Public policy may be proposed by any member in good standing or administrative unit of the American Cetacean Society. Proposed policy shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee. It shall contain a resolution, in a format suitable for adoption, and shall be accompanied by background information, documentation, and an indication of the degree of urgency.
Upon submission, the Executive Committee shall (1) receive the proposed policy as is; (2) direct it to appropriate committee(s) or individuals for comments; or (3) send it back to the originator(s) for clarification or additional documentation.
Following final receipt, the proposed policy and supporting information and documentation shall be distributed to each chapter's designated representative by the Executive Committee. Chapters shall have at least 45 days from the date the policy proposal is postmarked, except in an emergency situation, which shall be determined by the Executive Committee, to respond in writing, by telephone or by their designated representative at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Board. Chapters shall vote "yes", "no", or "abstain" in regard to the proposed policy, and are encouraged to provide supporting documents for their stance. No response by a chapter shall be considered an abstention.
The Executive Committee shall add their votes to those of the Chapters. A two-thirds (2/3) majority of all the votes shall be necessary to adopt the proposed public policy. Once adopted, public policy will be published or distributed by means of newsletters and other appropriate public relations channels.
In the event that a proposed public policy is not adopted, the reasons for that decision shall be made known to the membership by the Executive Committee, who in addition shall have the option to widely publicize the pros and cons of the issue(s).
