Short title: Eliminate U.S. military 

Sponsors: David Rolde, Danny Factor 

Summary: This proposal is for the GRP to take a position in favor of totally eliminating the U.S. military, reducing U.S. military spending to zero, and banning the use of military force by the U.S. regime. 

Background: The U.S. military is a set of institutions that constitute a most violent and destructive curse against humanity and this planet. For over two centuries he U.S. military has engaged in genocidal bombings, invasions and occupations of numerous countries and has caused enormous human suffering, environmental and cultural destruction. The U.S. military serves the interests of imperialist monopoly capitalist corporations, the greedy and parasitic military-industrial complex, and the colonial white nationalist power structure that stole this continent from the indigenous people and instituted slavery of kidnapped Africans. The U.S. military serves no legitimate purpose. “Department of Defense” is a deliberate misnomer as it is really a department of imperialist war. The U.S. military is also responsible for an enormous amount of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. 

The continuation of the existence of the U.S. military is completely contrary to the Green and Green-Rainbow key value of Nonviolence. And the continued existence of the U.S. military may soon lead to the destruction of the world and the end of life on Earth. It is imperative to shut down the U.S. military. 

But the GPUS Platform and GRP Agenda currently do not communicate a strong enough position. The GRP agenda says, “Our Congressional delegation should be instructed to support downsizing of the bloated military budget”. The GPUS Platform says, “The United States government must reduce our defense budget to half of its current size.”  The GPUS Platform also unfortunately says that the U.S. regime should militarily attack other countries if the UN Security Council rubber-stamps it. (The wording is, “The U.S. is obligated to render military assistance or service under U.N. command to enforce U.N. Security Council resolutions.” 

The GRP should take a position that we want to eliminate the U.S. military, and that the U.S. regime should never use military force. This is not an issue of degree, that some level of brutal polluting parasitic imperialist military would be ok and that we just need to reduce to the appropriate level. No, this is something that must be abolished. The world may not survive much longer with even five or ten percent of the current evil of the U.S. military. If the world is going to survive then the U.S. military is going to be eliminated, whether by the Green Party or by someone else. If there is some small positive function that is done by the U.S. military – and I don’t think there is – then that small program or function could be transferred to a non-military department. 

Proposal Text: 

1. The Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts will issue a statement: “Whereas the U.S. military serves no useful purpose and is used solely for imperialist war and to enrich arms manufacturers; and whereas the U.S. military wreaks terrible social and environmental destruction which is threatening the future of life on Earth; and whereas the U.S. military consumes enormous amounts of resources that could be used to sustainably provide for human needs, the Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts recognizes that cutting U.S. military spending in half (or some other arbitrary amount) is not enough. The Green-Rainbow Party calls for the total elimination of the U.S. military and weapons industry and reduction of U.S. military spending to zero. This should include the elimination of all military spending whether it is part of the official “department of defense” budget or budgeted through other U.S. government agencies, e.g., nuclear weapons budgeted through the department of energy. We call for a complete federal audit to find and eliminate secret military spending. The Green-Rainbow Party will not support spending any money on offensive military attacks, invasions, occupations or threats against countries anywhere in the world or on producing or buying weapons which would be used for these purposes. We also oppose all U.S. arms sales to other countries. The Green-Rainbow Party demands that U.S. foreign policy be conducted through fair, honest and open diplomacy without violence or threats, and that the U.S. government recognize the sovereignty and interests of other countries as being equally important as our interests. The Green-Rainbow Party calls for a complete transformation of U.S. spending and economy out of weapons, war and colonial occupation. The Green-Rainbow Party is in favor of spending necessary to carry out this transformation and necessary to dismantle weapons. The Green-Rainbow Party calls for reparations to be paid to victims of the U.S. military and its wars all over the world. Veterans should have their healthcare paid for through a single payer universal healthcare system the same as everyone in this country, not through a separate military healthcare system. We recognize that eliminating the U.S. military is a big change, and therefore might seem too radical to some people, but we take this position because it is a moral and existential imperative” 

1. The Green-Rainbow Party will modify our Party Agenda to call for the elimination of the U.S. military and for the reduction of U.S. military spending to zero and to be in line with the above statement. The GRP will put this position in any future Platform documents. 

