This document is intended for use by congregations prior to General Assembly.
All General Assembly registrants will receive a copy of the Final Agenda in
a slightly different format onsite in Québec. The Final
Agenda is also available in (in PDF
format).
Rule 1. Order of business
Consideration of and action upon items must proceed in the order set forth in the Final Agenda unless during the meeting that order is changed by majority vote.
Rule 2. Means of Voting
So long as a quorum is present, action on any question, unless the Bylaws otherwise provide, will be decided in the first instance by an uncounted show of hands/voting cards, or by an
uncounted standing vote of the delegates present. If the Moderator wishes a counted vote or if a delegate requests it and the Moderator determines that 24 other delegates join in the request,
the vote must be counted. Except for Study/Action Issues for Social Justice (Rule 11), no vote will be taken by written ballot unless the delegates order a written ballot by a two-thirds
vote. Provided a quorum is present at each Plenary Session, all matters submitted to a vote of the delegates will be determined by the number of votes cast by delegates present and voting on the matter. The required proportion of votes cast by delegates to approve any action or resolution will be as set forth in the Bylaws or Rules or these Rules of Procedure.
Rule 3. Minutes
The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees will approve the minutes of the General Assembly Plenary Sessions, which will be prepared by the Recording Secretary in consultation with Legal Counsel.
Rule 4. Presentation of Items
The provisions of Rule 5 notwithstanding, the Planning Committee and/or the Commission on Social Witness will, at their discretion, move the item as printed on the Final Agenda or move an amended version of the item.
Rule 5. Amendments
Except for clarifying amendments, amendments to the main
motion and motions to refer, table or to call the question will not be in order
until there has been at least ten minutes of debate, if that much is needed, on
the merits of the main question as moved. No amendment or other change to any motion under consideration will be entertained unless it is submitted in writing on forms prescribed by the
Moderator, who may, however, waive this requirement.
Rule 6. Time Limits
The following time limits are imposed on all business transacted by the Assembly. If, however, there is no objection from the floor, the Moderator may grant minor extensions of time. Any time limits imposed by this rule may be extended by a two-thirds vote.
- No person may speak on any motion for more
than two minutes, and not more than once, so long as there are others who have
not spoken who desire the floor, except that persons having special information
may, with the permission of the Moderator, reply to questions.
- Thirty
minutes is allowed for discussion of any proposed bylaw amendment, rule change,
resolution, or action on a report that is on or admitted to the Final Agenda,
unless the time limit is extended in the manner provided in the first paragraph
of this Rule 6. Twenty minutes is
allowed for discussion of any proposed Action of Immediate Witness, unless the
time limit is extended in the manner provided in the first paragraph of this
Rule 6. Whenever possible, the
discussion time will be equally divided between proponents and opponents and by
the alternate recognition of speakers at microphones designated Pro and Con.
- A motion to call the previous question on the
main motion shall not be in order if there are potential speakers at both Pro
and Con microphones and the original or extended time for discussion has not
expired. A motion to call the previous
question on a motion to amend the main motion is in order after 10 minutes of
discussion concerning the amendment.
Rule 7. Microphones
Pro and Con Microphones. Usage of the microphones
designated "Pro" or "Con" is limited to statements in
support of or in opposition to motions.
Amendment Microphone. Usage of the microphone
designated "Amendment" is limited to presenters of motions and
members of the Board of Trustees who may use the microphone only for:
- making an amendment to a main motion or
another amendment, provided the motion is otherwise in order;
- using such additional time remaining under Rule 6, if any, to speak in support of the amendment; and
- stating the Board of Trustees' position at the outset of debate on those items on the Final Agenda on which the Board takes a position.
Procedure Microphone. All other matters must be brought to the Procedure microphone.
