About Us

About the Caucus

The Veterans' Caucus of the Minnesota DFL Party was established to address the concerns of the state's 460,000 veterans.  We are also interested in actionable policy issues affecting active duty military members, reservists, National Guard, family members and survivors.  Veterans Caucus membership is open to members of the Minnesota DFL Party.  One does not need to be a veteran to be a member of the caucus.

Who are We? We the People We are Veterans We served our Country in the Army, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Air Force, the Coast Guard, and the Merchant Marine. We took an oath to “Support and defend the Constitution of the United States, against all enemies, foreign and domestic” when we began our military service. While we are no longer obligated to the perpetual commitment to “duty, honor, country,” many of us still feel loyal to supporting and defending the Constitution and all 27 of its amendments.  We remain dedicated to the concept of freedom, and the ideal that America is the greatest democracy.  When we feel our Constitution is threatened by enemies foreign or domestic, we become defensive. We are inspired to action.  Political action is our weapon of choice.  We arm ourselves with knowledge and commitment in the solidarity of remaining loyal to the Constitution we supported and defended during our military careers. We take the high ground and stand for the core values we learned during our military service, and we embrace the principles of the Democratic National Party and the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.  We are inspired by the freedoms that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt talked about in 1940: Freedom of Speech Freedom of Religion Freedom from Fear Freedom from Want The United States of America has 27 million veterans.  2007 marked the 90th anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War I, and several veterans of that war are still living.  Other American veterans served their country in World War II, in Korea, in Viet Nam, in the Gulf War, in Kosovo, in Afghanistan, in Iraq, other places around the globe, and in times of peace. 460,000 veterans live in Minnesota.  We outnumber the active duty United States Army and Marine Corps combined.  We invite you to stand with us to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, against all enemies, foreign and domestic.  We invite you to help us elect candidates that will represent us in a government that is of the people, by the people, and for the people. The people of the United States need our help to preserve a union with a strong Constitution, and a standard of living that includes truth, justice, and the American Way

Mission Statement DFL Veterans Caucus Mission Statement: Serve as a voice for veterans in the political process. Advise the DFL Party and candidates on veterans' issues. Advocate for veterans and their families.

Executive Committee Your DFL Veterans Caucus Executive Committee     The DFL Veterans Caucus held its 4th Annual Business Meeting on June 6th, during which officers were elected for a new term.        2009 DFL Veterans Caucus Executive Committee         Chair - Trista Matascastillo         Associate Chair - Daniel Fanning         Secretary - Sue Rego         Treasurer - Cheryl Poling         Director - Wayne Whitman         Director - Jeff Johnson         Director - John Wexler         Director CD1 - Norm Oppegard         Director CD2 - Open         Director CD3 - Chuck Sporer         Director CD4 - Open         Director CD5 - Open         Director CD6 - Open         Director CD7 - Open         Director CD8 - Ken Kalish       Note: The open Regional Director seats can be filled by special election when members in a congressional district are prepared to establish a subcaucus.

Constitution and Bylaws Amendments to the DFL Veterans Caucus Constitution and Bylaws were adopted on September 29th, 2007 CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF THE MINNESOTA DFL VETERANS CAUCUS ARTICLE I ORGANIZATION NAME Section 1. Name. The name of this organization is the DFL Veterans Caucus. This Caucus is an affiliate of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party by virtue of a charter granted by the Minnesota DFL Party State Central Committee. ARTICLE II PURPOSE Section 1. Encourage veterans, veteran family members, and other Minnesotans who share the same interests and goals, to participate in mainstream politics. The Caucus shall provide the leadership, recruitment effort and support necessary to encourage veterans to participate in local, state and national politics. Section 2. Create Forums. The Caucus shall initiate forums, so that politicians and veteran participants would have a chance to interact and come to an understanding and/or agreement on issues. Section 3. Recruit Candidates. The Caucus shall recruit, support and assist veteran candidates to run for local, state, and national political offices. Section 4. Influence DFL endorsed officials. The Caucus shall lobby and provide campaign contributions to DFL endorsed officials as a mechanism for veterans' issues. ARTICLE III LIMITATIONS Section 1. Activities. All activities of the DFL Veterans Caucus shall be in accordance with the purposes, principles, and policies of the Caucus as outlined in this Constitution