The newsletter for the active Venice - Marina Rotarian
February 27, 2003The Mesh
_______________________________________
From the rostrum, Willie Hjorth
Beaucoup kudos to Mary and George!!
What a huge success the 1 st Annual Pancake Breakfast for Venice Fire Station
#63 turned out to be! The enormous hard, dedicated work that Mary and
George put in paid off. Just about everyone supported the event in some
way. Having wonderful business members of the Venice Chamber of
Commerce support the event reaped even greater rewards. Great job, well
done!
Mary reported that we went way over
our goal to double last year’s
contribution. She will give us a report at
Thursday’s luncheon on the 27 th at
Shanghai Red’s. I hope you all enjoyed
the fabulous cooking of the firemen and
the congenial community atmosphere
that the Firehouse provided. The firemen
of Station #63 are to be thanked and
recognized for their donation of time and
cooperation in preparing the Firehouse
and the actual pancake production. It
was a superb event.
We extend our greatest thanks to COSTCO
and Berto for the generous donation of food
and drink, and to Howard for getting more
mixings when more people showed up.
This event could not have been successful
without the expertise of Howard and
RAINBOW ACRES. The VM Rotary Club
appreciates sincerely your ever-ready help.
Venice Marina Rotary Club members can be
really proud of this hands-on event. It is
the type of event that grass roots.community can participate in and it augurs well for the involvement and
recognition of Rotary and the Venice Chamber of Commerce. President of
the Venice Chamber of Commerce, Mary has given an extraordinary amount
of her time and talent to our Rotary event and is to be commended for
bringing together a very effective partnership. Again, thank you, Mary
Richert and thank you George Swartz. George and Donna live a stone’s
throw from the Firestation and are solid longtime Venetians!
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2003
SHANGHAI RED’S, 12 NOON SOCIAL, 12:15 BELL
SPEAKER: CHRISTINE FOREMAN "Hope for Hearing"
Invocation: JR DZUBAK
Raffle prizes: PETER ESCOBAR
DISTRICT CONFERENCE, MAY 1 – 4
Please call Pechanga directly for your reservations as rooms are filling up
rapidly.
(909)-719-8564
SPECIAL ROTARY DISTRICT 5280 ROOM RATES: Good through March 31.
Specify District 5280 rates.
Thursday night (May 1): = $129
Friday (May 2) and Saturday (May 3) nights: $139
Those reserving their room prior to March 16 will receive a special gift ($45
approximate value) from the Pechanga Resort.
BRING YOUR PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS TO LUNCH
John Jaacks, Assistant District Governor Club Service and last week’s
speaker, was truly right when he told of Rotarian rewards being of the heart,
of the personal satisfaction of having done some good for someone else.
Our Venice-Marina Rotary Club brochure produced by David Voss says in
answer to the question, why join Rotary?:
v
"Discover a practical way to contribute to a better society".v
Participate in an organization dedicated to service, vocations,community and to international goodwill and understanding.
v
Develop YOUR talents and capacities in roles of leadership andsupport.
v
Gain recognition for yourself and business or profession.v
Increase your knowledge of world affairs and develop an appreciationof the other customs..All of the above were in full force for the Rotary Club of Venice Marina this
past weekend. It’s up to you individually to touch another caring individual
who would make a good Rotarian. We have the spirit and the support of
each other. Bring a future Rotarian to lunch.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Notices from the District
Reminder:
To: All Club Presidents
Please announce at the next meeting of your Club and/or Board of Directors
and/or publish in your Club's Newsletter
From: Rick Mendoza, District Governor, 2002-03
Important Deadlines: May 2nd and June 30th, 2003
The Council on Legislation (COL) is the legislative body of Rotary
International which has the authority to amend the constitutional documents
of RI. It meets every three years to deliberate and act upon all duly
proposed items of legislation. The voting body of the Council is made up of
representatives elected by the clubs in each district.
The 2004 COL will meet in Chicago June 14-18, 2004. PDG Paul Netzel will be
our District 5280 representative.
Legislation may be proposed by 1) a Club; 2) a District; 3) the Board of
Directors of RI; or 4) the Council on Legislation itself. Proposed
legislation may be submitted to the Council in one of two forms: Enactments
or Resolutions.
