THE BYLAWS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT

LEGISLATURE AS PASSED BY THE OCTOBER INTERIM COUNCIL OF

THE 73RD LEGISLATIVE YEAR, 2009
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ARTICLE I: TITLE

2 Section 1. This document shall be known as "The Bylaws of the NORTH CAROLINA
3 STUDENT LEGISLATURE".
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ARTICLE II: DELEGATIONS

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Section 1. DEFINITION. A delegation is defined as a particular group of students from

an institution of higher learning, officially recognized and chartered by the NORTH
CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE, Inc. as representatives of their particular
institution, organized to participate in official activities of the NORTH CAROLINA
STUDENT LEGISLATURE, Inc.

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Section 2. CHARTERS. Subsection 1. A charter shall serve as official notice that the
delegation is in good standing with the NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT
LEGISLATURE. No unchartered delegation may participate in official NORTH
CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE activities.

14 Subsection 2. Full charters may be granted only by a two-thirds vote of a Plenary

15 Session. A full charter shall be valid for the one legislative year after it is granted, except
16 if suspended or revoked.
17 Subsection 2. A temporary charter may be granted only by a majority vote of the Interim
18 Council and shall only be valid for the following two regular meetings.
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Section 3. RIGHTS. A chartered delegation shall have the right to representation in the
Interim Council and Annual Session, to be informed of all events and activities of
NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE, to charge reasonable fees of its
members and interns, and to adopt for itself any rules necessary to govern its internal
affairs, provided that those rules do not conflict with any rule adopted by NORTH
CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE.

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Section 4. DUTIES. Each delegation shall have the duty to pay any fees imposed on it,
to keep its members and interns informed about NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT
LEGISLATURE events and activities, and to elect a delegation chairperson to act as a
liaison between the organization and the delegation.

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ARTICLE III: FINANCES

30 Section 1. FEES. Fees may be levied upon the delegations by the Governor to support
31 the operations of the NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE. Only by a two32 thirds vote of the Interim Council may any fee be altered or suspended.
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Section 2. GENERAL FUND. All moneys received by the NORTH CAROLINA

STUDENT LEGISLATURE, unless otherwise stipulated by the donor or this article or
designated by a majority vote of the Interim Council or Plenary Session, shall be
deposited into the General Fund to meet the annual operating expenses of the NORTH
CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE.

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Section 3. BUDGET. A balanced budget shall be adopted by a majority vote at the

second regular meeting of the Board of Directors each fiscal year. At no time may
expenditures from any line item within the budget exceed its approved amount, without
such expenditures having first been approved by the Board of Directors.

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Section 4. PAYMENTS. All payments from the General Fund shall be in the form of a
check signed by the Treasurer with the consent of the Governor. Any payment exceeding
two hundred dollars shall be co-signed by the Governor and the Treasurer. The
Lieutenant Governor is authorized to co-sign a check in the absence of one of these
officers.

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Section 5. ENDOWMENT FUND. Subsection 1. The NORTH CAROLINA

STUDENT LEGISLATURE shall establish and maintain an endowment fund. The
endowment shall have the goal of reaching a balance of $100,000. The endowment will
be designated as the NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE Endowment
Fund.

52 Subsection 2. The purpose of the endowment fund is to help to meet the expenses of the
53 NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE as expressed in its annual budget.
54 Subsection 3. Only earnings from the endowment fund can be transferred to the General
55 Fund. Unused earnings shall be added to the principal of the endowment. No earnings
56 shall be transferred before the balance goal set by the constitution has been met.
57 Subsection 4. The custody, administration, and management of the endowment fund shall
58 be the responsibility of the Endowment Board described in Article IV, Section 13, of
59 these Bylaws.
60 Section 6. RESERVE FUND. Subsection 1. A Reserve Fund shall be maintained in an
61 interest bearing account.
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Subsection 2. One-quarter of all moneys raised through fundraisers or donations, unless

otherwise stipulated by the contributor, shall be deposited into the Reserve Fund. Fees
levied upon delegations by the Governor may be deposited into the Reserve Fund at the
discretion of the Council of State.
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66 Subsection 3. Two withdrawals per fiscal year, neither of which shall exceed one-quarter
67 of the balance of the Reserve Fund, may be made with a two-thirds vote of the Interim
68 Council or Plenary Session.
69 Subsection 4. One year after the first transfer of earnings from the endowment fund to
70 the General Fund, this section shall be removed from these Bylaws, and the contents of
71 the Reserve Fund shall be added to the endowment fund.
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ARTICLE IV: COMMITTEES

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Section 1. DEFINITIONS. The standing committees of the NORTH CAROLINA

STUDENT LEGISLATURE shall be the following: Finance, Resolutions, Session,
Judiciary, State Recruitment, Public Relations, Awards, Interns, History and Delegation
Chairpersons. There shall also be an Elections Board, Endowment Board, and Investment
Advisory Board.