and by the State DFL Constitution. Section 2. Self Interest. No part of the DFL Veterans Caucus net income shall inure to the benefit of any Executive Officer. Upon the DFL Veterans Caucus' dissolution or liquidation, no member shall share in or receive any funds or other remaining assets. If such funds or other assets were raised for capital purposes, they shall be returned to the donors on a pro-rata basis. If they were raised for program or general operations, they shall be contributed to the Minnesota DFL Party. Section 3. Status. Except to the extent specifically limited in this Constitution and in any duly adopted By-Laws, the DFL Veterans Caucus shall have all powers granted by the State DFL Constitution and by Minnesota statute to non-profit corporations. ARTICLE IV MEMBERSHIP Section 1. Membership. Membership in this DFL Veterans Caucus is open to all Veterans and other Minnesotans who share the same interest and the same goals of the Caucus and who support the principles of the Minnesota DFL Party. No member of any other political party may be a member of this Caucus. Section 2. Registration. Membership registration will be acknowledged in writing to the member. Voluntary membership dues of ten dollars ($10) should be paid on an annual basis. Such member dues, however, may be reduced or waived in cases of financial hardship or in recognition of volunteer work done for the Caucus. All members are encouraged to serve on at least one committee. Section 3. Voting Member. A member is considered a voting member if they have paid their annual dues, or received a waiver for those dues, at least ten (10) business days prior to the meeting or vote in question. Section 4. Member Quorums. A member quorum shall be ten percent (10%) of the number of members who are in good standing. Mail ballots shall be counted towards quorum on those questions where they apply. Voting by proxy is not allowed at meetings of the Caucus or its sub-units. Section 5. Eligibility for Party Office. Pursuant to the principles of affirmative action as stated in the DFL State Constitution, Bylaws and Call, persons who meet the membership requirements of Article II, Section 1, are eligible for election to any Caucus office. There shall be no age requirement for Caucus office save where prescribed by law. ARTICLE V SUBORDINATION This Constitution is subordinate to the pertinent parts of the Minnesota State DFL Party Constitution and Bylaws and other related State DFL Party documents. ARTICLE VI ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION Section 1. Executive Committee. The DFL Veterans Caucus Executive Committee shall be the governing body between the annual meetings of the Caucus. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Chair, Associate Chair, four (4) At-Large Directors and eight (8) Regional Directors, one for each of the state's congressional districts. All of these officers shall be elected at the annual meeting held in odd numbered year. a. Election of Regional Directors. Regional Directors shall be elected by voting Caucus members who reside in the same CD as the candidate and the Directorship being sought. There must be a minimum of ten (10) voting members taking part in the vote for each Regional Director. Otherwise, the seat will remain open until an election can be held. The Executive Committee may appoint an interim Regional Director for a period not to exceed 180 days, during which time a special election must be held to seat an elected Regional Director. Section 2. Other Committees. From time to time, the Executive Committee of the Caucus may appoint specific committees to carry out various assignments. Each of these appointed committees shall have such duties and responsibilities as are granted to it by the Executive Committee and shall at all times be subject to the control and direction of the Executive Committee. Section 3. Meetings. Each committee of this Caucus may establish the time for its regular meetings and may change that time as it from time to time deems advisable. Special meetings of any committee of this Caucus may be called by the Chair of that committee or by the Caucus Chair. Section 4. Quorum. Unless otherwise provided by the Executive Committee, a majority of a committee (51%) will constitute a quorum. The act of a majority of the members present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be considered an act of the committee. Section 5. Duties of Officers. a. CHAIR: It shall be the duty of the Caucus Chair to preside at meetings of the Executive Committee. The Chair shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Caucus. He or she may execute, on behalf of the Caucus, all instruments in writing which may be required or authorized by the Executive Committee for the proper and necessary transaction of the business of the Caucus. b. ASSOCIATE CHAIR: The Associate Chair shall preside at Executive Committee meetings in the absence of the Chair. It shall further be his/her duty to assist the Chair in the discharge of his/her duties. The execution by the Associate Chair on behalf of this Caucus of any instrument shall have the same force and effect as if it were executed on behalf of the Caucus by the Chair. c. SECRETARY: It shall be the duty of the Secretary to preserve the minutes, attendance records of all proceedings of the Executive