"Enactments" are proposals which seek to amend the RI Constitution, the RI.Bylaws, or the Standard Rotary Club Constitution. (NOTE: The Recommended
Rotary Club Bylaws and the Bylaws of The Rotary Foundation are not
constitutional documents of RI and are not amended by the Council.)
"Resolutions" are proposals which do not seek to amend the constitutional
documents of RI, but which recommend a policy or procedure or express an
opinion.
At the 2001 COL, District 5280 had two clubs that proposed Resolutions:
Culver City (requesting the RI Board to consider encouraging clubs to
support projects for rehabilitation of polio disabled children); and South
Gate (requesting that the R.I. Board encourage Rotary clubs to establish
Youthact Clubs for youths ages 11 to 14). Both resolutions were ultimately
favorably acted upon by the COL and forwarded to the R.I. Board. Attached
FYI is a summary of all legislative items considered by the 2001 COL so you
can see the type, range and disposition of issues considered.
By now you, as an experienced club president, probably have a better
perspective on the issues facing Rotary at the local/club level ... and may
even have thought of ways to greatly strengthen or enhance how Rotary
carries out its programs and business. In all likelihood, a proposal to the
COL may be the most direct way to address the issue and get action!
If you or any member of your club or your club's board of directors wishes
to submit either an Enactment or a Resolution to the 2004 COL, two essential
steps must be taken:
* It must be submitted for consideration at the Business Session of
our District Conference, May 2-4, 2003.
* It must be submitted to Rotary International in Evanston no later
than June 30, 2003.
* In both cases the official COL format must be used and signed by the.District Governor.
* A copy of the procedures and application format is attached.
* For additional information, please refer to the RI COL Web Site:
http://www.rotary.org/services/council/index.html
Our District's 2004 COL Delegate is PDG Paul Netzel. Paul is available to
provide advice and counsel to any club interested in pursuing a legislative
submission. He can be reached at 310-836-7624 x/114 or at the following
e-mail address: pnetzel@earthlink.net
HOW TO PROPOSE LEGISLATION
I. The Council on Legislation
The Council on Legislation is the legislative body of Rotary International which has the authority to
amend the constitutional documents of RI. It meets every three years to deliberate and act upon all duly
proposed items of legislation. The voting body of the Council is made up of representatives elected by the
clubs in each district.
Legislation may be proposed only by 1) a club; 2) a district conference; 3) the general council or the
conference of RI in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI); 4) the Board of Directors of RI; or 5) the Council on
Legislation itself. Proposed legislation may be submitted to the Council in the form of enactments or
resolutions.
II. How to Propose Legislation
A. Enactments
"Enactments" are proposals which seek to amend the RI Constitution, the RI Bylaws, or the Standard
Rotary Club Constitution. (NOTE: The Recommended Rotary Club Bylaws and the Bylaws of The
Rotary Foundation are not constitutional documents of RI and are not amended by the Council.)
Proposed enactments should be submitted by reproducing the entire affected portion or portions of the
constitutional documents, clearly indicating which material is to be deleted and which new material is.
6being added. Such proposals should be submitted to the General Secretary in the following form:
PROPOSED ENACTMENT
To (state concisely the purpose of the proposal)
Proposed by (the Rotary Club of ______ or the Conference/Council of District ______)
IT IS ENACTED by Rotary International that the (name of the constitutional document) be and hereby is
amended as follows
(insert affected portion of document with markings to show changes)
Here is an example of a proposed enactment in proper form submitted to a past Council:
PROPOSED ENACTMENT
To amend the provisions for notifying clubs of the report of the nominating committee for president
Proposed by the Rotary Club of _________________
IT IS ENACTED by Rotary International that the BYLAWS OF ROTARY INTERNATIONAL be and
hereby are amended as follows
Article XI Nominations and Elections for President
11.060. Report of Committee.
11.060.1. Mailing to All Clubs.
The report of the committee shall be addressed to the clubs and certified to the general secretary by the
chairman within ten days following the adjournment of the committee. The general secretary shall mail a
copy notify each club of the contents of the report to each club within ten days as soon as financially
practicable but in any case within thirty (30) days after the receipt thereof.
