Bylaws
As approved by the DCRC
on April 20, 2017
BYLAWS
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE
ARTICLE I- NAME
The name of the organization shall be the District of Columbia Republican Committee (hereinafter “DCRC”). The name of the governing body shall be the “District of Columbia Republican Committee” (hereinafter “Committee” or “DCRC”). The District of Columbia Republican Committee shall be the official name of the Republican Party in the District of Columbia. All District of Columbia voters registered as Republican are considered members of the District of Columbia Republican Party.
ARTICLE II- PURPOSE
The purposes of this Committee are to lead and support the District of Columbia Republican Party; to cooperate with the Republican National Committee; to organize an effective political organization; to secure the election of all duly nominated Republican candidates; to assist and coordinate Republican activities in the District of Columbia; to engage in fund raising; to support the activities enumerated above when carried out by allied committees and organizations; to promote the principles and objectives of the DC Republican Party platform; and to engage in such other activities as are reasonably necessary and proper to accomplish the foregoing purposes.
ARTICLE III- MEMBERSHIP
Section 1
The number of members of the Committee shall be determined by the Committee. Section 2
Members shall be elected during the organizational meeting of the Party in the January after each presidential election. Members, describing in writing their past and intended future efforts on behalf of the Party as well as their intention to remain, shall be elected to a (4) four-year term by the current membership of the Committee at that time. This affirmation is due 30 days prior to the January organizational meeting. Each member shall be a current registered Republican voter of the District of Columbia.
Section 3
The Committee shall have the power to fill vacancies among the permanent officers for the unexpired portion of their term. The Committee shall have the power to elect Committee members for service up to the next organizational meeting and reserves the right to remove members as outlined in these bylaws.
Section 4
All members of the Committee are Republican officials of the Party and are expected to support the candidates of the Republican Party to retain their membership on the Committee. No member shall financially or politically support a candidate for office in the District of Columbia who is opposed by a Republican.
Section 5
- All members shall contribute annually to the Committee through a membership fee.
- The Executive Committee shall determine, by resolution, from time to time the amount of the required membership fee and the terms of payment, and shall provide each member of the Committee annually with a written copy thereof. Failure to comply, after due notice, with the terms of such resolution for a period of more than six (6) months shall result in suspension from voting of any member.
- The obligation imposed by this Section may be waived, in whole or in part, at the discretion of the Chairman on a case by case basis.
Section 6
No member shall have his or her membership revoked from June 1 through the election of officers at the Organizational Meeting in January of odd numbered years as provided for in Article V-Meetings and Elections.
ARTICLE IV- OFFICERS
Section 1
(a) The elected officers shall be the Chairman, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. The National Committeeman and National Committeewoman and shall be elected in the manner prescribed in Article V or by the legally filed “election rules and plan” approved by the Committee and filed with the DC Board of Elections. The appointed officers of the Committee are any other officers deemed necessary by the Chairman. All officers must be members of the Committee to serve as an elected or appointed officer.
(b) For the purposes of these bylaws, the term Chairman denotes DC Republican Party Chairman or DC Republican Committee Chairman. The term committee chair denotes the chair of a subcommittee of the DC Republican Committee – namely, Development, Budget and Membership.
(c) Elected officers (with the exception of the National Committeeman and National Committeewoman) shall hold office for a term of two (2) years or until their successors are elected, or appointed, as the case may be due to death or resignation.
(d) Appointed officers shall be appointed by the Chairman with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee.
(e) The Chairman may not hold office for more than four (4) consecutive full two (2) year terms. The National Committeeman and National Committeewoman may not hold office for more than two (2) consecutive full four (4) year terms.
(f) No Party official shall hold two elected posts at the same time.
Section 2
CHAIRMAN – The Chairman shall be the chief executive officer of the Committee. He or she shall preside at all meetings of the Committee; shall have general supervision over the affairs, activities and employees of the committee; shall make all committee appointments for the Committee with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee; and shall performed such other duties as are required by law and as usually pertain to the office of Chairman. The
Chairman shall have authority to designate and direct Party funds as authorized in this document. All employees of the Party report to the Chairman. All decisions of hiring and firing of Party staff are the responsibilities of the Chairman.
