RLC of Texas Bylaws | Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas

Bylaws and Rules of the Texas Republican Liberty Caucus

last amended June 16 & September 11 of 2022

newly adopted August 13, 2023

Article I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas, hereinafter referred to as the “Charter”. The organization seeks recognition as a Chartered State organization of the national Republican Liberty Caucus, hereinafter referred to as “Caucus.”

Article II: Purpose

The Charter is a political action organization dedicated to promoting the ideals of individual rights, limited government and free enterprise within the Republican Party of the United States of America by:

A. Promoting these ideals among Party officials and its various organizations;

B. Identifying and supporting candidates sympathetic with these ideals;

C. Developing Charter and Caucus membership among Party registrants, officials, officeholders and voters.

Article III: Membership

Section 1: There shall be three categories of membership: Regular, Associate, and Honorary.

A. Regular membership shall be limited to individuals who are affiliated with the Republican Party (as determined by the Charter Secretary), who have paid current minimum dues specified by the Caucus and who support the purposes of the Charter. Regular members are qualified to serve in any official capacity in the Charter, to act as delegates at any Convention and to enjoy all the privileges extended in these Bylaws.

B. Associate membership shall be open to individuals, no matter their political affiliation, who have affirmatively indicated their support for the purposes of the Charter and have paid current dues. Associate members shall receive such services and privileges as the Board of Directors may specify, but may not hold RLC office nor serve as convention delegates.

C. Honorary membership may be extended to any person designated by the Board of Directors of the Charter. Honorary members shall enjoy such rights, privileges or honors as may be explicitly conferred thereby, either individually or as a group. The charter shall be liable for paying the appropriate portion of the cost of membership ($15) to Caucus.

Section 2: The Caucus shall set the minimum annual dues requirement for Regular or Associate membership in the Charter, which shall not exceed fifty dollars. All current Caucus members shall be considered full members of the Charter and its Chapters. Dues shall be current until January first of each year.

Section 3: Dues payments received by the Charter shall be shared with the Caucus in a fixed amount specified by the Caucus, not to exceed twenty-five dollars, and disbursed to the Caucus on an agreed schedule, at least annually and at least thirty days before a Caucus Convention. Dues payments received by the Caucus shall be shared in the same fixed amount and disbursed to the Charter on the same agreed schedule. The Charter may offer premium or incentive membership rates or fees for services, which shall be subject to the same fixed dues sharing amounts as Regular membership. No Regular membership shall be offered for a period in excess of two years, but memberships may be offered with an automatic renewal option.

Section 4: The Charter may waive its portion of dues for any special circumstance or condition approved by the Charter Board, but shall pay the fixed share amount of dues to the Caucus, either from the exceptional membership dues payment or from general revenues. Either entity may offer periodic or introductory dues payments smaller than the Regular minimum dues, but shall disburse the same shared portion before any other allocation of receipts.

Section 5: Contributions received by the Charter from contributors who are not Regular Members shall first be applied toward minimum annual dues and shared in the same fashion as other dues receipts, unless the contributor explicitly declines such membership. All other contributions or donations may be expended as specified by the Charter Board, but shall not be donated to any electoral campaign.

Section 6: Any membership may be suspended or revoked by a majority vote of the full Charter Board of Directors for just cause.

Article IV: Board of Directors

Section 1. The Board of Directors of the Charter, hereinafter “Board”, shall consist of the at least three Officers of the Charter, an additional three At-Large members, and up to seven Regional Board Members representing areas with active chapters. Board members shall be Regular members of the Charter, elected for two-year terms by delegates at a Regular Convention of the Charter. Any member of the Board may be removed for just cause and vacancies may be filled by proposal of the Chairman and a majority vote of all Board members.

Section 2. Regional Directors shall be elected from among the Regular members of the certified Local Chapters located within each respective Region. Regional Directors shall be elected at a Regional Convention for a two-year term or until their successor is elected. Regional Directors must have at least one active chapter in their region to maintain voting rights, and are responsible for supporting all existing chapters within their region as well as work to proliferate the creation of other chapters in their Region and across the state of Texas. Should the region lose all existing chapters the director will have six months to create new chapters to maintain voting rights, if none is found then the director loses voting rights until such a time as a new chapter is formed.

Section 3. The Board shall ensure the effective implementation of these Bylaws, adopt an annual or quarterly budget, provide for effective communications among members, the Caucus and the general public, and make arrangements for Regular and Special Conventions of the Charter.

