to modify the rule of 85 by removing the required age of 65.! Approved a measure that provides for satellite clubs, whose members meet at a different time and location from their parent club and who are also considered members of the parent club.! Approved a measure allowing participation in club projects, events and activities to count toward club attendance requirements. The measure amends the Standard Rotary Club Constitution to provide that a member must attend or make up at least 50 percent of club regular meetings or engage in club projects for at least 12 hours in each half of the year, or a combination of both.! Removed the travel reimbursement policy from the RI Bylaws, allowing the RI Board of Directors to develop a policy that is flexible, able to address emergency travel situations and take advantage of cost-savings due to changing transportation fares.! Approved a proposal that would permit persons to hold membership who had interrupted their employment or who had not worked outside the home.! Approved a resolution to request the Board to consider proposing a new category of membership, Associate Memberships, to the next Council.! Defeated two measures that would have allowed clubs to meet less frequently. Final Report of Action and Club Opposition to Legislation After the Council ends, representatives will receive revised constitutional documents and a Report of Action that includes the legislation that passed at the Council. The Report of Action also includes a form clubs can use to register opposition to any approved legislation. Clubs will be notified of the Report of Action and the opposition process as soon as the documents are available. Review COL Action with Your Club and Consider a Proposal for the 2016 Council Discuss the Council process and actions taken with your club at its next assembly. If you would like more information or help in planning this assembly, please contact me. In addition, we ask your club discuss your interests and concerns about Rotary and what changes you feel would make Rotary better and more effective worldwide, and consider submitting a resolution for the 2016 Council on Legislation. Please contact me to discuss the process and the changes you would like to suggest, and I will assist your club with development of the proposed legislation. I will also be sending additional information and guidelines for submission later this year. Proposed legislation from clubs will be due approximately February 1, 2014 so it can be approved for submission at the District Conference business meeting in May 2014 Questions? More Information? Please contact me at any time for more information, with questions or to assist your club with its Assembly discussing the Council on Legislation process, legislation decisions or to discuss the possibility of submitting a proposal for the 2016 Council on Legislation. Gayle Knepper Past District Governor/COL Representative rotary5010@ak.net 2013 Council on Legislation Summary Report May 5,

3 2013 COUNCIL ON LEGISLATION VOTING RESULTS (UNOFFICIAL) Summarized below is report of actions adopted by the 2013 Council and items referred to the Board of Directors by the COL delegates for consideration. The official voting results, the Report of Action, will be posted online as soon as it is available. To download all voting results (including legislation rejected or withdrawn) and copies of the legislation as proposed, go to search COL Voting Results and follow the links or contact Gayle Knepper, D5010 Council Representative, COL Voting Results A = Adopted; AA = Adopted as amended; = Referred to the Board Number Title Action Yes Votes To amend the provisions for club reports A To provide that the club secretary shall be a member of the board A To amend the provisions for club officers A To amend the qualifications for club president A To exempt former members of a club from a second admission fee A To amend the attendance provisions to include service requirements AA To revise attendance requirements R To amend the provisions for non-attendance A To amend the provisions for excused absences A To amend the provisions for excused absences A To amend the provisions for RI officers excused absences AA To amend the provisions for calculating attendance records A To provide for satellite clubs AA To allow certain former scholars to be active members To allow people who have not worked or interrupted their work to be active members No Votes AA To amend the provisions for termination of membership A To amend the provisions for transferring and former Rotarians A To amend the provisions for transferring and former Rotarians AA To amend the provisions for transferring and former Rotarians AA To allow honorary members to wear the RI emblem A To remove the limitation on the number of e-clubs in each district A To change the term district assembly AA To revise district conference voting procedures A To add a fifth part to the Object of Rotary to include the involvement and development of youth To add a fifth part to the Object of Rotary to include the development of service and leadership in youth To amend the fifth Avenue of Service A Tabled 2013 Council on Legislation Voting Report Summary (unofficial) 1

4 13-71 To fill a vacancy in the position of Trustee of The Rotary Foundation A To revise the qualifications for membership on the nominating committee for president To amend the provisions for voting by ballot-by-mail for president W To revise the qualifications for membership on the nominating committee for director AA AA To revise the duties of a governor A To create the title of governor-designate AA To amend the ballot-by-mail specifications A To amend the provisions for election of a governor at a district conference A To amend the provisions regarding concurrences to challenges AA To amend the provisions for vacancy in the office of governor AA To amend the provisions for repeated election complaints from a district A To amend the provisions regarding election complaints AA To increase the number of clubs that may participate in a pilot project from 200 to 1,000 clubs A To revise the provision for locality of an e-club A To amend the provisions for discipline for cause of a club AA To revise the Board s authority to change district boundaries A To establish procedures to assist new districts A To amend the terms of reference for the Operations Review Committee A To amend the terms of reference for the Strategic Planning Committee AA To amend the powers of the Board to include oversight of the RI Strategic Plan To allow clubs not in the United States or Canada to decide if the Rotary magazine will be distributed as a print copy or through the Internet A A To remove the travel reimbursement policy from the RI Bylaws A To revise the travel reimbursement policy To revise the travel reimbursement policy To revise the travel reimbursement policy To revise the travel reimbursement policy To increase per capita dues A To eliminate the minimum semiannual dues paid by each club A To reduce or waive per capita dues in the event of natural disasters A To revise the dues payable by RIBI and to eliminate the RIBI contribution to the unrestricted net assets of RI A To revise the target General Surplus Fund calculation A To remove the provisions regarding regional conferences of RI A To revise district endorsement of club legislation and conference voting to include district resolutions meetings 2013 Council on Legislation Voting Report Summary (unofficial) 2 A To amend the definition of defective legislation A

5 To revise the procedure for nominating Council representatives A To amend the provisions for electing a Council representative A To request the RI Board to consider proposing legislation to the next Council on Legislation to introduce a new category of membership: associate membership To request the RI Board to consider creating the status of Friends of Rotary To request the RI Board to consider encouraging the adoption of the second Object of Rotary as the guiding principle for vocational service To request the RI Board to consider adding peace and conflict resolution activities to the areas of International Service To request the RI Board to consider establishing RI New Generations Service Day To request the RI Board to consider designating the Rotary Leadership Institute as an RI affiliate or as a structured program of RI To request the Trustees to consider making grandchildren of Rotarians eligible for Foundation awards programs To request the Trustees to consider granting an exception to the eligibility guidelines for grants for families affected by disasters A R A A A A A Council on Legislation Voting Report Summary (unofficial) 3