Rules

Article I: Organization

1.1 Name and Status.

This organization, to be known as the Republican Committee of Allegheny County (and referred to herein as “the County Committee”), shall be the governing body of the Republican Party in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

1.2 Committees.

Committees of the County Committee shall include:

(a) The Leadership Committee, pursuant to Section 1.3 below;

(b) The Finance Committee, pursuant to Section 1.4 below;

(c) Local Committees, pursuant to Article V below; and

(d) Such further Committees as may be established by the Chair from time to time.

1.3 Leadership Committee.

The Leadership Committee shall meet at the call of the Chair and shall advise the Chair;

It shall consist of:

(a) All Republican state representatives and state senators who represent districts including at least a part of Allegheny County and who reside in Allegheny County;

(b) All Republicans who hold county wide elective office in Allegheny County;

(c) All Republican residents of Allegheny County who hold statewide elective office other than judicial office;

(d) Other Republicans who hold statewide elective office other than judicial office and who are appointed by the Chair to be members of the Leadership Committee;

(e) Other Republican residents of Allegheny County who hold county wide, statewide or national Republican Party or affiliated Republican organizational office;

(f) The Officers of the County Committee and the Chair of the Finance Committee; and

(g) Up to twelve additional members who are Republican residents of Allegheny County and who are appointed by the Chair to be members of the Leadership Committee. Each member of the Leadership Committee, other than a member pursuant to subsection 1.3(g), may be represented at meetings of such Committee by such person, as he or she shall appoint.

1.4 Finance Committee.

The Finance Committee shall be responsible for fund raising for the County Committee. It shall consist of a Chair of the Finance Committee, who shall be appointed by the County Chair, the Treasurer of the County Committee and such number of members as shall be appointed. Members shall be appointed by the County Chair on the recommendation of the Chair of the Finance Committee.

Article II: Members of the County Committee

2.1 Members.

Members of the County Committee shall be:

(a) Republican County Committeemen and Republican County Committeewomen elected as provided in Section 2.2;

(b) Members appointed to fill vacancies in accordance with Section 2.2;

(c) The Officers of the County Committee and the Chair of the Finance Committee, whether or not they are members otherwise; and

(d) Chairs and Vice Chairs of Local Committees, in accordance with Section 5.3.

2.2 Election and Appointment.

Elected members of the County Committee shall be one man and one woman from each election district in Allegheny County and each must be a registered Republican voter in such election district. The respective offices shall be called “Republican County Committeeman” and “Republican County Committeewoman” and shall be filled by election at the primary in Presidential election years. The County Chair may appoint persons qualified for election to such position to fill a vacancy and, with the consent of the Chair of the Local Committee, the County Chair may appoint any registered Republican voter in the same municipality to fill a vacancy, whether or not such voter meets the other requirements for election. No appointed Committee Member shall have voting rights until the County Chair has executed the requisite appointment certificate. The County Chair, with the consent of the Chair of the local Committee, may appoint any registered Republican voter in the same municipality as an associate, non-voting, member of the County and Local Committee. Associate Members shall serve at the pleasure of the Local Committee Chair.

2.3 Vacancies.

Vacancies in the Office of Committeeman and Committeewoman shall exist whenever: (a) no Committee Member is elected to the position according to law; (b) a Committee Member dies, changes registration, is removed, resigns; or (c) moves from the election district in which he or she resided when elected or appointed, except in the case of a Member appointed to serve a district in which he or she does not reside who subsequently moves into that district. Any and all vacancies shall be filled as provided in section 2.2.

2.4 Duties and Code of Conduct.

Duties of County Committee Members for Election Districts shall include (a) assisting the Republican Party in finding and nominating well qualified candidates for public office; (b) helping to maximize votes in the Member’s election district for Republican Candidates, by assisting voters to register, by assisting voters who need absentee ballots to acquire them, by supporting Republican candidates, and by urging Republican voters to vote; (c) watching out for the proper interests of the Republican Party and its members at the polling place; and (d) attending meetings of the County and Local Committees and submitting an absentee ballot or proxy when attendance is not possible; and (e) performing other activities to advance the interest of the Republican Party. All Committee Members shall agree to submit any dispute concerning the operation, interpretation and application of these Rules and any Local Committee Rules or By-Laws to the Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Procedure set forth in Article X herein, and shall refrain from instituting any legal action against the County Committee, any local Committee, or any officers thereof other than as provided for in Article X.

