Hell and good morning FLGenWeb
I am asking us to consider and vote on joining our sister states
in this Amendment. Once again we can all put our
money where our mouth is.
Please let's discuss this in an adult manner and take a timely vote.
This Amendment on its merits ALSO deserves a justifiable look.
I've heard each and every one of you say you wanted us
to be more autonomous and I've heard several of you grip about
USGW should be more geared towards the states. Well here's your chance
<g>
BarbL
Union County FLGenWeb
Assistant State Special Projects Coordinator
_______________________________________________________________________________
In accordance with the USGenWeb Project Bylaws, the following Proposed
States' Rights Amendment was sponsored by TNGenWeb and so far has been
co-sponsored by ORGenWeb and NEGenWeb. A minimum of five sponsor states
are
needed for all CC's to have the opportunity to vote on this amendment.
See
also
http://www.geocities.com/usgenwebamend/,
http://www.usgenweb.org/official/amendments.html and
http://www.usgenweb.org/official/bylaws.html/.
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 18:08:10 -0700
From: Fred Smoot <dogtrot(a)well.com>
To: jpowelljr(a)gru.net, pettit(a)Adobe.COM
CC: USGW-CC-L(a)usgennet.org, USGenWeb-All(a)rootsweb.com,
TNGen-L(a)rootsweb.com,
TN-All(a)egroups.com, State-Coord-L(a)rootsweb.com
Subject: USGW-CC-L: Proposed States' Rights Amendment
To: Jim Powell, Jr., USGenWeb Southeast/Mid-Atlantic Region County
Coordinator Representative, jpowelljr(a)gru.net; Teri Pettit, USGenWeb
Southeast/Mid-Atlantic Region County Coordinator Representative,
pettit(a)Adobe.COM
CC: USGW-CC-L(a)usgennet.org, USGenWeb-All(a)rootsweb.com,
TNGen-L(a)rootsweb.com, TN-All(a)egroups.com, State-Coord-L(a)rootsweb.com
From: Fred Smoot, TNGenWeb State Coordinator
Date: May 31, 2000
Subject: Proposed States' Rights Amendment
Greetings from TNGenWeb Project, the finest XXGenWeb in the fifty
states.
WHEREAS the USGenWeb Project's survival as a nonprofit organization is
endangered by increases in national authority that exceed both the
original intent and language of the Project's Bylaws, including, but not
limited to, the removal of an entire national Special Project (Census);
threats of removal of more than one State Project (including OHGenWeb
and NEGenWeb); copyright violations; commercial activities; potential
loss of permanent use submission rights; and the passage of a national
policy prohibiting protests of national actions under penalty of loss of
voting rights et al; and
WHEREAS State and Local Projects have a proven history of ability,
stability, experience and expertise, a highly-demonstrated willingness
to abide by said Bylaws; and a strong commitment to non-commercialism;
BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that the TNGenWeb Project, by over a three-quarter
(3/4) majority of its voting members, sponsors the following proposed
amendment to said Bylaws (also online at
http://www.geocities.com/usgenwebamend/) for the specific purpose of a
reduction in national scope and authority, a corresponding increase in
state and local scope and authority; the preservation of the Project's
nonprofit status; and the protection of submissions entrusted to the
Project:
****************************
BRIEF: All authority is vested at state (XXGenWeb) and local levels,
including Special Projects; all grievances handled at XXGenWeb and local
level only; prohibits national sanctions; does away with all national
positions other than a national webmaster and national special project
webmasters, each elected by the membership, and each with no authority
other than website maintenance; all national list managers (State-Coord,
USGW-CC-L, etc.) elected by subscribers; adds perpetual prohibition
against commercial activity.
****************************
PROPOSED AMENDMENT
PREAMBLE [NEW]
The USGenWeb Project (hereinafter "The Project") is an unincorporated
not-for-profit association whose foundation is a network of
freely-accessible, independent, not-for-profit genealogical and
historical websites maintained by Local Coordinators and linked to
appropriate not-for-profit State Project (XXGenWeb) websites and Special
Projects, including the USGenWeb Archives Project (aka USGenWeb Digital
Library aka USGenWeb Project Archives), USGenWeb Census Project and
USGenWeb Tombstone Project, linked to a not-for-profit national website
whose sole purpose is to serve as the hub of said network, including
maintenance of national web pages, domain registrations and records of
the association.
