Historic Moments -- Memorable councils

The Council on Legislation meets every three years, but no two councils are quite the same.

From the amount of legislation to the delegates who attend, each Council is different from its predecessors. Sometimes a Council stands out for reasons that have nothing to do with proposed legislation.

In the 76-year existence of the Council, Rotary International has only once had to postpone a meeting of the legislative body. Toward the end of World War II, U.S. government restrictions on the number of people who could assemble forced RI to hold the 1945 convention during four different sessions a week apart,  making it impossible to reach the quorum that would allow for voting on proposed legislation. At that time, the Council was still convened as a plenary session at the convention.

The 1950 Council is notable as the one that adopted a resolution providing that ‘Service Above Self' and ‘He Profits Most Who Serves Best' be designated as Rotary mottoes.

The 1989 Council on Legislation vote to admit women into Rotary clubs worldwide remains a watershed moment in the history of Rotary. It followed a decades-long effort from all over the Rotary world to allow for the admission of women, including several close votes at previous Council meetings.

Venezuelan President Rafael Caldera attended the opening session of the 1995 Council, held in Caracas. Past RI Director Anthony de St. Dalmas, who attended as a delegate, recalls the president entering the Council chamber accompanied by an armed guard and a band.

The 2001 Council is often noted for the amount of legislation received - more than 1,000 proposals - with over 600 being published and considered by the delegates - Source Rotary International.

In the 76 years of its existence, the Council on Legislation has evolved from a single plenary session at the international convention to an autonomous legislative entity.

The Council was created by the 1933 convention to serve as an "advisory body" to assist with the review of enactments and resolutions proposed at the annual convention.

It first convened as part of the 1934 convention, as Rotarians struggled with a worldwide recession, threats to world peace, and rising unemployment.

By 1954, the Council was well established. At that year's convention, Rotarians decided to allow for longer intervals between legislative sessions and adopted a biennial framework for voting upon enactments and resolutions. The next deliberations were held at the 1956 convention.

The 1970 convention further modified Rotary International's legislative process when it decided that the Council should no longer serve in an advisory capacity, but instead become RI's official legislative body, considering proposals to amend the RI Constitution and Bylaws and the Standard Rotary Club Constitution. Four years later, delegates decided that the Council would meet triennially, still in conjunction with the convention. Finally, in 1977, the Council adopted an enactment to meet independently of the convention.

Delegates line up to speak during the 1989

Council on Legislation in Signapore. Rotary Images

Technological advances have also had a profound impact on the Council. In the 1970s, delegates sported large headphones to follow the proceedings in their own language. Today's delegates have access to compact simultaneous interpretation equipment. The use of a single interpreter has given way to multiple interpreters working out of booths on the side of the Council chambers. Electronic voting was introduced in 2001.

Over the decades, the Council has debated and weighed virtually every nuance of RI policy and every detail of membership and attendance rules. While individual Rotarians may not always agree with its decisions, one thing is clear: The Council is Rotary's primary agent for change, allowing the organization to evaluate its relevance in today's rapidly evolving world, reflecting shifts in lifestyles, priorities, technology, and business.