Rule 8. Committee of the Whole
At any stage of the meeting, the
Moderator, without a vote of the Assembly, at his or her discretion from time
to time may order the meeting resolved into a Committee of the Whole or
reconvened in regular Session. While
the meeting is acting as a Committee of the Whole, the following Special Rule
will apply:
The Presiding Officer, without a vote of the Committee of the Whole, may permit reconsideration of any action taken by the Committee of the Whole and other departures of the Rules of Parliamentary Procedure if it appears to him or her that the work of the
Committee of the Whole will thereby be expedited.
When the General Assembly is reconvened, the only motion in order will be to adopt the recommendation of the Committee of the Whole. A motion recommended by the Committee of the Whole will not be subject to amendment, debate, or delay.
Rule 9. Budget Motion
Any motion concerning the 2002 - 2003 budget that is to be made at the time provided for such motions during the formal business sessions must be filed in writing at the General Assembly
Office not later than 5:00 p.m., Sunday. All such motions must provide for reductions in specific other categories of spending equivalent to the increase in spending recommended in
the motion. Adoption of the motion requires a two-thirds vote.
Rule 10. Resolutions and Actions not on the Final Agenda
A Resolution or Action not on the Final Agenda may be considered only under the following circumstances:
- under Bylaw Section 4.16, which permits the addition of Actions of Immediate Witness to the Agenda and consideration of non-substantive resolutions;
- under Bylaw Section 4.16(c), which permits the addition of Responsive Resolutions in response to a substantive portion of a report by an officer or committee reporting to the Assembly.
Rule 11. Study/Action Issues for Social Justice
Pursuant to Bylaw Section 4.12(c):
Up to five Study/Action Issues for Social Justice may be presented to the General Assembly. A sponsor of a Study/Action Issue determined by the Commission on Social Witness to be eligible for consideration will have two minutes to speak in support of obtaining the vote necessary to be selected as the Study/Action Issue referred for study. Following the presentation by the sponsors for all Study/Action Issues eligible for consideration, one hour will be allowed for debate. Persons wishing to speak in the debate shall use the microphone designated for the Study/Action Issue for which he/she advocates and the Moderator will recognize speakers at each microphone, in
turn.
After debate concerning the proposed Study/Action Issues, a written ballot, prepared by the Commission on Social Witness, will be used to receive the vote of the delegates for which one of the Study/Action Issues will be referred for study. The Study/Action Issue receiving the highest number of votes among all Study/Action Issues shall be referred for study providing, however,
that if no Study/Action Issue receives a majority of the votes cast, then a
second vote shall be taken between the two Issues receiving the highest number
of votes cast in the initial election.
Rule 12. Actions of Immediate Witness
- The proposed Action of Immediate Witness must be in writing.
- A copy for posting at the Commission on Social Witness booth must be delivered to
the booth in the exhibit area no later than 5:00 p.m., Friday, so that
proposals may be made available for viewing prior to the filing deadline.
- The copy to be filed must have attached signatures showing the requisite delegate
support specified in Bylaw Section 4.16(b)(2) and must be filed with the
Commission on Social Witness in the General Assembly Office by no later than
5:00 p.m., Saturday.
- Each sponsor of an Action of Immediate Witness determined by the Commission on
Social Witness to be eligible to be considered for possible admission to the
agenda under Bylaw Section 4.16(b) will have two minutes to speak in support of
obtaining a vote supporting the admission of the action to the agenda.
- The sponsor will move admission at a Plenary Session scheduled before vote on the
action is to occur and when called upon to do so by the Moderator.
- The motion to admit is not debatable and requires a two-thirds vote of support.
- A motion to amend an Action of Immediate Witness is not in order in the Plenary
Session unless it first was presented to a mini-assembly, as described in Bylaw
Section 4.16(b)(4).
- Adoption of an Action of Immediate Witness may occur only during the final Plenary
Session of the Assembly and must be by two-thirds vote, as specified in Bylaw
Section 4.16(b)(5).
Rule 13. Amending the Rules of Procedure
These Rules of Procedure will be adopted by a two-thirds vote and may be amended, suspended, or repealed during
the course of the Assembly only by a two-thirds vote, except for the preceding
Rule 9, the amendment, suspension, or repeal of which requires a four-fifths
vote.