Section 3
VICE CHAIR – The Vice Chair shall be designated Senior Vice Chair. In the absence of the Chairman, the Vice Chair shall become Acting Chairman and perform all such duties as are required by law or as may be prescribed by the Chairman and pertain to the office. In the event a vacancy occurs in the office of Chairman, the Vice Chair shall exercise all the powers and perform all of the duties of the Committee Chairman until the Committee has filled such vacancy. The Vice Chair shall perform any additional duties assigned by the Chairman or the Committee.
Section 4
MEMBERSHIP CHAIR – The Membership Chair shall be designated as the chief membership program officer of the Party. All activities for the membership at large of the Party shall be the focus of the Membership Committee The Membership Chair shall perform any additional duties as directed by the Chairman or the Committee.
Section 5
SECRETARY – The Secretary shall keep complete and accurate minutes of all meetings of the Committee and the Executive Committee; shall be responsible for official notices and reports as required by law or these bylaws; and shall perform such other duties as the Chairman or the Committee shall assign. The Secretary shall serve as the communications director for the Party under the direction of the Chairman.
Section 6
TREASURER – The Treasurer shall be responsible for the receipt and disbursement of all funds by and for the Party and shall maintain accounts of the Committee. He or she shall be a member of the Budget Committee. He or she shall, in consultation with the Chairman and the Budget Committee, submit an annual budget to the Executive Committee. He or she shall submit an annual written report of the activities of his office to the Chairman, shall report on the finances of the Committee at each regular Committee and Executive Committee meeting, and shall render periodic reports of income and expenditures as requested by the Chairman. Unless otherwise required by law, or otherwise directed by the Committee, the Treasurer (with the assistance of the General Counsel) shall have responsibility for preparing and filing all submissions to the District of Columbia Board of Elections, the District of Columbia Office of Campaign Finance, the United States Federal Election Commission, and any other government entities regulating the conduct of elections and the collection of taxes.
Section 7
NATIONAL COMMITTEEMAN AND NATIONAL COMMITTEEWOMAN – The National Committeeman and National Committeewoman, together with the Chairman, shall be the Committee’s official representatives to the Republican National Committee and shall perform such duties as are incident to the office as provided by law and the rules of the Republican National Committee. They serve on the Committee’s Executive Committee.
Section 8
GENERAL COUNSEL – The Chairman shall appoint the General Counsel with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee. He or she shall serve as legal adviser to the Committee and shall perform such other duties as are incident to this office.
Section 9
DEVELOPMENT CHAIR– The Development Chair shall be responsible for all fund raising activities of the Party. The Development Chair shall recommend to the Chairman the appointment of such additional members of the Development Committee as may be required.
Section 10
BUDGET CHAIR – The Budget Chair shall be appointed by the Chairman and shall work with the Treasurer to prepare the annual budget for the fiscal year beginning January 1. The budget shall be presented to the Chairman by November 15, and considered at the January meeting of the Committee. The Budget Committee shall be responsible for following expenditures throughout the year for compliance with the budget adopted by the membership and to report periodically to the Chairman and Executive Committee. The Budget Chair shall recommend to the Chairman the appointment of any additional members as may be required.
Section 11
CHAPLAIN – A Chaplain maybe appointed by the Chairman and serve at the pleasure of the Chairman. He or she will be responsible for the spiritual guidance of all Committee meetings and Party events.
Section 12
OTHER OFFICERS – The Chairman may appoint other officers of the Committee, as he or she may deem necessary with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE V- MEETINGS AND ELECTIONS
Section 1
REGULAR MEETINGS – Regular meetings of the Committee shall be held at least quarterly during each calendar year. The Chairman has the right to call additional meetings of the Committee during each calendar year with proper notice. Each meeting called by Chairman is designated as an official meeting
Of the Party and all members are expected to attend. Meetings of the Committee shall be held no earlier
Than five (5) days from the issuance of the call which shall advise the members of the Committee in writing of the time, place, and insofar as is practical, the agenda of such meeting.
Section 2
NOTICE OF REGULAR MEETINGS – Notice of all regular meetings of the Committee are the sole responsibility of the Chairman. All notices of regular meetings of the Committee will be made by electronic mail, but any member may request that their meeting notice be sent by US Postal Service mail if they have no access to email. Such a posted meeting announcement will be deemed timely served if it is posted on the same day as the email announcement.
