Thank you again to all the Rotarians who attended my online Council on Legislation (“COL”) ‘Town Halls’ in February and March. Your questions and feedback about pending legislative enactments were helpful as I prepared for the once-every-three-years Council meeting in April. Representatives from 470 districts reviewed 86 enactments, approving 30 and opposing 37. Seven enactments were referred to RI Board, and 12 enactments were withdrawn.
Our District’s proposed Enactment 25-10 to allow dual membership for Rotarians chartering new clubs and wanting to retain membership in their home club was defeated. While there was broad support for this enactment from North American and European COL representatives (where chartering new clubs is a top priority) there were objections raised by the RI Board and COL representatives from Asia regarding the implementation and implications of this enactment. Because this enactment would require a change to the RI Constitution and the RI Bylaws, it required the support of at least two-thirds of COL representatives. I will be encouraging our district to make a few modifications to the language in this enactment and resubmit it for consideration at the 2028 COL. With every passing day, Rotary is flexing to meet the needs of members so offering more membership flexibility should gain more acceptance across the Rotary world.
Here are some of the COL enactments approved in April that went into effect on July 1, 2025:
- To help create new clubs more quickly, the number of charter members has been reduced from 20 to 15 to start a new Rotary club.
- To avoid having to terminate an entire club, the RI Board may instruct a club to terminate a member for good cause. The member has 30 days to show why they should not be terminated. A two-thirds vote of the RI Board is required to proceed with the termination.
- RI Bylaws will add the word “sex” to the list of characteristics that cannot be used to limit membership.
- The RI Board is now authorized to suspend or terminate a club if it breaches TRF stewardship policies.
- To help with year-end logistics, Rotary clubs’ mid-year financial reports will now be on 31 January (instead of 31 December)
- RI per capita dues will increase to: US$42.75 per half year in 2026-2027, and US$44.63 per half year in 2027-2028, and US$46.50 per half year in 2028-29.
- District Governors are required to promote the RI strategic plan and participation in TRF grant programs
- District Governors are required to support assistant governors.
- Districts are no longer required to hold an annual district conference. (For districts with successful conferences, governors are encouraged to continue holding them. The COL voted to give greater flexibility to districts as they are in the best position to determine and meet the needs of their members)
- Two district seminars will change their names to reflect modern terminology: the President-elect Training Seminar (PETS) becomes President-elect Learning Seminar (PELS), and the District Training Assembly becomes Club Leadership Learning Seminar. (Districts may continue to use their current terminology to reference these events locally while RI materials will use the new names)
- To allow districts more time to submit enactments, the new due date for submitting legislation is March 31st of the year before the COL (instead of December 31st of the year before the COL)
- Beginning in 2028, the three year term of a COL representative will start on July 1st in the year of the COL meeting. To transition to this new timing, the current COL representative’s term will end on December 31, 2025 (instead of June 30, 2026) The next COL term will start on January 1, 2026 (instead of July 1, 2026) and end on June 30, 2028.
- The COL clarified that Rotary may not issue statements, circulate resolutions or appeals, nor take actions that endorse a candidate for office, nor take a position on a controversial public measure or policies of a political nature unless relevant to the programs of Rotary and The Rotary Foundation.
If you have questions about COL and/or would like to have a club-wide or club board presentation on the 2025 COL, please let me know.
Cathy Gibson dggibson2021@gmail.com. Please put “COL” in the subject line.