(End of Text)
_____________________________________________
Note: Material to be deleted is lined through and will not
appear in the revised text. New material is underlined..
7B. Resolutions
Resolutions are proposals which do not seek to amend the constitutional documents of RI, but which
recommend a policy or procedure or express an opinion. Such proposals should be submitted to the
General Secretary in the following form:
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
To (state concisely the purpose of the proposal)
Proposed by (the Rotary Club of ______ or the Conference/Council of District ______)
IT IS RESOLVED by Rotary International that the Board of Directors of Rotary International consider
(provide the wording of the resolution)
OR
IT IS RESOLVED by Rotary International that, in the opinion of the 2004 Council on Legislation
(provide the wording of the resolution)
Here is an example of a proposed resolution in proper form submitted to a past Council:
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
To request the RI Board to consider encouraging clubs to support projects for rehabilitation of polio-disabled
children
Proposed by the Conference of District ______
WHEREAS, the polio eradication program supported by Rotary has led to a worldwide association of the
name of Rotary with polio, and
WHEREAS, it is seen that there is a large number of polio-disabled children in polio endemic countries
who are very poor and need help to provide them with mobility so that they can look forward to a useful
and productive future
IT IS RESOLVED by Rotary International that the Board of Directors of Rotary International consider
encouraging all Rotary clubs in polio endemic countries to undertake projects for the rehabilitation of
polio-disabled children and encouraging Rotary clubs in other countries to support such projects.
(End of Text)
C. Club and District Conference/Council Proposals
When a Rotary club proposes legislation, the proposal must have been submitted by the club’s board of
directors to the membership for adoption. The proposal must then be forwarded to the governor with a.
8letter signed by the club president and secretary certifying that it has been adopted at a regular club
meeting.
Each proposal from a club must be submitted to the district conference (district council in Great Britain
and Ireland) for a vote on whether the legislation should be endorsed. If time does not permit such
consideration, the proposal may instead be submitted to the clubs in the district in a ballot-by-mail
conducted by the governor. Note: All club proposals must be voted upon at the district level. Club
proposals which are endorsed by the district should be submitted to the General Secretary by the
governor, along with the signed endorsement certification form. Club legislation which is not endorsed
by the district must be returned to the proposing club by the governor, along with the form certifying that
it was not endorsed. If the proposing club decides to submit the non-endorsed proposal to the Council, the
legislation and certification form should be forwarded by the club to the General Secretary, along with
verification signed by the club president that it should be submitted to the Council.
When a district conference proposes legislation, the proposal(s) should be included in the official report of
the conference which the governor and the district conference secretary transmit to the General Secretary.
Such proposals may also be submitted separately to the General Secretary accompanied by the governor’s
certification of their proposal by the conference. The decision of the district conference to propose
legislation should include a provision giving authority to the governor, or to a Rotarian appointed by the
governor, to act on behalf of the conference to:
v
approve any amendment or re-draft suggested by the RI Constitution and BylawsCommittee;
v
consolidate the proposal with others, andv
take any other general action on behalf of the proposer.To be duly proposed, each item of legislation (regardless of its proposer) 1) must be submitted to the
General Secretary, along with the governor’s signed certification, by 30 June 2003, 2) must comply with
the requirements of RI Bylaws section 7.020. regarding who may propose legislation, and, 3) when
proposed by a club, must meet the requirements of RI Bylaws section 7.030. regarding district review.
It is the responsibility of the proposer of legislation to prepare it in the appropriate form for Council
consideration. However, the RI Constitution and Bylaws Committee, acting on behalf of the RI Board of
Directors, will examine the text of all proposed legislation, advise the proposer of any defects or
deficiencies in the proposal, and recommend, where feasible, corrective action or an alternative proposal.
Please note that the committee will not devote undue time and attention to proposed legislation involving
extensive amendments until the proposer has made reasonable efforts to correctly draft the legislation.
Experience has shown that lengthy or complicated proposals and proposals involving fundamental changes
to the constitutional documents are more likely to be adopted if they are presented to the Council first as
"concepts" in the form of resolutions and then, at a subsequent Council, as specific enactments. Further,
clubs and districts are encouraged to limit the number of proposals submitted to any Council. If one club
or district submits numerous proposals, it tends to decrease the chances of those proposals being adopted.
