1. Council on Legislation Review Committee 19-21 January 2005 Meeting Ray Klinginsmith, Missouri, USA, Committee Chair (Parliamentarian 2004 and 1992 Councils, Chair of the 1998 Council, former C&B Chair) Eric Adamson, Virginia, USA (Member-at-Large 2004 Council, former C&B Chair) Rudolf Hörndler, Germany (Chief Sergeant-at-Arms 2004 Council, former C&B Chair) David Ho, Malaysia (District Representative 2004 Council) Brian Knowles, Queensland, Australia (Parliamentarian 1998 Council, Vice-Chair 1995 Council, Sergeant-at-Arms 1986 Council) Jose Antonio Salazar C., Liaison Director

2. The Committee considered items referred to it by the RI Board concerning the Council and reported back to the Board in March 2005. The Committee agreed upon the Council’s strengths and weaknesses.

3. Council Strengths  The democratic nature of the Council  All representatives have an equal voice and an equal vote, regardless of the size of their districts  The Council provides a balance of cultures in determining the underlying structure and governance of Rotary  Representation from every district fosters a sense of identification with the organization’s goals at the grassroots level  The Council demonstrates and promotes a very profound sense of international understanding

4. The Council on Legislation’s Major Weakness Too much time is spent on unimportant items and not enough time is available for important items of legislation!

5. Council on Legislation 1977-2004 Total Proposals

6. Legislation Received (Total Proposals) Vs. Proposals Transmitted to Council COL 1995 - 2004

7. The Council on Legislation Review Committee made over 40 recommendations to the RI Board.

8. These recommendations will require action from  RI Board  Constitution & Bylaws Committee  Council Operations Committee  Council on Legislation

9. The RI Board has asked the zone institutes for feedback on five of the Committee’s recommendations

10.  Better Legislation  Better Debate  Better Results

11. Single Most Important Recommendation: Advance the deadline for legislation by one year  Now 30 June the year before the Council  Move it to 1 July the year before the Council  Example: The deadline for legislation would be 1 July 2008 for the 2010 Council

12. Committee’s Expected Benefits Adequate time for the Constitution & Bylaws Committee to:  Review items of legislation for defects and deficiencies in order to avoid the transmittal of defective or deficient items to the Council  Help the proposers correct their legislation that is defective and/or deficient  Work with the proposers to consolidate items of legislation that are substantially similar  Submit alternate legislation for substantially similar items when the proposers will not consent to consolidation of their items  Draft the purpose and effect statements and the financial impact statements in time for review by the proposers

13. Expected Benefits (continued) Adequate time for translation of legislation and other materials into English and then into the other languages used at the Council meeting

14. Expected Benefits (continued) Adequate time for all legislation to be placed in final form, including amendments by the proposers, by 31 March in the year preceding the Council, thereby avoiding the need for a second book of legislation.

15. Expected Benefits (continued) Adequate time for the legislation books to be published in the order of consideration recommended by the Council Operations Committee.

16. Expected Benefits (continued) Adequate time for the legislation books to be published by 15 August in the year of the Council for use at the Zone Institutes held prior to the Council.

17. Expected Benefits (continued) A savings in time at the Council by the transmittal and consideration of better prepared items of legislation.

18. Comparison of Timetables for the Council on Legislation ActivitiesCurrent Timetable (1998-2007) Proposed Timetable (after 2007) Submission of proposed legislation by clubs and districts Two Years 1 July of Year 1 to 30 June of Year 2 One Year 1 July of Year 1 to 1 July of Year 2 Processing of legislation  Translation of proposals  Review by C&B Committee for defects and deficiencies  Counseling proposers on correcting defects and deficiencies  Seeking agreement to consolidate proposals  Preparation of alternate legislation  Development of Purpose & Effect statements and Financial Impact Statements  Etc. Three Months (after deadline) 1 July of Year 3 to 30 September of Year 3 Nine Months (after deadline) 1 July of Year 2 to 31 March of Year 2 Translation and production of Volume 1 of Proposed Legislation Three Months 1 October of Year 3 to 31 December of Year 3 Four Months 1 April of Year 2 to 15 August of Year 3 Production of Volume 2 of Proposed Legislation Four MonthsNot Needed Production of Binders in the Order of Consideration Two MonthsNot Needed

19. Other Recommendations  To impose a maximum of five legislative items per district.

20. Committee’s Expected Benefits  This rule will help reduce legislation to a quantity that can be handled effectively and fairly by a five-day meeting of the Council  Had this rule been in place for the 2004 Council, it would have eliminated almost 100 pieces of legislation from consideration  Better proposals and less duplication because each district would only submit its five best pieces  Less frustration by the Council with those representatives who are burdened with too many presentations and thereby become unpopular for taking too much of the Council’s time

21. 23 Districts Submitted More Than Five Pieces of Legislation to the 2004 Council In total, these submissions amounted to 212 of the 628 items proposed for consideration by the Council. Put another way, 4% of districts proposed 34% of the items.

22. 23 Districts Submitted More Than Five Pieces of Legislation to the 2004 Council (continued) Of these 23 districts:  7 had only 2 items adopted  6 had only 1 item adopted  6 had no items adopted

23. Other Recommendations (continued)  To restrict proposed resolutions to legislative acts that involve matters of policy and to eliminate any requests for administrative acts that may be submitted as Memorials to the Board. The Committee noted that perhaps a better name for Memorials to the Board should be developed, such as “Petitions to the Board” (page 110 of the MOP).

24. Number of Proposed Resolutions COL 1995-2004

25. Committee’s Expected Benefits  Reduce the quantity of legislative items moving forward to the Council  Clubs and districts seeking administrative changes would receive a more rapid response to their suggestions and requests through memorials to the RI Board, since the Board meets four times a year, but the Council meets only once in three years  Eliminate resolutions dealing solely with administrative matters, as opposed to legislative matters, most of which the Committee noted are not deserving of legislative debate

26. Committee’s Expected Benefits (continued)  Avoid what the Committee perceived to be a wasted motion in merely asking the Board to take specified administrative actions, which the Board is free to accept or reject  Utilize the available time for consideration of general policies and new programs that shape the future of Rotary

27. Other Recommendations (continued)  To provide a screening device through which the Council may conduct a preliminary vote, as each item is called, to determine if the item should be considered immediately or be tabled for possible consideration later in the Council.

28. Committee’s Expected Benefits  Allow the Council the ability to give full and fair consideration to important items as they appear in the order of consideration, while tabling less important items until the Council decides whether there is time to debate them  Permit the Council to decide which items are most important on a rolling basis as the items are called for consideration, since the Council will have knowledge of all its actions and attitudes up to that point in time  Provide for any specific items that have been tabled by the screening process to be brought back to the floor for consideration by a simple majority vote of the Council

29. Other Recommendations (continued)  Require use of the nominating committee procedure to elect Council representatives and alternates, unless the RI Board grants an exception.

30. Committee’s Expected Benefits  A better balance of experienced representatives and first- time representatives  A greater number of representatives who have attended previous Councils and thereby learned to be better advocates for the items sponsored or endorsed by their districts  An increase in the likelihood of districts following the Board’s guidelines for electing representatives  A greater number of representatives who have attended previous Councils  A greater likelihood of representatives being selected solely on merit

31. Better Legislation Better Debate Better Results