1 Bylaws and Rules of the 2 …

1                             Bylaws and Rules of the
 2                           Republican Liberty Caucus
 3
 4   Article I: Name
 5      The name of this organization shall be the Republican Liberty Caucus, hereinafter referred to
 6   as the "Caucus".
 7
 8   Article II: Purpose
 9      The Caucus is a political action organization dedicated to promoting the ideals of individual
10   rights, limited government and free enterprise within the Republican Party of the United States
11   of America by:
12      A. Promoting these ideals among Party officials and its various organizations;
13      B. Identifying and supporting candidates sympathetic with these ideals;
14      C. Promoting Caucus membership among Party registrants, officials, and officeholders.
15
16   Article III: Membership
17     Section 1: There shall be three categories of membership: Regular, Associate, and Honorary.
18     A. Regular membership shall be limited to individuals who are affiliated with the Republican
19          Party (as determined by the Caucus Secretary), who have paid current minimum dues and
20          who support the purposes of the Caucus. Regular members are qualified to serve in any
21          official capacity in the Caucus, to act as delegates at any Convention and to enjoy all the
22          privileges extended in these Bylaws.
23     B. Associate membership shall be open to individual, no matter their political affiliation, who
24          have affirmatively indicated their support for the purposes of the Caucus. Associate
25          members shall receive such services and privileges as the Board of Directors may specify.
26     C. Honorary membership may be extended to any person designated by the Board of
27          Directors or Chartered State Executive Committees. Honorary members shall enjoy such
28          rights, privileges or honors as may be explicitly conferred thereby, either individually or
29          as a group.
30     Section 2: The Board of Directors shall set the minimum annual dues requirement for Regular
31    membership in the Caucus, which shall not exceed fifty dollars. Dues shall be current until the
32    anniversary date of the member's previous dues payment.
33     Section 3: Dues payments received by the Caucus shall be shared with the applicable
34    Chartered State organization in a fixed amount, not to exceed twenty-five dollars, and
35    disbursed to that State organization on an agreed schedule, at least quarterly and at least thirty
36    days before a Caucus Convention. Dues payments received by Chartered State organizations
37    shall be shared in the same fixed amount and disbursed to the Caucus on the same agreed
38    schedule. The Caucus, or Chartered State organizations, may offer premium membership rates
39    or services, which shall be subject to the same fixed dues sharing amounts as Regular
40    membership. No Regular membership shall be offered for a period in excess of two years.
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 1      Section 4: The Caucus or Chartered State organizations may waive their portion of dues for
 2    any special circumstance or condition approved by their respective executive committees, but
 3    shall pay the fixed shared amount of dues to the other entity, either from the exceptional
 4    membership dues payment or from general revenues. Either entity may offer periodic payments
 5    smaller than the Regular minimum dues, but shall disburse the shared portion before any other
 6    allocation of receipts.
 7      Section 5: Contributions received by the Caucus or Chartered State organizations from
 8    contributors who are not Regular Members shall first be applied toward minimum annual dues
 9    and shared in the same fashion as other dues receipts, unless the contributor explicitly declines
10    such membership. All other contributions or donations may be expended as specified by the
11    respective executive committees, but shall not be donated to any electoral campaign.
12      Section 6: Any membership may be suspended or revoked by a majority vote of the Board of
13    Directors of the Caucus or the applicable Chartered State executive committee for just cause.
14
15   Article IV: Board of Directors
16      Section 1. The Board of Directors of the Caucus, hereinafter "Board", shall consist of the four
17    Officers of the Caucus, five At-Large members and at least three Alternate members. Board
18    members shall be Regular members of the Caucus, elected for two-year terms by delegates at a
19    Regular Convention of the Caucus. Alternate members may be designated by the Chairman as
20    voting members of the Board whenever regular members are absent from any meeting or fail to
21    participate in any electronic ballot. Any member of the Board may be removed for just cause
22    and vacancies may be filled by a majority vote of all Board members.
