EX-99.B-1 7 exhibit99_b-1.htm NOMINATING COMMITTEE CHARTER

EXHIBIT B-1

NOMINATING COMMITTEE CHARTER
(For all Funds except Franklin Mutual Series Fund Inc. and
Franklin Mutual Recovery Fund)

I. The Committee.

     The Nominating Committee (the “Committee”) is a committee of, and established by, the Board of Directors/Trustees of the Fund (the “Board”). The Committee consists of such number of members as set by the Board from time to time and its members shall be selected by the Board. The Committee shall be comprised entirely of “independent members.” For purposes of this Charter, independent members shall mean members who are not interested persons of the Fund (“Disinterested Board members”) as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).

II. Board Nominations and Functions.

     1. The Committee shall make recommendations for nominations for Disinterested Board members on the Board to the incumbent Disinterested Board members and to the full Board. The Committee shall evaluate candidates’ qualifications for Board membership and the independence of such candidates from the Fund’s investment manager and other principal service providers. Persons selected must be independent in terms of both the letter and the spirit of the 1940 Act. The Committee shall also consider the effect of any relationships beyond those delineated in the 1940 Act that might impair independence; e.g., business, financial or family relationships with investment managers or service providers.

     2. The Committee also shall evaluate candidates’ qualifications and make recommendations for “interested” members on the Board to the full Board.

     3. The Committee may adopt from time to time specific, minimum qualifications that the Committee believes a candidate must meet before being considered as a candidate for Board membership and shall comply with any rules adopted from time to time by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regarding investment company nominating committees and the nomination of persons to be considered as candidates for Board membership.

     4. The Committee shall review shareholder recommendations for nominations to fill vacancies on the Board if such recommendations are submitted in writing and addressed to the Committee at the Fund’s offices. The Committee shall adopt, by resolution, a policy regarding its procedures for considering candidates for the Board, including any recommended by shareholders.

III. Committee Nominations and Functions.

     The Committee shall make recommendations to the full Board for nomination for membership on all committees of the Board.

IV. Other Powers and Responsibilities.

     1. The Committee shall meet at least once each year or more frequently in open or executive sessions. The Committee may invite members of management, counsel, advisers and others to attend its meetings as it deems appropriate. The Committee shall have separate sessions with management and others, as and when it deems appropriate.

     2. The Committee shall have the resources and authority appropriate to discharge its responsibilities, including authority to retain special counsel and other experts or consultants at the expense of the Fund.

     3. The Committee shall report its activities to the Board and make such recommendations as the Committee may deem necessary or appropriate.

     4. A majority of the members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Committee. The action of a majority of the members of the Committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the action of the Committee. The Committee may meet in person or by telephone, and the Committee may act by written consent, to the extent permitted by law and by the Fund’s by-laws. In the event of any inconsistency between this Charter and the Fund’s organizational documents, the provisions of the Fund’s organizational documents shall be given precedence.

     5. The Committee shall review this Charter at least annually and recommend any changes to the full Board.

B-1-1