Hello All, From: http://www.icann.org/general/bylaws.htm#AnnexA Just confirming that the Council must vote on the recommendations produced by a task force or committee. See section 11 of the PDP. Note also from section 12 that abstentions are not allowed for this vote unless they identify a financial interest in the outcome of the policy issue. Note that all viewpoints expressed by Council members during the deliberations must be included in the Board Report. Following this vote, the staff will produce the Board report, which contains the following elements: a. A clear statement of any Supermajority Vote recommendation of the Council; b. If a Supermajority Vote was not reached, a clear statement of all positions held by Council members. Each statement should clearly indicate (i) the reasons underlying each position and (ii) the constituency(ies) that held the position; c. An analysis of how the issue would affect each constituency, including any financial impact on the constituency; d. An analysis of the period of time that would likely be necessary to implement the policy; e. The advice of any outside advisors relied upon, which should be accompanied by a detailed statement of the advisor's (i) qualifications and relevant experience; and (ii) potential conflicts of interest; f. The Final Report submitted to the Council; and g. A copy of the minutes of the Council deliberation on the policy issue, including the all opinions expressed during such deliberation, accompanied by a description of who expressed such opinions. Regards, Bruce Tonkin