Except where specifically prohibited by these Bylaws, by federal or
state statutes, including the Constitution and Bill of Rights of the
United States of America, or their own Articles (in the case of
nonprofit public benefit corporations), all Local Projects, State
Projects (XXGenWeb) and Special Projects such as the USGenWeb Archives
Project (aka USGenWeb Digital Library and USGenWeb Project Archives);
USGenWeb Census Project and USGenWeb Tombstone Project, shall be
governed by the applicable rules of these bylaws, their respective
XXGenWeb Projects, and maintained and administered at State or Local
levels as deemed appropriate by each XXGenWeb Project.
Except where specifically granted by these Bylaws or federal or state
statutes, no national-level projects or positions shall have power or
authority over state or local projects.
Except where specifically permitted by these Bylaws, no local, state,
special or national website, shall include any commercial use or
activity.
Where conflicts may exist between this Preamble and any Articles herein,
this Preamble shall prevail.
ARTICLE I. NAME [NO CHANGE]
ARTICLE II. PURPOSE [NO CHANGE]
ARTICLE III. STATUS AS AN ORGANIZATION [CHANGED]
[OLD] The USGenWeb Project, as a group of volunteers participating in a
not-for-profit organization, is considered to be an "Unincorporated
Non-Profit Association."
[NEW] The USGenWeb Project, as a group of volunteers participating in a
not-for-profit organization, shall be an "Unincorporated Non-Profit
Association," unto perpetuity.
ARTICLE IV. MEMBERSHIP [CHANGED]
Section 1. [OLD] The only requirement for membership in The USGenWeb
Project is a desire to assist in gathering and disseminating
genealogical and historical information for free online access by
researchers.
Section 1. [NEW] The only requirement for membership in The USGenWeb
Project is to be a local coordinator or co-coordinator in an XXGenWeb
Project. Local coordinators shall be defined as Local Project
webmasters. Local co-coordinators shall be defined as local
co-webmasters, and may include transcribers and other positions at the
will of the XXGenWeb electorate. All memberships shall be voting
memberships.
Section 2. [NO CHANGE]
ARTICLE V. COMPOSITION OF ADVISORY BOARD [DELETED]
ARTICLE V. NATIONAL WEBMASTERS [NEW]
Section 1. The sole national-level positions shall be one webmaster each
for The Project and each Special Project.
Section 2. The sole qualifications for national webmasters shall be
eligibility to vote in one or more XXGenWeb Projects and a knowledge of
HTML code and FTP procedures.
Section 3. The sole duties of national webmasters shall be to maintain
applicable national web pages and domains, if any. No national webmaster
shall have the right to add, remove or change links or web pages except
at the express direction of a simple majority of members voting.
Section 4. National webmasters shall be elected in open elections on
XXGenWeb Mailing Lists by a cumulative simple majority of voting local
coordinators.
Section 5. Terms of office for national webmasters shall be at the will
of the electorate.
ARTICLE VI: DUTIES/QUALIFICATIONS OF ADVISORY BOARD [DELETED]
ARTICLE VI: NATIONAL MAILING LISTS [NEW]
Section 1. All national mailing lists shall be owned by The Project and
its members, and be publicly-archived.
Section 2. A national mailing list named State-Coord-L shall be
maintained for XXGenWeb State Coordinators. Subscription to said list
shall be limited to XXGenWeb State and Assistant State Coordinators and
national webmasters. Said list shall be located on the server of choice
of a simple majority of State Coordinators voting openly on said list,
except that the chosen server must permit subscription and posting by
all eligible subscribers. Said list shall be managed by a List Manager
elected by a simple majority of State Coordinators voting openly on said
list. The term of office of the List Manager shall be at the will of the
electorate.
Section 3. A national mailing list named USGW-CC-L shall be maintained
for all members. Subscription to said list shall be limited to Local
Coordinators and national webmasters. Said list shall be located on the
server of choice of a simple majority of members voting openly on said
list, except that the chosen server must permit subscription and posting
by all eligible subscribers. Said list shall be managed by a List
Manager elected by a simple majority of members voting openly on said
list. The term of office of the List Manager shall be at the will of the
electorate.
