LPPA Policy Manual and Standing Rules of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania

Updated May 29, 2012

Introduction: This Policy Manual, following the structure and format of the Bylaws of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (hereafter referred to as “Party” or LPPA), provides the administrative details necessary to implement each Article and each section of the Bylaws.

I. Purpose and Scope

 * 1) The purpose of the Party is to proclaim and implement the Statement of Principles of the National Libertarian Party through educational activities and participation in the political process.
 * 2) The Party’s goal is to achieve maximum civil and economic liberty for Pennsylvanians while minimizing aggression against individuals in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. All activities which are cost-effective in reaching that goal, as determined by the LPPA Board of Directors, will be supported.

II. Membership
Membership shall be established pursuant to the bylaws of the Party and rules adopted by the Board of Directors under authority delegated by the bylaws. The Board of Directors shall be responsible to develop a procedure for handling membership inquiries and addressing cause for suspension.

III. County and Regional Committees

 * 1) The Board of Directors shall develop an Affiliate Committee Kit including documents to facilitate the establishment and function of County and Regional Committees.
 * 2) The Board shall make local information in the database available to the committees upon request.
 * 3) The functional sub-unit of the Party will be the County or Regional Committee established pursuant to provisions in the bylaws of the Party.
 * 4) The Party will seek to have a County Committee in each of the 67 counties of Pennsylvania.

1. Chair: Chair: The Chair shall

 * A. become familiar with the Constitution, Bylaws, Platform, Convention Rules, and this Policy Manual of the Party;
 * B. become familiar with Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised;
 * C. ascertain the presence of a quorum at meetings;
 * D. open the meeting at the appointed time (if a quorum is present);
 * E. formulate the agenda of the meeting (with the help of the Board);
 * F. announce in proper sequence the business that comes before the Board or Convention;
 * G. recognize members entitled to the floor;
 * H. state and put to vote all motions properly made, and to announce the result of the vote;
 * I. protect meeting from frivolous or dilatory motions;
 * J. enforce rules of debate;
 * K. expedite business;
 * L. decide questions of order;
 * M. appoint a parliamentarian, members of working committees, and others as authorized, including appointing members in good standing to serve as members of the Standing Committees between the meetings of the Board;
 * N. declare meeting adjourned at the time prescribed or at any time in the event of a sudden emergency;
 * O. call special meetings, telephone conferencing, or other Board of Directors votes when necessary;
 * P. follow-up on motions to ensure that they are put into effect;
 * Q. compare actual expenses versus budgeted expenses, as per Treasurer’s report, and take remedial action if necessary;
 * R. make reports to the regional representative of the Libertarian National Committee, LPPA Board of Directors, and others as required; and
 * S. take steps necessary to ensure the ability of the Party to function efficiently and serve the membership through an effective organizational structure.

2. Vice-Chairs:

 * A. The Eastern Vice-Chair shall assist the development of the Party in the counties of the eastern part of Pennsylvania; the Western Vice-Chair shall assist the development of Party in the counties of the western part of Pennsylvania.
 * B. In the absence of the Party Chair, the Eastern Vice-Chair will preside at meetings in even years; the Western Vice-Chair will preside at meetings in odd years unless otherwise arranged.
 * C. The Vice-Chairs shall assist and be considered members of the Membership Committee and the Election Committee, and will assist with the development of county and regional organizations, the recruitment of candidates to seek the Libertarian Party nomination for partisan elected office, and ballot access for candidates.
 * D. The Vice-Chairs will assist the Chair on various special projects as requested.
 * E. The Vice-Chairs will provide a report on their activities at each Board of Directors meeting.

3. Secretary: The Secretary shall

 * A. prepare meeting agendas and take the minutes of all the meetings;
 * B. keep on file all committee reports;
 * C. have access to all Party records;
 * D. make the minutes and records available to members online; minutes posted on the website within five days of the adjournment of a meeting and having no amendments noted prior to the next business meeting will not require approval of the Board of the Directors;
 * E. notify Board of Director members of upcoming votes or meetings (time, location);
 * F. sign (as necessary) all certified copies of acts of the Party;
 * G. maintain record books of the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, special rules of order, standing rules, minutes, or other important documents, and hold the corporate seal;
 * H. record the transaction of business and the result of votes at each Board of Directors meeting;
 * I. in absence of Chair or Vice Chair, call meeting to order and preside until election of chairman pro tem;
 * J. file any necessary list of Party officers with the Department of State each year.

4. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall

 * A. have custody of the Party’s funds in various bank or other accounts;
 * B. disburse funds as directed by the Board of Directors and Convention;
 * C. provide monthly accounting reports including beginning balance, income and expenditures for the time period, and ending balance and as necessary, Expense vs. Budget or other special reports.
 * D. file appropriate reports with government agencies as determined by the Board of Directors or applicable laws.

V. Board of Directors
A. The Libertarian Penn 
 * 1) The Board of Directors shall meet at least quarterly.
 * 2) The Board of Directors shall be the governing body of the Party between conventions. 4
 * 3) The Board of Directors shall adopt and implement policies and procedures to allow the continued function and growth of the Party.
 * 4) Members of the Board of Directors must meet all requirements to hold the position and conduct themselves in a professional and civil manner during all Party business.
 * 5) All reports, meeting agendas, and/or minutes available online are to be in any format or formats which will allow the general membership to access them.
 * 6) The Chair may call for a special meeting or vote on a particular issue as necessary pursuant to the provisions of the Bylaws.
 * 7) Business may be conducted between meetings by telephone conference call, post, email, or on the LPPA website forum pursuant to the provisions of the Bylaws.
 * 8) Communications Policy

1)  The Libertarian Penn newsletter is an official means of communication between the LPPA and its membership, reporters, and the general public.

2) The publication schedule and content shall be determined by the Newsletter Committee using a budget approved by the LPPA Board of Directors.

3) An editor may be appointed by the Chair of the Newsletter Committee, or failing that the Chair of the Board of Directors and notice of any appointment shall be made to the Board of Directors.

4) Certain content may be subject to veto by vote of the Executive Committee.

5) Distribution of the newsletter shall be determined by the Newsletter Committee based on available budget. When possible, it shall be mailed to all members in good standing, and at a minimum shall be made available to all members in good standing on the Party website.

B. Website; www.lppa.org

1) The website of the LPPA, www.lppa.org, and the forum of that website are official means of communication between the LPPA and its membership, reporters, and the general public.

2) The site content and format shall be determined by the Marketing Committee within the guidelines and budget approved by the Board of Directors. It shall contain at a minimum the following features: 3) A Webmaster may be appointed by the Chair of the Marketing Committee, or failing that by the Chair of the Board of Directors and notice of any appointment shall be made to the Board of Directors.
 * LPPA and local Party contact info
 * A forum for announcements, general and member discussion, and online business
 * Notice of the annual LPPA Convention
 * Current and back issues of the Libertarian Penn
 * Subscription information for any LPPA email lists
 * Membership form
 * Donation form
 * LPPA Platform, Constitution, Bylaws, and Convention Rules

4) Certain content may be subject to veto and removal by vote of the Executive Committee.

C. These e-mail lists will be maintained as official means of communication between the LPPA and its membership: LPPA_BB (Board Business) and LPPA_CD (Chapter Development).

D. Moderation

1) The Chair and Vice-Chairs of the Executive Committee shall have ownership of The LPPA website forum and every LPPA email list, and shall exercise moderation in accordance with this Policy at their discretion.

2) In the event of disagreements over a particular moderation activity, the full Executive Committee shall decide the issue by majority vote.

3) All LPPA communications are subject to the same rules of etiquette. In general, members should be polite. Specifically,


 * Avoid the use of innuendo, especially to belittle or obfuscate.
 * Present facts without misrepresentation.
 * Avoid rude words and insults.
 * Answer direct questions.
 * Do not engage in personal attacks.
 * Maintain an open mind.
 * If there is more than one way to interpret a given communiqué, always assume it was presented in friendliness and in good faith.
 * Mistreatment of fellow forum or list members or other transgressions of this Policy may result in suspension of posting privileges.

VII. Judicial Committee

 * 1) The Judicial Committee members shall elect a Chair and notice of such election shall be made to the Board of Directors.
 * 2) The Judicial Committee Chair shall review any question of non-compliance with LPPA Constitution, Bylaws, or written policy put forward in writing to the Committee by any LPPA member in good standing to determine the need for committee action.
 * 3) Chapter XX of Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised, Disciplinary Procedures, is to be followed, as applicable.
 * 4) Upon determination of the Chair, the Committee shall act pursuant to the provisions of the bylaws.