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Section 2. CHAIRPERSONS. All Chairpersons will be approved by the Council of

State and appointed by the Governor, except for Session and the Awards who will be
appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, the Judiciary and Elections who will be the
Attorney General, and the Finance and Endowment who will be the Treasurer; and shall
serve until their successors are appointed. All appointments made by chairpersons onto a
committee, other than the Judiciary, must be approved by majority concurrence of the
Council of State

85 Section 3. REPRESENTATION. No delegation shall have more than two voting

86 members on any committee at any given time without two-thirds approval of the Interim
87 Council.
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Section 4. ELECTIONS BOARD. Subsection 1. The Elections Board shall be

responsible for determining whether candidates for Council of State and Board of
Directors positions are, and shall continue to be, eligible for membership within the
NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE during their candidacy, as well as
during any possible term of office. Further, the Board shall annually determine the
guidelines for the regulation of the campaigns for the Council of State and Board of
Directors offices, for the processes by which elections shall be executed, and for the
actual executions of those elections, with the majority consent of the Interim Council.
Subsection 2. The Board shall consist of one member of each delegation. The
chairperson of the Board shall be the Attorney General. The chairperson shall not be
considered as a delegate from any delegation. The chairperson of the Board shall appoint
each member of the Board, to serve as the voting members of the Board in addition to the
chairperson.

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Subsection 3. No person other than the chair shall serve in a voting capacity on the
Elections Board after the adjournment of the third regular meeting of the Interim Council
and be eligible to run for Council of State or Board of Directors office during that year of
service.

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Section 5. FINANCE COMMITTEE. The Finance Committee shall be responsible for

raising money for the NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE. The NORTH
CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE Treasurer shall serve as Chairperson of the
Finance Committee and appoint one member from each delegation to serve on the
committee. The appointees shall serve until their successors are appointed.

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Section 6. RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE. Subsection 1. The Resolutions

Committee shall have automatically referred to it any resolution presented to the Interim
Council or Plenary Session, except by a two-thirds vote of the Interim Council or Plenary
Session.

114 Subsection 2. The committee shall report to the body the status of all resolutions that
115 were referred to it at the previous Interim Council or Plenary Session.
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Subsection 3. The committee shall report each resolution to the body with a favorable,
unfavorable, or non-prejudicial report. The committee chairperson will be appointed by
the Governor, consist of one member from each delegation, and shall at the appropriate
time report the actions of the committee to the Interim Council or Plenary Session.

120 Subsection 4. The committee may make amendments in style, grammar, and form that do
121 not change the intent or philosophy of the resolution; and be responsible for maintaining
122 those resolutions for the entire legislative year.
123 Subsection 5. The committee shall have no authority over resolutions that would amend
124 the Articles of Incorporation, Constitution, Bylaws, or special rules of the NORTH
125 CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE, Inc.
126 Subsection 6. The committee shall determine the best resolution of the year and present
127 an award to its author at the Annual Session.
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Section 8. JUDICIARY COMMITTEE. Subsection 1. The Judiciary Committee shall

consist of the Attorney General as Chair, three members and one alternate appointed by
the Attorney General, and three members and one alternate appointed by the Governor.
The appointees shall serve until their successors are appointed.

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Subsection 2. An alternate shall serve as a member of the Judiciary Committee when a

member appointed by the same officer who appointed him or her is absent. If two or
more members are absent, both alternates shall act as members. If a member and an
alternate are absent then the other alternate shall act as a member. In order for the
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136 Judiciary Committee to convene, there must be no less than four members including the
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Subsection 3. The committee shall consider all proposed amendments to the Corporate
Charter, Constitution, Bylaws, and special rules of NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT
LEGISLATURE, and shall report its opinions on the desirability of these amendments to
the body.

