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The Republican Party of Rockwall County

Bylaws

(adopted August 2022)

ARTICLE I - Name

The name of this organization shall be the Republican Party of Rockwall County (RPRC)  Executive Committee, hereinafter referred to as the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE II - Mission & Function

Section 1: Mission 

The purpose of the Executive Committee shall be to educate and elect Republican candidates  that value and uphold the ideas of the Republican Party of limited government, individual  rights, and adherence to the United States and Texas Constitutions.


Section 2: Function 

a) The Executive Committee shall serve as the central and unified authority and representative  body of the RPRC platform and its policies. 

b) The Executive Committee shall be active in Rockwall County to assist, develop, implement,  encourage, educate, and advocate the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) principles.

c) The Executive Committee shall strive to recruit and help elect qualified Republican candidates  to every available public office.

d) The Executive Committee will oversee the conduct of the Primary and Primary Runoff  Elections in accordance with Texas Election Code (TEC) 172.11(b) within the county. 

e) The Executive Committee will manage Republican Precinct and County Conventions within  Rockwall County.




ARTICLE III - Membership & Privileges

Section 1: Membership 

a) The voting members of the Executive Committee shall consist of the County Chair of Rockwall  County who will have obtained office pursuant to TEC 171.022(1), and all Precinct Chairs of  Rockwall County, who will have obtained office pursuant to TEC 171.022(2) and the rules of  adopted by the Executive Committee. 

b) The Executive Committee may also include Ex Officio members as determined by the rules  adopted by the Executive Committee, the County Chair, or RPT rules. 

c) Precinct Chairs may not be a holder of elected public office at the county, state, or national  level, or be a candidate for such offices.

d) The term of office for county and precinct chair shall be for two (2) years, commencing on  the twentieth (20th) day after the Run-Off Primary Election Day. In the case of appointed  county or precinct Chair, the term of office shall commence upon taking the oath of office, and  end upon the swearing in of their successor, upon death or resignation of office.

 

e) A vacancy in the office of County Chair shall be filled pursuant to TEC 171.025.

f) A vacancy in the office of precinct chair shall be filled pursuant to TEC 171.024 and include  the process defined in the rules appended to these bylaws (Reference Precinct Chair  Appointment and Vacancies). A vacancy may not be filled before the term of office begins in  which the vacancy occurs, pursuant to TEC 171.024(d).

g) All Executive Committee members, Ex Officio members, appointed and elected officers and  committee members must be residents of Rockwall County, excluding SREC and RPT Members  as well as the office of Parliamentarian.


h) All Executive Committee members, Ex Officio members, appointed and elected officers shall  have affiliated with the Republican party during the current and immediately preceding election  cycle.

i) The County and Precinct Chairs may be removed from office as prescribed by TEC 171.029.   

  

Section 2: Privileges 

a) The County Chair is the presiding officer of regular and special called Executive Committee  meetings, unless otherwise prescribed within these bylaws. 

b) The County Chair may appoint officers to the Executive Committee and assemble  committees as prescribed within these bylaws.

c) The County Chair shall serve as an Ex Officio member of all committees.

d) Each voting member of the Executive Committee shall be present to cast their vote. Vote by  proxy is prohibited.

e) Ex Officio members of the Executive Committee may only participate in debate on the floor.

f) Ex Officio members may serve as chair or a voting member of Standing and/or Ad Hoc  committee as requested by the County Chair.


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ARTICLE IV - Officers

Section 1. The Officers of the Executive Committee shall be the County Chair, County Vice  Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, and Sergeant at Arms. The Executive Officers shall  be the County Chair, County Vice Chair, and Secretary. Duties of officers shall be those  prescribed by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Executive Committee and by these  bylaws, as listed below: 

a) County Chair: It is the duty of the County Chair to preside over all regular and special called  meetings. The County Chair may request the Vice Chair to stand in as presiding officer. The  County Chair shall represent the RPRC in its official capacity. The County Chair shall act in good  faith in performing the duties required by Texas Election Code (TEC) statute, by these bylaws and by the Rules of the RPT. The County Chair may be a member of the Texas Republican  County Chairman’s Association and dues are to be paid by the Executive Committee. 

b) Vice Chair: The County Vice Chair shall be appointed by the County Chair. In no case shall the  office of Vice Chair be vacant more than ninety (90) days. The County Vice Chair shall assist the  County Chair as requested in the performance of the duties of the office. The County Vice Chair  may preside over a regularly called or special called meeting at the request of the County Chair.

c) Secretary: The Secretary shall be appointed by the County Chair. The Secretary must be a  current Precinct Chair, in keeping with the Republican Party of Texas County Chair manual and  TEC 172.022(a)(2. The office of Secretary shall be voted on and approved by the Executive  Committee by a simple majority. The secretary shall carry out the usual duties of that office,  keeping an up-to-date roll of the Executive Committee’s members and ensuring that each  member receives timely notices of meetings together with a proposed Meeting Agenda not less  than three (3) days before the meeting. A permanent file containing minutes of the Executive  Committee meetings shall be maintained. In the event of a vacancy in the office of County Chair, the Secretary shall call a meeting of the Executive Committee for the purpose of electing  a new County Chair, as prescribed in TEC 171.025.