Rule 14. Smoking
Smoking is not allowed in General Assembly business sessions.
Rule 15. Adjournment
The final business session of the 2002 General Assembly will be adjourned no later than 6:30 p.m., Monday, June 24.
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The five Study/Action Issues presented here were selected by certified congregations to
be placed on the Agenda. The vote on the following SAIs will be to determine which one shall be referred to congregations and districts for further review and study in the Statement of
Conscience process, pursuant to Bylaw Section 4.12. An Implementation session on this chosen SAI will be held at 12:30 p.m. Monday.
S-1 CIVIL LIBERTIES
Issue: What can Unitarian Universalists do to protect civil liberties, against
governmental violation in the name of "homeland security," and in the wars against terrorism and
drugs?
Background and Reasons for Study: Unitarian Universalists have a longstanding
reputation as champions of the civil liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights in the United
States Constitution. Unitarians Roger Baldwin and John Haynes Holmes were among the founders of the American Civil Liberties Union in 1920, at a time when conscientious objectors to World War I
needed protection from persecution. The ACLU’s current President, Nadine Strossen, says it "was
born as a vehicle for fulfilling the promise made by the Declaration of Independence -- a promise that for all time, in all seasons, Americans would be free from majoritarian and governmental tyranny, free to speak their minds and equal before the law." During the era of Joseph McCarthy’s
anti-communist witch-hunts during the 1950’s, Unitarian Universalists regularly stood up for those whose civil liberties were jeopardized.
In the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks against the United
States, civil liberties have again been seriously endangered. Honest criticism of official policy has been labeled "aiding the terrorists." The power of the courts has been compromised in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The authority to conduct document and computer searches and wiretaps, once permissible only by judicial warrant, is now exercised without warrant by law enforcement officials in the field. People are being incarcerated indefinitely without charge or access to legal council or the evidence against them, in violation of the Fifth Amendment. The traditional restrictions on government agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert espionage have been lifted, allowing the possibility of administrative abuses without redress, in violation of the Sixth and Eighth Amendments. Citizen minorities and non-citizen residents, including both undocumented immigrants and those who carry
Green Cards, live in fear of dragnets that can expose them to exploitation and
abuse.
In short, the recent dramatic expansion of unrestrained executive power, claimed by the United States government to be necessary to fight wars against both terrorism and
drugs, weakens the civil liberties it is supposed to protect. Sun-setting provisions in the new
legislation are not adequate to ensure freedom from its abuse and misapplication. The sanctity of the social contract has been violated, and it is time for Unitarian Universalists in the United States to stand up and reclaim the civil liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.
Possible Study Questions:
- Does the United States Patriot Act of 2001 properly balance the needs of "homeland security" and civil liberties?
- How should federal law distinguish between citizens and legal non-citizen residents? How should it deal with undocumented immigrants?
- What have prior periods of war, declared and undeclared, taught about the fragility of civil liberties?
- Are there some civil liberties that people should be prepared to give up in times of war?
- To what extent, if at all, is ethnic or racial profiling, including the use of internment, justified in the wars against terrorism and drugs?
- What are the significant differences between trials in courts of law and military tribunals? When are the latter appropriate, and what protections should be afforded tribunal defendants?
Possible Actions:
- Learn about the work of the American Civil Liberties Union nationally and locally. Discover what civil liberties issues are its current priorities. Serve as a volunteer with the ACLU.
- Demonstrate congregational witness for local instances of civil liberty abuse. Serve as a court room observer when dissenters are on trial.
- Write to your local newspapers, and contact your Congressional representatives to register your concern about civil liberties in jeopardy.
- Network with other Unitarian Universalist congregations, other faith groups, and other community organizations to preserve civil liberties.
Related Prior Social Witness Statements: uman Rights and War (Gen
1980); FBI/CIA Charters (Gen 1980); Against Government Harassment (Gen 1976); Civil Liberties (Gen 1971); Freedom of Dissent (Gen 1967); Civil Liberties (Gen 1963).