1. The Green-Rainbow Party will submit or support proposals to amend the GPUS Platform to make the following changes in Section I. Democracy, D. Foreign Policy, 1 Foreign Policy — Peace and Disarmament

• Eliminate plank d. “We recognize and support the right of the U.N. to intervene in a nation-state engaged in genocidal acts or in its persistent violation and denial of the human rights of an ethnic or religious group within its boundaries, and the right to protect the victims of such acts.”

• Eliminate 1. plank e. “The U.S. is obligated to render military assistance or service under U.N. command to enforce U.N. Security Council resolutions.”

• Change the second plank b. from “Our defense budget has increased out of all proportion to any military threat to the United States, and to our domestic social, economic and environmental needs. The United States government must reduce our defense budget to half of its current size. The 2012 defense budget exceeded $700 billion, and that does not take into account military expenditures not placed under the defense budget.” to “The U.S. military serves no legitimate purpose and is used solely for imperialist war and to enrich weapons manufacturers.  The U.S. military wreaks terrible social and environmental destruction. The U.S. military wastes resources that could be used for positive purposes. The 2012 budget of the so-called ‘Department of Defense’ exceeded $700 billion, and that does not take into account military expenditures not placed under the ‘Department of Defense’ budget. The United States government must totally eliminate its military and all military spending. Necessary expenditures for transition and disarmament are acceptable. Necessary non-military government functions that had been conducted by the so-called ‘Department of Defense’ may be transferred to other branches of government and continued.”

• Change the second plank c. from “The U.S. has over 700 foreign military bases. We urge our government to phase out all bases not specifically functioning under a U.N. resolution to keep peace and bring home our troops stationed abroad, except for the military assigned to protect a U.S. embassy. Many of these bases are small and can be closed immediately. We advocate further reductions in U.S. foreign military bases at a rate of closure of 1/4 to 1/5 of their numbers every year.” to “The U.S. has over 700 foreign military bases. All U.S. foreign military bases must be closed immediately and all troops brought home. Domestic military bases should be closed too. All U.S. troops should be discharged from military service and offered civilian jobs or economic human rights entitlements just like everyone else in this country.”

Implementation: The statement should be issued by Adcom. The GRP Platform committee should reconvene to modify the Party Agenda. The sponsors of this proposal, along with the GRP reps to the GPUS Platform Committee and GPUS National Committee, will be responsible for submission of the amendment proposals to the GPUS Platform Committee and/or conveyance of our support for these proposed platform amendments to GPUS bodies.

Financial Impact: None or minimal

Short title: GPUS Appointment Procedure

Sponsor: Joshua Gerloff, Secretary and Statecom member, MDVR

Contact Info: [email protected], 978-335-6650

Co-sponsor: Dan Kontoff, Statecom member

Shephard: Joshua Gerloff

Vetting Committee: Adcom

Background: Each state party must have a clearly defined process for appointing delegates to GPUS committees. The Green-Rainbow Party does not have that. How does one apply for appointment? Is there a timeline for submittal? Does your appointment expire and who needs to keep track of that? Etc.

Proposal summary: The Applicant for GRP Appointment to GPUS Committee or other external organization will fill out an application and submit at any time by posting to the StateCom business list. (Any StateCom member can post such an application at the request of the applicant.)  If less than two weeks have elapsed between submission and meeting, the application will be taken up at the next StateCom meeting/telecon. Applicant is required to attend the Statecom meeting to answer questions. Or if they can not attend in person, they can call in for a telephone interview. If consensus is not reached, a majority vote is required to approve their appointment.

