Exhibit 3.2
GOVERNMENT PROPERTIES INCOME
TRUST
AMENDED AND RESTATED
DECLARATION OF TRUST
June 8, 2009
As Amended December 30,
2009
GOVERNMENT PROPERTIES INCOME
TRUST
ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT AND
RESTATEMENT
FIRST: Government Properties
Income Trust, a Maryland real estate investment trust (the
“Trust”) formed under Title 8 of the Corporations and
Associations Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland
(“Title 8”), desires to amend and restate its
Declaration of Trust as currently in effect and as hereinafter
amended.
SECOND: The following
provisions are all the provisions of the Declaration of Trust
currently in effect and as hereinafter amended:
ARTICLE I
FORMATION
Section 1.1.
Formation . The Trust is a real estate investment
trust within the meaning of Title 8. The Trust shall not be
deemed to be a general partnership, limited partnership, joint
venture, joint stock company or a corporation, but nothing herein
shall preclude the Trust from being treated for tax purposes as an
association under the Code (as defined in ARTICLE VII below); nor
shall the Trustees or shareholders or any of them for any purpose
be, nor be deemed to be, nor be treated in any way whatsoever as,
liable or responsible hereunder as partners or joint
venturers.
ARTICLE II
NAME
Section 2.1.
Name . The name of the Trust is: Government Properties
Income Trust. Under circumstances in which the Board of
Trustees of the Trust (the “Board of Trustees” or
“Board”) determines that the use of the name of the
Trust is not practicable or desirable, the Trust may use any other
designation or name for the Trust.
ARTICLE III
PURPOSES AND
POWERS
Section 3.1.
Purposes . The purposes for which the Trust is formed
are to invest in and to acquire, hold, manage, administer, control
and dispose of property and interests in property, including,
without limitation or obligation, engaging in business as a real
estate investment trust under the Code.
Section 3.2.
Powers . The Trust shall have all of the powers
granted to real estate investment trusts by Title 8 and all other
powers set forth in this Declaration of Trust which are not
inconsistent with law and are appropriate to promote and attain the
purposes set forth in this Declaration of Trust.
ARTICLE IV
RESIDENT
AGENT
Section 4.1.
Resident Agent . The name of the resident agent of the
Trust in the State of Maryland is CSC-Lawyers Incorporating Service
Company, whose post office address is 7 St. Paul Street,
Suite 1660, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. The resident
agent is a Maryland corporation. The Trust may change such
resident agent from time to time as the Board of Trustees shall
determine. The Trust may have such offices or places of
business within or outside the State of Maryland as the Board of
Trustees may from time to time determine.
ARTICLE V
BOARD OF
TRUSTEES
Section 5.1.
Powers . Subject to any express limitations contained
in this Declaration of Trust or in the Bylaws, (a) the
business and affairs of the Trust shall be managed under the
direction of the Board of Trustees and (b) the Board shall
have full, exclusive and absolute power, control and authority over
any and all property of the Trust. The Board may take any
action as in its sole judgment and discretion is necessary or
appropriate to conduct the business and affairs of the Trust.
This Declaration of Trust shall be construed with the presumption
in favor of the grant of power and authority to the Board.
Any construction of this Declaration of Trust or determination made
in good faith by the Board concerning its powers and authority
hereunder shall be conclusive. The enumeration and definition
of particular powers of the Trustees included in this Declaration
of Trust or in the Bylaws shall in no way be construed or deemed by
inference or otherwise in any manner to exclude or limit the powers
conferred upon the Board or the Trustees under the general laws of
the State of Maryland or any other applicable laws.
The Board, without any action by the
shareholders of the Trust, shall have and may exercise, on behalf
of the Trust, without limitation, the power to terminate the status
of the Trust as a real estate investment trust under the Code; to
determine that compliance with any restriction or limitations on
ownership and transfers of shares of the Trust’s beneficial
interest set forth in ARTICLE VII is no longer required in order
for the Trust to qualify as a real estate investment trust; to
adopt, amend and repeal Bylaws; to elect officers in the manner
prescribed in the Bylaws; to solicit proxies from holders of shares
of beneficial interest of the Trust; and to do any other acts and
deliver any other documents necessary or appropriate to the
foregoing powers.
Section 5.2.
Number; Initial Trustees; Classification; Qualifications
.
