LULAC - Let's Get All of the Amendments Before the National Assembly

The Editor:  The Editor is now able to place before its followers all of the amendments being proposed for the meeting of the LULAC National Assembly in Phoenix this coming Saturday, July 21, 2018.  Wisconsin submitted 5 amendments, Houston 15 and two from other areas.  The Amendments Committee, headed by Miguel Ortiz will not tell LULAC'ers what it did with the all of the 20 known submitted amendments, but the Committee has sent out notices and posted said notices on the LULAC website 5 amendments that they are going to report on.  They are not going to report out on 17 of them.

The Editor marks the amendments he supports with an asterisk, opposed in red.

All of the proposed amendments can be linked to from their respective headings, might make for good reading about what real LULAC is thinking.

15 Amendments from Houston
*1. any 1/3 Board voting members can call emergency session
*2. eliminate National Treasurer
*3. limit office for National Secretary and Legal Advisor to 4 years
*4. repeal the honorarium for National President
*5. Legal Advisor opinion to simple majority of National Assembly
*6. Prohibits creation of overlapping LULAC districts
*7. Permits district officers run for 5th term absent candidates
*8. Permits council officers run for 5th term absent candidates
*9. Deletes 30 days prior for councils (goes with 10 below)
*10. Creates 180 days as time as member to vote (tied to (9 above)
*11. Changes language for voting for Regional VP's by region
*12. Proposes voting for Regional VPs by regions(11&12 together)
*13. Amend another section to comply with 11 & 12.
*14. When National Assembly does not convene, state directors
      select national officers, with Regional VP's by regional states
15. Proposes to have national officers serve for 8 one year terms

The Editor: LULAC has enough problems with 4 year terms, 8 would be a disaster.
5 Amendments from Wisconsin
*1. Would permit the National Board to self-convene emergency
*2. Proposes dispute to be resolved through binding arbitration
*3. Proposes 366 days of membership before vote is vested
*4. Proposes election of regional VP's by regions
*5. Proposes Legal Advisor's opinion to be non-binding
Amendments Committee's 5 Amendments
*1. Eliminates the National Treasurer
*2. Places 4 one year terms on National Secretary & Legal Advisor
*3. Repeal honorarium for National President
4. Creates office of Veterans Affairs, National, State, District
The Editor: The Editor is a veteran. This is a red herring amendment, trying to use veterans as leverage to realign the political makeup of the National LULAC Board, the State LULAC Committees and the District Boards.  Veteranos, no se crean.
5. Proposes that National Assembly convene in Washington DC each United States Presidential Election Year, i.e, every 4 years in D.C.
The Editor: The LULAC convenes where it wants to on a yearly basis.  Washington, D.C. has never been left out of the loop.


The powers that be in LULAC are not following the LULAC Constitution in processing amendments to the Constitutions by member Councils.  The LULAC Constitution gives the Committee on Amendments limited authority to receive the amendment, review it, prepare to make recommendation and make a presentation of all amendments submitted to the National Assembly, noting that the Committee supports or opposes the amendment and stating why.  The Committee is cheating the National Assembly out of debate and a vote on each submitted amendment by not permitting all submitted amendments to be presented to the National Assembly.

REMEMBER!!!

Section 1—The National Assembly:

a. Definition and composition: The National Assembly is the supreme authority of the League...

The Committee on Amendments is playing the National Assembly for a sucker by denying it a shot at all of the amendments submitted.  It takes 2/3'rds vote of the National Assembly to pass on an amendment.  With these safeguards, good amendments will pass and bad amendments will fail.

The Editor will lay out the provisions of the LULAC Constitution on amendments:

**************

THE LULAC CONSTITUTIONAL PROCESS FOR AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION

Article XIV. Section 2—Amendments: Amendments to this Constitution and/ or Bylaws may be presented at the annual convention of the National Assembly by any Council in good standing, and only by a Council. Said presentation shall follow the procedure set below:

a. All proposed amendments must be submitted typewritten via electronic mail or postmarked to the National Office sixty days before the National Convention date, which shall be when the National Assembly is scheduled to be convened to be certified and vote. The National Office, in turn, shall send copies of the proposed amendments to all Councils in good standing thirty days prior to set date. Additionally, they will be posted on the National Website
and published in the LULAC News magazine.

b. At the Convention, the Chairman of the Amendments and Resolutions Committee shall read each amendment once and offer the recommendations of the committee before the National Assembly discusses and votes on the amendments.

c. A two thirds (2/3) majority vote of the certified delegates at the National Convention is necessary for approval of an amendment.

d. Within thirty days of the close of the National Assembly, the National Secretary shall submit mimeographed copies of the approved amendment(s) to all Councils in good standing for their study and ratification or rejection. Councils shall be allowed thirty days from receipt of the amendment(s) to indicate their decision in writing. Failure of any Council to advise the National Board of Directors of its decision within the specified time shall be deemed as approval by that Council and so recorded by the National
Secretary.

e. A favorable vote by a majority of the Councils shall be sufficient to ratify amendment(s) and to enable the National President to proclaim that said amendment(s) are part of the Constitution and/or Bylaws. Within a reasonable time, the National Office shall make available inserts of the ratified amendment(s) for inclusion in the Constitution.

f. No amendment to the Constitution and/or Bylaws shall be accepted by the National Board of Directors if it is improperly prepared, in conflict with existing provisions, or submitted past the established deadlines. No Constitutional amendments may be offered from the floor at the National Convention, orally or written.

THE LULAC CONSTITUTIONAL ROLE OF THE NATIONAL LULAC COMMITTEE OF AMNDMENTS

(2) Amendments and Constitution Committee—Shall review all amendments and revisions for content and possible conflicts, proper working, adherence with time schedule set by the Constitution for submission, and with certification of sponsoring Council shall report to the Assembly the accepted amendments along with its recommendations;