S-3 MODERN SLAVERY
Issue: What can Unitarian Universalists do to prevent the continuing
proliferation and trafficking in human slavery?
Background and Reasons for Study: Slavery is not dead. Modern slavery exists in the forms of forced labor, exploitation, and the economic abuse of human beings. Currently 200 million people in the world are estimated to be held in slavery against their will, under
threat of physical harm and often without any compensation. Between 700,000 and 2 million women
and children are newly trafficked into slavery every year, some 50,000 of whom are smuggled into
the United States. An active slave trade also thrives in Latin America, Africa, South Asia,
Eastern Europe, and Micronesia. Working as domestic servants, prostitutes, farm hands, child
laborers, and production workers, these modern slaves are drawn from the most vulnerable strata of society and are treated like chattel. When their economic value to their owners is spent, they are discarded and left destitute.
The dimensions of modern slavery vary from country to country. Once in the United States,
innocents who are trafficked are stripped of identifying documents, held captive and threatened or abused until they work. No longer illegal immigrants, they are slaves. Speaking no English in a country that sees bilingualism as a burden, these individuals are isolated and helpless.
Although the Declaration of Human Rights and other United Nations conventions regard slavery as illegal under international law, they have no enforcement provisions. All religions and people of faith regard slavery as immoral, but many have turned a blind eye to its existence and to the benefits they draw from its presence in our society. Modern slavery is the fastest
growing sector of organized crime syndicates, and has proven fiercely resistant to well-meaning efforts of redemption through "buy-back" programs such as those practiced by Christian Solidarity
International.
Possible Study Questions:
- How and where does slavery exist in the United States and in our own local communities?
- What do the principles of our faith compel Unitarian Universalists to do to assist the victims of slavery?
- How can Unitarian Universalists intervene in, and expose, the vicious cycle of human exploitation and abuse through which slavery dehumanizes us all?
Possible Action:
- Convene discussion circles in your congregation to examine how and where to identify and expose victims of enslavement.
- Express your findings publicly through local and state government and law enforcement agencies.
- Learn about the work of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
Related Prior Social Witness Statements: Human Rights Conventions (Gen
1965); Strengthening the United Nations (Gen 1967); Consensus on the United Nations (Bus 1969); Working for a Just Economic Community (Gen 1997).
S-4 PEACE AND TERRORISM
Issue: How should Unitarian Universalists promote peaceful, lawful solutions to global terrorism?
Background and Reasons for Study: The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on
New York City, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania horrified the nation and led the United States
and its allies to launch a "war on terrorism," including an extensive bombing campaign in
Afghanistan. Part of this response has been a substantial increase in American defense spending. The military budget for fiscal year 2002 is $343.2 billion, 13% greater than that of 2001 and a full 19% greater than that of 2000. To put this into perspective, the United States’ defense budget is more than 23 times greater than the combined military spending of the seven countries traditionally identified by the Pentagon as the United States’ most likely adversaries (Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria).
Many are concerned about the Bush Administration’s defense policy designed to "smoke the terrorists out of their holes," with the concurrent, considerable rise in
defense spending. They are searching for an appropriate response to terror with perspectives ranging widely across a spectrum, from people who favor targeted bombing to those who reject a military response as morally unjust. In any case it would be difficult to find an appropriate, ultimately peaceful response to such aggression. It is harder still, however, as we are overwhelmed by the knowledge that so many people like us lost loved ones in these acts of terror.
Shortly after the September 11th attacks, The Reverend William Sinkford, President of the
Unitarian Universalist Association, reminded us that the way to world peace is up to us. In accord with our search for world community with peace, justice, and liberty for all, we are compelled to seek a peace which both protects our security and is globally just.
Possible Study Questions:
- What is "terrorism"? How do we distinguish between a terrorist and a freedom fighter?
- What is the history of United States involvement in international covert operations that can be seen as terrorism by other nations?
- What United States policies might lead to further terrorism?