Notice of appointments should go to the GP Secretary and to the committee co-chairs.  The notice should include the start month and end month of the appointment. If a state party appoints more than their allotted seats, they should say which member they want to drop.   Appointments can be no more than two years. The Secretary will notify delegates of the expiration of their term 1-2 months before the end of that term, or at the State Committee quarterly meeting before their term expiration.

Financial impact: none.

Implementation: Joshua will update the GRP Secretaries Handbook with these new responsibilities. Josh will create a post / web page / etc informing the GRP membership of this procedure with links to GPUS Committees page https://gpus.org/committees/ and an invitation to serve. Josh will set up a calendar page (or something) on the GRP website which will automatically notify future GRP Secretaries of waning appointments.

Short title: Bylaws amendment, special meetings

Sponsor: Charlene DiCalogero, Co-chair and StateCom member, CMGR

Co-sponsor: Joshua Gerloff, Secretary, StateCom member, NSC co-chair

Shepherd: Charlene DiCalogero

Vetting Committees

Administrative Committee

Proposal to amend the following two bylaw subsections under Section 8, State Committee:

1. Section 8.3

Amend this bylaw to shorten the number of days required notice to State Committee members for a meeting from ten days to five days. And,

2. Section 8.9 Amend this bylaw on to add to who may call for a special or emergency State Committee meeting.

NOTE: Per Section 8.8, this proposal as a bylaws change must be approved by consensus or a vote of 75% of State Com members present at an official meeting:

8.8. The state committee may amend the Bylaws by a vote of 75%. A state convention may override this change by a majority vote. A 2/3 vote of the recognized Green-Rainbow chapters will also override any Bylaws change or decision of the state committee, but this method cannot be used to override a Bylaws change or decision of a state convention.

Background

1. Section 8.3 currently reads as follows:

8. 3 State committee representatives must be notified at least ten days before meetings, either in writing or by telephone. Such meetings shall also be announced in the appropriate Green-Rainbow Party publications and communications avenues.

Proposed change:

8. 3 State committee representatives must be notified at least five days before meetings, via email, text or by telephone. Such meetings shall also be announced on the appropriate Green-Rainbow Party website and social media.

Reasons:

1. Rapid communication has gotten easier since the spread of internet and cell phone usage. The party has primarily communicated using these tools for years.

2. On occasions such as the need to replace Officer or Director positions, the Party needs to be able to respond more rapidly to decide and act on time-sensitive administrative and political tasks.

2. Section 8.9 currently reads as follows:

8. 9 An emergency or special state committee meeting may be called:

• by a written or proxy vote or a petition of 1/3 of the state committee representatives;

• by a petition or vote of 1/3 of the recognized state Green-Rainbow chapters;

• by a simple majority of state committee representatives at an assembled state

• committee meeting.

Emergency or special state committee meetings would not count towards the limit on the number of state committee meetings that representatives must attend to remain in good standing.

Proposed change:

8. 9 An emergency or special state committee meeting may be called:

• by a written or proxy vote or a petition of 1/3 of the state committee representatives;

• by a petition or vote of 1/3 of the recognized state Green-Rainbow chapters;

• by a simple majority of state committee representatives at an assembled state committee meeting;

• by an Officer of the Party, including Co-chair, Treasurer or Secretary;

• by a simple majority of Administrative Committee representatives on a teleconference or at a face-to-face meeting.

Emergency or special state committee meetings would not count towards the limit on the number of state committee meetings that representatives must attend to remain in good standing.

Reasons:

1. Special or Emergency meetings of State Committee are usually called by an Officer(s) or Administrative Committee to deal with urgent decisions and/or tasks. This makes sense because AdCom meets more frequently and is more likely to become aware of urgent tasks requiring action by State Com.

2. This change would codify what we have already been doing.

Budget Impacts:

None.

Who will do what when:

Charlene DiCalogero and 1-3 other members of AdCom will:

1. check that there are no conflicts with other bylaws provisions.

