3. WHAT HAPPENED AT THE 2022 COUNCIL ON
LEGISLATION?
• TN (Raju) N. Subramanian, Council Vice-Chair
• Duane Benton, Co-Vice Chair and Member-at-Large
• Wyn Spiller, Council Trainer
8 June 2022
5. • Year one: Representatives
• Year two: Proposed legislation
• Year three: The Council on Legislation
(Council on Resolutions is held each year within this cycle)
COUNCIL CYCLE
7. MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL
• Council Representatives
Voting Members
• Chair
• Vice chair
• Parliamentarian
• Constitution and Bylaws Committee
• Members-at-Large
• RI president
• President-elect
• RI Board of Directors
• One Rotary Foundation Trustee
• General Secretary
• Secretary
Non-voting
Members
8. COUNCIL ON LEGISLATION
• Meets every 3 years
• All representatives attend
• 2025 COL: 13 to 17 April
in Chicago
• Enactments due
31 December 2023
9. COUNCIL ON RESOLUTIONS
• Annually, online
• All Representatives
participate
• Deadline for submitting
resolutions is 30 June each
year
• Resolutions published and
voted on in October
10. WHAT IS AN ENACTMENT?
ENACTMENTS
Changes
constitutional
documents
Includes
purpose and
effect
statement
Considered
every 3
years
11. WHAT IS A RESOLUTION?
RESOLUTIONS
Requests of
the RI Board
or Trustees
Do not
change RI’s
constitutional
documents
May be
submitted
directly to the
Board as
petitions
12. • Articles 7, 8, and 9 of the RI Bylaws
• The Councils page on My Rotary
• How to Propose Legislation and Resolutions course
in the Learning Center
• Email: council_services@rotary.org
RESOURCES
20. WHAT HAPPENED AT THE COL?
STATISTICS
94 items transmitted to the Council
29 items
adopted
51 items
rejected
13 items
withdrawn
1 item
postponed
indefinitely
523 representatives
21. • 22-10 To add equity and inclusion to the building of a
well-balanced membership
• Adds the words 'equity, and inclusion' to Article 4.070., thus the
expectation that all clubs build a well-balanced membership that
celebrates diversity, and now also equity and inclusion.
• 22-13 To remove the requirement that a member must
work or reside in the locality of their club
• Removes locality or boundaries from the geographical areas in
which Rotary clubs can currently solicit and maintain
membership.
KEY ENACTMENTS - MEMBERSHIP
22. • 22-14 To allow active members to propose prospective
members in any club
• Allows any Rotarian to propose/sponsor a person to any Rotary
club in the world
KEY ENACTMENTS - MEMBERSHIP
23. • 22-39 To amend the provisions regarding RI committees
• Simplifies RI's committee structure
• Allows the Board more flexibility with committee creation and
terms of reference, in lieu of adding additional committees to the
RI Bylaws
KEY ENACTMENTS - COMMITTEES
24. • 22-46 To increase per capita dues
• Provides for a dues increase of US$4 in 2023-2024 and $3.50
per year in 2024-2025 and 2025-2026.
• Membership dues are the primary source of financing for RI’s
operations, and unfortunately our membership assumption has
declined
• This dues increase should provide per capita dues revenue at
levels necessary to sustain RI’s retained operations and
programs, and supports RI’s financial sustainability.
KEY ENACTMENTS - DUES
25. Dues support essential services that are critical to the continued
success of RI’s service to clubs and districts which includes:
KEY ENACTMENTS - DUES
Training and
support for club
and district
officers
District governor
travel
Support for youth
programs such as
Interact and Youth
Exchange
Regional leader
support
Communication
tools and
resources to tell
Rotary’s story
Support to elevate
Rotaract
Information
Technology
Financial
infrastructure for
our global
organization
26. • 22-71 To provide for the administration of clubs in a pilot
project
• Allows the Board to test out two different governance models,
one in RIBI and one in Zone 8
• Whatever model is tested, it would still require a future COL to
enact any permanent changes in how we support or administer
Rotary clubs.