2.5 Removal.

Whenever it shall appear that a County Committee Member (a) is not a qualified Republican elector, (b) is publicly opposing or campaigning against the Republican Party or any of its nominated candidates, (c) is neglecting or refusing to attend to duties of the office, or (d) refuses to follow and abide by the Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Procedure set forth in Article X, (e) is guilty of seriously unethical behavior in his or her role as a Committee Member, County or Local Officer, or (f) is, while a Member, convicted of a felony, serious misdemeanor, or other crime that damages the reputation of the Republican party or any of its committees, officers, candidates or elected officials, a board (known as The Hearing Board) of three qualified County Committee Members, appointed by the County Chair, shall at the request of the County Chair, investigate the matter. If the Hearing Board finds that a hearing is appropriate, it shall notify the Member concerned of the time and place of hearing. If upon investigation and after hearing it finds that grounds for removal exist, it shall so report in writing to the County Chair, who may declare the office vacant, suspend the Member concerned, or take other action appropriate under the circumstances.

2.6 Term.

The terms of elected and appointed Members shall expire upon the certification of the results of the Presidential primary election next following their election or appointment.

Article III: Officers of the County Committee

3.1 Officers.

The officers of the Allegheny County Republican Committee shall be a Chair, a Vice Chair, a Treasurer, a Secretary, a Solicitor and assistant officers (other than Assistant Treasurers) as the Chair shall designate from time to time.

3.2 Qualifications.

An officer or assistant officer shall be a registered Republican elector in Allegheny County but need not be a Member of the County Committee when assuming office.

3.3 Election and Appointment.

The Chair, the Vice Chair and the Treasurer shall be elected at the quadrennial Organizational Meeting and shall hold office until their respective successors have been duly elected. The Secretary, the Solicitor, and other assistant officers (other than Assistant Treasurers) shall be appointed by the Chair. Assistant Treasurers may be appointed by the Treasurer with the consent of the County Chair. The Secretary, Solicitor, and assistant officers shall hold office until their successors have been duly appointed.

3.4 Chair.

The Chair shall be the head of the Republican Party in Allegheny County and of the County Committee and shall direct their affairs. The Chair shall be ex officio a voting member of all Committees other than Local Committees. The Chair shall submit an annual budget to the Finance Committee.

3.5 Vice Chair.

The Vice Chair shall assist the Chair and shall, in the event of a vacancy in the office of Chair, act as Chair until a new Chair has been elected in accordance with these Rules. The Vice Chair shall be a member ex officio of all committees other than Local Committees.

3.6 Treasurer.

The Treasurer shall control all funds of the County Committee and shall pay the same out only at the direction of the Chair. The Treasurer shall keep records of all money received and paid out in books kept for that purpose and shall make all filings required by law. The books shall be available for inspection by the Chair, the Chair’s designee, the Finance Committee, and auditors for the County Committee.

An annual examination or review shall be rendered by a certified public accountant and a report shall be made to the County Committee.

3.7 Secretary.

The Secretary shall keep minutes of the proceedings of the County Committee and the Leadership Committee and shall maintain all of their documents and records.

3.8 Solicitor.

The Solicitor shall advise the Chair and the County Committee with respect to legal matters. The Solicitor or the Solicitor’s designee(s) shall be Parliamentarian and Judge of Elections for meetings of the County Committee.

3.9 Vacancies.

In the event of a vacancy in any office other than Chair, the Chair shall appoint a replacement. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chair, the Vice Chair shall promptly call a meeting of the Committee in accordance with Article IV to fill the vacancy by vote, to be held within forty-five (45) days of the occurrence of the vacancy.

3.10 Removal.

Any Officer of the County Committee may be removed by vote of the Members at a meeting, provided that the proposed removal is stated in the call of the meeting. Such removal requires the affirmative vote of not less than one-half of the total number of Members then in office and of not less than two-thirds of the Members voting at such meeting. Removal of an officer other than the Chair may also be accomplished pursuant to Section 2.54 above. Assistant Officers shall serve at the pleasure of the County Chair.

