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Standing Rules of the First District Democrats

(As amended 07/07/2005)

 

 

Article I: Official Committees

 

Section 1: The Standing Committees of the First District shall be:

 

            A. Communications

            B. Elections

            C. Social

            D. Issues

            E. Party-Building

 

Section 2: The Standing Committees shall oversee the day-to-day operations of the First District, performing their mandated functions and any other assignments given by the Executive Board.  The Standing Committees shall refrain from making decisions, without consulting the Executive Board, that could affect the overall policies and external relations of the First District.

 

Section 3: The Standing Committees shall have open membership for First District members.

 

Section 4: The Standing Committees shall create and implement rules of procedure for the purposes of committee organization and direction.

 

Section 5: The Executive Board shall allocate monies from the First District Treasury to the Standing Committees on a yearly basis.  The Standing Committees must submit budget proposals to the Executive Board, but they shall have discretion to spend their allocations.

 

Section 6: The Standing Committees shall submit monthly financial statements to the Treasurer.  Included must be copies of all receipts for Standing Committee purchases.

 

Section 7: The Standing Committees shall communicate and coordinate amongst each other as much as possible.  If the divisions of responsibility and/or authority are unclear, the First District Chair or the Executive Board can arbitrate.

 

Section 8: The Standing Committees shall have regular meetings that shall be publicized beforehand and minuted.

 

Section 9: The Chair or the Executive Board may create temporary ad hoc committees as necessary in order to fill a void in the responsibility or authority of the Executive Board or the Standing Committees, or in order to delegate certain tasks.  A temporary committee must be created per the Rules of Endorsement to review nominations for First District offices and for endorsements of external individuals.  The Chair or the Executive Board shall determine the composition and mandate of the temporary committees they create.  Temporary committees shall be dissolved upon completion of their mandates.

 

 

Article II: Treasury

 

Section 1: The Treasury shall be the recipient of all annual dues, donations, and fund-raising profits.

 

Section 2: The Treasurer shall complete the financial statements of the First District and review the Standing Committees, and shall submit monthly summaries to the First District Membership.

 

Section 3: The Treasurer must sign all outgoing checks in excess of $100.00.  All outgoing checks in excess of $500.00 must also be signed by either the Chair or 1st Vice Chair.

 

Section 4:

 

Section 5: A Finance Committee comprised of the First District Chair, 1st Vice Chair, Treasurer, and State Committee Woman shall be allowed to make emergency allocations of no more than $250 from the First District Treasury when it is unreasonable to wait for the next meeting of the Executive Board or Membership.  Notice of such allocations shall be made no later than the next meeting of the Executive Board or Membership.

 

Section 6: For the purposes of the First District, the fiscal year shall be defined as the period from January 1 through December 31.

 

Article III: Annual Dues

 

Section 1: All non-PCOs must pay $24.00 to become individual members of the First District and $40.00 for family membership.  Such dues shall be paid in full no later than January 1, for which they shall be members for the duration of that year.

 

Section 2: Non-PCOs who join the First District between July 1 and December 31 may pay $12.00 for individual membership or $20.00 for family membership for the duration of that year.

 

Section 3: Elected and appointed PCOs are strongly encouraged, but not required, to pay dues as well.

 

Section 4: The Executive Board may choose to reject the dues of an individual or a family.

 

Article IV: Procedures of Regular Meetings

 

Section 1: A Sergeant at Arms, who shall be appointed by the Chair and may hold other offices, shall preside over regular meetings at all times when the Chair does not.  The Chair must preside at the openings and closings of the meetings and during the approval of the agendas.

 

Section 2: The agendas for regular meetings must be publicized at least one week in advance, and the Chair shall have overall responsibility for their content.

 

Section 3: Nobody may address the Membership while a regular meeting is in session without recognition by the presiding officer.

Section 4: All distribution of literature at regular meetings must be approved by the Chair or the Executive Board.

 

Section 5: Only members of the First District may initiate a motion.  The presiding officer shall address motions in the order in which they were received.  All motions require a second, followed by discussion of the motion, before a majority vote.  Amendments to motions must obtain the assent of the motion’s original proponent.  Motions can be made to temporarily suspend the rules in order to expedite the business of the meeting.

 

Section 6: Regular meetings shall be held on the first Thursday of the month or, when that day is a major holiday or near one, the meeting shall be held on the second Thursday of the month.