South Carolina State Support Committee Bylaws

Cotton Incorporated’s State Support Program budget is allocated among cotton-producing states in proportion to their cotton production. The function of the South Carolina State Support Committee is to work in conjunction with Cotton Incorporated’s Agricultural Research Division and the South Carolina Cotton Board to identify priorities and fund a research program that will address the specific needs of South Carolina cotton growers.

Meetings:

The Committee shall meet to review the previous year’s research program and to allocate funding for the next year. The committee must meet at least once each year but may hold additional meetings as needed and as determined by the Chair. Meetings will be scheduled in cooperation with Cotton Incorporated staff.

Membership:

The Committee shall be composed of both voting and non-voting members. Voting members of the committee must be involved directly in the production and processing of United States Upland cotton. Voting members will consist of:

Directors and Alternates of the Cotton Incorporated Board of Directors;
Directors and Alternates of the Cotton Board of Directors;
South Carolina Cotton Board Members

A quorum shall be a simple majority of the voting members.

Cotton Incorporated representative
Cotton Board representative
National Cotton Council Representative
State extension cotton specialist
South Carolina Department of Agriculture representative

Officers

There shall be three officers of the Committee: Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary – officers of the South Carolina Cotton Board also serve as the officers of the State Support Committee. The Chair and Vice Chair shall be approved by a majority of the voting members present. The Secretary’s position will be filled on a voluntary basis. The Secretary’s term shall be at the discretion of the Chair.

Officer Duties

The Chair shall convene and preside over meetings of the Committee.

The Vice Chair shall preside over meetings of the Committee in absence of the Chair.

The Secretary in conjunction with Cotton Incorporated staff shall be responsible for keeping records of the Committee’s actions; recording the minutes of Committee meetings; organizing meetings; sending out meeting announcements and reports of committee meetings; arranging for an appropriate Request for Proposals and distributing proposals for review; and acting as a facilitator for the Chair and the Vice-Chair.

Revisions

Revisions of these bylaws may be made by a positive vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the membership at a regular meeting.

Advisors

The Committee may consult, as needed, any advisor(s) to provide counsel and expertise in the selection and continuation of various new and continuing research projects. Advisors will be selected from, but not limited to:

Cotton Incorporated and Cotton Board Directors and Alternates
Cotton Incorporated staff member(s)
Cotton Board staff members(s)
National Cotton Council staff member(s)

Meetings

The Committee shall meet at least once each year to review projects funded in the current budget year, select projects to be funded for the upcoming budget year, and select officers upon completion of term or vacancies. The Chair may call additional meetings to conduct necessary business of the Committee. All meetings of the Committee will be scheduled to enable Cotton Incorporated and Cotton Board representatives to attend. Subcommittees may meet as necessary and will be attended by the Secretary or his designee.

Quorum

All members are expected to attend meetings of the Committee. A quorum must be present to conduct business of the Committee. A quorum consists of ½ + 1 of the voting members and must include the Chair or Vice Chair.

Revisions

Bylaw revisions may be approved at any meeting by a positive vote of at least 2/3rds of the voting members of the Committee.