1 Republican Liberty Caucus of Central East Florida

2 Bylaws
3
4 Article I: Name
5 The name of this organization shall be the Republican Liberty Caucus of Central East
6 Florida, hereinafter referred to as "RLCCEF", a Chartered Regional Chapter of the
7 Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida, hereinafter referred to as "RLCFL".
8
9 Article II: Purpose
10 The RLCCEF is a political action organization, operating within the counties of Volusia,
11 Brevard, Indian River, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie, dedicated to promoting the ideals of
12 liberty, individual rights, limited government and free enterprise within the Republican Party
13 by:
14 A. Promoting these ideals among Party officials and its various organizations;
15 B. Identifying and supporting candidates sympathetic with these ideals;
16 C. Promoting membership in the RLC among Party registrants, officials, officeholders and
17 voters.
18
19 Article III: Language Definitions
20 Section 1: Vote - a group activity, in which the privilege of participation is only available to
21 Regular members, pursuant to RLCFL state bylaws. To qualify for a vote, an individual must
22 have been a Regular member of the RLCCEF for at least one month and verified as current
23 with their membership dues. Any member who is behind with their dues may qualify by
24 paying the balance owed during the credentialing process prior to the vote. At a Regular
25 meeting of the RLCCEF, no qualified member physically present may be denied from
26 participating in a vote. At Board meetings, only Officers, At-Large members, County
27 Directors, and in the case of absences, any Alternate or County Alternate that has been
28 designated a voting member by the Chairman as outlined in Article VII Section 1 may
29 participate in a vote.
30
31 Section 2: Written Correspondence - correspondence that is sent either via electronic or
32 postal mailing to the most recently confirmed address of a member.
33
34 Section 3: Notice - For an issue concerning an individual member that is not on the Board of
35 Directors of the RLCCEF, the term “notice” shall be satisfactorily met when that individual
36 member has been sent written correspondence. For all other issues concerning the RLCCEF,
37 the term "notice" shall be satisfactorily met when all Regular members of the RLCCEF have
38 been sent written correspondence. All notices shall contain the reason for notification and,
39 when notice is in preparation for a vote, the notice shall contain the date on which the vote is
40 scheduled to occur. To allow time to draft and send written correspondence to the Regular
41 members that must be notified, "notice" shall be met if sent within the first 3 days of a
42 notification period when "notice" is required for an official action to occur.
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 1 Article IV: Membership
2 Section 1: There shall be three categories of membership: Regular, Associate, and
3 Honorary.
4 A. Regular membership shall be limited to individuals who are affiliated with the
5 Republican Party, as verified by the RLCCEF secretary, who have paid current minimum
6 dues and who support the purposes of the RLCCEF. Regular members are qualified to serve
7 in any official capacity in the RLCCEF, to act as delegates at any Convention and to enjoy all
8 the privileges extended in these Bylaws.
9 B. Associate membership shall be open to individuals, no matter their political affiliation,
10 who have affirmatively indicated their support for the purposes of the RLCCEF. Associate
11 members shall receive such services and privileges as the Board of Directors may specify.
12 C. Honorary membership may be extended to any person designated by the Board of
13 Directors. Honorary members shall enjoy such rights, privileges or honors as may be
14 explicitly conferred thereby, either individually or as a group.
15
16 Section 2: The RLCCEF board shall set the minimum annual dues requirement for Regular
17 membership in the RLCCEF, within the extent allowed, delegated, or otherwise approved by
18 the RLCFL. The RLCCEF board shall set the anniversary dates for membership dues in
19 conjunction with National and State RLC guidelines.
20
21 Section 3: Dues payments received by the RLCCEF shall be shared with the state RLCFL in
22 a fixed amount, and disbursed to the RLCFL on an agreed schedule, at least quarterly and at
23 least thirty days before a RLCFL Convention. Dues payments received by the RLCFL shall
24 be shared in the same fixed amount and disbursed to the RLCCEF on the same agreed
25 schedule. No Regular membership shall be offered for a period in excess of two years.
26
27 Section 4: The RLCCEF board may waive its portion of dues for any special circumstance or
28 condition approved by the RLCCEF board, but shall pay the fixed shared amount of dues to
29 the RLCFL, either from the exceptional membership dues payment or from general revenues.
30 Either entity may offer periodic payments smaller than the Regular minimum dues, but shall
31 disburse the shared portion before any other allocation of receipts.