• Support from the clubs and districts involved will still be
necessary before any pilot moves forward in either of the two
regions.
KEY ENACTMENTS – PILOT PROJECT
27. • 22-78 To amend the Avenues of Service to include
positive peace
• Adds positive peace to the Avenues of Community Service,
International Service and Youth Service
KEY ENACTMENTS – AVENUES OF SERVICE
28. • 22-85 To remove the attendance report requirement
• Removes 4.080 Attendance Reports from the RI Bylaws
• Does not affect the ability of a Club to monitor its own attendance
• A Governor could still request a monthly attendance report if
desired
KEY ENACTMENTS – CLUB MEETINGS AND ATTENDANCE
29. • 22-18 To state that Rotaractors may be members of RI
committees
• Explicitly permits the appointment of Rotaractors to any
committee of RI, rather than the limited number for which such
appointments are currently allowed under the current RI Bylaws.
• 22-84 To allow Rotaractors to attend Rotary club
meetings
• Allows Rotaractors to attend Rotary club meetings as a guest.
KEY ENACTMENTS - ROTARACT
30. POST COUNCIL
● Report of Action – sent 16 May 2022
● Clubs have the opportunity to oppose adopted legislation
● Revised constitutional documents available
15 June 2022
● Adopted enactments become effective
1 July 2022
● Manual of Procedure updated
32. • 2025 Council on Legislation
deadline 31 December 2023
• Submission link emailed to governors and
representatives
• Start working with clubs and the district on potential
legislation now
• Do not wait for the 2023-26 representative to be elected!
DRAFTING THE NEXT ENACTMENTS
33. • Consider impactful changes
• Review past enactments
• What has passed
• What was rejected
• Ask for help
• Submit early
Read the Rotary magazine handout from March 2022 for
more tips.
HOW TO DRAFT BETTER LEGISLATION
34. • Resolutions are requests to the Board
• Deadline 30 June each year
• Submission link on the Council page of My Rotary
WHAT ABOUT RESOLUTIONS?
37. ● Member of a club in the district
● Served a full term as district governor at the time of
election
● Be digitally literate
● Able to attend the Council for its entire duration
● Complete mandatory Council training
SELECTING YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
RECOMMENDATIONS
39. Rate this session in the Rotary Events app,
available in your Apple or Android app store.
Editor's Notes
What happened at the Council 2022?
Before we talk specifically about the actions taken in Council 2022, let’s do a quick review of what the Council is and how it functions.
The Council is the body of Rotarians authorized by the RI Constitution and Bylaws to vote on resolutions at the Council on Resolutions and to amend the constitutional documents at the Council on Legislation.
More simply put, it is Rotary’s parliament.
By a show of hands, who has attended a Council?
Who is currently a representative?
Who is an alternate?
Who is simply interested in learning more about the Council?
Wonderful!
The Council on Legislation runs on a three-year cycle. Starting in year one, districts begin choosing their representatives and alternate representatives. The selections for the next cycle are due to Rotary by 30 June 2023. This is also the last year of service by the current Representatives who have the responsibility of sharing the last Councils results and beginning preparation for new legislation to be considered at the 2025 Council.
Year two’s emphasis is on legislation. For the 2022 COL, proposed legislation was due to Rotary by 31 December 2020. Over 146 enactments were submitted for the 2022 COL. Once submitted, the general secretary formats legislation and prepares it for review by the Constitution and Bylaws Committee and RI Board. The general secretary also prepares a financial impact statement for each item of legislation.
Year three is the year of the Council on Legislation. Legislation is finalized and sent to representatives, Rotary senior leaders and districts governors. There were 94 enactments published for the 2022 COL. Clubs, districts, and the RI Board also have the opportunity to submit statements of support and opposition on legislation. The RI Board may also submit emergency legislation or position statements to the COL through 31 December in the year of the COL. Representatives complete any needed required training and make travel arrangements.