Article IV: Meetings and Elections

4.1 Call of Meetings.

The Chair shall call an Organizational Meeting of the County Committee in each Presidential election year, to be held within forty-five (45) days after the results of the election of County Committee members have been certified, and may call other meetings when the Chair deems appropriate. A meeting may also be called by a petition signed by not less than one-third of the Committee members in office.

4.2 Meetings of a Committee of a District.

(a) General Provisions. For purposes of endorsements and for filling vacancies on the ballot, meetings may be held of those Committee members serving in districts less than the whole of Allegheny County which are districts from which one or more public officials are elected, and when such districts cross county lines, meetings may be held jointly with State Republican Committee conferees in the portions of the district outside Allegheny County consistent with the applicable Rules of the Republican State Committee of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (the “State Committee Rules”). Appointed Committee Members shall vote only for offices elected by districts which include the election district to which they are appointed and Chairs and Vice Chairs of local committees who are not also members of the Committee for an election district shall vote only for offices elected by districts which include their election district of residence. The voting procedures at such meetings shall be as set forth in Section 4.6.

(b) Selection of and Apportionment of Conferees. In districts that include municipalities outside Allegheny County and that are subject to Rule 10.2 of the State Committee Rules, conferees from Allegheny County shall be selected as follows. All municipalities in which at least one thousand votes (or the current applicable State Committee Rule threshold) were cast for the nominee of the Republican Party for President at the last preceding Presidential election shall be entitled to one conferee. That conferee shall be the chairperson of the Local Committee, or if there is no chairperson, the vice chairperson. If there is no chairperson or vice chairperson, then the County Chair shall select the conferee from among the Local Republican Committee members, or if there is no organized Local Committee in the municipality, from the registered Republican voters in that municipality. In municipalities that cast two thousand or more votes for the last preceding Republican presidential nominee, the Local Committee shall be entitled to an additional conferee for each thousand votes cast in that municipality over the first thousand. Additional conferees from each such Local Committee shall be chosen as follows. The second conferee shall be the Local Committee vice chairperson. If there is no vice chairperson, then the County Chair shall select the second conferee from among the remaining Local Committee members. If a municipality is entitled to more than two conferees, the additional conferees shall be selected from among the remaining Local Committee members according to the following formula. If the additional number of conferees to be selected is even, the Local Chair shall choose one-half of that number from the Local Committee members and the County Chair from shall choose one-half of that number from the Local Committee members. If the additional number of conferees to be selected is odd, then the Local Chair and the County Chair shall each choose an equal number of conferees from the Local Committee, and the Local Chair shall select the remaining additional conferee. If the local Chair does not make a timely selection of conferees, then the County Chair shall exercise his duty to make a selection. In making these selections, both the Local Chair and the County Chair shall give precedence to elected committee members, but if there are not sufficient elected committee members to serve as a municipality’s allotment of conferees, than the Local Chair and County Chair may select appointed committee members who were appointed prior to the existence of the vacancy in the office or ballot position that is being filled. If there are not a sufficient number of committee members in a municipality to fill that municipality’s allotment, or there is no Local Committee in a municipality entitled to have conferees, then the County Chair shall select the necessary number of conferees from among the registered Republican voters in that municipality. To the extent that the total number of conferees allotted to that portion of Allegheny County in the district exceeds the number of conferees to be chosen pursuant to the procedures above, then the County Chair shall select the remaining conferees from among the registered Republican voters residing in the district; provided, however, that the County Chair shall exercise his or her best reasonable efforts to select the additional conferees from among the committee members residing in municipalities in the district that did not cast at least one thousand votes for the last Republican presidential nominee, and at least one such conferee shall be a committee member from those municipalities if there are any such committee members. The total number of conferees from any municipality shall not be greater than two more than the number of thousand votes it cast for the last Republican presidential nominee.

4.3 Nominating Petitions.

Nomination for County Committee elective office shall be by petition bearing the signatures of no fewer than fifty (50) Committee Members. No member may sign more than one petition for any office.

4.4 Notice.

Written notice of a meeting shall be given at least fifteen (15) days in advance, except that meetings under Article VI may be held on shorter notice when reasonably needed for meeting Election Department deadlines.