32
33 Section 5: All contributions or donations may be expended as specified by the Board of
34 Directors of the RLCCEF.
35
36 Section 6: Any membership may be suspended or revoked by a three-fourths vote of the
37 Board of Directors of the RLCCEF for just cause after providing one month notice to the
38 member. However, a person who has had their membership suspended or revoked shall have
39 the right to petition, via written correspondence, the Secretary of the RLCCEF requiring that
40 a vote be scheduled for the Regular members to consider an appeal of the suspension or
41 revocation during the next regular meeting of the RLCCEF. If the RLCCEF approves the
42 appeal by majority vote of the Regular members, then that person shall be invited to the
43 following regular meeting to state their grievance. After that person has been provided an
44 opportunity to speak, they shall be asked to leave so that the RLCCEF may debate prior to
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 1 moving to vote in consideration of that person’s suspension or revocation. Should an appeal
2 be denied by a majority vote of the Regular members at a regular meeting, or the suspension
3 or revocation is upheld by a majority vote of the Regular members at a regular meeting, then
4 that person may appeal to the Board of Directors of the RLCFL.
5
6 Article V: Officers
7 Section 1: The Officers of the RLCCEF shall consist of a Chairman, Vice-Chairman,
8 Secretary and Treasurer, who shall all be voting members of the Board and subject to the
9 provisions of Article IV. Candidates for Officer shall have been Regular members of the
10 RLCCEF for at least three months prior to their nomination. Candidates for Chairman and
11 Vice-Chairman shall have been Regular members of the RLCCEF for at least six months.
12
13 Section 2: Elected Officers shall assume office at the close of the annual meeting at which
14 they are elected. Any Officer may be dismissed for misconduct or malfeasance upon one
15 month notice by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors of the RLCCEF, or by a majority
16 vote of Regular members at a regular meeting upon one month notice. Any Officer vacancy
17 may be filled pro tem by a majority vote of the Board of Directors of the RLCCEF for a
18 period not to exceed 90 days from appointment. After providing at least one month notice of
19 the vacancy, the position shall be filled for the reminder of the current term by a majority
20 vote of Regular members at a regular meeting. New Officers must qualify under the
21 provisions of Article V Section 1 and shall assume office immediately upon election.
22
23 Section 3: The Officers shall perform such duties as are prescribed in these Bylaws
24 A. The Chairman shall be the primary spokesman of the RLCCEF; shall execute the
25 resolutions of the Board of Directors of the RLCCEF; shall preside at meetings of the Board
26 of Directors of the RLCCEF and official sessions of any annual meeting, unless absent or
27 replaced by an Acting Chairman, and shall ensure the administration of all provisions of
28 these Bylaws. The Chairman may appoint any Regular members as special project or liaison
29 directors of such standing or special executive committees or projects as he deems
30 appropriate for the performance of these duties;
31 B. The Vice-Chairman shall assume the duties and obligations of Chairman in his absence
32 and assist the Chairman in his duties;
33 C. The Secretary shall record and distribute the minutes of all meetings, certify members
34 and conduct such ballots as the Board of Directors of the RLCCEF may direct. The Secretary
35 shall also ensure that members are provided the opportunity to update their contact
36 information at least once a quarter, credential members for voting, and provide notification to
37 members in all cases in which a rule or bylaw requires notification prior to conducting an
38 action;
39 D. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all RLCCEF funds, propose annual and quarterly
40 budgets, safeguard the financial resources of the RLCCEF and make such periodic reports of
41 finances as the Board of Directors of the RLCCEF may require. The Treasurer shall receive
42 and disburse dues sharing payments in cooperation with the Treasurer of the RLCFL.
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 1 Article VI: Meetings
2 Section 1: Regular Meetings. The regular meetings of the RLCCEF shall be held on a
3 recurring date to be set by the RLCCEF.
4
5 Section 2: Board Meetings. Board meetings are defined by Article VII Section 4.
6
7 Section 3: Annual Meetings. The regular meeting held in May shall be the annual meeting
8 and shall be for such purposes as electing officers, receiving reports of officers and
9 committees, and for all other business that may arise.
10
11 Section 4: Special Meetings. Special Meetings may be called by the Chairman or by the
12 Board of Directors, and/or upon the written request of fifteen members.
13
14 Section 5: Quorum. Forty percent of the Regular members of the RLCCEF shall constitute a
15 quorum.
16
17 Article VII: Board of Directors
18 Section 1: The Board of Directors of the RLCCEF, hereinafter "RLCCEF Board", shall
19 consist of at least three Officers of the RLCCEF. Additionally, there may be up to an
20 additional three voting At-Large members and at least three non-voting Alternate members.
21 A maximum of five County Directors shall have a vote on the RLCCEF Board; one from
22 each certified and approved county within the RLCCEF region. Each County Director arid
23 their Alternate County Director shall be elected or appointed by that corresponding county’s
24 chapter after the RLCCEF Board, within the extent allowed, delegated, or otherwise
25 approved by the RLCFL has certified and approved the charter for that county. The
26 immediate past chairman shall be an ex-officio non-voting member of the board provided
27 they are member in good standing, except that in the event of a tie vote on any motion before
28 the RLCCEF Board, the past chairman shall be able to cast a vote in order to break the tie.
