Compensation Committee
("Company")
CHARTER OF THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Amended and Restated by the Board of Directors on November 16, 2005
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I. Purpose
The Compensation Committee (the "Committee") is appointed by the Board of Directors (the "Board") to assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities. The Committee's primary duties and responsibilities are to:
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- Discharge the Board's responsibilities relating to compensation of the Company's directors and executive officers.
- Approve and evaluate all compensation of directors and executive officers, including salaries, bonuses, and compensation plans, policies and programs of the Company.
- Administer all plans of the Company under which shares of common stock may be acquired by directors or executive officers of the Company Company.
The Committee has the authority, at the Company's expense and to the extent it deems necessary or appropriate, to retain special legal, compensation or other consultants to advise the Committee. The Company shall at all times make adequate provisions for the payment of all fees and other compensation, approved by the Committee, to any consultants or experts employed by the Committee.
II. Structure and Operations
Composition
The Committee shall be comprised of three or more directors as determined by the Board, each of whom shall be determined by the Board to meet the independence requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the New York Stock Exchange and the Corporate Governance Guidelines of the Board (as each may be modified or supplemented). In addition, each Committee member shall also be “non-employee directors” as defined by Rule 16b-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and "outside directors" as defined in section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Appointment and Removal
Committee members shall be appointed by the Board on the recommendation of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee of the Board. A Committee member shall serve until such member’s successor is duly appointed or until such member’s earlier resignation, death or removal. The members of the Committee may be removed, with or without cause, by majority vote of the Board.
Chairman
If a Committee Chair is not designated by the Board, the members of the Committee may designate a Chair by majority vote of the Committee members.
Meetings
The Committee shall meet at least twice annually, or more frequently as circumstances dictate. A majority of the members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum. The Chairman of the Board or any member of the Committee may call meetings of the Committee. All meetings may be held telephonically. The Committee may act by unanimous written consent, when deemed necessary or desirable by the Committee.
The Chair of the Committee, with input from the other members of the Committee and the representatives of the Company's senior management designated by the Chief Executive Officer, shall develop the agenda for each Committee meeting. The Committee may request any officer or employee of the Company or the Company's counsel to attend a meeting of the Committee or to meet with any member of, or consultants to, the Committee.
SubcommitteesThe Committee shall not be authorized to create any subcommittees. III. Compensation Committee Responsibilities and Duties
1. Equity-based Plans. The Committee shall make recommendations to the Board with respect to the adoption of equity-based plans.
2. Plan Administration. The Committee shall have full and final authority in connection with the administration of all plans of the Company under which incentive compensation and shares of common stock or other equity securities of the Company may be issued to directors and executive officers. In furtherance of the foregoing, the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, grant options and make awards of shares under the Company's stock plans .
3. Director Compensation. The Committee shall annually assess the adequacy and suitability of the Company's compensation plan for members of its Board. In carrying out this responsibility, the Committee shall consider whether the Company's director compensation plan is sufficient to enable the Company to attract talented and qualified individuals to serve on the Board and its standing committees. Where the Committee considers it appropriate, the Committee may engage compensation consultants to evaluate the adequacy of the Company's director compensation plan. The Committee shall prepare, as appropriate, modifications to the current director compensation plan and submit any such modifications to the full Board for its disposition.
4. Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") Compensation and Goals. The Committee shall annually review and approve corporate goals and objectives relevant to CEO compensation, solicit input from all directors of the Company, evaluate the CEO's performance in light of those goals and objectives, recommend to the non-management members of the Board the CEO's total annual compensation package and thereafter the Chair of the Committee shall provide development feedback to the CEO. In determining the long-term incentive component of CEO compensation, the Committee will consider the Company's performance and relative shareholder return, the value of similar incentive awards to CEOs at comparable companies, and the awards given to the CEO in past years.
5. Approval of Other Executive Officer Compensation. The Committee shall annually review with the CEO and approve for the executive officers of the Company other than the CEO: (a) annual base salary level, (b) the annual incentive opportunity level, (c) the long-term incentive opportunity level, (d) employment agreements, and change in control agreements/provisions, in each case as, when and if appropriate, and (e) any special or supplemental benefits.
6. Total Amounts Payable on Termination of Employment. The Committee shall review on an annual basis or such other time period as it deems appropriate, the total amounts payable to executive officers under all compensation and benefit plans and agreements under various termination of employment scenarios, including retirement and change of control.
7. Annual Report on Executive Officer Compensation. The Committee shall produce the annual report on executive officer compensation for inclusion in the proxy statement of the Company.
8. Other Activities. The Committee shall perform any other activities consistent with this Charter, the Company's bylaws and governing law, as the Committee or the Board deems necessary or appropriate, including a review and assessment of this Charter at least annually and the submission of any recommended changes therein to the Board at its fourth regularly scheduled meeting in each year.
9. Committee Minutes and Reports. The Committee shall maintain minutes of meetings and periodically report to the Board on significant results of the foregoing activities.
10. Section 16(b) Approvals The Committee shall pre-approve all transactions in the Company's securities, by and between the Company and any director and executive officer of the Company, for which exemptive treatment from Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act is sought.
11. Evaluations. This Committee shall be evaluated through the annual evaluation process administered by the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee.
- Member
- Chair
- Financial Expert
- Independent Director