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Subsection 4. Except as stated in Subsections 5 and 6 of this Section, the committee shall
settle any dispute arising over the interpretation of the Corporate Charter, Constitution,
Bylaws, or special rules of the NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE in the
following manner: by the written request of two members, a matter shall be committed to
the Judiciary Committee. If the Interim Council or the Annual Session is convened when
such a request is made, then the committee shall have one hour to meet and consider the
legality of the matter brought before it, and present its ruling to the members, unless the
makers of the request or the membership shall grant the committee permission to
deliberate for a longer period time. If neither the Interim Council nor the Annual Session
is convened, then the committee shall conduct its deliberations on the matter and prepare
its report, to be presented upon the conclusion of opening remarks at the next official
meeting of the NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE.

154 Subsection 5. The ruling of the Judiciary Committee may be overruled by a two-thirds
155 vote of the Interim Council or Plenary Session, or of both houses of the Annual Session.
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Subsection 6. The committee shall investigate charges of gross misconduct, nonperformance of duties specified in the Constitution and Bylaws, or any other appropriate
issue at the request of the presiding officer or the written request of three members. The
committee shall report its findings and sentencing to the body within a reasonable amount
of time.

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Subsection 7. a) INITIAL ESTABLISHMENT OF DISTRICTS. During the fourth

regular meeting of the Interim Council, the Judiciary Committee shall review the number
of chartered delegations and their respective numbers of members, and shall divide them
into three groups of similar size. These groups shall be called the Western District, the
Central District, and the Eastern District, and all Districts shall be geographically
contiguous. This initial formula for districts shall be presented to the Interim Council
during its fourth regular meeting.

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b) REDISTRICTING. After the three Districts have been established they shall be
amendable only by the following process: At the written request of the Delegation
Chairpersons of one-third of the chartered delegations, the Judiciary Committee shall
meet and reformulate the districts, and propose such formula to the Interim Council
during its next regular meeting, provided that there shall be no less than twenty-one days
notice of what that proposed formula shall be. All districts must be geographically
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174 contiguous. Districts may only be changed once during any Legislative Year and revised
175 districts shall not take effect until four months after their adoption.
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c) NEW DELEGATIONS. Upon being chartered, each new delegation shall be assigned
to the district in which that school is geographically located. If the delegation being
chartered is located along the borders of two or more districts, then the Judiciary
Committee shall assign it to one of those districts, such assignment requiring the approval
of the Interim Council.

181 Section 9. SESSION COMMITTEE. The Lieutenant Governor shall serve as the chair
182 of the Session Committee and appoint one member of each delegation to the Session
183 Committee to assist in the coordination of the Annual Session.
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Section 10. COMMITTEE OF INTERNS. Subsection 1. The Committee of Interns

shall consist of all interns to delegations of the NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT
LEGISLATURE. The Committee shall be responsible for the recruitment of interns into
the NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE from high schools and high school
organizations that share a purpose, goal or function similar to the NORTH CAROLINA
STUDENT LEGISLATURE.

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Subsection 2. The chairperson shall be a full member of the NORTH CAROLINA

STUDENT LEGISLATURE and be appointed by the Governor. The chairperson shall be
referred to as the NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE Internship
Coordinator. The chairperson shall have the authority to appoint a vice-chair to serve in
the absence of the chairperson and to aid in the execution of the duties of the committee.
The vice-chair must also be a full member of the NORTH CAROLINAT STUDENT
LEGISLATURE.

197 Subsection 3. Each delegation may sponsor one intern per every ten full delegates in
198 good standing. Interns may also be sponsored by the NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT
199 LEGISLATURE as a whole with the two-thirds consent of the Board of Directors.
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Subsection 3. All interns shall have voting rights within the committee, however,
decisions from the committee that would affect other bodies of the NORTH CAROLINA
STUDENT LEGISLATURE or the NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE as
a whole will serve only as suggestions.

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Subsection 4. All interns will be required to have permission forms and liability waivers
signed by the intern and their guardians on file with the Secretary of State before they
will be able to participate in activities as an intern of the NORTH CAROLINA
STUDENT LEGISLATURE.