d) Treasurer: The County Chair shall appoint the Treasurer immediately upon assuming  office. The Treasurer may be responsible for keeping systematic records and for complying  with any applicable state and federal statutes regarding reporting contributions and  expenditures. The Treasurer shall present a current report of financial conditions to the  Executive Committee at each regularly scheduled meeting.

e) Parliamentarian: The County Chair shall make the appointment of Parliamentarian upon  assuming office. The general duties shall be to advise the Chair and the Executive Committee on the application of these Bylaws, procedures of the Party, the Standing Rules, and Robert’s Rules of Order. 

f) Sergeant-At-Arms: The County Chair shall make the appointment of the Sergeant-At-Arms. The duties of the Sergeant-At-Arms shall be those prescribed by Robert’s Rules of Order Newly  Revised, 12 Edition; §47:40, §61:20-61:21, as well as assist the County Chair as requested in  ensuring order during meetings. 

Section 2. Appointed officers will serve at the discretion of the County Chair or may be  removed by a super majority vote of the sitting voting Executive Committee members..

ARTICLE V - Meetings

Section 1. The Executive Committee shall have regularly scheduled meetings on the first (1st)  Monday of each month unless otherwise notified by the County Chair.

a) Non-Statutory Business and Filling Vacancies - a quorum of at least half+1 of the current  voting members of the Executive Committee must be present for Executive Committee official  business to commence.

b) Statutory Business - a quorum for conduct of statutory business shall consist of those  members present.

Section 2. In the year in which the Executive Committee is elected, one of the regularly  scheduled meetings shall be an organizational meeting, to be held within the number of days required by the Republican Party of Texas or the TEC. The organizational meeting may include,  but is not restricted to, the adoption of the county party bylaws as well as the swearing-in of  newly precinct chairs.

Section 3. A special meeting of the Executive Committee and its officers may be called upon  the petition of a simple majority of the sitting Precinct Chairs, whose petition shall be reflected  in a written statement of such and attached to the minutes of such called and held meeting.

a) no business shall be transacted except that mentioned in the petition or call by the County  Chair.

b) for Executive Committee petitioned special meetings to commence, a quorum of at least all petition signers must be present.

c) for a County Chair called special meeting to commence, a quorum of half+1 of voting  members shall be present.



ARTICLE VI - Committees

Section 1. The Standing Committees may include the Budget/Finance, Bylaws/Rules, Training  and Development, and Communications.

Section 2. The County Chair shall appoint the chairs of any Standing Committees from  members of the Executive Committee. In the event no member of the Executive Committee  desires to serve, the County Chair may then go at large for a committee chair. 

Section 3. The County Chair may appoint Ad Hoc Committees as deemed necessary. The  purpose/mission of the Committee shall be established by the County Chair. The policies  adopted by such committees may be accepted, modified, or refused by Executive Committee  meeting by a simple majority vote.

Section 4. Each committee is authorized to develop procedures for conducting the business within that committee’s jurisdiction, subject to review and amendment by the Executive  Committee officers.

Section 5. A committee chair, member or members may be removed from a committee upon request of the committee, by the County Chair or by simple majority vote of the Executive Committee.



ARTICLE VII - Parliamentary Authority

Section 1. The rules contained in the most current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall  govern the Executive Committee, the Standing Committees, and Temporary Committees unless  those rules are inconsistent with the RPT Rules, these Bylaws, or any state or federal statutes

ARTICLE VIII - County Convention

Section 1. Precinct Chairs who are qualified delegates to the biennial Rockwall County  Republican Convention, may serve as their respective precinct’s delegation chair during that  biennial Rockwall County Republican Convention. Delegate and Alternates selected by the  biennial Rockwall County Convention to attend the State Convention will be determined  according to Republican Party of Texas Rules. (Reference: Rule No. 31 – Report of Nominations  Committee - GENERAL RULES FOR ALL CONVENTIONS AND MEETINGS, published by the  Republican Party of Texas)

ARTICLE IX - Amendment of Bylaws

Section 1. These bylaws may be amended by a Super-Majority vote of the Executive Committee provided that: (1) Notice has been given at a previous meeting at least 7 days prior to the  scheduled vote to amend bylaws, OR (2) A written notice has been delivered to each voting  member of the Executive Committee at least 7 days prior to the scheduled vote to amend  bylaws, via US Mail and/or email.

Definitions

Present- To be considered present for a meeting, a member must appear in person or may  attend the meeting using a full featured internet meeting service. 

Simple Majority – At least 51% of the voting members of the Executive Committee present at a  properly called Regular or Special Meeting who vote in favor of passage of a motion at such  meeting. (By way of example, if 13 voting members are present at the meeting, a Simple  Majority vote would require at least 51% of the 13 present voting members to vote in favor of  passage of a motion (7 out of 13.)

Super-Majority – At least 75% of the voting members of the Executive Committee present at a  properly called Regular or Special Meeting who voting in favor of passage of a motion. (By way  of example, if 13 voting members are present at the meeting, at least 10 must vote in favor of  passage of any motion requiring a Super-Majority vote.)


Ex Officio member - the member has no voting privileges and may not make motions on the  floor. The member can participate in debate.