- What are the moral responsibilities of the United States, as the world’s sole super-power, to
other countries?
- How does the United States’ war on terrorism accord with Unitarian Universalist principles?
- How do the monetary and material costs of war impact peaceful goals such as environmental
protection, improved education, and social and health services?
- What must we learn from the non-violence modeled by figures such as Julia Ward Howe, Henry
David Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thich Nhat Hanh, Jesus,
and Buddha?
- How can we reconcile principles of non-violence with the threat of terrorism that respects no
boundaries?
- How are other faith groups addressing questions of war and peace, terrorism and non-violence?
Possible Actions:
- Partner with other organizations working actively on peace issues, such as the Fellowship of
Reconciliation, the American Friends Service Committee, the Peace Foundation, the International
League for Peace and Freedom, United World Federalists, the United Nations Association of the
USA, and Veterans for Peace.
- Participate in teach-ins, conferences, and protests with other faith groups.
- Initiate congregational and district-wide peace action task forces.
- Call on the peace-making expertise of Unitarian Universalist-related organizations such as the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and the Unitarian Universalist United Nations
Office.
Related Prior Social Witness Statements: Establishment of the US
Academy of Peace and Conflict Resolution (Gen 1983); Human
Rights and War (Gen 1980); Sharing in the New Call to Peacemaking (Gen 1979);
Disarmament (Bus 1977); Disarmament (Gen 1970); Statement on Consensus on the UN (Bus 1969);
Cooperative Religious Program for Peace (Bus 1967); Non-Intervention (Gen 1966).
S-6 PRISON REFORM
Issue: How can Unitarian Universalists advocate humane and ethical ways of
dealing with the ever-growing challenge of our prison population, the prison industry, and methods of detention and rehabilitation?
Background and Reasons for Study: The prison industry has been one of the
United States’ fastest growing industries. The number of state prisoners has increased 500 percent since the 1970s. Since 1980, the United States’ prison population has quadrupled with over 6.5 million people behind bars, on probation, or on parole. The 1998 incarceration rate in the United States (668 inmates for every 100,000 residents) was higher than in all other nations except Russia (685/100,000). In contrast, Canada incarcerated only 111 per 100,000 citizens. More than 245 prisons have been built in the last decade in the United States. This growth in prisons and prisoners has persisted due to longer sentences even though incidents of crime fell each year in the 1990s.
The increasing number of people incarcerated may be due, at least in part, to racism and classism. Of the jail inmates in 1991 who had been free for at least one year prior to
arrest, 32 percent had had an annual income under $5,000. Forty-six percent of all inmates are black, and sixteen percent are Hispanic. Furthermore, the United States Congress’s refusal to adjust the widely differing prosecution and sentencing standards for crack and powder cocaine clearly shows racist and classist intent. According to the 1999 National Household Survey, 26.7 million Americans aged 12 or over used an illicit drug. Of these, 19.1 million were white, 3.3 million were black, and 2.6 million were Hispanic. Yet the sentencing for crack, which is used more by inner-city non-whites, is 100 times harsher than sentencing for powder cocaine, which is preferred by suburban whites. Statistically, black males have a 29 percent chance of serving time at some point in their lives, Hispanic males have a 16 percent chance, and white males a 4 percent chance.
The increase in prison population, due largely to longer
drug-related sentences, has created a demand for further prison expansion, at tremendous social and economic cost. An industry of private, for-profit prisons has evolved. From 1985 to 1996, the number of prison beds under private management in the United States has grown from 935 to 105,000 in 157 facilities -- approximately 5 percent of all inmates. The cost of incarceration is comparable to tuition at private colleges. At the end of 2000, the 2.1 million Americans incarcerated cost more than $30 billion a year. While expenses are rising, programs that help to deter crime and eliminate recidivism are being eliminated, as well as other needed programs inside the prison system such as medical care, libraries, psychiatric treatment facilities, and educational programs.
