Purposes of a resolution
1. To memorialize someone recently deceased.
2. To congratulate a person or group.
3. To amend the Rules of the Texas Democratic Party (TDP).
4. To amend the TDP Platform.
5. To urge Democratic elected officials, especially in the Texas Legislature and the U.S. Congress, to advocate certain positions on policy issues. As the delegates assembled at the state convention are the highest authority within the TDP, such resolutions should carry weight with elected officials as the consensus of the grassroots of the party.
Structure of a resolution
1. Give the resolution a title that indicates not merely the topic, but also the position to be advocated (i.e., instead of "Resolution on Vouchers for Texas Schools," it would be better to put "Resolution Opposing Vouchers for Texas Schools").
2. List the reasons for the resolution at the beginning, each reason being in a separate paragraph beginning with the word "whereas" (capitalized, italicized or in boldface).
3. List each action to be taken in separate paragraphs introduced by the words "be it resolved" (capitalized, italicized or in boldface).
4. Use semicolons to separate each paragraph, and avoid periods. A well-written resolution should consist grammatically of a single sentence.
5. Keep the resolution brief. It should fit easily on a single page.
6. At the end of the resolution, write: "Submitted to and Adopted by Precinct ___ in ____ County, Texas, Senatorial District ___, on March 2, 2010" and leave a signature line for the precinct convention secretary, who will sign it if the precinct convention adopts the resolution.
Example of a well-written resolution: WHEREAS we believe every Texan has the right to participate fully and equally in society and enjoy its benefits and freedoms; and
WHEREAS lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Texans suffer pervasive discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and education because of homophobia and a lack of legal protection; and
WHEREAS non-discrimination laws help to ensure that LGBT people have equal access to the same opportunities and protections granted to others, such as the ability to work in an environment where people are judged by their job performance, not their sexual orientation or gender identity; and
WHEREAS the State of Texas does not have a statewide non-discrimination policy covering sexual orientation and gender identity,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Texas Democratic Party supports the passage of comprehensive non-discrimination legislation that would make discrimination based upon sexual orientation and gender identity illegal in employment, housing, education and public accommodations.
Submitted to and Adopted by Precinct 2084 in Bexar County, Texas, Senatorial District 26, on March 7, 2006.
_________________________________
Convention Secretary
Process by which resolutions move forward
1. Someone has an idea for a resolution and writes it up.
2. Priority is given when the same resolution comes from multiple counties or senatorial districts. It would be a good idea to share your resolution with others who live in different precincts and in other parts of the state. Sponsoring organizations might post a resolution on their website.
3. The resolution is introduced at the precinct convention on the evening of March 2, 2010.
4. If the resolution passes, it will be included in the convention packet that must be delivered to the county chair within three days after the convention.
5. The next level is the county convention (or in the case of counties having multiple senatorial districts such as Bexar County and Travis County, the next level is the senatorial district convention).
6. The Resolutions Committee will meet prior to that convention. They can amend a resolution, combine it with other similar resolutions, or vote it down.
7. The county convention or senatorial district convention will consider all the resolutions recommended by the Resolutions Committee. Those that pass will proceed to the state convention.
8. A Temporary Resolutions Committee will consist of members of the State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC). They will organize the resolutions submitted for the state convention. They can pull out any resolution they don't like unless it has come from multiple counties or senatorial districts.
9. Resolutions that are not statewide in significance (except for memorial or congratulatory resolutions) will not be considered at the state convention.
10. Resolutions concerning TDP Rules or the TDP Platform will be referred to the Rules Committee or the Platform Committee.
11. At the state convention, each senatorial district elects one member for each of various committees, such as the Permanent Resolutions Committee, the Rules Committee, and the Platform Committee, and others.
12. If the Permanent Resolutions Committee works expediently, they will consider all of the submitted resolutions, combine them with others as possible, and then refer them for a vote on the convention floor. If they waste time, worthy resolutions will fall by the wayside.
13. At the state convention, other resolutions may be introduced that haven't come through a county or senatorial district convention by petition of 20% of the delegates (using the proper form).
14. Resolutions passed by the state convention will be sent by the SDEC to the Democrats elected to the Texas Legislature and U.S. Congress, as appropriate. Hopefully our representatives, whom we work so hard to get elected, will pay attention to us! |