In addition to the COL activities, a full Council on Resolutions cycle is worked into each of these years, with most of the work taking place from July to October. Clubs and districts submit resolutions, they are reviewed by the C&B Committee, and then voted on by representatives within the year.
Let start with representatives. Who is a district representative?
Each district selects a Council representative and Alternate to serve a three-year term. Current Representatives selected June 2020 for this council cycle participate in the 2020, 2021, and 2022 Councils on Resolutions and the 2022 Council on Legislation as the voting members. Their term will end on 30 June 2023.
The next cycle’s representatives should be selected during the 2022-23 Rotary year.
The RI Bylaws provide that the Council representative be:
A past officer who served a full term at the time of election,
An active member of a club in the district and
Must understand the qualifications, duties, and responsibilities of a rep.
The duties of a council rep are also outlined in the bylaws and include that they:
Assist Clubs in preparing enactments and resolutions
Discuss legislation at district meetings and be knowledgeable about attitudes of Rotarians in District
Carefully consider legislation and be an objective legislator
Complete required training
Attend the COL for its full duration
Participate in the COR
Be knowledgeable of the existing attitudes in the district and
Report of the deliberations of the Councils.
In 2022, 76% of the Council reps were serving in the position for the first time Also, 16% or 86 out of 523 representatives serving at the 2022 COL were women. This is slightly up from 14% in 2019 and 13% in 2016.
While the majority of the Councils are comprised of voting members, there are a number of non-voting members, who include: the Council chair, vice chair, and parliamentarian.
The Constitution and Bylaws Committee reviews all legislation to ensure items are “regular” and makes their recommendation to the RI Board, which then transmits all legislation and resolutions to the Councils.
The members at large offer additional details on legislation as needed during debate at the Council on Legislation.
The RI president, president-elect, the Board, one TRF Trustee, and the General Secretary are also members of the Councils and may participate in debate, but do not vote.
What meetings do the Council members participate in?
The Council on Legislation meets every three years to amend the constitutional documents. The 2022 Council on Legislation was held on 10 to 14 April 2022, simultaneously online and in Chicago. We talk a bit more about this year’s COL in a little bit.
The next COL will tentatively take place from 13 to 17 April 2025, which means that enactments that will be considered at that meeting are due by 31 December 2023.
As mentioned, The Council on Resolutions meets annually online through the My Rotary website. The COR is not a traditional meeting where everyone is online at the same time viewing and voting on resolutions. Rather, currently during the month of October, Council members are able to read, comment, and vote on resolutions.
Council members may submit comments for other Council members to read, think of this as being similar to speaking during debate at the COL. If representatives have a question about a certain resolution, they are always welcome to email Council Services staff for help.
After voting takes place, any resolutions that are adopted are then considered by the RI Board or Trustees. Council Services will then send a summary of those decisions within a year of the COR.
We have talked about who is attending the Councils and now let’s talk about what they discuss and debate.
Items can be submitted in two forms: enactments or resolutions. Enactments seek to change RI’s constitutional documents (the RI Constitution, RI Bylaws, and the Standard Rotary Club Constitution). They are considered at the Council on Legislation held every three years.
When submitting enactments, the proposer, usually a club or a district, must also provide a statement of purpose and effect. The purpose and effect statement, as the name implies, is supposed to provide the reasoning behind the proposal. This statement should identify the issue or problem that the proposed legislation seeks to address and explain how the proposal addresses or resolves the problem or issue.
In order to be considered by the COL, enactments must be regular. What do we mean by regular? An item is regular if deemed duly proposed and not defective.
An enactment is defective if it:
(a) is subject to two or more inconsistent meanings;
(b) fails to amend all affected parts of the constitutional documents;
(c) would violate governing law;
(d) amend the standard Rotary club constitution to conflict with the RI bylaws or the RI constitution;
(e) would amend the RI bylaws to conflict with the RI constitution; or
(f) would be impossible to administer or enforce.
Regular enactments are published electronically in English first and then in Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Mandarin a couple of months later.
Now let’s talk about what is a resolution.