4.5 Absentee Ballots and Proxies.

Absentee ballots or proxies shall be made available to Committee Members who are unable to attend a meeting of the County Committee or vote in a County Committee election in person. Written proxies of members may be held by other members eligible to vote who attend in person, but no member may hold the proxy of more than one other member. Rules with respect to whether voting shall be by absentee ballot or by proxy and the procedures to be followed in so voting shall be designated by the Judge of Elections and stated in the call of the meeting.

4.6 Voting: Endorsements and Selection of Nominees.

(a) Procedure if Absentee Ballots Are Permitted. When a vote on an endorsement or for the selection of a nominee is held and absentee balloting occurs a plurality of the votes cast shall be sufficient for endorsement or selection. If a tie for the endorsement or nomination exists, the Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer shall break the tie by majority vote.

(b) Procedure When No Absentee Ballots Are Permitted. When a vote on an endorsement or for the selection of a nominee is held and absentee balloting does not occur, a majority of the whole number of Committee Members casting votes, including proxies validly held, if any, shall be required for endorsement or selection. When the first ballot is inconclusive because the requirement of a majority vote is not met, one or more subsequent ballots shall be held, from among all of the candidates in the preceding balloting, deleting, however, any candidate(s) who withdraws and if no candidate withdraws, deleting the person who received the smallest number of votes on such prior ballot. In the event there is a tie for last place and the remaining candidates number at least one more than the positions to be filled, all of the candidates who are tied for last place shall be deleted. In the event there is a tie for last place but the remaining candidates do not number at least one more than the positions to be filled, the candidate to be deleted shall be chosen by lot from among those tied for last place. If, after the above procedure has been applied, a tie vote continues to exist between the last two candidates remaining for one position, and after three additional ballots said candidates remain tied, the Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer shall break the tie by majority vote.

4.7 Voting: Elections.

(a) General Rules. All members shall be entitled to vote at all meetings, except that Members who are appointed pursuant to Section 2.2 between the Presidential primary and the Organizational Meeting shall not be entitled to vote at that Organizational Meeting. Certain previously appointed Members may vote at the Organizational Meeting if they qualify under the provisions of Section 4.7(b) below. Members who are appointed pursuant to Section 2.2 between the occurrence of a vacancy in the office of Chair and the meeting at which such vacancy is to be filled shall not be entitled to vote at such meeting.

(b) Exception for Certain Appointed Members. The following appointed members may vote at the Organizational Meeting. At least thirty (30) days prior to the Presidential primary election, the Local Committee Chair shall submit to the County Chair a list of appointed Committee Members from that municipality who:

(1) have been appointed for more than two years prior to the Presidential primary; and

(2) have been appointed to serve for election districts in which they do not reside and for which no Republican County Committee candidate is on the primary ballot; and

(3) have not filed for election in the district of their residence where the existing Committee Member for that district is running for election or re-election.

Such persons, upon verification by the County Chair that the above qualifications have been met, shall be designated as “Continuing Appointees”.

If, after the Presidential primary election results are certified, no Committee Member has been elected in a district for which a Continuing Appointee has been serving, notwithstanding anything in Section 2.6 to the contrary, that Continuing Appointee shall remain as a Committee Member through the Organizational Meeting and may vote at same. Upon the conclusion of the Organizational Meeting the terms of any and all Continuing Appointees shall expire and all vacancies occasioned thereby shall be filled in accordance with Section 2.2.

4.8 Quorum.

Attendance, whether in person, by absentee ballot or by proxy, of twenty percent of the whole number of Members then in office and eligible to vote shall constitute a quorum.

4.9 Judge of Elections.

The Judge of Elections shall make appropriate rules with respect to the conduct of elections. Such rules shall be in accordance with fairness and the spirit of these rules.

Article V: Local Committees

5.1 Designation.

There shall be a local Republican committee (”Local Committee”) in each municipality (including the City of Pittsburgh) and in each Council District of the City of Pittsburgh. The members of the County Committee in each municipality and in each Council District of the City of Pittsburgh, together with their respective chairs and vice chairs (See Section 5.3 below), shall constitute the Local Committee in each municipality and Pittsburgh City Council District. Regional Chairs may also call and convene regional meetings.

5.2 Responsibility.

Each Local Committee shall be responsible for the Republican election campaigns within its respective area, in cooperation with and under the general authority of the County Committee and shall assure the education of its members in the duties, goals and techniques of Republican Committee Members.