Section 4. The Board shall have full power and authority to govern all the affairs of the Charter between conventions and shall have the sole, ultimate, final and exclusive control over all property, assets, liabilities and other resources of the Charter. Officers shall take all reasonable precautions to preserve the security of Charter funds and the confidentiality of member lists. The Board shall have the authority to hire, fire, contract, and take such legal actions as will affect the will of the Board.

Section 5. The Board shall conduct its meetings in conformance with the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, in the absence of standard or special rules it may adopt that conform with these Bylaws and Rules. The Board may conduct meetings or ballots by telephone, email, or any other means it deems appropriate. Regular meetings of the Board shall occur at least quarterly, with at least one week’s notice. A special meeting of the Board shall occur immediately following any Convention. Other special, emergency, or informal meetings of the Board may be called at the written request of any three members, on three days’ notice to all Board members. Any Regular member may attend or obtain the minutes of any Board meeting, unless two-thirds of the Board members agree to a closed session, at which the Board may deliberate, but not adopt, exceptional motions.

Section 6. In any dispute between the Caucus and this Charter, the decision of the Caucus Board of Directors shall be final. The Caucus may review and require compliance, suspend or revoke this Charter, or any portion of these Bylaws, by a two-thirds vote of all members of the National Board.

Section 7. A board member may be removed by vote of the board if they have three unexcused consecutive absences. 14-day notice shall be given to the board member who is to be removed.

Article V: Officers

Section 1. The Officers of the Charter shall consist of a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, who shall all be voting members of the Board and subject to the provisions of the preceding Article. At the first Regular Convention of the Charter, candidates for Officer shall have been Regular members of the Charter for at least one year prior to their nomination. After the first Regular Convention, candidates for Chairman and Vice-Chairman shall have been Regular members for at least two years and members of the Board of Directors for at least six months prior to their nomination.

Section 2. Elected Officers shall assume office upon approval of the Charter, or at the close of the Convention at which they are elected. Any Officer may be dismissed for misconduct or malfeasance upon thirty days notice to the Officer and a majority vote of all members of the Board. Any Officer vacancy may be filled at the proposal of the Chairman and approval of a majority vote of all members of the Board. New Officers must qualify under the provisions of the previous Section and shall assume office immediately upon election by the Board. If Officer vacancies occur between Board meetings, the seceding officer listed in the preceding section, followed by At-Large Board members, shall serve as the acting Officer until the next meeting of the Board.

Section 3. The Officers shall perform such duties as are described in these Bylaws.

A. The Chairman shall be the primary spokesman of the Charter; shall execute the resolutions of the Board of Directors; shall preside at meetings of the Board and official sessions of any Convention, unless absent or replaced by an Acting Chairman, and shall ensure the administration of all provisions of these Bylaws. The Chairman may appoint any Regular members as special project or liaison directors of such standing or special executive committees or projects as he deems appropriate for the performance of these duties. The Chairman shall be an administrator on all digital platforms of the State Charter, and a signer on all accounts associated with the Charter. The Chairman may assign administrative access to additional administrators as they deem necessary beyond those provided in these bylaws. The Chairman shall assist in transferring all administrative accounts when new officers are elected.

B. The Vice-Chairman shall assume the duties and obligations of Chairman in his absence, assist the Chairman in his duties and serve as Director of the Local Chartering and Convention Committees. The Vice Chairman shall be an administrator on all digital platforms of the State Charter, and a signer on all accounts associated with the Charter.

C. The Secretary shall record and distribute the minutes of all Board meetings and Conventions, certify Delegates, conduct such ballots as the Board may direct, and act as Parliamentarian for all official business of the Charter.

D. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all Charter funds, shall propose annual and quarterly budgets, safeguard the financial resources of the Charter and make such periodic reports of finances as the Board may require. The Treasurer shall receive and disburse dues sharing payments in cooperation with the Treasurer of the Caucus. Upon Chartering, the Treasurer shall obtain a unique Tax Identification Number for the Charter and open a bank account that shall include the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and such other Officers as are deemed appropriate, as account signers. The Treasurer shall serve as Director of the Finance and Fundraising Committee.

E. The Caucus Regional Director, elected by the officers of this Charter and other Chartered state officers in this National Region, shall be an ex-officio Alternate of this Charter Board with full privileges, except the power to vote.