208 Subsection 5. Only high school students of at least sixteen (16) years of age may
209 participate as interns of the NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE.
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210 Subsection 6. Interns shall be required to pay only half of the membership dues set for
211 each legislative year. Interns shall be required to pay the full Annual Session dues.
212 Section 11. SERGEANT-AT-ARMS. The Governor shall appoint Sergeants-at-arms to
213 aid the presiding officer in maintaining order, as well as to attend to any logistical
214 concerns that may arise during the course of a meeting of the Interim Council.
215 Section 12. SPECIAL COMMITTEES. The Governor with the majority approval of
216 the Interim Council or Plenary Session may form special Committees. The Governor
217 shall set forth the scope and structure of these committees in his or her proposal.
218 Section 13. ENDOWMENT BOARD. Subsection 1. The Endowment Board shall
219 consist of the Treasurer and one member of each delegation appointed by the Chair. The
220 appointees shall serve until their successors are appointed.
221 Subsection 2. The Board shall be responsible for the custody, administration, and
222 management of the Endowment Fund as established in Article III, Section 5, of these
223 Bylaws, including:
224 a. Development and recommendation of fund objectives, to be approved by the Interim
225 Council or Plenary Session;
226 b. Selection and recommendation of a professional investment fund manager, to be
227 approved by the Interim Council or Plenary Session; and,
228 c. Supervision of the investment manager to ensure compliance with investment fund
229 objectives and consultation with the investment manager on all matters relating to the
230 management of the fund.
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Subsection 3. The Board shall have quarterly regular meetings, the first to be held within
a month after the first regular meeting of the Interim Council. Additional meetings shall
be held if such meetings are determined to be in the best interest of the NORTH
CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE by the Board Chairperson and/or the
investment manager. Adequate minutes of all meetings shall be kept and shall become
part of the permanent files of the NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE. All
decisions and instructions of the investment manager shall be stated in writing. All
actions of the Board shall be reported to the Interim Council or Plenary Session at its next
meeting following such actions.

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Section 14. INVESTMENT ADVISORY BOARD. Subsection 1. The Investment

Advisory Board shall consist of no fewer than three and no more than nine alumni of the
NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE and/or state business leaders with
investment experience appointed by the Governor, who shall name the chair. Full
members of the Board shall serve for a term of three years. When the Board is
established, the Governor shall designate as equally as possible one-third of the
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246 appointees as full members serving for two-year terms. Members appointed to fill
247 vacancies shall serve for the remainder of the term. Board members may be re-appointed
248 when their terms expire.
249 Subsection 2. The Board shall meet with the Endowment Board at its first and third
250 regular meetings and at such other meetings as the Chairperson of the Endowment Board
251 may think necessary.
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Subsection 3. The Board shall be responsible for assisting the Endowment Board in
maintaining a consistent and sound investment strategy. If necessary, the Board shall
provide advice on investment guidelines and the selection of a professional investment
fund manager.

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Subsection 4. For the purpose of appointments to this Board, alumni of the NORTH
CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE are considered to be those individuals who
have attended their final Annual Session as members of the NORTH CAROLINA
STUDENT LEGISLATURE.

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Section 15. COMMITTEE OF DELEGATION CHAIRPERSONS. Subsection 1.

The Committee of Delegation Chairpersons shall consist of all Delegation Chairpersons
from fully chartered schools. Schools with new delegations that are not fully chartered
may send a non-voting representative to meetings of the Committee of Delegation
Chairpersons.

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Subsection 2. All members of the Board of Directors, the Speaker of the House, and the
President Pro Tempore of the Senate may attend each meeting of the Committee as if they
were a member, but shall have no vote unless they also serve as a Delegation
Chairperson.

269 Subsection 3. The Vice Delegation Chairperson of a delegation may serve as a member
270 of the committee in the absence of that delegations Delegation Chairperson.
271 Subsection 4. The committee shall convene at a time to be determined by the chairman
272 during each Interim Council and the Wednesday Evening of Annual Session for a
273 required monthly meeting, and may be called to an emergency meeting by the Governor.
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Subsection 5. The committee shall appoint a member as Chair to preside over the
meetings, and Vice-Chair to preside in the Chair's absence. The Chair shall appoint any
delegate in good standing to serve as Secretary who will be required to announce the
minutes of the meeting, the committee's approved reports and rulings, or any other
committee action to the body as a whole at its next meeting.

