Do officers have the authority to pass resolutions if the full assembly cannot meet before a time when the resolution might have any effect?

[Guest Jason]

Do officers have the authority to pass resolutions if the full assembly cannot meet before a time when the resolution might have any effect? Our officers are collectively referred to as the Executive Committee. Our bylaws have the statement below. Do we have the authority to pass a resolution ourselves that could then be ratified by the full senate at the next meeting? Are resolutions somehow different than any other action or affair?

Our Bylaws:

Powers and purposes of the Executive Committee: The Executive Committee shall be empowered to conduct the affairs of the Academic Senate consistent with its Bylaws during those times in which the Senate cannot be convened.

[Gary Novosielski]

A resolution is simply a motion that is written in a more formal tone.  There's no practical difference.   

Since the bylaws empower the EC to conduct business between meetings of the Senate, I'd say that the EC could, within limits, pass resolutions even without having them later ratified by the Senate.  But the full Senate, as the superior body, could presumably rescind or amend actions of the EC with which it disagreed

Edited February 9, 2024 at 08:42 PM by Gary Novosielski

[rulesasker]

And just to be clear, these officers still have no individual power based on this. The EC would need to meet and vote just like the senate. 

[Gary Novosielski]

On 2/9/2024 at 5:35 PM, rulesasker said:

And just to be clear, these officers still have no individual power based on this. The EC would need to meet and vote just like the senate. 

Good point.   The Executive Committee is not a collective noun that means "the officers".  The EC is a body which has designated powers only at a regular or properly called meeting of the EC at which a quorum is present, and for most decisions, by a majority vote.

When not actually meeting, the EC does not truly "exist" and is powers do not accrue to its members outside that context.

[jggorman]

To clarify, the Executive Committee is defined in our bylaws as the Officers. Thank you all for responding.

Edited February 10, 2024 at 05:34 PM by jggorman

[Gary Novosielski]

On 2/10/2024 at 12:34 PM, jggorman said:

To clarify, the Executive Committee is defined in our bylaws as the Officers. Thank you all for responding.

That does not change my answer.  The executive committee may comprise the officers, but individually they have none of the powers granted to the committee, unless expressly granted.  An Executive committee can only act in a meeting context.

[jggorman]

I think I understand if you are saying no individual officer has any powers, only the Executive Committee if they meet and vote and then only because our bylaws expressly granted that to the EC and not individual officers. If you are saying something like the EC cannot decide anything unless in a regular meeting of the full Senate, than I do not understand, because our bylaws give that power to the EC when our Senate cannot meet.

Edited February 10, 2024 at 09:22 PM by jggorman

[rulesasker]

On 2/10/2024 at 3:20 PM, jggorman said:

no individual officer has any powers, only the Executive Committee if they meet and vote and then only because our bylaws expressly granted that to the EC and not individual officers.

Correct

On 2/10/2024 at 3:20 PM, jggorman said:

If you are saying something like the EC cannot decide anything unless in a regular meeting of the full Senate

No, they do not need to meet in a regular meeting of the senate. They need to meet in a duly called meeting of the EC where a quorum of the EC is present.

[jggorman]

Thank you all. I think I understand.