Finally, more than 80,000 currently incarcerated individuals work for governments or private companies and earn as little as 25 cents an hour. The private sector programs, which exist in 36
states, have doubled in number since 1995. Supporters cite inmate employment as a way to reform convicts, and business groups see this practice as a source of inexpensive labor. Critics
cite the fact that inmates have no bargaining power and are easily
exploited
Possible Study Questions:
- How can sentencing guidelines be made fair and equitable to all races and classes?
- What are alternatives to building more prisons?
- What potentials and drawbacks do rehabilitation centers hold for restorative justice?
- What can we do to help those already in prison?
- What is the connection between the growth of the prison industry and the global economy?
- What are the links between the location of private prisons and depressed local economies?
Possible Actions:
- Visit a prison. Then write articles for newspapers and newsletters to inform the public on prison issues.
- Network with mental health organizations to advocate for prisoner access to mental health services.
- Support prison-based education programs.
- Develop community awareness through educational discussions, study circles, performance slams, and films.
- Find, fund, and volunteer for organizations related to crime prevention, rehabilitation, and
restorative justice.
- Advocate for reform in local and national legislation.
Related Prior Social Witness Statements: Working for a Just Economic
Community (Gen 1997); Community-based Correctional
Program (Gen 1978); Penal Reform (Gen 1977); Criminal Justice (Gen 1975);
Reform of Courts and Penal System (Gen
1974).
S-7 US FOREIGN AID
Issue: What can Unitarian Universalists do to advocate for a redistribution of
foreign aid considering the current budget levels of aid for armaments and aid for humanitarian and developmental needs?
Background and Reasons for Study: The current budget for foreign developmental
and humanitarian aid has dropped to one-tenth of one percent of the gross domestic
budget. This is a post-World War II low, and the lowest of all 22 countries in the Organization
of Economic Community and Development. United Nations guidelines for humanitarian aid,
reflected in the average amount given by all developed countries, call for three and one half
times the actual United States level of commitment. The average American enjoys 75 times the average individual income in each of the world’s low-income countries, where over 1.2 billion people live on less than $1 per day. The amount of United States foreign military assistance is 250 times that for developmental and humanitarian aid. The relative size of the military and humanitarian components of the American foreign aid budget is not simply a matter of national military-political calculus; it is an expression of values to which Americans aspire and would share with other nations.
Another concern is assessing which nations are friendly enough
to the United States to qualify for receiving aid. For example, the Taliban in Afghanistan were formerly considered friendly and were provided with massive amounts of weaponry, which is now being used against the United States and its current "friends."
Moreover, some regard any global arms escalation, enabled by
United States tax dollars, as detrimental to creating opportunities for peaceful growth. They believe that redirecting those funds to the creation and development of essentials such as education, food production, health care, communication, transportation, and public utilities would improve the quality of life, increase opportunities for self-determination, reduce negative environmental impact, and provide opportunities for economic growth.
Possible Study Questions:
- What influences the formation of United States foreign aid policy?
- Does current American foreign aid policy express your values regarding military defense,
humanitarian aid, and developmental needs? What would Americans need to give up
to have a foreign aid policy that more closely reflected your values?
- What are the objectives of current foreign aid policy? Does it reflect the end of the Cold War?
- What percentage of United States foreign assistance is allocated to humanitarian assistance, family planning, and health care services including combating HIV/AIDS? Is it time for
a new Marshall Plan-style program focusing on economic development and creation of
infrastructure?
- How does United States dependence upon imported oil affect United States economic assistance?
- What are the likely long term consequences of continuing to follow a heavily militaristic foreign aid policy?
- How does the allocation of United States foreign aid relate to Unitarian Universalist principles?
Possible Actions:
- Form an interfaith advocacy workshop.
- Network with local and national organizations working for a more just and equitable distribution of foreign aid, such as: Bread for the World, Oxfam America, Worldwatch Institute,
and Council for a Livable World.
- Express your shared values with the local press, community leaders, and your Congressional
representatives.
