Impact of Council on Legislation Decisions
The Rotary International “Council on Legislation” is a legislative body made up of one representative from each of the over 500 Rotary Districts, which meets once every 3 years to review, debate and vote on proposed amendments to the constitution and bylaws of Rotary International. Last week, from April 10th through 15th, the Council on Legislation met in downtown Chicago, Illinois. Up for consideration were 181 proposed enactments and resolutions affecting the legislation which governs how Rotary International and Rotary Clubs worldwide function.
Although many of these proposals were either rejected or withdrawn by the end of the week, a significant number of major proposals were approved and are expected to be implemented in the coming Rotary year. The following is an overview of the major changes approved this past week by the Council, which will impact us directly as Rotarians and the way our club operates:
1) Written minutes for all board meetings must be available to all active members of the club within 60 days of said meeting.
2) Admission Fees for new members have been eliminated. New members will just pay the regular membership fee that all members pay.
3) Clubs will now have the option to determine when and how often the club meets (although a minimum of 2 times per month), set their own attendance requirements and modify or eliminate termination policies for non-attendance.
4) Clubs will now have much more flexibility in choosing their membership. Clubs may now modify or remove the classification system in their bylaws (e.g. if the club wants to admit 5 new members whom all have the same classification, they may now do so).
5) The council has approved simplifying qualifications of being a member – this change replaces the former list of qualifications for membership with a new definition that a club be composed of "adult persons who demonstrate good character, integrity, and leadership; possess good reputation within their business, professions, and /or community; and are willing to serve in their community and /or around the world."
6) The council considered several proposed amendments in Rotary International membership dues and finally approved 3 annual US$4 increases for each of the next 3 years starting with the 2017-18 year. (The increase sets the dues at $60 in 2017-18, $64 in 2018-19, and $68 in 2019-20.)
7) The distinctions between e-clubs and regular Rotary Clubs have been eliminated – e-clubs will now be treated exactly the same as Rotary Clubs.
8) Rotaractors may now simultaneously belong to a Rotary Club in addition to a Rotaract Club. RI says that currently only 5% of Rotaractors become Rotarians. It is felt that by allowing people to belong to both types of clubs, more Rotaractors will remain with a Rotary Club when they reach the maximum age of 30 allowed for Rotaractors. (In a related matter, 2 opposing motions, one to increase the maximum age for Rotaractors to 35, and another to decrease it to 25, were both defeated. The age range for Rotaractors will remain at 18-30.)
Note that the above list is not comprehensive and does not include the proposed changes to the corporate governance of Rotary International itself – for more information please go to www.rotary.org/myrotary and search for “Council on Legislation”.