F. The Chapter Chairs elected by regular members of their respective Chapters recognized by the Charter shall be an ex-officio member of the board with privileges except the power to make motions or vote.

Section 4. All accounts, digital and physical, must have at least two non-related administrators or signers on account.

Article VI: Conventions

Section 1. The Board shall call and hold a Regular Convention in every oddnumbered year, no sooner than June first, at such place and time as the Board shall designate, for the purpose of adopting revisions to these Bylaws and Rules, electing members of the Board, adopting public policy statements, and conducting such other business as it deems appropriate.

Section 2. All members of the Charter shall be notified of the Regular Convention at least sixty days prior to the designated date of the Convention. Such notice shall include the location, calendar of events, official business to be conducted and such other information as would facilitate and encourage attendance by Charter members.

Section 3. All Regular members certified by the Treasurer as having paid current dues at least thirty days prior to the Convention shall be qualified to be voting Delegates for all official business conducted during the Convention. No Delegate shall be required to pay any fee for participation in official business.

Section 4. A quorum for Regular Convention business shall be a majority of the certified Delegates who have registered as being in attendance with the Secretary, or such Credentials Committee as the Secretary shall designate. The Convention shall be governed by the latest version of Robert’s Rules of Order that are consistent with these Bylaws and Rules, unless a two-thirds of the registered Delegates adopt special rules for the duration of the Convention. There shall be no absentee or proxy voting on any official business.

Section 5. All voting at any Convention will be on a semi-proportional strength basis. Each region is eligible to receive a number of votes equal to the number of its current Regular members regardless of the number of Delegates in attendance at the Convention. However, no Delegate in attendance can cast with a vote with a strength value greater than 5. (Example: If Region A has 60 strength votes but only 20 Delegates are in attendance, each Delegate’s vote will count for 3 votes. If Region B has 40 strength votes and only 5 Delegates are in attendance, the strength value of the total delegation from Region B is reduced to 25 votes).

Section 6. An exemption shall be made for members that have a travel distance of 500 miles or more to the convention site. Members who qualify for this exemption must meet with their local chapter and teleconference in by a method to be chosen by the State board prior to the convention. Any member that qualifies for this exemption but does not belong to a local chapter may teleconference into the convention as provided by the State board.

Section 7. In the event of an emergency, the Board may, by a two-thirds vote, postpone a Regular Convention for no more than ninety days and shall notify members by the best means available.

Section 8. The Board may call a Special Convention at any time by a majority vote. Special Conventions may only conduct such official business as may be explicitly authorized by a two-thirds vote of the Board. If such official business is authorized, the preceding sections of this Bylaw relating to notice, Delegate status and proceedings shall apply to official sessions of the Special Convention. Special Conventions may include such events and services as the Board deems beneficial to the Charter and attractive to the members.

Section 9. Regional Convention: The Board shall call and hold a Regional Convention in each of the designated Regions, at such place and time as the Board shall designate, for the purpose of electing a Board member to represent that Region. Regional Conventions shall be held within 60 days of a Charter Regular Convention. Each Regional Convention shall be chaired by the current acting Chairman of the largest Chapter within the Region. Delegates to a Regional Convention shall be Regular Members to a Local Chapter within the Region for which the Regional Convention is being held. The preceding sections of this Bylaw relating to notice, Delegate status, and proceedings, shall apply to all Regional Conventions.

Article VII: Statements of Position

Section 1. Statements of Position may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the certified and registered Delegates at any Regular Convention, or the official sessions of any Special Convention which may be authorized by the Board under these Bylaws.

Section 2. Statements proposed by a majority vote of the Board or in a Petition signed by no less than twenty-five Regular members at least forty-five days prior to the Convention date may be submitted to the Delegates for adoption.

Section 3. All proposed Statements shall conform to the Caucus Statement of Principles and Positions, as well as the Charter Statement of Purpose in these Bylaws. Prior to Convention consideration, copies of the proposed Statements shall be submitted in writing to the national Caucus Board at least ten days prior to the Convention for review, advice and consent.

Section 4. Notice of all proposed Statements shall be distributed to Regular members with the notice of Convention.

Article VIII: Local Chapters

Section 1. The Board shall encourage and certify the chartering of such Local chapters within the state which qualify under the provisions of these Bylaws and Rules. A Chapter may be granted to any group of five or more Regular members who are residents of the subject region be it county, city, or region and who have signed a Petition for certification and submit it in writing to the State Charter Board of Directors along with listing a minimum of two officers, and bylaws adopted by the local Chapter’s regular members. The Board may certify qualified State Chapters by a majority vote at a regular meeting.