1.
It is the responsibility of all Committee Chairs to see that any necessary Committee reports are presented to the Board of Directors. County and regional affiliate committees are responsible for carrying out the activities of the Party at the local level. The officers of these affiliate committees are responsible for the operations and activities of the committees. Affiliate committees must operate in accordance with the provisions of the LPPA and LP bylaws.

2. Standing Committees
These Committees are established in the Bylaws and the composition may be altered by the Board of Directors.

A. The Membership Committee

1) The Committee shall develop the membership information packet.

2) The Committee shall develop a membership card.

3) The Committee shall provide the membership of notice of renewal and dues.6

4) The Committee shall maintain the database of current and past members, donors,volunteers, and contacts.

5) The Committee shall determine membership status of individuals upon authorized request.

B. The Media Relations Committee

1) The committee shall develop media releases on topics generated by the committee or requested by other officers of the Party.

2) The committee shall maintain the list of media contacts for the Party.

3) The committee shall send approved releases as directed.

4) All quotes in releases must be accurate, and if edited for any reason, edits must be approved by the person quoted.

5) Approval of releases can be done by the Chair of the Committee AND the LPPA Chair; by the Chair of the Committee AND both LPPA Vice-Chairs; or by a majority of the Board of Directors.

C. The Election (Ballot Access) Committee

1) The Committee shall develop an Election Handbook which will assist any Party member to run for any office in Pennsylvania.

2) The Committee shall recruit potential candidates for elected office and guide them through the nomination and ballot access process.

D. The Legal Action Committee 

1) The Committee shall provide legal advice or inform the Board of Directors where they may seek appropriate legal advice regarding matters presented by the Board of Directors.

2) The Committee shall inform the Board of Directors of legal issues which the Board of Directors may not be aware.

3) The Committee shall keep a record of its legal advice to the party.

E. The Legislative Action Committee 

1) The Committee shall keep track of especially important legislation for the membership in the Pennsylvania General Assembly online on the Website forum or by other official communication as appropriate.

2) The Committee shall recommend action to the membership regarding specific pieces of significant legislation through appropriate official communication.

3) The Committee shall develop, and work with other groups to develop, draft legislation to move public policy in a libertarian direction consistent with the goals of the Party.

4) The Committee shall seek sponsors of developed draft legislation and may contact elected officials and other groups as appropriate to garner support.

F. The Fundraising (Finance) Committee

1) The Committee shall engage in fundraising activities to support the needs of the Party to carry out its purpose.

2) The Committee shall advvise the Board of Directors on the management of the Endowment Fund.

3. Working Committees
These Committees are created and dissolved by the Board of Directors pursuant to the Bylaws with member appointments or removals by the LPPA Chair.

A. Marketing Committee

1) The Committee shall identify and develop ways to promote the LPPA and its agenda to the general public.

2) The Committee shall identify potential donors and contributors and develop strategies to build the base of Party supporters.

3) Assist the Board with content for the website.

4) The Committee shall operate with the allocated budget.

5) The Committee shall develop and maintain the Party’s official website and update content with input from other Committees and Board of Directors.

6) The Committee shall provide for hosting and, maintenance, and upgrades commensurate with the allocated budget.

7) The Committee shall maintain this official mode of communication pursuant to the communications policy of this document.

B. Newsletter Committee

1) The Committee shall prepare the Libertarian Penn newsletter for periodic publication.

2) The Committee shall determine the distribution and form of the newsletter based onallocated budget and number of issues per year.

3) The Committee shall prepare this official mode of communication pursuant to the communications policy of this document.

C. Platform Committee

This committee shall develop proposals regarding the Platform and/or Statement of Principles for consideration of delegates at the annual LPPA convention.

D. Convention Committee

The role of this Committee shall be generally filled by County Committees to prepare the annual LPPA Convention, and may be staffed as necessary.

E. Youth Outreach Committee

F. Grassroots Initiative (Local Action) Committee

This committee focuses on chapter organization and development and candidate recruitment and support.

XI. Membership Database Use Policy
Public data may be used as follows:

a) Distribution of the Libertarian Penn Newsletter and any LPPA project mailing authorized by the Board of Directors.

b) Any approved Libertarian candidate or recognized county or regional committee may use member data within their electoral district to pursue candidate or other political party activities. An approved candidate shall be an individual who has the nomination or formal endorsement of the LPPA.

c) Anyone other than an approved candidate may request to use member data to pursue the activities of their candidacy. In these cases, a county or regional committee as certified by the committee chair may approve such requests when the data requested is within their county or region. All other requests for information outside of the committee's jurisdiction must be approved by the Board of Directors. Copies of all mailings shall be sent to the Secretary of the party before or coincident with the date of the mailing. This is for the purpose of review and does not constitute prior approval by the Board of Directors.

