(1) An amendment to the articles of a membership corporation must be adopted in the following manner:

(a) Except as provided in (e) of this subsection, a proposed amendment must be adopted by the board.

(b) Except as provided in RCW 24.03A.670 and 24.03A.675, a proposed amendment must be submitted to the members entitled to vote on the amendment, if any, for their approval.

(c) The board shall deliver to all members a recommendation that the members approve an amendment, unless the board makes a determination that because of conflicts of interest or other special circumstances it should not make such a recommendation, in which case the board shall deliver to the members the basis for that determination.

(d) The board may condition its submission of an amendment to the members on any basis. Such a condition is in addition to any approval requirements set forth in the corporation's articles or bylaws or in this chapter.

(e) If the articles or bylaws so permit, an amendment may be proposed by ten percent or more of the members entitled to vote on the amendment, or by a greater number of members if the articles or bylaws so specify. The provisions of (a), (c), and (d) of this subsection do not apply to an amendment proposed by the members under this subsection.

(f) If an amendment is required to be approved by the members, including under (e) of this subsection, and the approval is to be given at a meeting, then the corporation shall give notice to each member, whether or not entitled to vote on the amendment, of the meeting of members at which the amendment is to be submitted for approval. The notice shall state that the purpose, or one of the purposes, of the meeting is to consider the amendment and must contain or be accompanied by a copy or summary of the amendment. If a summary is provided in lieu of a copy of the amendment, then a copy must be available to members upon request and the notice shall state that fact.

(g) At a meeting described in (f) of this subsection, those members entitled to vote on the amendment may:

(i) Approve or reject the amendment exactly as provided or summarized in the notice of the meeting; or

(ii) Approve revisions to the amendment at the meeting, if the subject matter of the revisions is within the scope of the subject matter of the amendment as provided or summarized in the notice of the meeting.

(h) The board shall determine whether the subject matter of any revisions approved by members remains within the scope of the subject matter of the amendment as provided or summarized in the notice of the meeting. If the board determines that the revisions approved by the members are not within that scope, then the amendment is deemed rejected by the membership. If the board determines that the revisions by members are within scope, then the board may:

(i) Accept the amendment incorporating the revisions approved by the members; or

(ii) Propose a further revised amendment to the members for approval.

This process may continue until an amendment acceptable to the board has been approved by the members. If successive votes take place at the same meeting of members, then no further notices or meetings are required.

(i) Unless the articles or bylaws, or the board acting pursuant to (d) of this subsection, requires a greater vote or a greater number of votes to be present, the approval of an amendment by the members entitled to vote thereon requires the approval of those members at a meeting at which a quorum is present, and, if any class of members is entitled to vote as a separate group on the amendment, the approval of each separate voting group entitled to vote at a meeting at which a quorum of the voting group is present.

(j) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, an amendment adopted by the board under this subsection must also be approved, if the amendment changes or deletes a provision regarding the appointment of a director by persons other than the board, by those persons as if they constituted a voting group.

(k) If a membership corporation has no members entitled to vote on the amendment, then the corporation shall deliver notice of the approval of the amendment by the board to all members of the corporation at least five days before filing articles of amendment or restated articles of incorporation with the secretary of state.

(2) Unless the articles provide otherwise, the board of a membership corporation may adopt amendments to the corporation's articles without approval of the members to:

(a) Delete the names and addresses of the initial directors;

(b) Notwithstanding RCW 24.03A.100(2), delete the name of each incorporator and the name and address of the initial registered agent or registered office, if a statement of change is on file with the secretary of state; or

(c) Restate without change all of the then operative provisions of the articles.

Effective date—2021 c 176: See note following RCW 24.03A.005.