Section
5.2.1. The trustees of
the Trust (hereinafter, the “Trustees”), and such other
persons as the Trustee or Trustees then in office shall elect,
shall serve until the first meeting of shareholders at which
Trustees of his or her Class (as defined below) are elected
and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified, or
until he or she sooner dies, resigns, retires, or is disqualified
or removed from office. Any person serving as Trustee shall
meet the criteria and qualifications for office set forth from time
to time in the Bylaws. The Board of Trustees shall be
comprised of Independent Trustees and Managing Trustees (as each
term is defined in the Bylaws) in such number as set forth from
time to time in the Bylaws. The number of Trustees shall
initially be five and, subject to the voting powers of one or more
classes or series of Shares (as defined in Section 6.1 below)
as set forth in the Bylaws, the number of Trustees shall be such
number as shall be fixed from time to time by the Trustees;
provided, however, that the number of Trustees shall in no event be
less than three. The names of the individuals who shall serve
as initial Trustees are as follows:
Managing Trustees:
Adam D. Portnoy
Barry M Portnoy
Independent Trustees:
John L. Harrington
Jeffrey P. Somers
Barbara D. Gilmore
Section
5.2.2. Annual meetings of
Shareholders shall be held as specified in the Bylaws. The
Trustees shall be classified, with respect to the time for which
they severally hold office, into the following three classes (each
a “Class”): Class I, whose term expires at the
initial annual meeting; Class II, whose term expires at the
next succeeding annual meeting after the initial annual meeting
(the “second annual meeting”); and Class III,
whose term expires at the next succeeding annual meeting after the
second annual meeting. Each Class shall consist of at
least one Trustee. At each annual meeting beginning with the
initial annual meeting, the successors of the Class of
Trustees whose term expires at that meeting shall be elected to
hold office for a term expiring at the annual meeting held in the
third year following the year of their election, with each Trustee
holding office until the expiration of the term of the relevant
Class and the election and qualification of his or her
successor, or until he or she sooner dies, resigns, retires, or is
disqualified or removed from office. The Trustees shall
assign by resolution Trustees to each of the three Classes.
The Trustees also may determine by resolution those Trustees in
each Class that shall be elected by shareholders of a
particular class or series of Shares. If the number of
Trustees is changed, any increase or decrease shall be apportioned
among the Classes by resolution of the Trustees.
Section
5.2.3. Vacancies on the
Board of Trustees, whether resulting from an increase in the number
of Trustees or otherwise, shall be filled in the manner provided in
the Bylaws. It shall not be necessary to list in this
Declaration of Trust the names and addresses of any Trustees
hereinafter elected. No reduction in the number of Trustees
shall have the effect of removing any Trustee from office prior to
the expiration of his or her term unless the Trustee is
specifically removed pursuant to Section 5.3 at the time of
the decrease. Subject to the provisions of Section 5.3,
each Trustee shall hold office until the election and qualification
of his or her successor. There shall be no cumulative voting
in the election of Trustees.
Section 5.3.
Resignation or Removal . Any Trustee may resign or
retire as a Trustee by an instrument in writing signed by him and
delivered to the secretary of the Trust, and such resignation or
retirement shall be effective upon such delivery, or at a later
date according to the terms of the instrument. A Trustee
judged incompetent or for whom a guardian or conservator has been
appointed shall be deemed to have resigned as of the date of such
adjudication or appointment. A Trustee may be removed at any
time (a) solely with cause, at a meeting of the shareholders
properly called for that purpose, by the affirmative vote of the
holders of not less than 75% of the Shares then outstanding and
entitled to vote in the election of such Trustee or (b) with
or without cause by the affirmative vote of not less than 75% of
the remaining Trustees.
Section 5.4.
Determinations by Board . The determination as to any
of the following matters, made by or pursuant to the direction of
the Board of Trustees consistent with this Declaration of Trust,
shall be final and conclusive and shall be binding upon the Trust
and every holder of Shares: the amount of the net income of
the Trust for any period and the amount of assets at any time
legally available for the payment of dividends, redemption of
Shares or the payment of other distributions on Shares; the amount
of paid-in surplus, net assets, other surplus, annual or other cash
flow, funds from operations, net profit, net assets in excess of
capital, undivided profits or excess of profits over losses on
sales of assets; the amount, purpose, time of creation, increase or
decrease, alteration or cancellation of any reserves or charges and
the propriety thereof (whether or not any obligation or liability
for which such reserves or charges shall have been created shall
have been paid or discharged); any interpretation of the terms,
preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers or rights,
restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions,
qualifications or terms or conditions of redemption of any class or
series of Shares; the fair value, or any sale, bid or asked price
to be applied in determining the fair value, of any asset owned or
held by the Trust or of any Shares; the number of Shares of any
class of the Trust; any matter relating to the acquisition, holding
and disposition of any assets by the Trust; or any other matter
relating to the business and affairs of the Trust or required or
permitted by applicable law, this Declaration of Trust or the
Bylaws or otherwise to be determined by the Board of
Trustees.