5) In cases where recognized county committees originate and maintain their own databases that contain identical information to that of the LPPA with respect to public data as defined in this policy, this policy does not apply. Except as defined in this policy, information that was derived from LPPA member data may not be distributed or shared by a county committee with any other person or entity outside the county committee without the approval of the Board of Directors.

6) In general private data may not be used other than for internal LPPA administrative uses. Any use of data classified as private must be approved by the Board of Directors.

7) From time to time the Board of Directors may review the use of member data and may rescind or restrict as it deems necessary any future use by any individual of such data when it finds past use has violated this policy.

8) Limitations on Use

a) Authorized county or regional committee personnel may use LPP Member data in perpetuity. Endorsed candidates can use Public Data for the duration of a campaign, which includes a reasonable period after the campaign. Persons who are not acting on behalf of a county or regional committee, or a candidate must specify in the request, the period covered and/or the number of uses.

b) LPPA Member records will be provided consistent with restrictions specified in the Member Privacy Policy.

c) Anyone who has access to the member database must first sign a request/disclaimer form that has been approved by the Board of Directors.

9) Request procedure

a) All requests for member data shall be directed to the person(s) designated by the LPPA Board of Directors as keeper(s) of member data. Requests shall be made using the Request/Disclaimer form provided in Attachment A and may be made by mail, fax, or other appropriate means. Either the filer of the request or the requestor shall copy the Secretary of the LPPA.

b) In the case of situations that will need the approval of the Board of Directors, a copy of the request should be sent to the Secretary of the Party who should submit the matter for Board of Directors approval.

c) The keeper of member data is charged with distributing data in accordance with this policy and the Secretary of the LPP shall keep records of all requests for member data for a period of three years and shall periodically report to the Board of Directors on such requests at regular board meetings.

d) All requests for data shall be acted upon in a timely manner except that all requests should be responded to within two calendar weeks.

e) Any requests that the keeper(s) of member data deems unclear or inappropriate shall be referred to the Secretary of the LPPA for further action with an email notification to members of the Board of Directors within a two week period of receiving the request.

IX. Convention
The annual LPPA convention will be held according to the arrangements of the Convention Committee pursuant to the provisions of the LPPA Constitution, Bylaws, and Convention Rules.

XI. Nominations of Candidates for Office
1. The Election Committee may make recommendations to the Board of Directors as to the appropriateness of candidates to run as Libertarian Party nominees.

2. At no time shall the Board of Directors nominate a candidate for district or local office prior to one year before an election for that office.

3. Procedure for district or local nominations by the Board of Directors in the absence of County or

Regional Committees;
 * Prior to the Board of Directors nominating a district or local candidate in the absence of a county or regional organization, the LPPA Secretary shall, to the extent practical, notify members in the counties included in the district or local office of the request for nomination via mail, email, or telephone prior to the consideration of the nomination.
 * An announcement of the request for nomination shall be placed on the LPPA website by the Secretary at least seven calendar days before the Board of Directors shall consider the nomination.
 * The nomination of a candidate other than at a regular meeting of the Board shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of a special election pursuant to Article V, Section 2 of the bylaws.

XII. Statement of Principles and Platform
All changes to the Statement of Principles and Party Platform shall be conducted pursuant to the provisions of the Bylaws. The LPPA Secretary may use any or all of the official forms of communication to alert members to proposed changes. It is the responsibility of members to keep themselves informed of any proposed changes submitted and posted.

XIII. Amendments
All amendments to the Bylaws must be done by delegates at the annual LPPA convention pursuant to the provisions thereof.

XIV. Parliamentary Authority
The Parliamentarian shall act formally at the annual LPPA convention; and cannot vote (unless the vote is by ballot) or make motions or debate them—but may provide points of information, as well as provide parliamentary opinions. The Parliamentarian shall act informally at Board of Director meetings and so may vote, make motions, and debate if a member of the Board of Directors. The Parliamentarian shall be familiar with the latest edition Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised.

XV. Policies and Procedures
This Policy Manual is the implementation of that Article.

Atachment A - Request for LPP Member Data and Candidate/Candidate Committee Disclaimer