Resolution: Procedural housecleaning 1: subcommittee rules

[jon.bosak@sun.com]

Hello UBL TC,

Following are the revised subcommittee rules we adopted at the UBL
TC plenary in San Francisco 3 November 2003.

For background on this, see

   http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/ubl/200310/msg00012.html

These rules can now be found at 

   http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/ubl/download.php/4202/sc-rules.htm

For the latest version of UBL SC rules, see the "Procedural Rules"
folder under "Documents" on the UBL TC home page:

   http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/ubl/documents.php

Jon Bosak
UBL TC Chair

REVISED UBL RULES FOR TECHNICAL SUBCOMMITTEES

1. Definitions

   a. "TC" when used without further qualification refers
      throughout to the OASIS Universal Business Language (UBL)
      TC.

   b. "OASIS member" means any person eligible to participate in
      an OASIS TC under the provisions of the OASIS TC process.

   c. "TC member" and "prospective TC member" are used in the
      senses defined by the OASIS TC process.

   d. "Technical subcommittee" means a UBL subcommittee created to
      perform the normal technical work of the UBL TC.  The term
      "technical subcommittee" specifically excludes the UBL
      administrative, marketing, and liaison subcommittees.

2. Chairs and co-chairs

   a. The chair or co-chairs of each UBL technical subcommittee
      shall be appointed by the TC and can be removed by the TC.

   b. If multiple co-chairs are appointed to lead a technical
      subcommittee, each co-chair shall have equal control over
      the subcommittee portal and roster, and each co-chair shall
      be empowered to independently exercise the responsibilities
      of the subcommittee chair as specified in these standing
      rules, and any notice required to be sent to the chair must
      be sent to all of the co-chairs.

   c. In every meeting of technical subcommittees led by
      co-chairs, one of the co-chairs shall, with the consent of
      the subcommittee, act as chair for the duration of the
      meeting, and that person shall be considered the chair in
      all procedural matters relating to that meeting.

3. Membership

   a. The initial voting membership of a technical subcommittee
      shall be determined either through direct appointment by
      resolution of the TC or, by resolution of the TC, through
      appointment by the chair of the subcommittee or the chair of
      the TC.

   b. Members of the UBL TC may become voting members of a UBL
      technical subcommittee by applying to the subcommittee
      chair.  Appointment to a technical subcommittee becomes
      effective when entered in the subcommittee roster.
      Subcommittee members may also be appointed by resolution of
      the TC.

   c. Members of the UBL TC may become observers in a UBL
      technical subcommittee by applying to the subcommittee
      chair.

   d. Prospective members of the UBL TC may become prospective
      members of a UBL technical subcommittee by applying to the
      subcommittee chair.  Prospective membership in a technical
      subcommittee becomes effective when entered in the
      subcommittee roster.  Prospective members of the UBL TC who
      are enrolled as prospective members of one or more UBL
      technical subcommittees become voting members of those
      subcommittees when their waiting period for TC membership is
      completed.

   e. A voting member of a UBL technical subcommittee who
      participates actively in the subcommittee but cannot also
      participate regularly in TC meetings may request a change of
      status to nonvoting member in the TC while retaining voting
      membership in the technical subcommittee.  Such a change
      removes the member from the number used to calculate a
      quorum in TC meetings.  Nonvoting TC members who later wish
      to resume voting status shall be treated as if they were new
      prospective members of the TC, except that their status in
      any technical subcommittees of which they are already voting
      members shall remain unchanged.

   f. Voting members of a technical subcommittee may be removed
      from that subcommittee only by resignation or by resolution
      of the TC.  Failure to respond to email queries from the
      subcommittee chair or TC chair shall be considered
      equivalent to resignation.

4. Meetings

   a. Phone meetings of a technical subcommittee shall be open
      only to voting members of the subcommittee and persons
      specially invited by the chair to provide expert input.
      Technical subcommittees may also meet in person at times and
      places to be determined by resolution of the subcommittee or
      the TC.  The attendance of observers at face-to-face
      meetings of technical subcommittees shall be at the
      discretion of the subcommittee.

   b. The meetings of technical subcommittees shall otherwise be
      governed by Robert's Rules of Order Revised and such other
      standing rules as the TC may determine.

5. Inquorate meetings

   The voting members of a technical subcommittee assembled at a
   regularly scheduled and noticed but inquorate subcommittee
   meeting shall be authorized to operate as an ad hoc working
   group chaired by the subcommittee chair or by a chair pro tem.
   elected by the members present.  Actions taken at such a
   meeting shall not be binding upon the subcommittee, but
   agreements arrived at in such a meeting may be submitted to an
   email vote of the subcommittee at the discretion of the chair.

6. Email votes

   Chairs of technical subcommittees shall be authorized to
   conduct business by email in the manner specified in the OASIS
   process for TCs, with the exception that the default five-day
   voting period for email ballots may be shortened to as little
   as 48 hours for technical subcommittee email votes at the
   option of the technical subcommittee chair.  This change must
   be clearly stated in the call for a vote and properly noticed
   by email at least three days prior to the call for a vote.  In
   email voting, a majority shall be more than half of all the
   votes cast, excluding abstentions.  Votes and abstentions shall
   be recorded through posting to the technical subcommittee mail
   list.  There shall be no quorum requirement for email votes.