ARTICLE VI
SHARES OF BENEFICIAL
INTEREST
Section 6.1.
Authorized Shares . The beneficial interest of the
Trust shall be divided into shares of beneficial interest (the
“Shares”). The Trust has authority to
issue
50,000,000 Shares, consisting of 50,000,000
common shares of beneficial interest, $.01 par value per share
(“Common Shares”). If shares of one class are
classified or reclassified into shares of another class of shares
pursuant to this ARTICLE VI, the number of authorized shares of the
former class shall be automatically decreased and the number of
shares of the latter class shall be automatically increased, in
each case by the number of shares so classified or reclassified, so
that the aggregate number of shares of beneficial interest of all
classes that the Trust has authority to issue shall not be more
than the total number of shares of beneficial interest set forth in
the second sentence of this paragraph. The Board of Trustees,
without any action by the shareholders of the Trust, may amend this
Declaration of Trust from time to time to increase or decrease the
aggregate number of Shares or the number of Shares of any class or
series that the Trust has authority to issue.
Section 6.2.
Common Shares . Subject to the provisions of ARTICLE
VII, each Common Share shall entitle the holder thereof to one vote
on each matter upon which holders of Common Shares are entitled to
vote. The Board of Trustees may reclassify any unissued
Common Shares from time to time into one or more classes or series
of Shares.
Section 6.3.
Classified or Reclassified Shares . Prior to issuance
of classified or reclassified Shares of any class or series, the
Board of Trustees by resolution shall (a) designate that class
or series; (b) specify the number of Shares to be included in
the class or series; (c) set, subject to the provisions of
ARTICLE VII, the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting
powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other
distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of
redemption for each class or series; and (d) cause the Trust
to file articles supplementary with the State Department of
Assessments and Taxation of Maryland (the
“SDAT”). Any of the terms of any class or series
of Shares set pursuant to clause (c) of this Section 6.3
may be made dependent upon facts ascertainable outside this
Declaration of Trust (including the occurrence of any event,
determination or action by the Trust or any other person or body)
and may vary among holders thereof, provided that the manner in
which such facts or variations shall operate upon the terms of such
class or series of Shares is clearly and expressly set forth in the
articles supplementary filed with the SDAT.
Section 6.4.
Authorization by Board of Share Issuance . The Board
of Trustees may authorize the issuance from time to time of Shares
of any class or series, whether now or hereafter authorized, or
securities or rights convertible into Shares of any class or
series, whether now or hereafter authorized, for such consideration
(whether in cash, property, past or future services, obligation for
future payment or otherwise) as the Board of Trustees may deem
advisable (or without consideration), subject to such restrictions
or limitations, if any, as may be set forth in this Declaration of
Trust or the Bylaws of the Trust.
Section 6.5.
Dividends and Distributions . The Board of Trustees
may from time to time authorize and declare to shareholders such
dividends or distributions, in cash or other assets of the Trust or
in securities of the Trust or from any other source as the Board of
Trustees in its discretion shall determine. Shareholders
shall have no right to any dividend or distribution unless and
until authorized and declared by the Board. The exercise of
the powers and rights of the Board of Trustees pursuant to this
Section 6.5 shall be subject to the provisions of any class or
series of Shares at the time outstanding.
Section 6.6.
General Nature of Shares . All Shares shall be
personal property entitling the shareholders only to those rights
provided in this Declaration of Trust. The shareholders shall
have no interest in the property of the Trust and shall have no
right to compel any partition, division, dividend or distribution
of the Trust or of the property of the Trust. The death of a
shareholder shall not terminate the Trust or affect its continuity
nor give his or her legal representative any rights whatsoever,
whether against or in respect of other shareholders, the Trustees
or the trust estate or otherwise, except the sole right to demand
and, subject to the provisions of this Declaration of Trust, the
Bylaws and any requirements of law, to receive a new certificate
for Shares registered in the name of such legal representative, in
exchange for the certificate held by such shareholder. The
Trust is entitled to treat as shareholders only those persons in
whose names Shares are registered as holders of Shares on the
beneficial interest ledger of the Trust.