D. Board Examination.
9If the Board of Directors of RI determines that a proposed enactment is not duly proposed or defective,
and the proposer has not made suitable changes, the Board may direct that the original proposal not be
transmitted to the Council. (RI Bylaws 7.050.2.) Similarly, if the Board determines that a proposed
resolution is not duly proposed or "not within the framework of the program of RI," the Board may direct
that it not be transmitted to the Council. (RI Bylaws 7.050.3.) In either event, the proposers will be so
informed of the Board’s determination prior to the meeting of the Council. The Board’s decision to not
transmit a proposal to the Council may be overruled by a two-thirds vote of the Council.
If substantially similar enactments or resolutions are proposed, the Board may recommend a compromise
enactment or resolution. If the proposers do not agree to the compromise, the Board may direct that an
alternative that best expresses the objective of the similar proposals be transmitted to the Council.
E. Amendments
Up to two months before the Council convenes, proposers may deliver to the General Secretary
amendments to their proposed legislation. If feasible, amendments will be published in the book of
proposed legislation sent to all governors and Council members and available to any club upon request.
Otherwise, amendments to proposals will be permitted only from the floor of the Council, in accordance
with the "Rules of Procedure" adopted by the Council (see Chapter 15 of the Manual of Procedure).
F. Statements of Support and Opposition
A club, a district conference, the general conference or council of RIBI, the Council on Legislation or the
RI Board may provide a statement commenting on any item of proposed legislation (whether enactment or
resolution). Such statements may be in support of, in opposition to, or as a comment on the proposal.
The statements must be limited to one side of a sheet of normal business stationery. If the statements are
submitted to the General Secretary no later than three months prior to the opening of the Council, they will
be transmitted to all members of the Council.
III. Publication of Proposed Legislation
Following the deadline for submission of legislation, the General Secretary will publish a book of all
proposed legislation to be transmitted to the Council. Ten copies of the book will be mailed to each
governor, one copy to all members of the Council, and one copy to any club requesting it, no later than 31
December 2003. All proposed legislation also will be made available on Rotary’s worldwide web page:
http://www.rotary.org.
Because the technical nature of some legislation may make its purpose and effect unclear, each proposal,
when published, will be followed by a statement explaining the effect of the proposal, including any
anticipated financial impact. The RI Constitution and Bylaws Committee, as part of its review of all
proposed legislation on behalf of the RI Board, prepares these statements.
IV. How a Proposal Comes Before the Council on Legislation
In order for proposed legislation to be considered by the Council, a member of the Council must move its
adoption. A proposer of legislation, at any time prior to the presentation of the motion, may designate any
member of the Council (usually the representative of clubs in the district from which the legislation is.
10proposed) to present the motion for adoption by the Council. Where no "motion" is forthcoming, the
proposed legislation is considered as withdrawn from consideration by the Council.
Although the 2004 Council will adopt its own rules of procedure, Chapter 15 of the 2001 Manual of
Procedure contains the rules of procedure that were adopted by the 2001 Council.
FOR LEGISLATION PROPOSED BY CLUBS AND ENDORSED BY
DISTRICT
File Number _______
(for RI use only)
CERTIFICATION OF DISTRICT CONSIDERATION AND ENDORSEMENT OF
CLUB-PROPOSED LEGISLATION
In accordance with RI Bylaws 7.030., this is to certify that the legislation proposed by
the Rotary Club of __________________________________________________
proposing to _____________________________________________________________
(state concisely the purpose of the legislation)
________________________________________________________________________
was considered and endorsed by the clubs of District ____________
[ ] at its annual district conference/council held on ___________________________
(dates)
in _______________________________________________________________
(location)
OR
[ ] in a ballot-by-mail conducted during ____________________________________
(month/year)
__________________________________
(Signature)
__________________________________
(Date).
11Governor, District __________________
NOTE: This form MUST accompany all legislation which was proposed by a
club and endorsed by the district. Both proposed legislation and this form
must be received at the RI World Headquarters no later than 30 June 2003.