Proposals for 2008 Spring State Committee Meeting

Proposals for the State Committee meeting can be submitted, revised, and commented on here. The State Committee meeting is on Saturday April 12, 2008. State Committee proceedures say that the last day to submit anything here is Saturday, March 29.

Any two members of the State and Administrative Committees or any Green Local may submit a proposal for the State Committee to consider. Proposals are to be sent to working committees for vetting at least three weeks before a StateCom meeting, and posted on the website at least two weeks before a StateCom meeting so they can be mailed to State Committee members, and so that delegates can read them online. No proposals will be accepted at the meeting, except by any StateCom delegates which are elected within 4 weeks of an upcoming scheduled StateCom meeting. If sponsors are bringing a proposal to the meeting for consideration, the sponsors are responsible for bringing enough copies of the proposals for all the delegates to have one.

Proposals should also try to follow the Complete Proposal Guidelines. This document contains a template that can be used as the starting point for constructing a proposal for submission.

If you have proposals that are ready to post, do not hesitate as it gives people more of a chance to read it and comment on it ahead of time and possibly improve it.

If you have the proposal already in a word processor document, please attach the document at the bottom of your post to facilitate the process of making the proposal package for the meeting.

Please read them completely so you are prepared for clarifying questions, discussion, and decision-making. If you have comments ahead of time, you can post a follow up here and you can contact the sponsors of the proposal.

Exploring Feminism
Sunday March 30, @08:04PM by Grace Ross (manager) & Mike Heichman (co-sponsor)
from the none committee.
Reading a few pieces, statecom discussion

As we struggle as a party to support the candidacy of female candidates, provide female leadership within the party and struggle against a political culture long dominated by men, this seemed an important time to (re-)explore our feminist roots and commitment to one of our key values: feminism.

Let's take some time before statecom to read three pieces and use 45 minutes of our meeting for discussion.

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AdCom size change
Sunday March 30, @12:11AM by merelice et al
Formerly, AdCom met twice a month and conducted almost daily business between meetings. This was a time-consuming commitment that made it difficult especially for the Membership, Communications, and Fundraising Directors to carry out their committee responsibilities as well as other needed Party activities. As a result, much (if not most) of AdCom time was spent on endorsements, position statements, Party strategy, and other policy-related activities that are actually StateCom responsibilities. Consequently, these activities would
(1) draw time and attention away from the administrative functions that need more support to keep the party healthy,
(2) put such decisions in fewer hands than should be the case, given our Key Value of Decentralization,
(3) seriously overburden the AdCom members and/or pull them away from participating in and building local chapters and working committees.

The current AdCom has worked to delegate implementation of party business to appropriate working committees. One result has been the gradual reactivation of working committees, with more to come. Local chapters and working committees most often include StateCom members. By referring policy-related party business to these groups rather than expecting AdCom to handle everything, StateCom members actually have a more active hand in decisions between StateCom's own meetings. If the committees and locals are not capable of handling activities, the burden should not be borne by AdCom.

For a few months after the last state convention, there were only five or six active members of AdCom. Meetings accomplished more in less time. It seemed to be an example of what had been proposed at previous StateCom meetings when it was stated that: A smaller AdCom would result in (1) enabling AdCom to focus on its administrative functions with less distraction and pressure, (2) giving the Membership, Communications, and Fundraising Directors more flexibility to carry out their critically important committee work, (3) drawing fewer members away from being active in local chapters and on working committees, and (4) giving StateCom members more say and participation in policy-related work between meetings through their local chapters and/or working committees.

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Green-Rainbow Campaign Financing Standards
Saturday March 29, @11:45PM by John Andrews, Jill Stein
This proposal concerns requirements for campaign financing that would be placed upon candidates for endorsement by the Green-Rainbow Party. Adoption of this proposal would make a clear and significant distinction between the Green-Rainbow Party and other political parties.
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Implementation of our Delegate Selection Plan
Saturday March 29, @11:41PM by John Andrews, Jill Stein
The Green-Rainbow Party submitted a Delegate Selection Plan to the Massachusetts Secretary of State in October 2007. This plan was carefully written to be in compliance with state election laws and to protect the democratic process. The Plan calls for all votes cast to be treated as equally valid in apportioning delegates. The Plan represents a promise to voters, to candidates, and the Party to observe open and explicit rules in the competition for votes and delegates to the national convention. Attempts to alter this plan in order to invalidate votes cast on February 5 or to deny delegates to particular candidates can create legal risk for the Party. Such attempts are also are an invitation to undemocratic partisan infighting that could undermine the integrity of the electoral process. Our committees have much work to do to properly implement the Plan and must focus upon getting that work done in a timely manner. This proposal provides instruction to our committees that will clarify their responsibilities and focus their work.

SUMMARY:

This proposal instructs GRP committees to implement, to the best of their ability, the approved Delegate Selection plan as submitted to the Secretary of State.

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Expedited Discussion Rules
Saturday March 29, @11:36PM by John Andrews, Jill Stein
from the - committee.
BACKGROUND:
Often State Committee business is not finished because of time constraints. This proposal offers a way to ensure that discussions are completed within a defined amount of time while giving everyone a fair opportunity to speak.

