Founding Meeting
There will be a Founding Meeting of the ABC that will be made up of members of the initial Steering Committee. The first General Meeting with take place within fourteen months of the Founding Meeting. General Meetings will take place annually following the first General Meeting.
Conduct of General Meeting
The chair of the Steering Committee shall preside at the General Meeting. All business shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts’ Rules of Order, latest revision.
Voting and Conduct of General Meetings
Each ABC Member shall have one vote. A quorum shall be a twenty percent of all members of the ABC. A two thirds vote of the steering committee shall override the quorum requirement. All matters except as described elsewhere in this Operational Framework shall be decided by a simple majority vote of the quorum.
Special Meetings
The Chair of the Steering Committee may, upon formal approval of the Steering Committee, call a Special Meeting of the ABC, to address a specific topic. Additionally such a call for a Special Meeting shall necessarily be issued within seven (7) days should the Chair receive written application for such a meeting, including the specific topic to be addressed, from one quarter of the ABC members.
Calling a Special Meeting
The call for a Special Meeting shall include the venue, date, time and time-zone, purpose, and agenda for the meeting; and the call shall be issued via normal channels to the ABC membership at least thirty (30) days prior to the date set for the meeting.
Conduct of Special Meetings
Special Meetings may be conducted either face-to-face, as in the Annual General Meeting, or on-line, via a ABC mailing list or similar mechanism. The technical procedure and time constraints for conducting on-line meetings shall be adopted by the Steering Committee and announced as part of the call for each Special Meeting, and shall include means for certifying attendance, and the presence or absence of a “quorum”; how to authenticate agendas, motions, parliamentary rulings, and votes; how discussions will be conducted, how moderated, and how recorded; the amount of time allowed for each stage of making, discussing, and voting on motions; how each such stage will be synchronized; and how the minutes of such meetings will be recorded, kept appropriately confidential, and approved.
Voting at Special Meetings
Voting at Special Meetings follows the same rules as apply to General Meetings.
Proxies
The Steering Committee shall designate the manner and form for proxies and shall establish a submission deadline as is necessary for proper validation of proxies prior to meetings. Questions concerning the validity of proxies shall be resolved by the Steering Committee in such a manner that they deem to be fair and appropriate.
Steering Committee Meetings
The Steering Committee shall meet at least semi-annually. A quorum shall comprise at least six (9) members. All matters shall be decided by a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the quorum except as described elsewhere in this Operational Framework. Minutes of meetings shall be taken and distributed to all Members and Liaisons.
Working Meetings
The Steering Committee may call working meetings to deal with specific subjects. Participation may be limited due to the nature of the subject being addressed.
Additional Funding and Support
The Steering Committee or Secretariat may accept funding or other support for ABC activities.

