Brent Collingwood, District 5370 representative to the Council on Legislation

As the District's new representative to the Council on Legislation, I want to offer my thanks to Past District Governor and Past Council Representative Julius Buski for the incredible work he has done on our behalf over the last six years serving on the Council. 

Now that my term has begun, I want to give you a high level overview of the work of the Council, important dates, and a brief overview of my role.

Council on Legislation

The Council on Legislation is Rotary’s governing body that amends its constitutional documents. Every three years, the Council on Legislation meets to debate and vote on proposed enactments. Each district sends one representative to the Council on Legislation, and any club or district may propose enactments. The next meeting is scheduled for April 2028.

Council on Resolutions 

The Council on Resolutions meets online every year to vote on proposed resolutions. Resolutions are requests to the Board or the Trustees to take an action that is outside the purview of the constitutional documents. Ideally, a resolution should affect the Rotary world, rather than address local or administrative issues. There may also be urgent enactments proposed by the RI Board that is a change to the constitutional documents and that the Board has determined cannot wait until the next Council on Legislation.

Representatives from all Rotary districts vote on items proposed by clubs, districts, the RI Board, and the general council or conference of RIBI. Adopted resolutions are then considered by the RI Board or The Rotary Foundation Trustees. Urgent enactments that have been adopted will amend the constitutional documents, and will take effect one month after the Council on Resolutions report has been sent.

Key Dates

June 30, 2026: Resolutions for 2026 COR due
October 2026: 2026 Council on Resolutions
March 31, 2027: Enactments for 2028 COL due
June 30, 2027: Resolutions for 2027 COR due
October 2027: 2027 Council on Resolutions
April 2028 (tentative): 2028 Council on Legislation

My Role

As your District representative, my role generally is to be your liaison to the Council on enactments you wished raised. More specifically:

  • Support clubs in preparing enactments and resolutions
  • Facilitate district-level discussion of enactments and resolutions and communicate your views
  • Understand the different perspectives of Rotarians
  • Review and evaluate proposed enactments and resolutions
  • Participate in the Council on Resolutions
  • Attend the 2028 Council on Legislation in person

Should a club be interested in proposing an enactment to the 2028 Council on Legislation, they must use the How to Propose Enactments guide to draft an enactment. I can assist with that.

Proposed enactments must be submitted to Rotary using the online form. Rotary International must receive them, plus confirmation from the Governor of the District’s endorsement, by March 31, 2027.

Should you have any questions about the Councils or if your club is interested in submitting an enactment, please let me know.

 

Brent Collingwood

District 5370 Council on Legislation Representative