Committee and for the secure custody of the records, documents and papers of this Caucus. The Secretary shall, at the direction of the Chair, notify members of the Executive Committee pertaining to meetings of this organization. The Secretary shall also perform such other duties as may be assigned to him or her from time to time by the Executive Committee. d. TREASURER: The Treasurer shall have charge of the funds of this organization, and shall make no disbursements thereof without authority or ratification by the Executive Committee or the Chair. It shall further be the duty of the Treasurer to perform all other duties usually incident to the office. e. DIRECTORS: The Executive Committee shall assign duties to the Directors elected by the Caucus. In addition, the Regional Directors shall have general supervision of the affairs of their respective Caucus CD Units and shall be empowered to hold elections for other offices within their Caucus CD Units or appoint interim officers for those positions, as necessary. f. ADDITIONAL POWERS: Any Officer of this Caucus, in addition to the powers conferred upon him or her by this Constitution, shall have such powers and perform such additional duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Executive Committee. Section 6. General Powers. The Executive Committee of the DFL Veterans Caucus shall manage its business in accordance with this Constitution and any duly adopted Bylaws. Section 7. Terms of Office. Each elected Officer shall hold office for a term of two (2) years. Section 8. Dismissal for Cause. The DFL Veterans Caucus may dismiss a member for cause on grounds of clear misfeasance and/or malfeasance in office. For such dismissal, a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the members of the Caucus present and eligible to vote at a duly called meeting of the Caucus is required, but only after the member has been given (30) days written notice specifying the cause and a hearing. Section 9. Vacancies. A vacancy occurs for the following reasons: resignation, death, change of residence to a location outside of Minnesota, change of residence of a Regional Director to a location in a different Congressional district or dismissed for cause. A majority vote of a quorum at a properly conducted membership or executive committee meeting is sufficient to declare a vacancy. The Executive Committee, by a majority vote of the quorum, may fill such a vacancy at a meeting properly called after notice of intent to elect. Only those vacancies specified in the meeting notice may be filled at that meeting, except no notice is required if the vacancy was created at the meeting due to the dismissal or election to another position. Vacancies shall be filled within (60) days of their occurrence. Section 10. Consecutive Terms. No Officer shall serve in the same office for more than six (6) consecutive years in the same position. After serving the maximum period, that member shall not be considered for election for a minimum of four (4) years. Section 11. CD Caucus Units. Caucus members residing within a particular Minnesota U.S. Congressional District are encouraged to organize and operate a chapter of the Caucus in that district (‘CD Caucus') in order to further the purposes and activities of the Caucus. Caucus members seeking to form such a CD Caucus must create a constitution compatible with the Caucus constitution and must apply to the (state) Caucus for recognition as an official CD Caucus. Section 12. Subchapters. Caucus members residing within a smaller geographic unit such as a county or a city may also form a local unit of the Caucus, in order to further the purposes and activities of the Caucus. Members seeking to form such a subchapter must create a constitution compatible with the Caucus constitution; this constitution must be approved by the local CD Caucus, if such a CD Caucus exists. Subchapters must regularly report their activities to the CD Caucus or state Board that has approved it, and must operate in accordance with the constitution of the (state) Caucus. ARTICLE VII MEETINGS OF THE CAUCUS Section 1. Annual Meeting of the Membership. The Annual Meeting of the DFL Veterans Caucus shall be held at a time and place designated by the Executive Committee. Written or electronic notice of the time, location and purpose of the meeting shall be sent to all voting members at least twenty-one days prior to the Meeting. Section 24. Special Meetings of the Membership. Special Meetings of the Membership may be called by the Caucus Chair, by a majority of the Executive Committee, or by a petition of twenty percent (20%) of the state's members. Written or electronic notice of the time, location and purpose of the meeting shall be sent to all voting members at least fourteen (14) days prior to the Meeting. Specific questions to be decided by the members may be submitted to the members in the notice of the meeting; members may vote on such ‘Mail Ballot' questions either by mail or in person at the member meeting. A Mail Ballot shall be counted toward the member quorum on the question that it addresses. Mail Ballots may also be used for the annual election of the Caucus officers. Section 3. Regular Meetings of Executive Committee. The Executive Committee of the DFL Veterans Caucus will meet at least six (6) times per year at times and locations