A resolution is a request to the Board or the Trustees to take an action that is not covered by the constitutional documents. For example, asking the Board to change the age requirements for Interact is a resolution because the age limits for Interact are not in the constitutional documents.
Similar to enactments, resolutions can also be found defective. A resolution is defective if it:
(a) would request an action, or express an opinion, in conflict with the letter or spirit of the constitutional documents;
(b) would request an action that involves administrative or management matters within the discretion of the board or TRF trustees;
(c) would request an action which has already been implemented by the board or TRF trustees; or
(d) is not within the framework of RI’s program.
Keep in mind that clubs can also submit resolutions directly to the RI Board as petitions. This is an alternative, quick way to have your club’s or district’s idea considered by the Board, instead of submitting a resolution to the COR.
Resolutions are considered each year at the Council on Resolutions, taking place in October. Resolutions that are adopted are then forwarded onto the RI Board or TRF Trustees for consideration.
For additional information on the COL and the COR, please see these resources.
Can you tell us what else happened at the 2022 Council on Legislation?
Ask the audience: For those of you who attended the 2022 Council, how would you describe the Council? As there are a number of you, please one sentence only.
2022 was an unparalleled Council on Legislation. A hybrid meeting was planned and implemented during a pandemic. This required the creation of new processes to hold a simultaneous in-person and virtual meeting for close to 600 participants. This was also the first Council to vet enactments ahead of the meeting. And lastly, this was the first Council to consider an appeal of a Board decision.
A little more on Vetting as it is new.
Vetting was adopted by the 2019 council and used the first time in 2022.
The goal is to allow the Council to spend its limited time on those enactments that representatives feel deserve detailed consideration.
39 enactments were selected for vetting prior to the 2022 COL. Enactments were selected that were easy to understand and straight forward. Representatives had a chance to review and comment; comments published and then voting 10 dec to 31 dec.
If an enactment got more than 80% of eligible votes in opposition, it would not be considered at the COL. No items were rejected during vetting for 2022.
If an enactment got more than 80% of eligible votes in favor, it will be part of the consent agenda at COL and acted on via the consent agenda. 3 Enactments were part of the consent agenda. (far less than expected when vetting was proposed in 2019)
The Council itself was characterized by flexibility and respect. Members were flexible and patient throughout the meeting and conducted themselves with respect for each other and their opinions.
Each district sends one representative to the Council. This year we had 523 representatives out of a possible 524 attend. 324 attended in person and 199 virtually.
94 enactments were transmitted to the Council
29 were adopted
51 were rejected
13 were withdrawn from consideration, and
1 was postponed indefinitely
Additionally, the Council considered an appeal of a Board decision and voted to sustain the Board’s decision.
28 enactments were proposed virtually by 17 representatives. All of them were able to present and close their item, while being shown on screen. We are thankful to all of them for their participation.
While other items proposing new standing committees were not adopted, 22-39 allows the Board to more easily create committees that can address these programs.
22-16 and 22-17 both seeking to set age limits, especially upper age limits, did not pass. It is up to individual Rotaract clubs if they wish to implement an age limit.
Many representatives will be updating their districts on the outcomes of the Council in the coming months. Here are a few notes to help you:
A Report of Action that includes all enactments that were adopted at the COL, along with any amendments to the proposed items, has been sent to all clubs, districts, COL representatives, alternates, and Rotary Senior Leaders.
Clubs can voice their opposition to any adopted legislation by submitting an opposition form to Rotary by 1 August 2022, the form was included in the Report of Action.
If any item of legislation receives 5% of votes entitled to be cast by clubs, or 2632 votes for 2022, it is suspended and a ballot-by-mail is distributed to all clubs by the general secretary. Please note that to the knowledge of Council Services staff, we are not aware of any adopted items receiving sufficient votes to be suspended. If it happens, it is rare.
The Council Operations Committee, along with the general secretary, also updates the constitutional documents, which include the RI Constitution, the RI Bylaws, and the Standard Rotary Club Constitution. These documents are updated and sent in English to the COL representatives, alternates, district governors, and Rotary Senior Leaders by 15 June 2022.
