With the adoption of our Revised Bylaws on June 30, 2003, a number of welcome changes are now in effect in how HWFC conducts its business. One significant change is the new role for the Governance committee (formerly the Bylaws and Governance committee). No longer solely a committee of the Board, the Governance committee is now a "standing committee of both the Membership and the Board," which means that its members are elected directly by the membership, either at membership meetings or by referenda. The committee shall "provide advice and support to the Board and the Membership in fulfillment of its duties.…"

Specific responsibilities of the Governance committee include "monitoring HWFC policies and governance procedures to ensure they are consistent with existing Bylaws and policies," assisting the Board secretary in "maintaining a current record of the Bylaws and official policies," and the advance review of notices for membership meetings and referenda. An important new provision gives the committee authority to call directly for a special membership meeting if it believes there has been a violation of the Bylaws.

The members of the Governance committee elected on June 30 are Charles Alexander, Ray Ratte, Saul Rigberg and Mark Yolles. The current Board liaison is George Broeckx. The committee will be organizing itself soon, developing tools and procedures for carrying out its responsibilities