Section 2. The Board may set such minimum criteria for Local Chapter Bylaws and require such verification of Regular membership as it deems appropriate for certification. Local Chapters must submit an annual certification due every December 31st with the number of members for the Chapter, officer’s names, phone numbers and email addresses, the mailing address, banking establishment, domain registration and social media accounts of the Local Chapter and any information needed for continued support for the membership by electronic forms. Chapters must submit new leadership information within 30 days of any convention of leadership changes in the Charter.

Section 3. In any dispute between the Charter and any certified Local Chapter, the decision of the Charter Board of Directors shall be final. Any Chapter certification may be suspended or revoked upon a two-thirds vote of the Charter Board, after 30-days notice to the principal officer of the Chapter.

Article IX: Regions

The Regional boundaries shall be determined by the Charter Board and shall be reviewed and updated bi-annually to reflect changes in membership and population and ensure equal representation, Local Chapters certified within a certain Regional Boundary shall be considered part of that Region. There shall be up to seven regions which are: Greater East Texas, Austin, South Texas, El Paso, Metroplex, Greater Houston, and San AntonioWest Texas, Central Texas, South Texas, East Texas, Coastal Bend, North Texas, and DFW Metroplex

Article X: Amendment

Section 1. These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the certified and registered Delegates at any Regular Convention, or the official sessions of any Special Convention which may be authorized by the Board under these Bylaws. Amendments proposed by a majority vote of the Board or in a Petition signed by no less than twenty-five Regular members no less than forty-five days prior to a Convention may be submitted to the Delegates for consideration. Notice of proposed amendments shall be distributed to all Regular members with the notice of Convention.

Section 2. Amendments shall go into effect immediately, unless otherwise stated in the proposed Amendment.

Section 3. Charter Rules may be amended by a majority of the certified and registered Delegates, or by a two-thirds vote of the Charter Board, after at least thirty days notice.

Charter Rules –

Rule 1. Standing Committees

A. The Membership Committee, under the direction of the Chairman, shall promote new memberships, encourage membership renewal, and ensure the maintenance of an accurate membership database. The Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer shall serve as members of the Membership Committee;

B. The Candidate Review Committee, under the direction of the Chairman, shall obtain, review and distribute information on candidates and recommend candidates for endorsement by the Board;

C. The Local Chapter Committee, under the direction of the Vice-Chairman or Secretary, shall promote, assist and process Petitions for local, county and regional chapters;

D. The Convention Committee, under the direction of the Vice-Chairman, shall plan, arrange, promote and conduct all Regular and Special Conventions of the Charter. The Secretary and Treasurer shall serve on the Committee to facilitate Delegate certification;

E. The Communications and Public Relations Committee shall be appointed by the chair and shall supervise, maintain, facilitate and conduct communications among the members, the Board, the media and the general public;

F. The Finance and Fund Raising Committee, under the direction of the Treasurer, shall arrange, facilitate and solicit financial contributions to the Charter.

G. Rules and Bylaws committee shall review the rules and bylaws prior to the biennial convention and prepare a report of proposed changes if needed. They are also responsible for overseeing the issuance of position statements and resolutions.

Rule 2. Operational Managers

Operational managers nominated by the Chairman and appointed by the Board shall include:

A. At the discretion of the board the position of Executive Director may be created to oversee the administrative operations of the charter.

B. The Webmaster, who shall be responsible for the operation, maintenance and content of the Charter Internet services, as a member of the Communications and Public Relations Committee; The Webmaster shall be set up as an administrator on all digital platforms.

C. The Newsletter Editor, who shall be responsible for the preparation, production and distribution of printed or electronically published news of the Charter, as a member of the Communications and Public Relations Committee;

D. The Media Relations Director, who shall be responsible for the preparation, production and distribution of news releases and position statements of the Charter on public issues.

Rule 3. Dues Sharing

Charter membership dues may be collected by either the national Caucus or by the Charter, provided that:

A. The amount collected by the Charter for Regular Membership shall not be less than the current share amount established by the Caucus, which shall be transferred to the Caucus as the dues share for that member;

B. Once chartering is approved regional or local chapters shall receive a share of the dues collected set by the board at no less than $5 and no more than $10 per membership from the dues share of the State Charter.