Section 4. National mailing lists may be maintained by Special Projects
for staff of said projects. Subscription to said lists shall be limited
to staff and webmasters of each respective project. Said lists shall be
located on the server of choice of a simple majority of eligible
subscribers voting openly on said list, except that the chosen server
must permit subscription and posting, where applicable, by all eligible
subscribers. Each of said lists shall be managed by a List Manager
elected by a simple majority of eligible subscribers voting openly on
said list. The terms of office of the List Managers shall be at the will
of the electorate.
ARTICLE VII. ELECTION PROCEDURES [CHANGED]
Sections 1-6 [DELETED]
Section 1. [NEW] All national-level elections shall be conducted openly
on applicable XXGenWeb, Special Project and State-Coord mailing lists.
Section 2. [NEW] All national-level election results other than bylaws
amendments shall be based on a simple majority of all voting members.
Section 3. [NEW] All national-level election results shall be reported
to all national-level mailing lists within 48 hours of the closing of
the polls.
Section 4. [NEW] The membership can call for an election at any time
based on a simple majority vote of the members voting in each of five or
more states. Said election must be conducted within thirty (30) days.
ARTICLE VIII. ADVISORY BOARD PROCEDURES [DELETED]
ARTICLE VIII. DOMAINS [NEW]
The Project's national webmaster shall be responsibile for administering
and maintaining the domains,
usgenweb.com,
usgenweb.net and
usgenweb.org, over which The USGenWeb Project membership have control
and for which the members are the official lessees. Said domains shall
be registered under the name, USGenWeb Project, with the Administrative
Contact information to be that of The Project's national webmaster and
the Billing Contact the State-Coord List Manager. Should said domain
registrations not be brought into conformance within 90 days following
passage of this Article, new, appropriately-named domains shall be
appropriately registered by the national webmaster and State-Coord-L
List Manager and utilized until such time as registration of all of the
above-named domains is in conformance, during which time period, the
above-named domains shall serve solely as redirects to the new domains.
ARTICLE IX. GUIDELINES/STANDARDS FOR WEBSITES/MEMBERS [CHANGED]
Sections 1-2. [NO CHANGE]
Section 3. [NEW] No sanctions shall be levied against any coordinator or
project at other than at the appropriate XXGenWeb-level or lower.
ARTICLE X. COPYRIGHT [CHANGED]
Section 1. [NO CHANGE]
Section 2. [NO CHANGE]
Section 3. [OLD] In The USGenWeb Project, copyright to data contributed
to any special projects resides with the contributor, who agrees that
The USGenWeb Project, as a not-for-profit group, has permanent use of
the data. The permanent use agreement is conditional upon the non-profit
nature of The USGenWeb Project and will become null and void if The
USGenWeb Project should ever cease to be non-profit.
Section 3. [NEW] In The USGenWeb Project, copyright to data contributed
to any special projects resides with the contributor, who agrees that
The USGenWeb Project, as a not-for-profit group, has permanent use of
the data.
Section 4. [NO CHANGE]
ARTICLE XI. LOCAL PROJECTS [NO CHANGE]
ARTICLE XII. STATE PROJECTS [CHANGED]
Sections 1-8. [NO CHANGE]
Section 9. [OLD] State Coordinators and Assistant State Coordinators are
subject to possible removal by a 2/3 vote of the Advisory Board and a
2/3 vote of the Local Coordinators within the state. A quorum of 75% of
the Local Coordinators shall participate in order for the vote to be
binding.
Section 9. [NEW] State Coordinators and Assistant State Coordinators are
subject to possible removal by a simple majority vote of the XXGenWeb
Project's membership voting. A quorum of 75% of the Local Coordinators
shall participate in order for the vote to be binding.