29 Board members shall be Regular members of the RLCCEF, elected for two-year terms by
30 delegates at an annual meeting of the RLCCEF occurring on an odd-numbered year with the
31 exception of County Directors arid Alternative County Directors which shall be elected as
32 stipulated in the bylaws and rules of that county. The Chairman may designate Alternate
33 members as voting members of the RLCCEF Board whenever voting RLCCEF Board
34 members are absent from any meeting or fail to participate in any electronic ballot. Only the
35 Alternate County Director from the same county as an absent County Director may vote in
36 their absence. Any member of the RLCCEF Board electable by the RLCCEF, with the
37 exception of Officers as described in Article IV, may be removed for just cause upon one
38 month notice by a two-thirds vote of the RLCCEF Board, or by a majority vote of Regular
39 members at a regular meeting upon one month notice. Vacancies of any member of the
40 RLCCEF Board, electable by the RLCCEF, with the exception of Officers as described in
41 Article IV, may be filled for the remainder of the current term by a two-thirds vote of the
42 RLCCEF Board upon one month notice, or by a majority vote of Regular members at a
43 regular meeting upon one month notice. In the event that a member of the RLCCEF Board is
44 elected into a position that would provide them with more than one vote, they shall be limited
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 1 to only one vote, and that member’s remaining vote made available to the Chairman to assign
2 to an alternate as previously prescribed during situations involving absences.
3
4 Section 2: The RLCCEF Board shall ensure the effective implementation of these Bylaws,
5 provide for effective communications among members, the RLCCEF and the general public,
6 and make arrangements for all meetings of the RLCCEF.
7
8 Section 3: The RLCCEF Board shall have full power and authority to govern all the affairs
9 of the RLCCEF between meetings and shall have the sole, ultimate, final and exclusive
10 control over all property, assets, liabilities and other resources of the RLCCEF. The RLCCEF
11 Board shall have the authority to hire, fire, contract, and take such legal actions as will effect
12 the will of the RLCCEF Board.
13
14 Section 4: The RLCCEF Board shall conduct its meetings in conformance with the most
15 recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised in the absence of standard or special
16 rules it may adopt that conform to these Bylaws and Rules. The RLCCEF Board may
17 conduct meetings or ballots by telephone or email only when approved by a two-thirds
18 majority vote of the RLCCEF Board. Regular meetings of the RLCCEF Board shall occur at
19 least quarterly, with at least one week’s notice. A special meeting of the RLCCEF Board
20 shall occur within fourteen days following the annual meeting. Other special, emergency, or
21 informal meetings of the RLCCEF Board may be called at the written request of any three
22 voting RLCCEF Board members, on three days’ notice, to all RLCCEF Board members. Any
23 Regular member may attend or obtain the minutes of any RLCCEF Board meeting, unless
24 two-thirds of the RLCCEF voting Board members agree to an executive session.
25
26 Article VIII: Statements of Position
27 Section 1: Statements of Position may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the Regular
28 members at any regular meeting, or the official sessions of any special meeting that may be
29 authorized by the RLCCEF Board under these Bylaws.
30
31 Section 2: Statements proposed by a majority vote of the RLCCEF Board or in a Petition
32 signed by no less than twenty-five Regular members at least forty-five days prior to the
33 regular meeting date may be submitted to the members for adoption.
34
35 Section 3: All proposed Statements shall conform to the RLCFL Statement of Positions and
36 state and regional applications of the RLCCEF Purpose.
37
38 Section 4: Notice of all proposed Statements shall be distributed to Regular members with
39 the notice of meeting.
40
41 Article IX: Local and County Chapters
42 Section 1: The RLCCEF Board shall encourage and assist in the certification and chartering
43 of such local and county chapters in the RLCCEF region that qualify under the provisions of
44 RLCFL Bylaws and Rules.
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2 Section 2: The RLCCEF Board shall assist the RLCFL to set such minimum criteria for local
3 and county chapter bylaws and require such verification of Regular membership, as it deems
4 appropriate for certification.
5
6 Section 3: Local and County chapters which engage in public outreach or communications
7 shall use standard authorized RLC, RLCFL, or RLCCEF materials including, but not limited
8 to, printed and online publications; unless they submit any new materials or representations
9 of the RLC to the RLCCEF Board for advance approval.
10
11 Section 4: In any dispute between the RLCCEF and any local or county chapter, the decision
12 of the RLCCEF Board shall be final.
13
14 Article X: Parliamentary Authority
15 Section 1: The rules contained in the current edition of Roberts Rules of Order Newly
16 Revised shall govern the RLCCEF in all cases to which they are applicable and which are not
17 inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the RLCCEF may adopt.