Related Prior Social Witness Statements: Restrict Arms Sales and
Transfers (Gen 1994); Redirecting Economic Resources to
Alleviate Poverty (Gen 1991); Economic Conversion for Peace and Human Needs
(Gen 1989); Peace & Disarmament (Gen
1979); Cooperative Religious Program for Peace (Bus 1967).
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brackets/italics = deletion; underlining/bold = insertion
Adoption requires a two-thirds vote, except for C-Bylaws. A proposal to amend a section
of the Bylaws whose section number is preceded by a "C" must be placed on the agenda and approved by a majority vote at a regular General Assembly preceding the one at which it may be finally adopted.First-step approval requires a majority. Final adoption requires a two-thirds vote.
The following Bylaw amendments are placed on the agenda by the UUA Board of Trustees
The following proposed amendments relate to proposed changes in the relationship between the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Canadian Unitarian Council. Section 6.3.(c)(1),
regarding Mid-South and Florida Districts, is considered separately.
Board vote on the proposed amendments regarding the UUA and CUC:
Section 6.3. Membership.
The Board of Trustees shall consist of:
(a)the President, without vote, the Moderator and the Financial Advisor;
(b)[five] four trustees elected at large, including [a
trustee at large from Canada an] a youth trustee at large;
(c)one trustee representing each district, except that a single trustee shall represent [each of the following combinations:
(1 T] the Mid-South and Florida
Districts[;].
[(2) The Prairie Star and Western Canada Districts.]
Notwithstanding the
foregoing and anything else to the contrary contained in these Bylaws,
the Board of Trustees shall have five, as opposed to four, trustees at large
until the earlier to occur of the expiration of the current term of the present trustee at large
from Canada or the resignation of the present trustee at large from Canada. The foregoing sentence and this sentence shall automatically expire and be deleted from these Bylaws upon
the first to occur of the aforementioned events.
*Section 6.6. Qualifications of Trustees.
Each elected trustee shall be a member of a member
congregation. An elected trustee representing a district shall reside in that district and shall be a member of a member congregation located in the district. [The trustee at large from Canada shall reside in Canada and shall be a member of a member congregation located in Canada.] A trustee who ceases to
meet these qualifications shall be disqualified and the office declared
vacant. The youth trustee at large shall be an individual aged 14 to 20 inclusive years at the time of election. Not more than one trustee shall be a member of the same member congregation. If a trustee becomes a member of a member congregation in which another trustee is already a member,
such trustee shall be disqualified and the office declared vacant. The Board of Trustees shall adopt rules for the application of this section to persons holding membership in more than one member congregation. Notwithstanding anything else to the contrary contained in these Bylaws, each of the trustees currently representing the Prairie Star district and the St. Lawrence district shall be deemed to qualify as a trustee under this Section until the earlier to occur of the expiration of his or her current term or his or her resignation. The foregoing sentence and this sentence shall automatically expire and be deleted from these Bylaws upon the first to occur of the aforementioned events.
Section
9.5. Nomination by Petition.
(b) For Other
Elective Positions at Large. A
nomination for any other elective position at large or to fill a vacancy in an unexpired term occurring prior to December 1 of the year before the election may be by petition signed by not less than fifty members of certified member congregations, with no more than ten signatures of members of any one congregation counted toward the required fifty. A separate petition, in form prescribed by the Secretary, shall be filed for each nomination not later than February 1 of the year of the
election and not earlier than the preceding October 1.
Nominations for [trustee at large from Canada
and] youth trustee at large shall be so designated.
Rule G-12.2.1.
Establishing Districts.
(a) The districts shall be [twenty-one]
twenty in number and named Ballou Channing, Central Midwest, Clara Barton, Florida, Heartland, Joseph Priestley, Massachusetts Bay, Metropolitan New York, Mountain Desert, Mid-South, Northeast, New Hampshire-Vermont, Ohio Meadville, Pacific Central, Pacific Northwest, Pacific Southwest, Prairie Star, St. Lawrence, Southwest, and Thomas Jefferson. [,
Western Canada.]