Section 10. [NO CHANGE]
ARTICLE XIII. SPECIAL PROJECTS [CHANGED]
Section 1. [OLD] Special projects shall be established by The USGenWeb
Project to promote the gathering of information in specialized areas. A
coordinator shall be appointed by the Advisory Board to organize the
project and enlist volunteers. In addition, each special project shall
have an Assistant Project Coordinator or other support team in place
that can take charge in case the Project Coordinator becomes unavailable
for a period of 30 days, unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Special projects shall be repositories for public domain or research
documents and shall provide an easily accessible website for online
research by the genealogical community. A collection of links does not
constitute a special project, although links to appropriate websites
maintained by other individuals or organizations are encouraged.
Section 1. [NEW] Special projects to promote the gathering of
information in specialized areas shall be established by a simple
majority of the members voting. A national-level webmaster shall be
elected by the initial members of the Special Project to organize the
project and enlist volunteers. Special Projects shall be for the
collection or transcription of public domain or research documents and
shall provide easily accessible websites for online research by the
genealogical community. Special Projects shall be governed at state
level by the appropriate individual XXGenWeb Projects.
Section 2. [NO CHANGE]
Section 3-6. [DELETED]
ARTICLE XIV. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES AND APPEALS PROCESS
Sections 1-2. [DELETED]
[NEW] All grievances and appeals shall be processed at XXGenWeb levels.
ARTICLE XV. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY [DELETED]
ARTICLE XVI. AMENDMENT TO BYLAWS
Section 1. [OLD] These Bylaws may be amended by the membership of The
USGenWeb Project through a two-thirds (2/3) majority of those members
participating during the voting period.
Section 1. [NEW] These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3)
cumulative vote of the membership voting openly on the respective
applicable XXGenWeb mailing lists.
Section 2. [OLD] Any state project may propose an amendment by sending
their proposal to one or more of the Advisory board members representing
their region and including the exact wording of the proposed amendment.
Upon receipt of the proposed amendment, the Advisory Board
representative(s) shall request the Webmaster to post the proposed
change on the national website and the National Coordinator to post to
the State-Coord-L List, and any other appropriate lists, for
dissemination to the members.
Section 2. [NEW] Any XXGenWeb Project may propose an amendment by a
simple majority vote of those voting, followed by the submission of said
proposed amendment to the State-Coord-L and USGW-CC-L Lists, including
the exact wording of the proposed amendment. Upon receipt of the
proposed amendment, the Webmaster shall post the proposed change on the
national website and State Coordinators shall post to the XXGenWeb
Mailing Lists.
Section 3. [OLD] The proposed amendment, with the sponsor's name and
date of posting, shall remain posted for a period of at least thirty
(30) days prior to the annual voting period of July 1-July 31. Any
proposed amendment shall require a minimum of five (5) states as
co-sponsors to command that it be placed on the ballot. State projects
wishing to co-sponsor the amendment shall notify the Advisory Board and
make an announcement on the USGenWeb-All Mailing List.
Section 3. [NEW] The proposed amendment, with the sponsor's name and
date of posting, shall remain posted for a period of at least thirty
(30) days. Should four (4) additional XXGenWeb Projects, by a simple
majority of their respective members voting, also approve the proposed
amendment during said time period, all remaining XXGenWeb Projects,
within thirty (30) additional days thereafter, shall be required to
conduct elections.
Section 4. [DELETED]
Section 5. [DELETED]
Section 6. [DELETED]
In accordance with the current USGenWeb Project Bylaws
(
http://www.usgenweb.org/official/bylaws.html), Article XVI, Amendment
to Bylaws, USGenWeb Southeast/Mid-Atlantic Region County Coordinator
Advisory Board Representatives Jim Powell, Jr. and Teri Pettit are
hereby requested to notify National Webmaster Pam Reid to request that
she post the proposed amendment on the national website and that
National Coordinator Timothy Stowell post to the State-Coord-L List, and
any other appropriate lists, for dissemination to the members.
TNGenWeb invites *all* our sister states to join us in co-sponsoring
this proposed amendment by notifying the Advisory Board and making an
announcement on the USGenWeb-All Mailing List, in accordance with the
above-noted Article XVI, and in order to ensure that all USGenWeb
Project members have the opportunity to vote on this amendment in the
July elections.
Acknowledgment of receipt and notification of actions taken by the
appropriate parties is requested.
Fred Smoot
TNGenWeb Project State Coordinator