It’s КПЗ’їзд season again! The first time I went to КПЗ’їзд I was overwhelmed by all of the terminology used. What’s a мандат, and why is this piece of paper important? Wait, I was supposed to read the листок beforehand? What is the Верифікаційна-Мандатна Комісія??
I hope this list of terms helps you figure out some of the з’їзд lingo ahead of time.
Documents
Here are a few documents you should be aware of (and read ahead of time) before з’їзд:
Пластовий Листок: Annual Report
The Пластовий Листок is a collection of important documents you should read before з’їзд starts. The majority of the content are the annual звіти from КПС and КПР members. There is an appointed time during з’їзд when you can directly ask questions about these звіти to the appropriate КПС/Р member.
Правильник Нарад: Convention Bylaws
This lists out all of the rules of the з’їзд. Try to read through it at least once so you understand what you can and cannot do during з’їзд. The last page of these з’їзд bylaws from 2019 is especially helpful in laying out all of the different terms in Ukrainian and in English.
Статут: PlastUSA Bylaws
The статут are the bylaws of our organization. It is an official document that is registered with the government. You can find it on plastusa.org (it’s in English!)
Внесення/внесок: Motion
Motions are proposals. There are many types of proposals, from policy changing to changing the time for recess, but in essence they all do the same thing- move the з’їзд forward. Without внесення we would just be talking without any direction or purpose.
There is a specific ranking of внесок types. They all have fancy names in Robert’s Rules of Order, but we mostly call them all внески. The main type of внесок is called головне внесення (main motion) — it’s how you bring a new topic for discussion.
Check out this video from a 4-H chapter for some parliamentary rules basics, including motions and how they can nest in each other.
Піддержати внесок: Second a motion
Most motions need to be seconded. Think of this as a sanity check- do we actually want to discuss this motion, or is it just one person? Does at least one other person think that we need a 5 minute break? If a motion is seconded, that signals people want to ask questions about it, debate about it, and/or vote on it.
Резолюція: Resolution
A внесок that passed through the Резолюційна Комісія, voted on by the делеґати з’їзду, and passed as a binding agreement. Resolutions hold more weight than recommendations.
Рекомендація: Recommendation
A внесок that passed through the Резолюційна Комісія, voted on by the делеґати з’їзду, and passed as a nonbinding agreement. Recommendations hold less weight than resolutions.
Справа Формальна/Формальна справа: Point of order (and then some)
Use this for a Point of order (question if the procedure is being followed), Question of privilege (matters of comfort, amplification, or safety, such as “I can’t hear the speaker”), Call for orders of the day (ask for the chair to proceed with the next scheduled item), and Parliamentary inquiry (ask about the rules).
The people of з’їзд
Президія і пресідник: Presidia and the Chair
The резидія is the group of people who lead the з’їзд. You might think this is КПС, but it’s not! The президія is voted on by the учасники з’їзду and do several important tasks:
- Keep order during the meeting
- Keep us on schedule
- Keep record of what’s going on
The Пресідник, or the Chair, is in charge of the meeting. They ensure the meeting is running smoothly, and let you know when you can speak.
Делеґат: voting members of the з’їзд
If you have a vote at з’їзд, you are a делеґат of the з’їзд. The Верифікаційна-Мандатна Комісія keeps track of who is an учасник of the з’їзд and who is a guest.
A делеґат can make and second внески, vote on внески, enter committees, and discuss topics. Basically, you can do all the things!
Мандат: mandate/seat
Every делеґат will have at least one мандат, or a “seat” that gives them the authority to have a vote. There’s a few rules that determine the number of мандати you have, such as whether you’re a member of the Булава or Рада, and how far your станиця is from the з’їзд location. Your мандат will be represented by a piece of paper you’ll raise up to vote on any given внесення. More information on how proxy voting is determined are in the PlastUSA Bylaws.
Кворум: quorum
Кворум is the minimum amount of делеґати that need to be present in order for the з’їздз to continue. For example, if the з’їзд has 100 people signed up, but only 5 people are in the meeting room at start time, кворум is not met and з’їзд cannot continue. This makes sure important business doesn’t pass without the minimum amount of people present. The Верифікаційна-Мандатна Комісія keeps track of whether the з’їзд meet quorum or not.
Комісії: committees
We all love to hate on committees, but they are how large organizations get things done! Let’s take a look at the types of committees you’ll typically find at КПЗ’їзд:
Верифікаційна-Мандатна: Mandate Verifying Committee
This committee verifies who has a right to vote, how many votes each делеґат gets, and counts the votes. This committee can be one person, or multiple people.
Статутова: Bylaws Committee
This standing committee receives, reviews and recommends proposed amendments to the bylaws. They start working before з’їзд.
Таборова: Camp Committee
This committee talks about таборові справи and can come up with recommendations/resolutions about табори.
Господарська/Фінансова: Finance committee
Someone’s got to talk about money, right?
Номінаційна: Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee starts working before з’їзд to look for the new members of the Булава and Рада.
Резолюційна: Resolutions Committee
You see that committee that is working late at night? That’s most likely the Resolutions Committee. They take all of the recommendations and resolutions passed by various committees, or from the з’їзд itself, and figure out the official wording. I’ve been on this committee once, and while it was intense it was also bureaucratically thrilling.
That’s all I have for now! Be sure to check out the rest of the series here.