18
19 Article XI: Amendment
20 Section 1: These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Regular members at
21 any regular meeting. Amendments proposed by a majority vote of the RLCCEF Board or in a
22 Petition signed by no less than twenty-five Regular members may be submitted to the
23 members for adoption. No less than one month notice shall be provided to all Regular
24 members for consideration of proposed amendments, and that notice shall contain both the
25 proposed amendments and the date in which the vote is scheduled to occur.
26
27 Section 2: Amendments shall go into effect immediately, unless otherwise dated in the
28 proposed Amendment.
29
30 Section 3: RLCCEF Rules may be amended by a majority of the members at a regular
31 meeting without notice, or by a two-thirds vote of the RLCCEF Board, after at least one
32 month notice. Should RLCCEF Rules be amended, notice shall be provided to all Regular
33 members along with the approved rule changes, within 3 business days.
34
35 Bylaws and Rules adopted ?, and amended ?, 2010.
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 1 RLCCEF Rules
2
3 Rule 1: Candidate Endorsements
4 Any candidate endorsement by the RLCCEF shall comply with the National RLC, RLCFL
5 rules and guidelines for candidate endorsement.
6
7 Rule 2: Public Policy Statements
8 The RLCCEF Board may adopt and issue public policy statements, which do not conflict
9 with the Statements of Positions specified in these Bylaws and the Bylaws of the National
10 RLC and RLCFL, under the following rules:
11 A. Public positions related to state and federal legislation may only be adopted by a majority
12 vote of the RLCCEF Board or by a majority vote of the RLCCEF general membership, but
13 shall not conflict with any prior policy position adopted by the National RLC or RLCFL;
14 B. Prior to consideration at a meeting of the Regular members, copies of the proposed
15 Statements shall be submitted in writing to the RLCCEF Board at least ten days before the
16 meeting for review, advice, and consent.
17 C. No vote on a public policy statement may occur until 14 days have passed after notice has
18 been conspicuously provided to Regular members during a regular meeting;
19 D. No resources of the RLCCEF shall be used to promote any commercial enterprise
20 without the advance contractual approval of the RLCCEF Board.
21
22 Rule 3: Electronic Voting
23 Votes of the Board may be taken by electronic ballot via either eMail or eGroup tabulations
24 conducted by the Secretary under the following rules:
25 A. Electronic ballots shall be issued to all RLCCEF Board members on any resolution
26 submitted by at least three RLCCEF Board members to the Secretary;
27 B. The Secretary shall issue an electronic ballot within seven days and shall receive and
28 tabulate all ballots received within seven days of issue;
29 C. If any Board member permanently eligible to vote fails to cast a ballot, the Secretary shall
30 record them as absent and substitute the ballots of Alternate members in the chronological
31 sequence in which they were received;
32 D. The Secretary shall inform RLCCEF Board members of ballots cast and provide
33 RLCCEF Board members who have not cast a ballot with a two-day reminder of the ballot
34 deadline;
35 E. In the event that fewer than two-thirds of the ballots are cast prior to the deadline, the
36 resolution will fail for lack of a quorum;
37 F. The results of the balloting shall be reported to RLCCEF Board members immediately
38 after the deadline and also be recorded in the minutes of the next RLCCEF Board meeting.
39
40 Rule 4: Committees
41 The RLCCEF shall have committees to perform its duties, defined by the RLCCEF Board,
42 with committee chairs appointed by a majority vote of the RLCCEF Board.
43
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 1 Rule 5: Local and County Chapter Certification
2 RLC Chapter Certification may be granted to County or Local organizations at the discretion
3 of the RLCCEF Board, within the extent allowed, delegated or otherwise approved by the
4 RLCFL, when the following conditions have been met:
5 A. At least ten current dues paid RLC members residing in the county or locality have
6 signed, or at least given verifiable assent to, a petition requesting Chapter Recognition;
7 B. The petition shall include a slate of initial Chapter Officers, including at least a
8 Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer, and a set of Chapter rules which specify Officer
9 terms, the frequency of elections and formal membership meetings as well as an
10 acknowledgement that the Chapter will comply with all RLCCEF Bylaws and that the
11 RLCCEF Board shall be the final arbiter in any disputes;
12 C. Provide such additional documents as may be specified by the Chapter Certification
13 Committee of the RLCCEF;
14 D. Upon successful certification of a County Chapter by the Chapter Certification
15 Committee, the County Chapter Chairman shall become their county’s representative on the
16 RLCCEF Board unless otherwise specified by the bylaws and rules of that County’s Chapter.
17 The Alternate County Director may be selected as specified by Bylaws or Rules of that
18 County’s Chapter and will have full voting rights in the absence of the County Director.
19