5.3 Officers.

Each Local Committee shall have a chair, vice chair, treasurer, and such other officers as the Local Committee shall deem advisable, but all officers shall be registered Republicans within the same municipality. Any person selected as chair or vice chair of a Local Committee shall be for that reason a member of the County and Local Committee while so serving, whether or not he or she was a member of the County Committee when selected. Vacancies in any Local Committee office shall be filled by a vote of the Local Committee, or as otherwise provided in the rules of that Local Committee.

5.4 Resignation or Removal from County Committee.

Any person who resigns or is removed from the County Committee shall thereupon cease to be a member of the Local Committee. A Committee Member may be removed only as set forth in Section 2.5 herein.

5.5 Registration as a Political Committee.

Each Local Committee shall be responsible for maintaining financial records and filing all reports required by the Pennsylvania Elections Code, and when required, shall register the political committee in accordance with the Pennsylvania Elections Code.

5.6 Local Committee Rules.

Each Local Committee may have rules, which shall not be inconsistent with the Rules of the County Committee, and shall at all times maintain a current copy of such rules on file at the office of the County Committee, and at such other places as may be required by the Pennsylvania Elections Code. Only those Local Committee rules on file shall be considered in effect. The Local Committee rules shall be made available upon request to any member of the Local Committee. Local Committee rules must have a minimum five day written notice requirement for any meeting, provided, however, that a written regular meeting schedule need only be disseminated once annually at least five days before the first regular meeting. At any meeting of the Local Committee at which it shall (a) elect local officers, (b) endorse candidates for the Republican nomination in a primary election, or (c) select a Republican nominee to fill a vacancy on the general election ballot or to appear on a special election ballot, absentee ballots or proxies shall be made available to Committee Members who are unable to attend in person. Written proxies of members may be held by other members eligible to vote who attend in person, but no member may hold the proxy of more than one other member. Rules with respect to whether voting shall be by absentee ballot or proxy and the procedures to be followed in so voting shall be stated in the call of the meeting. All other rules and procedures relating to absentee and proxy voting shall be governed by the Local Committee’s rules. No Local Committee Officers may be removed by the Local Committee other than according to Section 3.10 herein. In the event any Local Committee does not have local rules, the process and procedures set forth in these rules shall operate as that Local Committee’s rules.

5.7 Reorganizations.

Each Local Committee shall reorganize and select officers within forty-five (45) days after the results of the election of County Committee members have been certified.

Immediately thereafter, the Local Committee shall notify the County Committee of the names, addresses, and titles of the Local Committee officers. A Local Committee shall immediately notify the County Committee office of any change in the Local Committee officers between reorganizations.

5.8 City of Pittsburgh.

This Article V shall apply both to the City of Pittsburgh and to each of its Council Districts.

5.9 Conflict Between County and Local Rules.

In the event there is any conflict between the operation and effect of these County Rules and any Local Committee rules, or in the absence of an applicable local rule, these County Rules shall prevail. With respect to any numerical requirement relating to notice, the calling of a meeting, establishing a quorum, and selecting or removing officers, the provisions set forth in these Rules shall serve as a minimum requirement.

Article VI: Vacancy on Ballot

6.1 Offices in Districts Including More than a Single Municipality.

In the event of a vacancy occurring on the Republican ticket for the general or any special election other than for an office to be elected entirely within a single municipality, the Chair of the Republican Party of Allegheny County shall call a meeting in accordance with Section 4.2 above for the purpose of filing such vacancy as soon as practical after it occurs. Voting shall be in accordance with Article IV.

6.2 Offices in Districts within a Single Municipality.

In the event of a vacancy occurring on the Republican ticket for the general or any special election where the office is to be elected entirely within a single municipality, the vacancy shall be filled in accordance with the rules of the Local Committee for that municipality. In the event there are not provisions on the subject in such rules, the vacancy shall be filled by vote of the Local Committee in a meeting duly held, the notice for which includes a statement that such vacancy will be filled.