23      Section 2. The Board shall ensure the effective implementation of these Bylaws, adopt an
24    annual or quarterly budget, provide for effective communications among members, Chartered
25    State organizations and the general public, and make arrangements for Regular and Special
26    Conventions of the Caucus.
27      Section 3. The Board shall have full power and authority to govern all the affairs of the
28    Caucus between conventions and shall have the sole, ultimate, final and exclusive control over
29    all property, assets, liabilities and other resources of the Caucus. The Board shall have the
30    authority to hire, fire, contract and take such legal actions as will effect the will of the Board.
31      Section 4. The Board shall conduct its meetings in conformance with the most recent edition
32    of Robert's Rules of Order, in the absence of standard or special rules it may adopt that
33    conform with these Bylaws and Rules. The Board may conduct meetings or ballots by
34    telephone, email, or any other means it deems appropriate. Regular meetings of the Board shall
35    occur at least quarterly, with at least one week's notice. A special meeting of the Board shall
36    occur immediately following any Convention. Other special, emergency, or informal meetings
37    of the Board may be called at the written request of any three members, on three days notice to
38    all Board members. Any Regular member may attend or obtain the minutes of any Board
39    meeting, unless two-thirds of the Board members agree to a closed session, at which the Board
40    may deliberate, but not adopt, exceptional motions.
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 1
 2   Article V: Officers
 3      Section 1. The Officers of the Caucus shall consist of a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary
 4    and Treasurer, who shall all be voting members of Board and subject to the provisions of the
 5    preceding Article. Candidates for Officer shall have been Regular members of the Caucus for at
 6    last two years prior to their nomination. Candidates for Chairman and Vice-Chairman shall
 7    have been Regular members for at least three years and members of the Board of Directors for
 8    at least six months prior to their nomination.
 9      Section 2. Elected Officers shall assume office at the close of the Convention at which they
10    are elected. Any Officer may be dismissed for misconduct or malfeasance upon thirty days
11    notice to the Officer and a majority vote of all members of the Board. Any Officer vacancy
12    may be filled by a majority vote of all members of the Board. New Officers must qualify under
13    the provisions of the previous Section and shall assume office immediately upon election by the
14    Board. If Officer vacancies occur between Board meetings, the seceding officer listed in the
15    preceding section, followed by At-Large Board members, shall serve as the acting Officer until
16    the next meeting of the Board.
17      Section 3. The Officers shall perform such duties as are prescribed in these Bylaws.
18        A. The Chairman shall be the primary spokesman of the Caucus; shall execute the
19      resolutions of the Board of Directors; shall preside at meetings of the Board and official
20      sessions of any Convention, unless absent or replaced by an Acting Chairman, and shall
21      ensure the administration of all provisions of these Bylaws. The Chairman may appoint any
22      Regular members as special project or liaison directors of such standing or special executive
23      committees or projects as he deems appropriate for the performance of these duties.
24        B. The Vice-Chairman shall assume the duties and obligations of Chairman in his absence,
25      assist the Chairman in his duties and serve as Director of the State Chartering and Convention
26      Committees.
27        C. The Secretary shall record and distribute the minutes of all Board meetings and
28      Conventions, certify Delegates, conduct such ballots as the Board may direct, and act as
29      Parliamentarian for all official business of the Caucus. The Secretary shall serve as Director
30      of the Communications and Public Relations Committee.
31        D. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all Caucus funds, shall propose annual and
32      quarterly budgets, safeguard the financial resources of the Caucus and make such periodic
33      reports of finances as the Board may require. The Treasurer shall serve as Director of the
34      Finance and Fundraising Committee.
35
36   Article VI: Conventions
37      Section 1. The Board shall call and hold a Regular Convention in every even-numbered year,
38    at such place and time as the Board shall designate, for the purpose of adopting revisions to
39    these Bylaws and Rules, electing members of the Board, adopting public policy statements, and
40    conducting such other business as it deems appropriate.