2. Once this is confirmed, Charlene will provide the final approved text to the Secretary.

The Secretary will:

1. create a newly dated version of the bylaws with the final approved text,

2. email the revised bylaws to State Com and AdCom members,

3. file appropriately on DropBox and/or Googledocs, and

4. make a hard copy for themselves to bring to State Com meetings for reference.

All tasks above to be completed ASAP, at latest by two weeks before the Spring 2019 State Committee meeting.

Whereas: We, the few of us who are active members, have struggled for too long to do the monumental tasks before us as a party, while being unsure of what to ask for help from prospective active members, or realizing how thinly we are stretched at the state level. Meanwhile, newly active members do not know what they are signing up for, or what needs to be done.

Short title: ‘Active Member Proposal’

Sponsor: Brian Cady 617-943-2853 [email protected]

Co-sponsor: Roni Beal

Committees that Vetted: MDVC(Supported), YGUMB, No. Shore Chapter, So Coast, CMGR, PVC.

Explanatory background:

1. Why Sketch Out How More Newly Active Members Would Join Us, Now?

- Because then we can be more specific about where and how to join us, when we ask others to join our efforts. This could make it a very concrete question; instead of the vague ‘we want you to join us’, we can ask ‘Would you serve as local chapter-to-communications committee liaison for the next year, doing the needed work in the communications committee (for example, as the job is described at the below-mentioned spreadsheet’s job descriptions), while keeping the chapter abreast of important developments?’.

- Because then we can see just how thin our current ranks are, compared to what we need, to accomplish our goals. We're operating with just a skeleton crew; a ghost of what’s needed for the job before us, but we do not appear to recognize this lack of human resources.

- Because then I can go to local chapters and ask specific members to fill a specific empty role associated with their chapter - a very concrete ‘ask’ which is easier to think about, and commit to.

- Because then we can see how things could work, and we can think about how to make them work better.

- Because the structure sketched out would empower all chapters equally, rely on all chapters equally, and specifies personal job responsibility. This way we can have a state level group that is well-connected to our local chapters in each working committee, so there’s less alienation and more interconnection. Also we will know who does what, to encourage quality of work.

- Because when a prospective active member considers joining us, they can see the job description for the role they are considering, as well as past job holders. Perhaps their name could be entered for a role; a public commitment to their new role, letting others know who to talk to about this job.

- Because the job descriptions help us all, especially prospective and newly active members, understand job roles.

2. A vision of a more fully staffed crew of active members, with rough job descriptions, and some current and previous folks doing those jobs is available here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HNEs12wqT0cyXeKL0KVR51elLp7tecxyBhwtKztb6Tk/edit?usp=sharing

- It basically has each chapter helping with each committee via a specific liaison. There are about one hundred and fifty odd liaison roles listed here. While completely filling these 150+ roles may be difficult to reach, major steps toward that goal would make a more completely functional party. Proposal summary: Each working committee will aspire and plan to have a liaison from each chapter.

Who will do what when:

- The Member Activator / Integrator will keep track of which of these roles are filled, and strive to fill vacant roles, and will work with local chapters to do so, by video or telephone conferencing with or visiting local chapter meetings.

- Local Chapter Co-Chairs will co-operate with the Member Activator / Integrator, and local chapters will help, too, during regularly scheduled chapter meetings, think about who locally could fill empty liaison roles.

Financial Impact: None.

[Adopted by consensus of State Committee,  4/7/18 ]

TITLE: Team Green-Rainbow 2018

SPONSORS: John Andrews, Josh Gerloff

VETTING COMMITTEES:  CDLC

FLOOR MANAGER: John Andrews

SHEPHERD: Josh Gerloff

SUMMARY: This proposal establishes a new working group, Team Green-Rainbow, to ensure success of the slate effort that is running three 2018 statewide candidates.