279 Subsection 6. At each required monthly meeting, the committee shall report either
280 favorably, indifferent, or unfavorably on the performance of all members of the Board of
281 Directors, the Speaker of the House, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. None
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282 of the previously mentioned individuals may be present during these rulings. If the
283 committee reports unfavorably on any official, it shall be required to submit in writing its
284 reasons to that official and the Judiciary Committee.
285 Subsection 7. At the first Interim Council of the academic year, each member shall be
286 required to submit to the approval of the Committee a non-binding commitment of
287 membership recruitment for the current legislative year.
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Subsection 8. The committee shall have the right to make reports concerning the
operation and management of NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE. These
may include, but not limited to, recommendations for special committees, amendments to
the Corporate Charter, Constitution, By Laws, and Special Rules of NORTH CAROLINA
STUDENT LEGISLATURE, or issues concerning Annual Session.

293 Section 16. AWARDS COMMITTEE. Subsection 1. The Lieutenant Governor shall
294 appoint the chair of the Awards Committee who will appoint one member from each
295 delegation.
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Subsection 2. The awards presented by the committee shall be: Best Delegation from a
Small School, Best Delegation from a large school, Delegate of the Year, Intern of
the Year, Delegation Chairperson of the Year, Best Resolution of the Year, Best
Speaker of the Year, Best Speaker in the House, Best Bill in the House, Best Bill in
the Senate, Best Speaker in the Senate, and Best Alumnus of the Year.

301 Subsection 3. The committee may establish other awards or decline to present an award
302 by a three-fourths vote. Such actions of the committee shall not be binding upon the
303 committee in future legislative years
304 Subsection 4. Nominations will be taken in writing by each delegation to their delegate
305 who is a member of the committee and be presented for discussion in the committee.
306 Subsection 5. The House of Representatives and the Senate shall select, by secret ballot,
307 the best speaker and best bill in their respective chambers.
308 Subsection 6. At Session, the Awards Committee shall meet at the discretion of the chair
309 to select recipients for each award. A simple majority shall determine the recipients. The
310 recipients of all awards shall remain confidential until formally presented by the chair.
311 Section 17. COMMITTEE OF STATE RECRUITMENT. Subsection 1. The
312 Committee of State Recruitment shall consist of the three District Councilors and any
313 members-at-large, appointed by the Governor.
314 Subsection 2. The Committee, at its first meeting, shall elect a Chairperson of the
315 Committee of State Recruitment who shall preside over the future meetings of the
316 Committee of State Recruitment. The Committee of State Recruitment shall also elect a
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vice chair to preside over meetings at which the chair is not present and a secretary who
shall record the minutes of the meetings of the committee. The committee shall convene
at the discretion of the Chair. In the Chairs absence, the committee may convene if two
of the Councilors are present. Only District Councilors may serve as chair and Vice chair
of the Committee. The Chair of the committee shall report directly to the Governor and
the Council of State on all details pertaining to the function of the state recruitment effort.

323 Subsection 3. The focus of the committee will be to advise new delegations and
324 continuing delegations on recruitment methods and membership levels by working
325 closely with Delegation Chairpersons.
326 Section 18. PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE. Subsection 1. The Public
327 Relations Committee shall consist of one member of each delegation appointed by the
328 chair, the Public Relations Director, whom shall be appointed by the Governor.
329 Subsection 2. The Secretary of State shall serve on the committee but shall not be
330 considered a voting member. All efforts of the Public Relations Committee must be a
331 joint effort between the committee and the Secretary of State.
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Subsection 2. The committee shall be responsible for creating and maintaining a media
contact list to easily and readily notify local media of each Interim Council and Plenary
Session location, dates, time, and agenda; and issue press releases about Interim Council
resolutions and Plenary Session bills and awards in each delegations local newspaper.
The Public Relations Director with the advice and consent of the Secretary of State shall
decide the scope, distribution, and interval of publication.

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Subsection 3. Furthermore, upon request the committee should provide all legislation of
NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE to any body, organization, or group,
separate and apart from the NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE. The
Public Relations Committee shall also be responsible for making the results of any
politically non partisan analysis, study, or research conducted by the NORTH
CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE and approved by the Council of State available
to the public.

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Subsection 4. The Alumni Relations Sub-Committee shall be made up of three alumni of

the NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE and two members of the Public
Relations Committee. The alumni members shall be appointed by the Governor with the
consent of the Public Relations Chair. One alumni will chair the committee. The Public
Relations Director shall serve on the committee but shall not be considered a voting
member. The Alumni Relations Committee will be charged with being a liaison between
the NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE and alumni, as well as improving
communication with alumni.

