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Board Committees
Harris Corporation |
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I. PURPOSES. The purposes of the Audit Committee ("Committee") of the Board of Directors (the "Board") of Harris Corporation (the "Corporation") are to:
II. MEMBERSHIP. The Committee shall be comprised of not less than three members of the Board, each of whom the Board has determined has no material relationship with the Corporation and each of whom is otherwise "independent" under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange and Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and other applicable rules and regulations of the SEC. The Board shall also determine that each member is "financially literate," and that at least one member of the Committee has "accounting or related financial management expertise" as such qualifications are interpreted by the Board in its business judgment and whether any member of the Committee is an "audit committee financial expert" as defined by the rules of the SEC. If the Board has determined that a member of the Committee is an audit committee financial expert, it may presume that such member has accounting or related financial management expertise. The members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Board on the recommendation of the Corporate Governance Committee and shall serve at the pleasure of the Board and for such term or terms as the Board may determine, or until their earlier resignation, death, or removal by the Board. No director may serve as a member of the Committee if such director serves on the audit committees of more than two other public companies unless the Board determines that such simultaneous service would not impair the ability of such director to effectively serve on the Committee and discloses this determination in the Corporation's annual proxy statement. III. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. The function of the Committee is oversight. The management of the Corporation is responsible for the preparation, presentation and integrity of the Corporation's financial statements and for the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. Management and the internal auditing department are responsible for maintaining and evaluating appropriate accounting and financial reporting principles and policies and internal controls and procedures designed to assure compliance with accounting standards and applicable laws and regulations. The independent auditors are responsible for planning and carrying out an audit of the Corporation's annual financial statements in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards, performing reviews of the Corporation's quarterly financial statements in accordance with SAS 100 prior to the filing of each quarterly report on Form 10-Q, annually auditing management's assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (commencing in the fiscal year ending July 1, 2005), and other procedures. In fulfilling their responsibilities hereunder, it is recognized that members of the Committee are not employees of the Corporation and are not, and do not represent themselves to be, performing the functions of auditors or accountants. As such, it is not the duty or responsibility of the Committee or its members to conduct auditing or accounting reviews or procedures or to set auditor independence standards. The independent auditors shall submit to the Committee annually a formal written statement ("Statement as to Independence"), addressing at least the matters set forth in Independence Standards Board No. 1 and describing: (1) the auditors' internal quality-control procedures; (2) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review or Public Company Accounting Oversight Board review of the auditors, or by any inquiry or investigation by other governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years, respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the auditors; (3) any steps taken to deal with any such issues; and (4) an assessment of the auditors' independence, all relationships between the independent auditors and the Corporation, including each non-audit service provided to the Corporation. The independent auditors shall submit to the Committee annually for disclosure purposes a formal written statement of the fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for each of the following categories of services rendered by the independent auditors: (i) the audit of the Corporation's annual financial statements and the reviews of the financial statements included in the Corporation's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or services that are normally provided by the independent auditors in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements; (ii) assurance and related services not included in clause (i) that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of the Corporation's financial statements, in the aggregate and by each service; (iii) tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning services, in the aggregate and by each service; and (iv) any other products and services rendered by the independent auditors, in the aggregate and by each service. To carry out its purposes, the Committee shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
IV. COMMITTEE STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS. The Board shall designate one member of the Committee as its Chairperson. The Committee shall meet periodically as set forth in the annual schedule of Board and Committee meetings and as necessary upon the request of the Chairperson of the Committee or upon the initiation of a majority of the members of the Committee. In addition, the Committee shall meet separately, periodically, with (1) management (including the Chief Financial Officer and the Principal Accounting Officer), (2) the head of the internal auditing department. and (3) the independent auditors to discuss any matters that the Committee or any of these persons or firms believe should be discussed privately with the Committee. The Committee may request any other officer or employee of the Corporation or the Corporation's outside counsel or independent auditors to attend all or a portion of a meeting of the Committee or to meet with any members of, or consultants to, the Committee. The Committee may also exclude from all or a portion of its meetings any person it deems appropriate in order to carry out its responsibilities. At any meeting, the Committee may also meet in sessions at any time without any other persons present. A majority of the members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum to conduct business. Members of the Committee may participate in a meeting of the Committee by means of telecommunications conference call or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear and speak to each other; provided, however that use of cell phones or other mobile phones or devices is strongly discouraged. Except in extraordinary circumstances as determined by the Committee Chairperson, notice of any such meeting shall be delivered to all Committee members at least forty-eight hours in advance of the meeting date. Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the Committee may be taken without a meeting if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, is signed by all of the members of the Committee. Such written consent shall have the same force and effect as a unanimous vote of the Committee. V. DELEGATION TO SUBCOMMITTEE. The Committee may, in its discretion, delegate all or a portion of its duties and responsibilities to a subcommittee of the Committee. The Committee may, in its discretion, delegate to one or more of its members the authority to pre-approve any audit or non-audit services to be performed by the independent auditors, provided that any such approvals are presented to the Committee at its next scheduled meeting. VI. RESOURCES AND AUTHORITY OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. The Committee shall have the resources and authority appropriate to discharge its duties and responsibilities, including the authority to select, retain, terminate, and approve the fees and other retention terms of special or independent counsel, accountants, consultants or other experts and advisors, as it deems necessary or appropriate, without seeking approval of the Board or management. With respect to the Corporation's independent auditors, the authority to select, retain, approve the fees, and other retention terms shall be vested solely in the Committee. The Committee shall also request and receive appropriate funding, as determined by the Committee in its capacity as a committee of the Board, from the Corporation for payment of (a) compensation of independent auditors and any other public accounting firm engaged for the purposes of preparing or issuing an audit report or performing other audit, review or attestation services for the Corporation, (b) compensation of any outside legal, accounting, or other experts or advisors employed by the Committee, and (c) ordinary administrative expenses of the Committee that are necessary or appropriate in carrying out its duties. VII. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION. The Committee shall prepare and review with the Board an annual performance evaluation of the Committee, which evaluation shall include a comparison of the performance of the Committee with the requirements of this charter. The performance evaluation shall also recommend to the Board any improvements to the Committee's charter deemed necessary or desirable by the Committee. The performance evaluation by the Committee shall be conducted in such manner as the Committee deems appropriate. The report to the Board may take the form of an oral or written report or presentation by the Chairperson of the Committee or any other member of the Committee designated by the Committee to make the report. Approved by the Board in October 1993, amended December 6, 1996, amended April 27, 2000, amended April 25, 2003, amended June 25, 2004, and amended December 2, 2005. |