41      Section 2. All members of the Caucus shall be notified of the Regular Convention at least
42    sixty days prior to the designated date of the Convention. Such notice shall include the location,
43    calendar of events, official business to be conducted and such other information as would
44    facilitate and encourage attendance by Caucus members.
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 2      Section 3. All Regular members certified by the Treasurer as having paid current dues at least
 3    thirty days prior to the Convention shall be qualified to be voting Delegates for all official
 4    business conducted during the Convention. No Delegate shall be required to pay any fee for
 5    participation in official business, but may be required to register and pay for such events or
 6    services the Board deems beneficial to the Caucus and attractive to the members.
 7      Section 4. A quorum for Regular Convention business shall be a majority of the certified
 8    Delegates who have registered as being in attendance with the Secretary, or such Credentials
 9    Committee as the Secretary shall designate. The Convention shall be governed by the latest
10    version of Robert's Rules of Order which are consistent with these Bylaws and Rules, unless a
11    majority of the registered Delegates adopt special rules for the duration of the Convention.
12    There shall be no absentee or proxy voting on any official business.
13      Section 5. In the event of an emergency, the Board may, by a two-thirds vote, postpone a
14    Regular Convention for no more than ninety days and shall notify members by the best means
15    available.
16      Section 6. The Board may call a Special Convention at any time by a majority vote. Special
17    Conventions may only conduct such official business as may be explicitly authorized by a two-
18    thirds vote of the Board. If such official business is authorized, the preceding sections of this
19    Bylaw relating to notice, Delegate status and proceedings shall apply to official sessions of the
20    Special Convention. Special Conventions may include such events and services as the Board
21    deems beneficial to the Caucus and attractive to the members.
22
23   Article VII: Statements of Position
24      Section 1. Statements of Position may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the certified and
25    registered Delegates at any Regular Convention, or the official sessions of any Special
26    Convention which may be authorized by the Board under these Bylaws.
27      Section 2. Statements proposed by a majority vote of the Board or in a Petition signed by no
28    less than twenty-five Regular members at least forty-five days prior to the Convention date may
29    be submitted to the Delegates for adoption.
30      Section 3. Notice of all proposed Statements shall be distributed to Regular members with the
31    notice of Convention.
32
33   Article VIII: State Charters
34      Section 1. The Board shall encourage and certify the Chartering of state Caucus organizations
35    in the United States of America which qualify under the provisions of these Bylaws and Rules.
36    A State Charter may be granted to any group of ten or more Regular members who are
37    residents of the subject state and who have signed a Petition for Charter and submit it in writing
38    to the Board of Directors. The Board may certify qualified State Charters by a majority vote at
39    its next regular meeting.
40      Section 2. The Board may set such minimum criteria for State Charter Bylaws and require
41    such verification of Regular membership as it deems appropriate for certification.
42      Section 3. In any dispute between the Caucus and any Charter State, the decision of the
43    Caucus Board of Directors shall be final.
44      Section 4. The Board may appoint Coordinators for any unchartered state or territory of the
45    United States for the purpose of facilitating the development of local Caucus organization.
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 1
 2   Article IX: Amendment
 3      Section 1. These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the certified and registered
 4    Delegates at any Regular Convention, or the official sessions of any Special Convention which
 5    may be authorized by the Board under these Bylaws. Amendments proposed by a majority vote
 6    of the Board or in a Petition signed by no less than twenty-five Regular members no less than
 7    forty-five days prior to a Convention may be submitted to the Delegates for adoption. Notice of
 8    proposed amendments shall be distributed to all Regular members with the notice of
 9    Convention.
10      Section 2. Amendments shall go into effect immediately, unless otherwise stated in the
11    proposed Amendment.
