[DRAFT 1] Bylwas Revision: COMMITTEES

[Nils Lohner]

[Here's my first attempt at putting all the bullet points into words.  
Please comment.  I think I took all feedback into account- thanks!

--Nils]

COMMITTEES
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 Committees are an extension of the board of directors and take care of the 
day to day operation of the organization.  They are set up to deal with 
ongoing issues within the organization.

[is there a better wording for this?  I'm trying to say that you should not 
set up a committee for i.e. one trade show, but should set up a publicity 
committee that coordinates shows etc.]

 Committees are governed by the board of directors and are accountable to 
the board and the membership.

[should this be further defined?  I'm thinking of where they send the 
minutes, and where they get their direction from... 'governed' can mean a 
lot of things, and I'm not sure if I should narrow this down, or leave it to 
the charter.]

 Committees may propose resolutions and motions within the scope of their 
charter.  Discussions should be held in a public forum, but the committee 
may have private discussions if they are deemed necessary.


Charter
-------
 The committee charter completely describes the rights and responsibilities 
of the committee, as well as its structure, membership policies, and any 
other relevant details.  Charters are issued and revoked by the board of 
directors.  The charter shall be put before the membership for review and 
discussion before it is voted on by the board of directors.
 
 The charter shall also define the membership structure of the committee.  
Both contributing and non contributing members are eligible to serve on 
committees.

[I've changed my mind.  I think that non contributing members should also be 
able to serve on committees... I don't think they'd get selected for highly 
political committees, but would get selected for i.e. a publicity committee. 
 That way then can contribute.  In fact, I'm sure this is a good idea- gets 
the non contribs more involved, which is a Good Thing (tm).]


QUESTIONS:
----------
- does this cover everything?  Darren made a good point, saying that only 
the basic definitions common to all committees belong in here, and I agree.  
I'd been trying to do that, but it's easy to lose sight of that goal.


-- 
Nils Lohner                         Software in the Public Interest, Inc.
E-Mail: lohner at spi-inc.org          PO Box 1326 
Board Of Directors <board at spi-inc.org> Boston, Ma. 02117 USA