6.3 Fallback Provision.

If a meeting under Section 6.1 or 6.2 fails to fill the vacancy because of the absence of a quorum or if for any reason there is insufficient time before the last day to file a substitute nomination or the printing of the ballot such that it would be impractical to convene such a meeting, a meeting of the Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary of the County Committee, or of the Local Committee, as the case may be, shall be convened, at which the selection of nominee shall be made from those persons recommended by known Republican electors from the district in which the vacancy occurs.

Article VII: State Committee Members.

7.1 Election.

Republican State Committee Members from Allegheny County shall be elected in the Republican Primary of the even numbered years, an equal number of men and women from each State Senatorial district wholly or partially within Allegheny County. State Committee seats shall be apportioned as follows. The whole number of State Committee Members shall be divided by the number of State Senatorial districts such that the greatest equal even number of members is allotted to each district. If Allegheny County shall be entitled to more State Committee members than would be so elected, the remainder shall be apportioned among the districts according to their Republican registration. The districts shall be allotted two additional seats, one of each sex, first to the district with the greatest Republican registration, and then to each succeeding district in descending order of their Republican registration until all seats have been allotted. If the number of State Committee members to be elected is odd, the one odd-numbered elected State Committee member shall be elected at large and may be of either sex. If Allegheny County shall be entitled to fewer than two State Committee Members per State Senatorial district, then one member each shall be taken from the required number of districts, such districts to be those with the lowest Republican voter registration within Allegheny County. In the latter case, the remaining member from the district may be of either sex.

7.2 Vacancies.

In the event of a vacancy in any office of State Committee Member from Allegheny County, the Chair shall fill the vacancy by appointment of a Republican elector who meets all of the requirements for election to such office, to fill the remainder of the term.

Article VIII: Amendments

8.1 Procedure.

These Rules may be amended from time to time by a two-thirds vote of the members of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County voting at a properly constituted meeting, provided that the substance of the proposed amendment has been included in the call of the meeting.

Article IX: Parliamentary Authority.

9.1 Authority.

Roberts Rules of Order (revised) shall be the parliamentary authority at all meetings under these Rules.

Article X: Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

10.1 Notice of Dispute and Mediation.

All Committee Members agree and acknowledge that it is beneficial to the Republican Party that any internal disputes among Committee Members, Republican candidates, nominees and elected officials, concerning the operation and application of these Rules and any Local Committee rules be resolved within the Party, and not be subjected to litigation in the state or federal courts. Therefore, all Committee Members agree that they will attempt to resolve any such dispute, including but not limited to (a) conflicts within Local Committee rules; (b) disputes concerning alleged conflicts between these Rules and any Local Committee rules; (c) the disputes concerning the application, interpretation, or effect of any of these Rules or any Local Committee rules; (d) who is an endorsed candidate in the primary election; (e) and who is a duly appointed member of the County Committee, within five (5) business days of the date that the dispute is identified in writing to the other party. If the parties cannot resolve their dispute, the County Chair, or the Chair’s designee, shall schedule and preside over a mediation conference between the interested parties within the following three (3) business days.

10.2 Arbitration.

If the interested parties cannot resolve a dispute among themselves or through mediation, then they agree to submit the dispute to arbitration as set forth herein. Within five (5) business days after the mediation conference, each side shall select one registered Republican elector in Allegheny County to be an arbitrator, and those two arbitrators shall select a third person to act as a neutral arbitrator and complete the three person arbitration panel. If within five (5) business days the two party selected arbitrators have not chosen a neutral arbitrator, then the County Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer shall, by majority vote, select as expeditiously as possible a third arbitrator. The arbitrators shall establish the procedures and schedule for the hearing of the dispute. All Committee Members agree that submitting the dispute to arbitration is required before a party may pursue any legal remedies or commence any action at law or in equity, that the decision of the arbitrators shall be final and conclusive, and that such decision may not be appealed, modified, or vacated except as provided by law. This arbitration provision shall be governed by The Uniform Arbitration Act, as enacted in Pennsylvania, 42 Pa.C.S. § 7301, et seq., as amended.

10.3 Election Code.

This Article shall not act to abrogate or prejudice any person’s right to commence an action at law or in equity in a court of proper jurisdiction concerned with an issue solely within the scope of the Pennsylvania Election Code, or should arbitration be untimely or impractical with respect to that person’s rights and duties under the Election Code.

As adopted on January 10, 1998 and amended through September 22, 2002