12      Section 3. Caucus Rules may be amended by a majority of the certified and registered
13    Delegates, or by a two-thirds vote of the Board, after at least thirty days notice.
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 1   Caucus Rules
 2
 3    Rule 1. Standing Committees
 4       A. The Membership Committee, under the direction of the Chairman, shall promote new
 5     memberships, encourage membership renewal, and ensure the maintenance of an accurate
 6     membership database. The Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer shall serve as members of
 7     the Membership Committee;
 8       B. The Candidate Review Committee, under the direction of the Chairman, shall obtain,
 9     review and distribute information on candidates and recommend candidates for endorsement
10     by the Board;
11       C. The State Chartering Committee, under the direction of the Vice-Chairman, shall
12     promote, assist and process Petitions for State Charters;
13       D. The Convention Committee, under the direction of the Vice-Chairman, shall plan,
14     arrange, promote and conduct all Regular and Special Conventions of the Caucus. The
15     Secretary and Treasurer shall serve on the Committee to facilitate Delegate certification;
16       E. The Communications and Public Relations Committee, under the direction of the
17     Secretary, shall supervise, maintain, facilitate and conduct communications among the
18     members, the Board, the media and the general public;
19       F. The Finance and Fund Raising Committee, under the direction of the Treasurer, shall
20     arrange, facilitate and solicit financial contributions to the Caucus.
21
22    Rule 2. Special Directors
23     Special Directors nominated by the Chairman and appointed by the Board shall include:
24       A. The Webmaster, who shall be responsible for the operation, maintenance and content of
25     the Caucus Internet services, as a member of the Communications and Public Relations
26     Committee;
27       B. The Newsletter Editor, who shall be responsible for the preparation, production and
28     distribution of printed or electronically published news of the Caucus, as a member of the
29     Communications and Public Relations Committee;
30       C. The Media Relations Director, who shall be responsible for the preparation, production
31     and distribution of news releases and position statements of the Caucus on public issues.
32
33    Rule 3. State Charters
34     Petitions for a State Charter shall include the following:
35      A. Charter Bylaws adopted by two-thirds of the Petition signers which include all the
36     provisions of these Bylaws and Rules related to Charters;
37      B. Certification of the election of Charter officers;
38      C. Such additional documentation as may be specified by the State Chartering Committee.
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 1
 2   Rule 4. Dues Sharing
 3    Caucus membership dues may be collected by either the Caucus or its Chartered State
 4    organizations, provided:
 5      A. The amount collected for Regular membership shall not be less than $15, which shall be
 6    transferred to the other entity as the dues share for that member;
 7      B. The standard dues collected for Regular membership shall be $30 for both Caucus and
 8    Chartered State membership, of which $15 shall be transferred to the other entity as the dues
 9    share for that member;
10      C. Either entity may collect smaller periodic dues payments toward membership, but shall
11    allocate the first receipts to dues sharing with the other entity;
12      D. No dues transfer shall be required for members making dues payments to the Caucus
13    who are residents of unchartered states or territories;
14      E. The Caucus or Chartered State organizations my offer such premium membership rates
15    or services as may be designated by their executive committees, subject to the same fixed
16    dues sharing amounts as Regular membership;
17      F. Honorary memberships may be offered by either the Caucus or Chartered State
18    organizations, but if they grant any of the rights of Regular members, the granting entity shall
19    pay the other entity the dues share for that member;
20      G. Contributions or donations made by non-members shall be subject to dues sharing unless
21    the contributor or donor declines Regular membership privileges;
22      H. All contact and payment information received by either entity shall be communicated to
23    the other entity, at least as often as shared funds are disbursed under the Bylaws;
24      I. Membership shall expire upon the Anniversary date of the last payment made by any
25    Regular member.
26
27   Rule 5. Candidate Endorsements
28    Any candidate endorsement by the Caucus shall comply with the following:
29      A. The endorsement of candidate for federal office may be proposed by a majority vote of
30    either the executive committee of the Caucus or the Chartered State where a candidate is to be
31    elected. No proposal for endorsement shall be official or made public until it has been
32    confirmed by a majority vote of the other executive committee.