BACKGROUND: On January 20 of this year, StateCom established the Statewide Candidate Recruitment Working Group (SCRWG) to recruit GRP candidates for statewide office in 2018.  On March 7, StateCom approved a petitioning effort on behalf of a slate of three candidates recruited by SCRWG.  StateCom also asked SCRWG to plan and launch the petitioning effort and to report back on April 7.  Because the recruitment phase of the 2018 effort is completed, this proposal dissolves SCRWG and establishes a successor working group to complete the petitioning effort and to support the slate campaign.

 TEXT OF PROPOSAL:

 1) StateCom thanks the SCRWG for their successful recruiting effort and hereby dissolves the SCRWG. 

 2) StateCom hereby establishes the Team Green-Rainbow Working Group ( “TG” or “TGWG”).    StateCom asks that TG be supervised by the Candidate Development and Legal Committee (CDLC), subject to the provisions of this proposal.

 3) The charter of the TGWG shall be as follows:

 a) To manage and coordinate the 2018 slate effort for the GRP.  Slate candidates are asked to work through the TGWG whenever possible rather than independently setting up lines of communication with the various party entities.  This is intended to ensure fair treatment of candidates, to promote coordination, and to allow proper reporting.

 b) To manage and coordinate the petitioning effort required to ensure that the names of the slate candidates appear on the ballot in November 2018.  The TGWG shall hire and manage any staff recruited to coordinate the petitioning effort or to collect signatures.

 c) To manage disbursements from the GRP Candidate’s Fund to the slate candidates or to the petitioning effort.  This shall be done in consultation with CDLC to ensure compliance with campaign finance laws and to ensure that only funds designated for the slate campaign are disbursed for slate purposes.

 d) To coordinate the use of GRP resources by the three campaigns, including the GRP website, GRP mailing lists, support from GRP working committees, and support from local GRP chapters.  To coordinate slate efforts with local GRP candidates.

e) To develop and communicate a common slate campaign message that builds positive awareness of the Green-Rainbow Party among the voters of the Commonwealth.  Each candidate may have their own unique message elements, but the candidates are urged to take advantage of the synergism of having a consistent GRP message underlying their campaigns 

f) To work with the candidates to develop a common set of fundraising criteria so that it is clear that the slate upholds a clean money standard that contrasts with our opponents.

 g) To build the electoral strength of the slate candidates with the objective of having at least one of the candidates receive more than 3% of the statewide vote, thus restoring party status to the Green-Rainbow Party.  To this end the TG may work with the candidates in several ways, such as assisting in message development, fundraising, press, social media, and Get-Out-The-Vote efforts.

h) To ensure post-campaign integration of campaign databases into the GRP databases.

i) To provide a post-campaign assessment of the slate races to State Committee. 

4) All members of the SCRWG who wish to serve on the TG are hereby appointed to that working group.  In addition, the three slate candidates -Juan Sanchez, Jamie Guerin, and Jed Stamas -  are appointed.  Additional members may be appointed by a 2/3 vote of TG members in any meeting that has quorum or by appointment of the Administrative Committee.  Members may be removed with a 2/3 vote and concurrence by the Administrative Committee.

 5)  The TGWG shall become inactive on the day after the winter 2019 StateCom meeting and shall be reactivated by decision of either StateCom or CDLC. 

 IMPLEMENTATION:

The approved text shall be implemented by the TGWG with assistance as required by other party entities.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

Adopted by State Committee January 20th, 2018

SPONSORS: Matthew Andrews

VETTING COMMITTEES: Membership, Technical, Fundraising

FLOOR MANAGER: Matthew Andrews

SHEPHERD: Matthew Andrews

SUMMARY: Dues for the state party will be set at $20 for 2018.

BACKGROUND: The Green-Rainbow Party needs to set a real dues policy to raise money and recruit committed members. This simple proposal is intended merely as a first step, to get people accustom to the idea that dues are a responsibility of membership. A further discussion will be needed to for a more thorough dues program.