(b) Each
district [is] shall
be composed of the congregations in the United States assigned to
that district by the Board of Trustees.
[A list of the congregations that are members of each
district is published in the annual Directory.]
The following is proposed for first-step approval
by majority vote.
*Section C-12.2. Establishment.
[Districts shall be established by action of General Assemblies,
which shall fix their boundaries
after consultation with the member congregations affected thereby.]
The establishment of
districts and the manner of determining which congregations are
included in each district shall be in accordance with rules adopted by the
General
Assembly.
The following proposed amendment sets a minimum of 10 members as a requirement
for congregations to be certified.
Board vote on the proposed amendments regarding
membership: FOR 24-0-0
The following is proposed for first-step approval by majority vote.
*Section C-3.5.
Certification of Membership.
(b) held at least
one business meeting of its members, elected its own officers and maintained
adequate records of membership; had ten (10) or more members,
and ...
If Section C-3.5 is approved on a first-step basis, the following section
will appear on the Agenda in 2003.
Section 4.8.
Delegates.
(a) Member Delegates. Each certified member congregation is entitled to be represented
at
each General Assembly by delegates who are members of such congregation,
selected in
accordance with its bylaws or procedures.
The Church of the Larger Fellowship is entitled to 22 such delegates.
Other certified member congregations are entitled to that number
of such delegates determined as follows:
the number of delegates of a certified member congregation shall
be equal to the number of members of the congregation divided by fifty,
plus one delegate for any fraction remaining; provided that each certified
member congregation of ten or more shall
be entitled to at least two delegates.
Membership of Member
Member Congregation Delegates
[1]10-100 2
The following proposed amendment changes the Board of Trustees representation
of the Mid-South and Florida Districts
Board vote on the
proposed amendment regarding Mid-South/Florida trustee: FOR 17-7-0
Section 6.3.
Membership.
(c)
one trustee representing each district
[except that a single trustee shall represent the Mid-
South and Florida Districts].
The following proposed amendment requires neutrality by the UUA Secretary
in UUA elections and establishes the Secretary rather than the Moderator as
the interpreter of questions arising during elections.
Board vote on the proposed
amendment regarding the Secretary’s role in elections: FOR 24-0-0
Section 9.8. Supervision of Elections.
The Secretary shall supervise
all elections for elective positions at large.
The Secretary may
appoint a committee of tellers to count ballots and perform other routine
duties. The
[Moderator] Secretary shall decide any question
arising during such an election concerning:
(a) the interpretation
of any provision of these Bylaws or of Rules made hereunder relating to
election procedures;
(b) any procedural
problem relating to the election which is not covered by these Bylaws or
by
the Rules; or
(c) the interpretation
of the intent of a voter in marking the ballot.
The [Moderator's]
Secretary’s decision shall be final. The Secretary shall remain neutral in
the election and shall not engage in electioneering, except for advocacy
of his or her own
candidacy for offices for which he or she is nominated.
The following proposed amendment requires neutrality by the Election Campaign
Practices Committee and makes persons nominated for UUA elections by the Nominating
Committee or by petition ineligible to serve on the Election Campaign Practices
Committee. (Note: The last sentence was added to the Final Agenda by action
of the Board at its April 2002 meeting to perfect the proposed amendment.)
Board vote on the proposed amendment regarding
Election Campaign Practices: FOR
24-0-0
Rule G-9.12.10
Election Campaign Practices Committee.
(a) An Election
Campaign Practices Committee is hereby established and shall consist of
three
persons to be appointed by the Board of Trustees at its October meeting
following those
regular General Assemblies at which elections occur. Two members of the Committee shall
be members of the Board of Trustees at the time of their appointment and
one shall be a
non-Board member. The non-Board
member shall be the chair of the Committee.
Persons
appointed to the Election Campaign Practices Committee shall remain neutral
in the
election and not engage in electioneering.
A person nominated pursuant to Bylaw
Sections 9.4 or 9.5 is ineligible to serve on the Committee.
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