ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION
OF THE
NATIONAL LIEUTENANT GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION
ARTICLE I
NAME
The name of this organization shall be the "National Lieutenant Governors Association", hereafter also referred to as NLGA.
ARTICLE II
PURPOSE
The functions of the National Lieutenant Governors Association shall be to provide a medium for the exchange of views and experiences on subjects of general importance to the people of the several states and territories; to foster interstate cooperation; to promote the efficiency and effectiveness of the Office of Lieutenant Governor; and generally to improve the efficiency of state and territorial administration, education on issues, and leadership training.
ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP AND REGIONS
Membership in NLGA shall be restricted to the Lieutenant Governors of the several states of the United States, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands and each state or jurisdiction shall be entitled to only one vote. Voting on any question before the Association shall be by members present and no proxy shall be accepted. In any state or other jurisdiction which has no Lieutenant Governor, the officer who immediately succeeds to the governorship in the event of death or disability shall be a member in the Association.
The members of the Association shall be divided into the four following regional groups:
Eastern Region: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virgin Islands;
Midwestern Region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin;
Southern Region: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia;
Western Region: Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.
Meetings of the regional groups may be held from time to time at the call of the Regional Chair.
ARTICLE IV
MEETINGS
The National Lieutenant Governors Association shall meet at least annually at a time and place selected by the Executive Committee. Special meetings of NLGA may be held at the call of the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE V
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Executive Committee of NLGA shall consist of the Chair, Chair‑Elect, Treasurer, four Regional Chairs, and eight other Members‑at‑Large, two from each of the four regional groups as set forth in Article III, elected at a business session on either of the last two days of the Annual Meeting. In addition to the foregoing, former Chairs of the Association shall serve as Ex Officio members of the Executive Committee so long as they shall continue to be members of NLGA.
Members of the Executive Committee shall hold office until the adjournment of the succeeding Annual Meeting, or until their successors are chosen. Vacancies in the Executive Committee may be filled by the Chair subject to ratification by the remaining members of the Committee by mail ballot or by vote at the next subsequent meeting of the Committee. No Executive Committee Member‑at‑Large shall serve in such capacity for more than three consecutive terms.
The Executive Committee shall meet at least twice each year. The Executive Committee of NLGA is responsible for directing the administration of NLGA, the business affairs, property, programs and staff. The Executive Committee, by resolution, may establish contractual service for the performance of these responsibilities.
The Executive Committee, by resolution, shall establish and maintain an office, to be located as recommended by the Chair and Chair-Elect in consultation with the Director of NLGA.
The Executive Committee, by resolution, shall hire and dismiss all staff of NLGA. Employment contracts shall be established between NLGA and all employees of NLGA. The terms of all contracts shall be set by the Executive Committee, as recommended by the Chair and Chair-Elect. (Note: As an affiliate of The Council of State Governments, NLGA employees are CSG employees. Employee actions must be made in consultation with the CSG Director, per the management contract).
The Executive Committee shall plan the agenda of the Annual Meetings as well as select the time and place of such meetings. The Executive Committee, during the interim, by a majority vote of its whole membership at a called meeting of the Committee, may adopt a resolution or other policy expression on behalf of the Executive Committee on a matter not previously the subject of action by the Association.
ARTICLE VI
OFFICERS
The Chair of NLGA shall be elected by the Association at a business session on either of the last two days of the Annual Meeting. The Chairship shall alternate annually between the two major political parties, and to the extent practicable, be rotated on a regional basis.
The Chair shall preside and vote at meetings of the Executive Committee and of NLGA.
The Chair shall hold office until the adjournment of the succeeding Annual Meeting and/or until a successor is chosen. A vacancy in the Chairship shall be filled by votes of the remaining members of the Executive Committee from among the membership of the Executive Committee, and they shall be of the same political party as the Chair whose term they are completing.
The Chair shall appoint a Nominating, Finance and Resolutions Committee, in accordance with the provisions of Article VII, to serve at the Annual Meeting, and shall appoint such other special project or study committees as deemed necessary to serve until the next Annual Meeting of NLGA. The Chair shall serve ex officio as a member of all committees so appointed.
It shall be the duty of the Chair to bring the attention of the press, radio and television to the activities, operations and programs of NLGA.
The Chair‑Elect shall be a member of the opposite political party from the Chair and shall chair the Resolutions Committee. The Chair‑Elect shall perform such duties as assigned to him/her by the Chair and the Executive Committee.
In case the Chair ceases to be a member of the Association, the Chair-Elect shall call an election to fill the vacancy, and such vacancy shall be filled by votes of the remaining members of the Executive Committee from among the membership of the Executive Committee. The Chair so elected shall be of the same political party as the person whose term they are completing. In case of the temporary absence of the Chair, they shall perform and be vested with all the latter's powers and duties.
The Chair‑Elect shall hold this office until the adjournment of the succeeding Annual Meeting, at which time they shall become Chair.
A vacancy in the office of Chair‑Elect shall be filled by votes of the remaining members of the Executive Committee, and they shall be a member of the same political party as the Chair‑Elect whose term they are completing.
The Treasurer shall be selected by the Executive Committee from the membership, as recommended by the Chair and Chair-Elect.