TEXT OF PROPOSAL: The State Committee sets dues for 2018 at $20 per person. A special “Dues” donation page shall be set up and linked to on the home page of the GRP website to encourage payment. Members may designate donations made through other methods as their dues. The month and year a member’s dues are paid through shall be recorded in Nationbuilder. This policy will be carried out in accordance with the bylaws (Section 4.2).

A member’s dues paying status shall not limit any rights legally conferred through voter registration.

IMPLEMENTATION: The Fundraising Director shall be responsible for encouraging dues payment. The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining the records in Nationbuilder. The Treasurer shall aid the Fundraising Director in reporting dues collection information to the Secretary. The Technical Committee shall automate dues collection and record keeping as much as possible.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
If we can get 200 people to pay $20 dues, we will raise an additional $4,000. There could be some negligible printing costs associated with membership application forms.

REFERENCES AND ATTACHMENTS

Bylaws Section 4.1

Membership in the Green-Rainbow Party is open to all residents of Massachusetts, regardless of age, who are not registered voters in another party or political designation and who fulfill at least one of the following criteria:….

Pay dues to the Green-Rainbow Party. Fee waivers must be available for individuals who are active participants in the Green-Rainbow Party and are unable to pay due to economic constraints. Any membership application may only require a member to provide a name, address, signature, date signature was signed and whether the member applied for a fee waiver.

SHEPARD/FLOOR MANAGER/SPONSOR: Assabet River Valley Chapter

Shepherd: M K Merelice, Norfolk County Representative

Co-Sponsor(s): Frank Jackson

Vetting Committees: Platform, AdCom, CDLC (?)

Background: Over the years, the GRP has worked on state legislative bills and warrant articles, with varying degrees of success. Sometimes the effort has been frustrating and has discouraged further involvement. However, the party’s advocacy has also helped legislation pass (e.g. MAAPL bills related to the foreclosure crisis).

As an official political party that hopes to engage directly in state government, there are particular issues that rise to the top of party interest. This proposal is to identify up to a half dozen such issues in which the party might help develop legislation or, minimally, follow legislation and communicate progress and any timely need for lobbying to GRP members.

 Proposal Text: The GRP hereby establishes a Legislation Working Committee. The responsibility of members of the committee will be to select up to a half-dozen issues that require state legislation to address. 

     Once the issues are defined (within the scope of the GRP’s volunteer resources), a volunteer will track the progress of relevant legislation from filing to enacting, keeping GRP members informed and activated. Communications will also be posted on social media.

Implementation: Issues to be considered could include the Community Uplift Initiative introduced by the 2014 statewide candidates and endorsed by the GRP, the continuing foreclosure problem being addressed by the GRP-founded Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending (MAAPL), Instant Runoff (ranked) Voting (IRV), Single-Payer Health Care (Medicare for all), eliminating the Supreme Court decision about corporate personhood and money as free speech, and establishing a State Bank (a goal raised during the campaign for State Treasurer and about to be worked on by party members). If helpful, this committee could work under the auspices of the Platform Committee.

Financial impact: None identified.

Title: Growing the Green-Rainbow Party 

Proposal Shepherd: Wes Nickerson, Middlesex

Co-Sponsors: Roni Beal

Vetting Committees: Adcom, Membership, Diversity, and Volunteer Recruitment

Revised: January 6, 2015

Background: The Green-Rainbow Party is once again in danger of losing its newly re-won official party status in the Presidential election year of 2016. This on-again, off-again cycle interferes with the progress of the GRP in achieving its goals. There are two ways of maintaining party status.

1. Achieve more than 3% of the vote in any one statewide race, including the presidential race.

2. Enroll at least 1% of voters as members of the Green-Rainbow Party, by election day of 2016. (This was done successfully in Maine, using Robo-calling.)

