Pre Convention Kit - League of Women Voters of New York State

“League Leaders at Work for Our Future” PRE-CONVENTION KIT
PROPOSED 2013-2015 LWVNYS PROGRAM
The LWVNYS board reviewed the program recommendations submitted by local Leagues and recommends one new
study, one concurrence and one update for 2013-2015. Sixteen Leagues responded by the deadline to the request for
recommendations. Specific responses to non-recommended suggestions are detailed below.
The Convention Process for Adopting Program
As specified in the LWVNYS Bylaws, proposed changes for program must be submitted to the LWVNYS Board at
least three months prior to the convention. The board shall consider the recommendations and shall formulate a
proposed program. A majority vote shall be required for the adoption of the proposed program. Any recommendation
for the program submitted to the board at least three months prior to the convention, but not proposed by the board,
may be adopted by the convention, provided consideration is ordered by a majority vote and the proposal for adoption
receives a three-fifths vote.
Summary of Public Policy Positions (replacing the old Positions in Brief) as provided in the program planning
materials and at the start of Impact on Issues is merely a convenient way to access some of our more significant full
positions. The wording of Summary of Public Policy Positions, or the omission of a position, does not change board
understanding or implementation of our positions. Therefore direction to the board was recommended as the
appropriate approach to implement a recommendation for a change in the wording of Summary of Public Policy
Positions, as opposed to a recommendation for a change in position.
Many leagues also suggested specific areas in which they would like to have more information or areas in which they
would like the state League to play a more active role in supporting local League advocacy. Many of these
suggestions are appropriately considered in the context of suggestions for our Legislative Agenda in the fall.
RECOMMENDED ITEMS
1. The Board is recommending a study on Term Limits for legislature and statewide officials if a chair and a working
committee is found. The suggestion for a study or update on this subject was submitted by Albany, Brookhaven, East
Nassau, Rensselaer, Schenectady, and Syracuse. It should appropriately be considered as a new study, not an update
because our original state position was based on a national position not a state study. The 1992 LWVUS Convention
authorized state and local Leagues to use national positions and principles to take action against term limits for state or
local office holders. The language adopted by the convention is permissive only; that is, it allows state and local
Leagues to apply the national position in opposition to term limits at other levels, but it does not require opposition to
term limits at other levels. It does not supersede positions arrived at by study and consensus at the state or local League
level that may support term limits for state or local office.
In 1996 the LWVNYS Board decided it was time for the state to take a position on term limits as several local Leagues
had already done so. Although the state board had the authority to adopt such a position without referring this matter to
the membership, delegates to Council 1996 voted to concur with opposition to term limits for state legislators and
statewide office.
2. The Board is also recommending an update of our current position on Constitutional Convention with an
emphasis on the method of delegate selection. Our current position was adopted in 1993. The issue will come up again
in 2017, the mandatory every 20 year referendum on the subject. One of the conditions stated in the position for
League support involve specific changes in the current constitutionally mandated way that delegates are selected. It is
very unlikely that all these changes will happen because they would have to pass the Legislature initially. There has
been some interest expressed both inside and outside the League in supporting a constitutional convention as a way of
fixing Albany. Under our current position, in all likelihood we would never be able to support a constitutional
convention. This update would be very limited in scope and background research would be done by the state office.
(Factsheet is attached)
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