The Treasurer shall attend all meetings of the Executive Committee and the Association, chair the Finance Committee, ensure true minutes of the proceedings of all NLGA meetings are recorded and preserved, supervise the custody of all NLGA funds and securities, supervise the keeping of the books belonging to NLGA, ensure the accurate accounting of all receipts and disbursements, ensure the disbursement of funds as directed by the Executive Committee or the Association and ensure proper vouchers for such disbursements are taken, and ensure submission of a semi-annual financial report which includes an accounting of all transactions and the financial condition of NLGA to the Executive Committee, and perform such other duties as may be delegated by the Chair, the Executive Committee or the Association.
ARTICLE VII
RESOLUTIONS
At annual or special meetings, any proposal for an expression of opinion by the National Lieutenant Governors Association shall be prepared in the form of a resolution. The deadline for submission of such a resolution prior to such a meeting is thirty days prior to such meeting. The deadline must be circulated by the Association Director at least 30 days prior to the deadline. Times for subsequent hearings may be set by the Executive Committee. A one-page summary and statement of need is required and other background documentation and supporting testimony may be submitted in writing. Such testimony as accepted verbally shall occur only at the initial committee hearing. Only testimony from the NLGA member is heard by the Executive Committee or the Association membership. Each resolution must have two NLGA member co-sponsors, of different political parties. At least one co-sponsor must be present to handle the resolution at each stage of its hearing.
If the subject matter addressed by any resolution would cause such resolution to come within the scope and subject matter covered by any of NLGA's study committees, such resolution shall be submitted to the appropriate study committee for its consideration and action; and upon favorable recommendation by that committee shall be brought to the floor for action by the Association at the time designated for the report of that study committee to the membership.
If the subject matter addressed by any resolution would not cause such resolution to come within the scope and subject matter covered by any of the Association's study committees, such resolutions shall be submitted to a Resolutions Committee, which has been appointed by the Chair, pursuant to the provisions of Article VI, for its consideration and action; and upon favorable recommendation by the Resolutions Committee shall be brought to the floor for action by the Association at the time designated for the report of the Resolutions Committee to the membership.
Resolutions not submitted to a study committee or to the Resolutions Committee at an Annual or special meeting may be brought before the Association at such meetings for consideration and action by unanimous consent provided such resolutions strictly pertain to the internal structure, governance, or policy of the Association; or the operation and function of the Office of Lieutenant Governor construed in a strict sense. Such resolutions shall require the consent of all members present and voting to be considered by the Association. Resolutions not favorably reported by the Resolutions Committee shall require the consent of two‑thirds of all members present and voting to be considered by the Association.
Any resolution properly submitted in accordance with this Article and policies implemented by the Executive Committee shall be deemed adopted upon obtaining a simple majority vote of the jurisdictions present and voting.
ARTICLE VIII
DUES
Annual membership fees shall be established by the newly‑constituted Executive Committee at each Annual Meeting of the Association for the Fiscal Year to commence the following July. Changes from established annual membership fees shall be made only upon a two‑thirds majority vote of the members of the Executive Committee present and voting at this meeting.
ARTICLE IX
CONFERENCE ASSOCIATES PROGRAM AND ADVISORY BOARD
Private sector corporations, professional associations and labor may apply to become a Conference Associate upon payment of the annual fee, and upon approval of their application by the NLGA Executive Committee. The Executive Committee reserves the right to evaluate Conference Associate applications or any Conference Associate for conformity with the goals, objectives and values reflected in the Articles of Organization and the Purpose Statement of the National Lieutenant Governors Association. NLGA reserves the right to take appropriate action with respect to any Conference Associate application or Conference Associate who does not conform to such goals, objectives and values.
Acceptance of a Conference Associate does not constitute an endorsement by NLGA. Conference Associates are not eligible to vote or hold office in NLGA.
ARTICLE X
AMENDMENTS
The National Lieutenant Governors Association may amend these Articles of Organization by a two‑thirds majority vote of the jurisdictions present and voting at any Annual Meeting of the Conference.
ARTICLE XI
DISSOLUTION
Upon dissolution of the association, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principal office of the association is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
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The National Conference of Lieutenant Governors was established on June 15, 1962 in Seattle, Washington. These Articles were adopted on December 4, 1962, in Chicago, Illinois. They were amended at Cleveland, Ohio, June 25, 1966; San Francisco, California, July 15, 1967; Newport, Rhode Island, June 27, 1968; Atlanta, Georgia, June 18, 1970; Fountainhead Lodge, Oklahoma, August 12, 1972; St. Croix, Virgin Islands, October 4, 1973; Point Clear, Alabama, August 27, 1975; Newport, Rhode Island, July 31, 1976; New Orleans, Louisiana, August 10, 1978; Atlantic City, New Jersey, August 21, 1980; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 27, 1981; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, August 26, 1982; Incline Village, Nevada, August 21, 1983; Santa Fe, New Mexico, August 13, 1986; Des Moines, Iowa, August 16, 1990; Las Vegas, Nevada, August 12, 1993; Mackinac Island, Michigan, August 22, 1995; Washington, DC, February 13, 2000; Dorado, and Puerto Rico, July 22, 2000. The name was changed to the National Lieutenant Governors Association in the U.S. Virgin Islands, July 2002, and associated Articles changed. Articles were further amended in Hawaii in 2005.
August 2005