33      B. No candidate contesting an election against any Republican Party nominee may be
34    proposed for endorsement by the Caucus;
35      C. Chartered State executive committees, or such body as the Charter State Bylaws specify,
36    may endorse candidates for any state legislative seat or state cabinet-level positions, but
37    endorsements of candidates for state executive offices shall require the same confirmation as
38    candidates for federal offices;
39      D. A primary candidate for President of the United States may not be endorsed by the
40    Caucus in the absence of a majority vote of the Board and each Chartered State's executive
41    committees;
42      E. Preference shall be granted to any candidate who has signed the "Liberty Compact" of
43    the Caucus or who has been rated as "libertarian" in the "Liberty Index" of the Caucus;
44      F. Endorsements may be withdrawn for good and sufficient reasons upon the majority vote
45    of both the proposing and confirming executive committees;
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 1   Rule 6. Public Policy Statements
 2     The executive committees of the Caucus or Charter States may adopt and issue public policy
 3     statements which do not conflict with the Statements of Positions specified in these Bylaws:
 4       A. Public positions related to federal legislation may only be adopted by a majority vote of
 5     the Board after at least two days notice;
 6       B. Public positions related to state legislation may only be adopted by a majority vote of the
 7     executive committees of a Chartered State, or by such body as may be designated in the
 8     Charter Bylaws, but shall not conflict with any prior policy position adopted by the Board;
 9       C. In the absence of a Chartered State, the Board may adopt public positions on state
10     legislation recommended by a state Coordinator or at least three Regular members of a state;
11       D. No resources of the Caucus shall be used to promote any commercial enterprise without
12     the advance contractual approval of the Board.
13
14    Rule 7. Political Action Committees
15     The executive committees of the Caucus or Charter States may establish a political action
16     committee, hereinafter "PAC", under the applicable federal or state statutes, for the purpose
17     of contributing to candidates for public office, provided:
18       A. The PAC shall be designated with the proper authorities as a membership committee of
19     the Caucus or Chartered State;
20       B. The Board of Directors of such PAC shall include all of the Officers of the executive
21     committees of the Caucus or Chartered State;
22       C. The PAC shall be constituted with such bylaws and rules as are consistent with
23     corresponding Caucus and Chartered State Bylaws and Rules;
24       D. The PAC shall not contribute to any candidate who has not received a public
25     endorsement by the Caucus in compliance with the applicable Rules;
26       E. All PAC donations and contributions, as well as all contact information obtained by the
27     PAC, shall be disclosed promptly to the Caucus or Chartered State;
28
29    Rule 8. Electronic Voting
30     Votes of the Board may be taken by electronic ballot via either eMail or eGroup tabulations
31     conducted by the Secretary under the following rules:
32       A. Electronic ballots shall be issued to all Board members on any resolution submitted by at
33     least three Board members to the Secretary;
34       B. The Secretary shall issue an electronic ballot within two days and shall receive and
35     tabulate all ballots received within seven days of issue;
36       C. If any Officer or At-Large Board member fails to cast a ballot, the Secretary shall record
37     them as absent and substitute the ballots of Alternate members in the chronological sequence
38     in which they were received;
39       D. The Secretary shall inform members of ballots cast and provide members who have not
40     cast a ballot with a two day reminder of the ballot deadline;
41       E. In the event that fewer than five ballots are cast prior to the deadline, the resolution will
42     fail for lack of a quorum.
43       F. The results of the balloting shall be reported to Board members immediately after the
44     deadline and recorded in the minutes of the next Board meeting.
45
46   [Bylaws and Rules Revisions Adopted in Convention 08/10/2002]
47   © 2002 Republican Liberty Caucus


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