C. Either entity may collect smaller periodic dues payments toward membership, but shall allocate the first receipts to dues sharing with the other entity;

D. Charter receipts of membership dues from outside this state shall be transmitted to the Caucus for allocation to the member’s resident state.

E. The Caucus or Charter my offer such premium membership rates or services as may be designated by their Boards, subject to the same fixed dues sharing amounts as Regular membership;

F. Honorary memberships may be offered by either the Caucus or Charter organizations, but if they grant any of the rights of Regular members, the granting entity shall pay the other entity the dues share for that member;

G. Contributions or donations made by non-members shall be subject to dues sharing unless the contributor or donor explicitly declines Regular Membership privileges;

H. All contact and payment information received by either entity shall be communicated to the other entity, at least as often as shared funds are disbursed under the Bylaws;

I. Membership shall expire upon the Anniversary date of the last payment made by a Regular member.

Rule 4. Candidate Endorsements

Any candidate endorsement by the Charter shall comply with the following:

A. The endorsement of a candidate for federal office may be proposed by a majority vote of the Board of either the Caucus or the Charter where a candidate is to be elected. No proposal for endorsement shall be official or made public until it has been confirmed by a majority vote of the other Board.

B. No candidate contesting an election against any Republican Party nominee may be proposed for endorsement by the Charter;

C. The Charter Board may endorse candidates for any state legislative seat or state cabinet-level positions, but endorsements of candidates for Governor shall require the same Caucus confirmation as candidates for federal offices;

D. A primary candidate for President of the United States may not be endorsed by the Charter or the Caucus except in compliance with the Caucus Bylaw provisions;

E. Endorsement preference shall be granted to any candidate who has signed the “Liberty Compact” of the Caucus or who has been rated as “libertarian” in the “Liberty Index” of the Caucus;

F. Endorsements may be withdrawn for good and sufficient reasons upon the majority vote of both the proposing and confirming Boards;

G. The Charter Board will not endorse in Republican Primary Races, without achieving a 2/3 majority of the RLC TX Board members.

H. The Charter Board will set a deadline for accepting Candidate Surveys six weeks prior to a primary election and hold an endorsement meeting one month prior to the election.

Rule 5. Public Policy Statements

The Boards of the Caucus or this Charter may adopt and issue public policy statements which do not conflict with the official RLC Statement of Principles and Positions specified in these Bylaws:

A. Public positions related to federal legislation may by recommended by this Charter to the Caucus Board for approval, on at least three days notice;

B. Public positions related to state legislation may be adopted by a majority vote of the Charter Board, but shall not conflict with any prior policy position adopted by the Caucus;

C. No resources of the Charter shall be used to promote any commercial enterprise without the advance contractual approval of the Board.

Rule 6. Political Action Committees

The Charter Board may establish a separate, segregated state political action committee, hereinafter “PAC”, under the applicable state statutes, for the purpose of contributing to state or local candidates for public office, provided:

A. The PAC shall be designated with the proper state authorities as an affiliated member committee of the Charter, but not the Charter itself;

B. The Board of Directors of such PAC shall include at least a majority of the Officers of the Charter;

C. The PAC shall be constituted with such bylaws and rules as are consistent with the provisions of these Charter Bylaws and Rules, shall open a separate PAC banking account solely from voluntary donations, and otherwise ensure that the Charter is not legally liable for the operations, reporting, or receipts of the PAC;

D. The PAC shall not contribute to any candidate who has not received a public endorsement by the Charter in compliance with the applicable Rules;

Rule 7. Electronic Voting

Votes of the Board may be taken by electronic ballot via either eMail or eGroup tabulations conducted by the Secretary under the following rules:

A. Electronic ballots shall be issued to all Board members on any resolution submitted by at least three Board members to the Secretary;

B. The Secretary shall issue an electronic ballot within two days and shall receive and tabulate all ballots received within seven days of issue;

C. If any Officer or At-Large Board member fails to cast a ballot, the Secretary shall record them as absent and substitute the ballots of Alternate members in the chronological sequence in which they were received;

D. The Secretary shall inform members of ballots cast and provide members who have not cast a ballot with a two day reminder of the ballot deadline;

E. In the event that fewer than five ballots are cast prior to the deadline, the resolution will fail for lack of a quorum.

F. The results of the balloting shall be reported to Board members immediately after the deadline and recorded in the minutes of the next Board meeting.