No Images? Click here Fellow Texas Republicans, I hope my first informational email on being an effective delegate was helpful. If you missed it, you can find it here. It contains the schedule of events and extensive information on the Platform & Resolutions Committee that should prove quite helpful if you’re hoping to advance your ideas for public policy. In this email I’d like to share with you three things that you can do right now to prepare for convention. 1. Watch the VideosWe have now released our entire set of 6 delegate training videos. Together, these provide a comprehensive view of how to confidently carry out your delegate responsibilities at convention. I encourage you to listen to them in their entirety. Better yet -- invite a group of delegate friends over and set aside an hour to watch them all together! CLICK HERE for the full YouTube playlist - they’ll play one after another, in order. Or, select the segment that addresses your specific questions from this list:
Please share these training videos with all of your fellow delegates to help everyone be prepared and confident as convention approaches! 2. Read the RulesProcess is everything. If you care about policy, you absolutely must care about process. The rules are what authorize and control things such as plank-by-plank voting, electronic voting, how many legislative priorities we have, how and when people can end debate on the platform, the agenda for precinct & county/SD conventions, how many delegates we have at state convention, how Party leadership is elected, and more. The rules are also what guarantee important rights -- such as delegates’ and alternates’ right to attend, testify, and record at convention committee meetings. There are three sets of rules I’d like you to be aware of. First, the RPT Rules: These are reviewed, amended, and adopted by the delegates at convention every two years and can then be amended by the SREC (the State Republican Executive Committee) in between conventions. They contain meeting rules for all RPT meetings including conventions, CEC meetings, and SREC meetings -- including who has a right to be present at which meeting, how votes are cast, use of proxies, and how the rules are clarified when there’s ambiguity. They also provide rules for specific conventions, including agendas, committee charges, and delegate allocation. Second, standing rules for convention: Each convention has the ability -- and responsibility -- to set standing rules that govern that particular convention. Your county/SD convention adopted standing rules at the beginning of that convention. These include things such as how debate is handled (limitations on number of speakers, minutes per speaker), how alternates are seated, etc. Potential convention activities like electronic voting and plank-by-plank voting cannot happen unless you, the delegates, choose to adopt rules allowing them. Follow along with the Temporary Rules Committee Monday through Wednesday as they develop a recommendation for our convention rules. (see www.texasgop.org/delegates for the most updated info during convention) Third: rules of parliamentary procedure. Our RPT Rule #5 says that we use Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised (referred to as RONR), to govern our parliamentary process on things that aren’t specified otherwise in the standing rules. These rules are intended to ensure that the minority always has a voice, but that the majority will prevail. They make it possible for large groups of people to come together and conduct business in a fair and orderly manner, addressing one topic at a time, taking turns to speak, and allowing enough time for a fair debate but also providing efficiency in making decisions. Ultimately, it provides that the members of an assembly have the ability to control their own business as a group. RONR is a large book of over 500 pages. However, most of it is for reference only. If you’d like to learn all you can about parliamentary procedure, you can read the first 100 pages and be very well-informed. If that’s also too much -- just check out this one-page cheat sheet! It provides you everything you’ll need to know to conduct business during convention. 3. Plan what to bringConvention is a long and exhausting week! Here are a few things that will make your experience better:
Most of all though -- I hope you come to San Antonio ready to come together to define our shared beliefs and unify around them so we can keep Texas winning in every aspect. Conclusion: Finally -- if you’ve made it all the way through this far, I have two more special bonus pieces of information for you! First, Platform & Resolutions committee chair Mark Ramsey has announced the proposed subcommittee membership. You can see the listings here. While they can’t be confirmed until the committee convenes in San Antonio, this is a reasonable expectation of who will serve on each subcommittee. Second, please bookmark the page www.TexasGOP.org/delegates. That will be your best source during convention for links to working docs, committee reports, committee livestreams, and schedules for when you can testify on certain topics. I hope you’ve found this helpful! If you have any questions, please reach out to us at delegates@texasgop.org. And be on the lookout for my email next week! For Texas, James Dickey Paid for by the Republican Party of Texas and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. www.Texasgop.org |