Section 6.7.
Fractional Shares . The Trust may, without the consent
or approval of any shareholder, issue fractional Shares, eliminate
a fraction of a Share by rounding up or down to a full Share,
arrange for the disposition of a fraction of a Share by the person
entitled to it or pay cash for the fair value of a fraction of a
Share.
Section 6.8.
Declaration and Bylaws . All shareholders are subject
to the provisions of this Declaration of Trust and the Bylaws of
the Trust.
Section 6.9.
Divisions and Combinations of Shares . Subject to an
express provision to the contrary in the terms of any class or
series of beneficial interest hereafter authorized, the Board of
Trustees shall have the power to divide, split or combine (by
issuing or redeeming, as applicable, Shares pro rata or by any
other lawful means) the outstanding shares of any class or series
of beneficial interest, without a vote of shareholders.
Section 6.10.
Arbitration .
Section
6.10.1. Any disputes, claims or
controversies brought by or on behalf of any shareholder of the
Trust (which, for purposes of this Section 6.10, shall mean
any shareholder of record or any beneficial owner of Shares, or any
former shareholder of record or beneficial owner of Shares), either
on his, her or its own behalf, on behalf of the Trust or on behalf
of any series or class of Shares or shareholders of the Trust
against the Trust or any Trustee, officer, manager (including Reit
Management & Research LLC or its successor), agent or
employee of the Trust, including disputes, claims or controversies
relating to the meaning, interpretation, effect, validity,
performance or enforcement of this Declaration of Trust or the
Bylaws (all of which are referred to as “Disputes”) or
relating in any way to such a Dispute or Disputes, shall on the
demand of any party to such Dispute be resolved through binding and
final arbitration in accordance with the procedures and
rules for arbitration prescribed by the Bylaws. For the
avoidance of doubt, and not as a limitation, Disputes are intended
to include derivative actions against Trustees, officers or
managers of the Trust and class actions by shareholders against
those individuals or entities and the Trust. For the
avoidance of doubt, a Dispute shall include a Dispute made
derivatively on behalf of one party against another
party.
Section
6.10.2. The award or decision of the
arbitrator(s) shall be final and binding upon the parties
thereto and shall be the sole and exclusive remedy between such
parties relating to the Dispute, including any claims,
counterclaims, issues or accounting presented to the
arbitrators. Judgment upon the Award may be entered in any
court having jurisdiction. To the fullest extent permitted by
law, no application or appeal to any court of competent
jurisdiction may be made in connection with any question of law
arising in the course of arbitration or with respect to any award
made, except for actions relating to enforcement of this agreement
to arbitrate or any arbitral award issued hereunder and except for
actions seeking interim or other provisional relief in aid of
arbitration proceedings in any court of competent
jurisdiction.
Section
6.10.3. Except as otherwise set forth
in Section 8.6 or ARTICLE IX, the Bylaws or agreed between the
parties, each party involved in a Dispute shall bear its own costs
and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), and the arbitrators
shall not render an award that would include shifting of any such
costs or expenses (including attorneys’ fees) or, in a
derivative case or class action, award any portion of the
Trust’s award to the claimant or the claimant’s
attorneys.
Section
6.10.4. This Section 6.10 is
intended to benefit and be enforceable by the Trustees, officers,
managers (including Reit Management & Research LLC or its
successor), agents or employees of the Trust and shall be binding
on the shareholders of the Trust and the Trust, as applicable, and
shall be in addition to, and not in substitution for, any other
rights to indemnification or contribution that such individuals or
entities may have by contract or otherwise.
ARTICLE VII
RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER AND
OWNERSHIP OF SHARES
Section 7.1.
Definitions . For the purpose of this ARTICLE VII, the
following terms shall have the following meanings:
“Affiliate” shall mean,
with respect to any Person, another Person controlled by,
controlling or under common control with such Person.
“Beneficial Ownership”
shall mean ownership of Shares by a Person, whether the interest in
Shares is held directly or indirectly (including by a nominee),
an