Adopted by the Executive Council on March 10, 2021

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​1. The Executive Council (EC) will conduct its meetings in accordance with the TISL Constitution, the TISL Legal Code and, unless otherwise provided, the Legislative Rules of Order.

a. Meetings may be called by the Governor [TISL Constitution Article V, Section 1(c)] or by a majority of the Executive Council [TISL Constitution Article VI, Section 2(h)].

b. Every member of the Executive Council and the Executive Director will be notified of forthcoming meetings by a reasonable and commonly accepted means. Adequate notice of meetings shall be defined as follows:

i. For conference calls, at least three days.

ii. For in-person meetings at the General Assembly, at least fifteen (15) minutes. Such meetings will be scheduled at a time when neither the Senate, the House, nor AMC3 are in session according to the Official Schedule of the General Assembly.

iii. For in-person meetings other than at the General Assembly, at least thirty (30) days.

The EC may unanimously waive these notice requirements on a meeting-by-meeting basis.

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2. The Governor will preside at EC meetings. In the absence of the Governor, the presiding officer shall be, if present, in order:

a. Speaker of the Senate

b. Speaker of the House of Representatives

c. Another officer elected by the participants of the meeting, provided a quorum is present.

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3. The Executive Council shall maintain a consistent and public schedule of its conference calls. Any interested person wishing to listen to a conference call shall contact the State Office or Governor or the appropriate presiding chair forty-eight (48) hours prior to the scheduled time of the conference call to be provided access. Records of previous agendas and meeting minutes will also be made available upon request.

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4. A quorum shall be a simple majority of the members of the EC as set forth in the TISL Constitution. As of March 2021, a regular quorum is five (5) members.

a. Provided, however, that a quorum for the following motions shall be two-thirds of the members of the EC as set forth in the TISL Constitution, and all members shall be notified at least 48 hours in advance that these motions are to be considered:

i. An election to fill a vacancy on the Executive Council.

ii. An election to fill a vacancy on the Tennessee Intercollegiate Supreme Court.

iii. An election for a student member of the TISL Foundation Board of Directors.

iv. Consideration of a motion to recommend removal of an EC member pursuant to TISL Constitution Article V, Section 13, in which case the notice shall include the constitutional and factual basis for such motion.

v. Consideration of a motion to exclude a member from participating in a decision because of a conflict of interest.

vi. Consideration of legislation, including proposed constitutional amendments, when the EC is acting as a standing committee in accordance with Rule 8 of the Legislative Rules of Order.

vii. Scheduling of a forthcoming General Assembly or Day on the Hill.

viii. Consideration of amendments to these Rules of Procedure.

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5. EC members are expected:

a. To actively engage with other EC members, including responding to communications as follows:

i. Email within forty-eight (48) hours

ii. Phone calls, messages, and voicemails within twenty-four (24) hours

b. To regularly participate in all conference calls, including the Executive Council, Outreach, Legislative Council, and/or Supreme Court, as appropriate.

c. To attend in-person meetings, EC retreats, TISL’s Day on the Hill, and at least three (3) workshops unless excused for personal illness, death, weather emergency, or serious illness in the immediate family or other reason approved by the majority of the EC.

d. To notify the EC of an extended absence for vacation, medical procedure, study abroad or other event that will limit communication for a significant period of time.

e. If serving as the chair of a council or committee, to prepare an agenda and other materials for an organized, productive meeting.

 

6. Members may vote in absentia by clearly stating to all EC members by message or email the motion to be considered and the member’s vote to be cast in absentia. A member who casts a vote in absentia shall not count toward the maintenance of a quorum.

a. A motion, other than one set forth in Rule 4(a), may be put by message or email and shall be in order once it is sent to every EC member; a second is waived. The member making the motion shall also announce by message or mail that such an email was sent. When voting on the motion, a vote shall by email sent to every EC member. The presiding officer may close the vote and declare the result once two-thirds of EC members have voted or announced their abstention. A motion will be adopted if it receives aye votes in excess of a majority of the members to which the Executive Council is entitled. As of March 2021, this is six of ten members.

b. Proxy voting is not allowed. A member may not convey to another member the power to vote on his/her behalf.

 

7. Executive Council members may not participate in official decisions when they have a conflict of interest, which is an obligation to more than one party in a decision or transaction, such as business, familial and romantic interests.

a. An EC member who has a conflict of interest shall recuse themselves from discussions and voting.

b. If an EC member has a conflict of interest and does not recuse themselves, a debatable motion, if seconded and requiring a two-thirds majority, to exclude the member with a conflict of interest shall be in order.

 

8. Any Executive Council member shall have standing at the Supreme Court to contest a violation of these rules. The Supreme Court may set aside an action of the Executive Council if it determines by clear and convincing evidence that a rules violation caused a substantial disadvantage for the petitioner.

 

9. Specific citations in these rules of the TISL Constitution, the TISL Legal Code and the legislative Rules of Procedure are for the convenience of the reader. Errors are of no consequence, and the rule shall be interpreted to reference the correct citation based on the substance and context of the rule.

 

10. These rules are to be considered public and shall be posted in a place accessible to all interested parties.