State Convention Resolutions

The Resolutions Committee meets on Friday at 3:30. They can adopt, with amendment or reject your resolution. If they adopt with amendment you, as the author, have the option of accepting or rejecting the amendments.

They can also refer your resolution to a committee. They don't tell you about this in the convention rules. In this case a decision is postponed or tabled essentially with little recourse.

Any decision other than "adopted" opens up the procedure whereby you need to get 300 signatures of credentialed delegates on an approved petition form turned in to the secretary of the party by 5pm Saturday night. Then you need to provide a copy of your resolution for every delegate at the convention @ 3000 also turned in to the secretary.

Sunday morning is the Resolutions Committee report. At that time they can rule the resolution out-of-order. (Resolutions are to be a statement of philosophical belief and not an attempt to change or go around the CDP bylaws.) If that happens you immediately jump to your feet, with a bunch of your friends and appeal the chairs ruling. You get to argue, only, that your resolution is in order, does not contradict CDP bylaws and is a statement of philosophical belief.

If you prevail the resolution will be read and brought to a vote on Sunday afternoon. Two microphones will be set up - pro and con. You get to speak first. Its sort of a free-for-all as to who speaks next - it just depends who can push their way to the front of the line by the mic.

However, I don't think you will have to go through all the above procedure. Your resolution is not that controversial and most Dems agree with your premise. But they may ask for specific actions in the resolution rather than just a blanket statement that "we appose BW". It may be good to prepare a replacement Therefore-let-it-be-resolved clause with specific actions or philosophical statement acceptable to the committee as a whole.

The cadem.org site has an archive of adopted resolutions as examples.

Patty Mar is a volunteer with the CDP in Sacramento and has been very helpful.

Good luck. I'm with you.

Leon Thompson
Thomdaleon@cox.net
619-316-0657

PS: below are convention rules with highlights by Garry Shay

"9. The Resolutions adopted by the members of This Committee and the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party are expressions of philosophical beliefs and principles that the Party wishes to declare. Any resolution involving a local issue will be referred to the appropriate local Democratic Party entity.

RESOLUTION PROCEDURES

1. Form
   1. All resolutions must be typed.
   2. Inducement (e.g., Whereas) clauses shall be limited to three (3) or less, and resolve clauses shall be limited to two (2) or less.
   3. Resolutions must be no longer than one (1) 8-1/2" x 11" typewritten page.
   4. All resolutions must be adopted by a County Central Committee, or a Chartered Democratic Club or sponsored by twenty-five (25) members of This Committee.
2. Timely Resolutions
   1. Resolutions must be received by the State Chair of the Party, thirty (30) calendar days prior to a meeting of This Committee, except as provided in subsection (c) below.
   2. Copies of resolutions submitted according to the above procedure shall be mailed by the State Chair of the Party to all members of the Resolutions Committee prior to a meeting of This Committee.
3. Resolutions Committee will present prioritized resolutions in the committee report to the convention body.
4. Late/Floor Resolutions
   1. Twenty-five (25) copied of each resolution must be provided to the Resolutions Committee by the sponsor(s) of the resolution.
   2. All resolutions to be considered at a meeting of This Committee must be presented for consideration at the Resolutions Committee meeting preceding the general session. In order to be considered at the general session, a late resolution must have the unanimous consent of the Resolutions Committee to be considered and all resolutions must be approved by the Resolutions Committee. Any resolution heard by the Resolutions Committee, failing to obtain approval, may be brought to the floor of a meeting of This Committee with the signatures of three hundred (300) members of This Committee on forms approved by the Resolutions Committee.
   3. All resolutions to be presented from the floor shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Convention for signature verification by 5:00P.M. on the day before the resolution is presented.
   4. The sponsor of a resolution presented from the floor shall be responsible for providing the Secretary of the Convention with sufficient copies of their resolution for each member of This Committee.
5. Resolutions pending at the close of a Convention of This Committee shall be referred to the Executive Board of This Committee. All such resolutions shall first be presented to the Resolutions Committee for recommendation to the Executive Board. The Resolutions Committee shall recommend: adoption, adoption with amendment, or rejection. Such resolutions shall be presented to the Executive Board for consideration in its original form unless the sponsor agrees to the amendment(s) recommended by the Resolutions Committee. "

Garry S. Shay
Member, Democratic National Committee (CA) and
Lead Chair Rules Committee, California Democratic Party
Representing 6.7 million registered Democrats

-- Raymond Lutz - 20 Apr 2007