353 Subsection 5. The Public Relations Committee shall, along with the Council of State,
354 coordinate lobbying efforts in Raleigh.
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355 Section 19. History Committee. Subsection 1. The History Committee shall consist of
356 one member of each delegation appointed by the chairperson of the delegation and the
357 State Historian, whom shall be appointed by the Governor.
358 Subsection 2. The State Historian shall chair all meetings of the History Committee. The
359 History Committee shall work with the Secretary of State and the Resolutions Committee
360 to maintain complete records of every facet of the legislative year.
361 Subsection 3. The History Committee shall work to compile the records of the NORTH
362 CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE into a complete history of the organization.
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ARTICLE V: SUSPENSIONS, EXPULSIONS, AND IMPEACHMENT

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Section 1. DISCIPLINE OF INDIVIDUAL. Subsection 1. A member or intern may be

expelled from NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE by a majority
concurrence of the Judiciary Committee. Expulsions may only be made for gross
misconduct or for harm done to the organization.

368 Subsection 2. A membership or internship may be suspended indefinitely by a majority

369 concurrence of the Judiciary Committee. Such a suspension may be imposed for conduct
370 unbefitting a member or intern.
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Subsection 3. A member or intern may be censured by the NORTH CAROLINA

STUDENT LEGISLATURE by a majority concurrence of the Judiciary Committee. A
member or intern may be censured for conduct unbefitting of the NORTH CAROLINA
STUDENT LEGISLATURE but of a misdemeanor nature.

375 Subsection 4. An officer is immune from expulsion or suspension of membership by the

376 Interim Council or Plenary Session while in office but can be impeached.
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Section 2. SUSPENSION AND REVOCATION OF CHARTERS. Charters may be

suspended for as long as six months by a majority concurrence of the Judiciary
Committee. Charters may be revoked for non-payment of fees, inactivity or misconduct
by a majority concurrence of the Judiciary Committee.

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Section 3. IMPEACHMENT OF OFFICERS. Subsection 1. Any member of the

Council of State alleged to have breached the oath of office either through action or
neglect shall be brought before a special meeting of the Interim Council. This meeting
shall be called by the Governor or by the petition of one-third of the delegations and shall
be for the sole purpose of impeachment proceedings.

386 Subsection 2. The Attorney General shall preside over such a meeting unless he or she is
387 being presented for impeachment, in which case the Governor shall assume the chair.
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Subsection 3. The Judiciary Committee shall conduct an investigation if necessary and

reports those findings to the body during impeachment proceedings. If the Interim
Council determines that the charges are within the scope of the oath of office and that the
defendant is guilty of such charges, then by a two-thirds vote of the members present the
defendant shall be removed from office.

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Subsection 4. An officer of the Senate or House, except for the President of the Senate,
may be impeached by the appropriate house by a one-third vote of the delegates present
and then removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the delegates present. The
presiding officer of the house shall preside over any impeachment proceedings, unless he
or she is the defendant, in which the next highest-ranking officer shall preside.

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ARTICLE VI: EMERGENCIES

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Section 1. ACTION WITHOUT A MEETING. Subsection 1. If for any reason the

Annual Session or Interim Council cannot meet, any necessary business may be
conducted by the Council of State with the written permission of a majority of the
delegations, such permission is to be sent by the delegation chairpersons to the Secretary
of State.

404 Subsection 2. Abuse of this section is an impeachable offense.

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Section 2. SPECIAL ELECTIONS. The Interim Council shall hold a special election,
with ten business days previous notice to all delegations, to fill any vacancy in an elected
office, except that of Governor. At this election, vacancies shall be filled with a majority
vote.

409 Subsection 1. In the event of a vacancy in an elected office, the primary assistant to that
410 officer shall assume all powers, responsibilities, and duties of the office until the special
411 election, as provided for above, is held.
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417

Section 3. TEMPORARY INABILITY OF OFFICERS. Whenever an elected officer

transmits to the Council of State and their primary assistant a written declaration as to the
inability to discharge the powers, responsibilities, and duties of their respective office,
and until a written declaration to the contrary is transmitted to the Council of State and
the primary assistant, such powers, responsibilities, and duties shall be discharged by the
primary assistant of the elected officer.

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ARTICLE VII: AMENDMENT

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Section 1. These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Interim Council or
Plenary Session when fourteen days previous notice of the amendment is given. When
no previous notice is given, any amendment to the Bylaws may be made by a threefourths vote of the Interim Council or Plenary Session.
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