Convention Resolution

Constitutional Amendment 2: Updating and Streamlining Convention Procedures

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT would eliminate a provision requiring convention approval of convention committees. This provision is unworkable given the length of time between conventions—four years—and the need for convention committees to perform the vast majority of their work in the weeks and months leading up to the convention, before convention delegates are selected or designated.

The proposed amendment would eliminate an unnecessary step in the process of handling resolutions and amendments that are submitted after the constitutional 30-day deadline. Under the amendment,  late resolutions and amendments would be referred to the convention, which only would consider them if there was unanimous consent to do so. The amendment would eliminate the unnecessary step of sending the resolutions and amendments first to the Executive Council for the council’s referral to the convention. This amendment was suggested by the AFL-CIO’s convention parliamentarian.

a.  Amend Article  IV (Convention), Section 10 as follows:
[language to be deleted in italics and brackets]

i.  The President shall appoint, in consultation with the Executive Council, prior to the convention [and subject to the approval of the convention], such committees as are necessary to conduct the affairs of the convention. Such committees may meet before the convention and shall proceed to consider all resolutions, constitutional amendments, appeals, petitions, reports and memorials submitted to the convention, and shall report on them to the convention.

a. Amend Article  IV Section 11(b) as follows:
[language to be deleted in italics and brackets]

i.  All resolutions, constitutional amendments, appeals, petitions, reports and memorials received after the times stipulated in subsection (a) above or during the convention shall be referred to the [Executive Council. The Executive Council shall refer all such proposals to the] convention, which shall consider them only upon unanimous consent.