Section 3
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING – The Organizational Meeting shall typically be held on the second Thursday in January of each odd-numbered year unless the Committee deems a need to change the date of such meeting. Any such change must be determined and announced at least one month before said meeting. The Chairman is responsible to make the call of the meeting known to all members in writing by mail and electronic mail after the Committee has decided the date. The members shall be called to assemble to this Organizational Meeting for the specific purpose of electing new officers. New officers will assume their offices immediately after the portion of the Organizational Meeting has concluded. No new members shall be accepted during the Organizational Meeting.
Section 4
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
(a) The election of officers at the Organizational Meeting of the Committee shall be officially called by the last duly elected Chairman, or in case of his or her absence or incapacity, the next senior officer. The members shall elect from their number a temporary Chairman and temporary Secretary to preside over the election of officers
(b) The election of officers will be conducted by secret ballot. All members present will submit a ballot for each office of the Committee. A secret ballot may be avoided by unanimous consent of the members present.
(c) Each candidate for office must be a member of the Committee in good standing.
(d) Each candidate for office will be required to have members of the Committee nominate and second them for the office for which they intend to run.
(e) Each candidate for office will be required to accept the nomination and will be allowed up to two minutes to give remarks on the office they seek.
Section 5
(a) Special meetings of the Committee may be called by the Chairman or any member of the Committee with written petition of forty (40) members of the Committee.
(b) Such petition shall state (1) the purpose of the meeting, and (2) all of the matters which can be considered at such meeting. It shall be the duty of the Chairman or, in the event of his failure or inability to act, the Secretary, to issue a call for the special meeting within two (2) days of receipt of such petitions.
(c) The special meetings of the Committee shall be held no later than fifteen (15) days and not earlier than five (5) days from the issuance of the call which shall advise the members of the Committee in writing of the time, place, and insofar practical, the agenda of such meeting. This section shall not preclude, however, the earlier publication of dates of such meetings.
Section 6
The Presidents or Chief Executive Officers of each Republican organization of the District of Columbia officially recognized by the Committee shall be members of the Committee and shall receive notice of all meetings. Such persons shall have the right to speak, but not vote unless otherwise a duly elected member of the Committee.
Section 7
Thirty-five (35) or 35 percent (35%) of the members, whichever is lower, of the Committee qualified to vote shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any duly called regular meeting or special meeting of the Committee.
Section 8
When not inconsistent with the provisions of these bylaws, Robert’s Rules of Order (Newly Revised) shall govern all meetings or the Committee.
ARTICLE VI- EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1
The Chairman shall be Chairman of the Executive Committee.
Section 2
The Executive Committee shall consist of all elected officers of the Committee, Ward Chairmen, General Counsel, Development Chair, Budget Chair, Membership Chair, Chaplain, National Committeeman, National Committeewoman, and any other Members of the Committee as appointed by the Chairman of the Committee, as per Article VI Section 3, below. All appointed chairs serve at the pleasure of the Chairman.
Section 3
The Chairman may appoint at-large members to the Executive Committee. These Chairman at-large member appointments shall not exceed five (5) members. All appointed members serve at the pleasure of the Chairman.
Section 4
The Executive Committee shall have all the powers of the Committee between meetings thereof, and may make the rules consistent with these bylaws with respect to the conduct of their respective meetings, including a rule as to the number of members required to be present to constitute a quorum for Executive Committee meetings.
ARTICLE VII- STANDING COMMITTEES
Section 1
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE – The Development Committee shall be responsible for all fund raising activities of the Committee and shall keep a detailed record of receipts and expenditures pursuant to such activities. The Development Committee shall be composed of the Development Chair, the Treasurer, the Budget Chair and such additional persons as shall be appointed by the Chairman with recommendations from the Development Chairman.
Section 2
BUDGET COMMITTEE – The Budget Committee shall be responsible for developing with the Treasurer the annual budget for the fiscal year beginning January 1. The budget shall be presented to the Chairman by November 15, and considered at the January meeting of the Committee. The Budget Committee shall be responsible for following expenditures throughout the year for compliance with the budget adopted by the membership and to report periodically to the Chairman and Executive Committee.