SUMMARY: A procedure is specified for conducting an expedited discussion.

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Free Choice for National Convention Delegates
Saturday March 29, @11:33PM by John Andrews, Jill Stein
from the - committee.
BACKGROUND: Occasionally it is suggested that State Committee should adopt a measure restricting how our national convention delegates may vote on matters before the convention. Such measures are problematic in the following ways:

a) Delegates are representing the direct vote of primary election voters whereas typically only two members of State Committee hold office as a result of elections. It violates the GRP commitment to grassroots democracy to have a largely unelected body impose its will on persons elected directly by the voters (especially if the two elected State Committee members are outvoted by non-elected members).
b) State Committee is not well-equipped to have a fair and open debate on many issues before the convention. The best advocates for different points of view are unlikely to participate in StateComm deliberations, and one-sided advocacy often results. Convention delegates can hear the best arguments of both sides and make a well-informed decision.
c) State Committee has many agenda items other than those dealing with national convention issues, and in many cases cannot afford the time to adequately discuss national convention issues. Nor should State Committee expend its limited resources debating issues that are best decided by another entity.
d) The context for a decision can change between the time it is considered at StateComm and the time it comes up for a vote at the national convention. Even if a directive is reasonable at the time it comes before StateComm, it could be harmful to the Party by the time of the national convention.
e) Imposed directives are, in effect, a vote of no confidence in the wisdom and good faith of persons who have volunteered to serve as delegates. Instead of taking this approach, the basis for our actions should be a presumption that delegates are capable and are willing to act wisely in the best interests of our Party.

SUMMARY: Delegates to the Green Party national convention are allowed to exercise their own best judgment in voting on matters before the convention.

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Ensuring Fair Decision-making
Saturday March 29, @11:29PM by John Andrews, Jill Stein
from the CDLC committee.
The official business of the Green-Rainbow Party should be conducted in a way that is fair to all candidates competing for a nomination. The business organs of the Party should not be a venue for partisan competition. When this occurs, moves by one side trigger responses by the other, and our limited resources are consumed in dealing with issues that should not be on our agenda in the first place. By insisting upon fair and equal treatment for all candidates, we protect democratic principles, protect the value of the vote, and discourage attempts to use insider status and subterfuge to gain advantage in a competitive race. We also avoid bitterness that could erode support for the Party and for its eventual nominees.
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Code Green Imperatives for Addressing the Global Warming Emergency
Saturday March 29, @11:21PM by John Andrews, Tom Flittie, Jill Stein, Nancy Lee Wood
from the Platform committee.
As a result of recent scientific discoveries, it is clear that we have entered a period in which far-reaching emergency measures are required to avert catastrophic consequences from global warming. The actions that must be taken involve systemic changes to the way we operate our economy. They also involve freeing our political system from the grip of fossil fuel lobbyists and rededicating ourselves to economic justice and the public interest. Some climate activists have recently called for an emergency declaration known as Code Green that includes eight imperatives on which action to date is either wholly inadequate or in which we have been moving in the wrong direction. This is a proposal that the Green-Rainbow Party endorse the Code Green imperatives.
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Advisory Ballot Question on the Global Warming Crisis
Saturday March 29, @11:10PM by John Andrews, Jill Stein
from the Platform committee.
: This proposal concerns ballot advisory question initiative that was endorsed by State Committee at its January meeting. This provides a more specific endorsement of a particular topic and focus for one of the supported ballot questions dealing with global warming. The current (draft) text being considered by the Platform Committee reads substantially as follows:

Shall the representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of legislation that:

1) redirects taxpayer subsidies for fossil fuel energy, road and airport construction, and other carbon-intensive development, to an urgent carbon-reducing community-based green-jobs initiative, creating jobs in energy conservation and efficiency, non-nuclear local clean energy generation, recycling, and local sustainable food production; and

2) phases out existing fossil fuel based power generation facilities in Massachusetts, beginning with the closure of coal-fed power plants, with a goal of 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020?

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Getting SPWG Moving Again
Saturday March 29, @09:52PM by Mike Heichman, Suffolk County
from the SPWG committee.
Quite some time ago the leadership of our party decided that it was essential to develop a strategy to guide the work of our party. A committee was formed, many committee meetings were held, and large meetings were held. For a number of our active members, this was a major project. Many other members of our party (including myself) spent precious time and energy on this project.

For some reasons, this project has grinded to a halt. However, the need for this project has not gone away.

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ballot question on predatory lending
Saturday March 29, @06:17PM by merelice et al
from the Rainbow Coalition Caucus, Platform Committee committee.
The State Committee decided to consider developing local ballot questions as an organizing tool to fulfill party goals and grow party support. The State Committee also put the party on record as supporting the work of a growing coalition of organizations formed under the name of Mass Alliance Against Predatory Lending, a coalition which was initiated by the Rainbow caucus. This proposal is to approve suggesting that MAAPL's work be the subject of one possible ballot initiative organized by the party.
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