Considerations:

1. Given that the only statewide office being voted on in 2016 is the presidential race, and that no Green Party presidential candidate has received more than 3% in any Massachusetts election since Ralph Nader received over 6% in 2000, it is unlikely for the Green Party candidate to receive over 3% in 2016, which would be a five-fold increase over the previous presidential election. 

2. Given that there are about 5,000 people enrolled in the Green-Rainbow Party now and that enrolling 1% of voters would mean enrolling an additional 45000, that would be a tenfold increase, which is also unlikely for the Green-Rainbow Party to achieve.

Nevertheless, increasing the membership in the Party would help to bring the GRP closer to both of these goals, and having clear, ambitious goals is inspiring.

Proposal Text: The Membership, Diversity, and Volunteer Recruitment Committee will develop and implement a GRP Growth Plan to achieve stability, sustainability, and long-term Official Party status. 

Implementation: The Membership, Diversity, and Volunteer Recruitment Committee (MDVRC) will create and present a GRP Growth Plan to Statecom at its Spring 2015 meeting for approval. Once approved, MDVRC will implement and monitor the plan it develops and provide progress reports at Statecom quarterly meetings.

Budget Impact: Budget impact depends upon specific projects and growth methods undertaken.

Title: Rapid Response Protocol

Proposal Shepherd: Daphne Stevens, Worcester

Co-Sponsors: Wes Nickerson, Elie Yarden, Danny Factor

Vetting Committees: Adcom

Revised: January 7, 2015

Background: In the fast-paced news cycle of contemporary politics, events and issues change rapidly. In order for the Green-Rainbow Party to improve its visibility and relevance, it needs to respond rapidly to current events. The Green-Rainbow Party many times misses out on opportunities to endorse and participate in events such as marches, rallies, conferences, and festivals, because of a slow decision-making process, that often involves going through one or more committees, that only meet once every two weeks or even less often. This proposal would empower the Co-Chairs of the Party, at their discretion, to take action if needed between meetings of Adcom or other committees, if an event is in keeping with GRP values and previous GRP participation or endorsement of similar events. This proposal would also require both co-chairs as well as the treasurer to all three agree before any money is spent which is not budgeted or approved by the rest of Adcom, in order to safeguard Party funds from unsound spending.

Proposal Text: Amend the GRP Bylaws by adding the following two sentences to Article 9.11 under Duties of the co-chairs shall be to: 

- Exercise discretion in expediting, endorsing, participating in, and promote important, urgent events, such as marches, rallies, conferences, and festivals, in the name of the Green-Rainbow Party, in keeping with GRP values, and previous GRP endorsed events. 

- Delegate responsibilities as necessary for the sake of punctuality.

The full text of Article 9.11 as amended would read:

Duties of the co-chairs shall be to:

• Act as official spokes people for the Green-Rainbow Party;
• Set the agenda for administrative committee meetings;
• Arrange for the facilitation of all state conventions, state committee and administrative committee meetings;
• Notify other administrative committee members and directors of meetings;
• Ensure that other administrative committee members and directors are performing their duties.
• Exercise discretion in expediting, endorsing, participating in, and promote important, urgent events, in the name of the Green-Rainbow Party, such as marches, rallies, conferences, and festivals, in keeping with GRP values, and previous GRP endorsed events.
• Delegate responsibilities as necessary for the sake of punctuality.

Amend Article 9.10 by replacing the words, "if two of the three agree" with the words, "if the co-chairs and treasurer agree" 

The full text of Article 9.10 as amended would read:

"All administrative committee members shall be able to oversee the work of all Green-Rainbow Party staff. The co-chairs and treasurer may authorize financial expenditure that are not in the budget and have not been approved by the rest of the administrative committee if the co-chairs and treasurer agree, provided such expenditures are ratified at next AdCom meeting."

Implementation: N/A

Budget Impact: No cost to modify the Bylaws themselves. There is an unknown potential cost of participation in more events. Any potential cost is covered by Article 9.10.