PLATFORM COMMITTEE
- In each presidential year, the Committee Chairman shall appoint a Platform Committee of not less than five (5) or more than fifteen (15) members, to make recommendations for the platform, resolutions and statements of policy to be included in the urban platform adopted by the Republican National Convention.
- The Platform Committee may hold public hearings throughout the Wards and Precincts and receive suggestions from all interested persons and organizations to making recommendations to the Committee.
- The Committee shall receive the report of the Platform Committee and adopt the same with such modifications and amendments as the Committee deems appropriate. The platform shall then be submitted to the Republican National Convention in each presidential election year.
ARTICLE VIII – SELECT COMMITTEES, SPECIAL COMMITTEES AND TASK FORCES
Section 1
(a) The Chairman has the authority to appoint Select Committees, Special Committees and Task Forces for the Committee.
(b) The Chairman has the authority to appoint a Chairman for each Select Committee, Special Committee and Task Forces, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee.
(c) Each Select Committee, Special Committee and Task Force will present a report to the general membership detailing its work periodically throughout its time of existence.
ARTICLE IX- WARD AND PRECINCT ORGANIZATION
Section 1
The Chairman shall appoint an individual to serve as chairman for each ward from among the Members in good standing. They shall serve at the Chairman’s pleasure until the primary election 2016, after which all ward chairmen shall be elected as described in the election rules and party plan.
Section 2
The ward chairmen shall have responsibility to assure that procedures are implemented for the selection and removal of precinct chairs, residency and registration requirements and term of office for precinct chairs and other matters. Procedures for organizing the wards shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee for review and approval. Procedures for organizing the wards shall be made available to anyone so requesting. All precinct chair appointments are subject to final approval by the ward chairman.
Section 3
All ward chairmen shall be voting members of the Executive Committee. Section 4
Ward and precinct organizations may not raise or spend funds except with the consent of the Executive Committee. Ward chairmen should request whatever funds they need to maintain a successful ward organization from the Chairman, who shall disburse funds according to his authority.
ARTICLE X- FINANCE AND EXPENDITURES
Section 1
The Chairman and Treasurer of the Committee are required to submit a Treasurer’s Report at each meeting of the Executive Committee and the general membership meeting of the Committee. This report shall state the current funds of Committee, all expenditures of the Committee and all contributions to the Committee.
Section 2
(a) The Committee bank account is required to have two authorized officers as signatory officers for the purpose of managing the funds of the Committee. The authorized officers must be the Chairman and Treasurer of the Committee.
(b) A check voucher system must be established for all financial transactions of the Committee.
(c) All bank records shall be audited at end of each calendar year and an audit report will be submitted to all members of the Committee.
Section 3
All Committee financial matters require Executive Committee approval for amounts above ten thousand dollars $10,000. Any financial matters $10,000 and below cumulatively, may be conducted by the Chairman between Executive Committee meetings.
Section 4
The Chairman may conduct emergency Executive Committee meetings by conference call or poll Executive Committee members for approval of expenditure of Committee funds. All matters conducted in this manner must require a majority vote of the full Executive Committee. The Chairman will be responsible for providing a written report of the conference call or polling of members to record such actions. This report must be presented to the Executive Committee at their next meeting.
Section 5
All financial controls not enumerated in these bylaws shall be directed by the Chairman.
ARTICLE XI – MISCELLANEOUS
Section 1
Any member wishing to make nominations from the floor for Committee office or membership on the Committee, must notify the Chairman and Membership Recruitment Chairman of the person(s) to be nominated, and for which office, not later than three (3) days prior to the meeting at which balloting will occur. Notice must be in writing.
Section 2
Any officer or member of the Committee (other than those elected for a term pursuant to the District of Columbia Election Act) may be removed for cause by a three-fifths (3/5) vote of those members present and voting at any regular or special meeting of the Committee provided that written notice of said proposed action shall have been duly given to the members of the Committee.
ARTICLE XII – AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS
These bylaws may be amended by a 3/5 majority vote of the members present at a meeting called in accordance with Article V of the bylaws. Those wishing to propose such an amendment must submit it to the Chairman no less than five days prior to the meeting so that the text of any proposed amendment to the bylaws shall accompany the notice for the meeting at which action is proposed.