determined by the Chair and other Officers. Executive Committee members will be notified of the date, time and location of each meeting at least ten (10) days in advance nor less than seventy-two (72) hours by telephone or other electronic means. An agenda shall be prepared by the Caucus Chair prior to the meetings of the Executive Committee and shall be included in all notices. Section 4. Special Meetings of Executive Committee. Special Meetings of the Executive Committee may be called by the Chair, acting alone or upon direction of the majority of the Executive Committee, provided the purpose of the meeting, place, date and time have been clearly stated in the meeting notice. Special meetings may be called with at least 72 hours advance notice as prescribed in the State DFL Constitution. Section 5. Missed Meetings. Any Officer who misses three regular meetings of the Executive Committee, without notifying the Secretary or person designated to act as Secretary in advance of the meeting, will be removed from his/her position in the Caucus. Section. 6. Quorum. At all meetings of the Executive Committee, each Officer shall be entitled to cast one vote on any issue for which a vote is required. A majority of the Executive Officers and Directors (51%) shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting. If less than a majority is present, a majority of those present may adjourn the meeting from time to time without further notice. A majority vote of the Executive Officers and Directors present at any time, if there be a quorum, shall be sufficient to transact any business, unless a greater number may be required by law or this Constitution. Section 7. Adjourned Meetings. When a meeting of the Executive Committee is adjourned to another time and/or place, notice of the rescheduling of the adjourned meeting need not be given other than by announcement at the meeting in which the decision to adjourn is made. Section 8. Written Action. Any action that could be taken at a meeting of the Executive Committee may be taken without a meeting when authorized in writing and signed by all of the Officers and Directors. ARTICLE VIII GENERAL RULES Section 1. Disposition of Party Records. Upon leaving office, a Caucus officer shall turn over all Caucus records, books, and properties to his/her successor. Section 2. Amendments. a. Proposal and Review. Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed by a member of the Executive Committee or by any voting member of the Caucus. No vote shall be held for any amendment unless the nature of the amendment was described in a proper notice of the Executive Committee or in a member meeting. b. Adoption of Amendments. Amendments to the Constitution must be approved by a two-thirds vote of voting members at a properly noticed member meeting. Section 3. Bylaws and Their Amendment. Bylaws concerning matters not expressly governed by nor in conflict with this Constitution or the State DFL Constitution may be adopted or amended by a majority vote of the Caucus annual meeting. Bylaws may also be adopted or amended by the Caucus' Executive Committee, provided such adoption or change receives a sixty percent (60%) vote of approval. A copy of any proposed change in the bylaws shall be included in the meeting notice. Section 4. Endorsement. If the regular party units of the Minnesota DFL Party have endorsed a candidate for public office, this Caucus may not endorse or assist in any manner any other candidate other than that duly-endorsed candidate. Section 5. Deposits. All funds of this Caucus shall be deposited promptly to the Caucus's credit in such federally insured banks, trust companies or other depositories as the Executive Officers may approve or designate and all such funds shall be withdrawn only in the manners authorized from time to time by the Executive Officers. Section 6. Authority to Borrow or Encumber Assets. No Officer, agent or employee of the DFL Veterans Caucus shall have any power or authority to borrow money on the Caucus's behalf, to pledge its credit or to mortgage or pledge its real or personal property except within the scope and to the extent of the authority delegated by resolutions adopted from time to time by the Caucus Executive Committee. Authority may be given by the Executive Committee for any of the above purposes and may be general or limited to specific instances. Section 7. Books and Records. The DFL Veterans Caucus shall keep correct and complete records and books of accounts and shall also keep minutes of the meetings of its Executive Committee and other committees. The Caucus shall keep at its registered office the listing of names and addresses of all current and past Executive Officers and Directors. Section 8. Parliamentary Authority. Parliamentary matters not governed by this Constitution and its Bylaws, nor by the rules of the body in question, nor by the Constitution and Bylaws of the State DFL Party, nor by the Official Call, shall be governed by Robert's Rule of Order Newly Revised. Section 9. This Constitution and its Bylaws supersede all previous Constitutions and Bylaws of the DFL Veterans Caucus. Section 10. This Constitution shall be in full force and effect immediately after its adoption and approval by the Minnesota DFL Party State Central Committee. Constitution & Bylaws of the DFL Veterans Caucus (PDF)