Adopted enactments will take effect on 1 July 2022 following the Council.
Then the Manual of Procedure is updated and distributed by October in English, with languages to follow.
Now that we have talked about what happened at the 2022 Council, let’s start talking about what is next. First, drafting legislation and resolutions.
BY SHOW OF HANDS, how many of you feel your clubs and district are knowledgeable about COL and engaged in considering legislation?
Could do a quick pair and share here – or ask for ways to increase Rotarian and Club engagement?
This is a great time for all of you as ambassadors and representatives to raise awareness and engagement within your districts.
The next Council on Legislation will be in April 2025 and the deadline to submit enactments will be 31 December 2023.
Information will be sent in the next few months to the current representatives and governors once the submission form is available.
Consider impactful changes. Constitutional documents are an organization’s foundation and define its structure. When proposing changes, try to address the structure and organization of Rotary. Changes should be more permanent, not ones that can change as policies are updated.
Enactments should not address process, policy, or procedures. These types of changes should be suggested through resolutions, so that the Board and Trustees can decide whether or not to update Rotary’s Codes of Policies. The Code is also more flexible and changes more frequently.
For example, the general area where the Council on Legislation should take place is defined in the RI Constitution, in the vicinity of RI world headquarters, and a significant change to the locale should be made as an enactment. For example, if we wanted to permanently change it to Orlando, Florida, USA.
The specific hotel that the Council is held at is determined by the general secretary and the Board, as it can change from Council to Council based on the rates for different hotels. It is not something that we want to be permanent. (i.e. We were at one hotel for a very long time. When it came time to bid for the next COL, their rates were much higher and we had concerns about the hotel itself. As such, we were able to move to a different location that suited us much better.)
Review past enactments. The legislation books for the 2019 and 2022 Councils are posted on rotary.org. Take a look to see if 1) your idea has been proposed before and 2) how an enactment is written.
It is also helpful to find out what types of items have been adopted by the Council and what are rejected. For example, changes to the Object of Rotary are difficult to pass, because they require a 2/3rds vote and representatives are not enthused to pass them.
Ask for help. Past representatives, the Constitution and Bylaws Committee, and Council Services staff are all very knowledgeable about the constitutional documents and are always willing to help you draft your enactments. If you need help drafting an enactment, please let us know. We can also find out if a similar item has been proposed in the past and what happened to it. If an idea has been found defective in the past, it is good to ask how to improve it to make it regular.
Submit enactments early. The earlier you submit an enactment, the earlier the Constitution and Bylaws Committee can review it. If defects are found, you will have more opportunities to correct them and have your enactment considered by the Council on Legislation. The majority of legislation is submitted in the last two weeks before the deadline. We can’t help you fix and resubmit an item if there is an error at that point.
Other tips? Time dependent
The deadline for submitting resolutions is 30 June each year using the link found on the Councils page of My Rotary. Resolutions are usually published, commented on, and voted on during October each year.
Finally, this next Rotary year, 2022-23, districts will select their representatives and alternates for the next Council cycle.
Remember experience is a benefit. When your district is considering who to select as its next Council representative, you might consider someone who is familiar with the Council. If the representative will be serving for the first time, past representatives should help familiarize them with the process and procedures of the Council.
In addition to the qualifications and duties covered earlier, we recommend that districts think about someone who is:
Digitally literate for communication, training, reviewing documents, and voting
As demonstrated by the 2022 COL, this is more important than ever.
Important to be comfortable with reading and reviewing digital documents in order to competently participate in the legislative cycle
Communication is by email only; reps must be able to send and receive Rotary email
Documentation is also sent only electronically; hardcopies have been phased out.
Able to attend the Council on Legislation for its entire duration
The Council is a week of long days. Please choose your representative carefully to ensure they are physically capable of completing their assignment.
Able to complete mandatory Council training
Attending Institute training at their own expense or the district’s
Complete online training
In summary, choose the person best qualified to serve as your District’s Council Representative.
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