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BY-LAWS
OF REVISED
March, 2009 ARTICLE
ONE ORGANIZATION
A.
This organization shall be known as Georgia State Unit 114 of the
American Contract Bridge League, and is hereinafter referred to as the
Unit.
B.
The Unit is a subsidiary of the American Contract Bridge League,
hereinafter referred to as the ACBL; recognizes the ACBL as the parent
organization, having authority and control over tournament bridge in North
America; exists under the sanction of the ACBL; and functions within the
Constitution, By-laws, and regulations of the ACBL.
C.
The geographical area within which this Unit shall operate shall be
such area as is assigned to it by the Board of Directors of the ACBL, as
the same may be modified from time to time. ARTICLE
TWO OBJECTIVES The objectives of the Unit shall
be: A.
To
promote participation in competitive duplicate
bridge.
B.
To cooperate with and assist the ACBL in the promotion and conduct
of duplicate bridge tournaments.
C. To
prescribe rules of eligibility and conduct for participation in
tournaments under its own auspices.
D. To
promote and encourage membership in the Unit; and to promote the
development and organization of affiliated clubs within the
Unit.
E.
To consider and deal with reports of unethical or improper conduct
of participants in tournaments, and to bar or suspend persons guilty of
such conduct from further participation.
F.
To conduct any and all other activities that may be in keeping with
its principal objectives. ARTICLE
THREE MEMBERSHIP A.
Membership
of the Unit shall be determined by ACBL regulations.
B.
Members in good standing of the Unit shall have the following
rights and privileges:
1. To participate
in all activities sponsored by the Unit.
2. To receive all
notices and publications of the Unit.
3. To vote for
the election of Unit Officers and Board Members.
4. To be eligible
to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the Unit, or as a member
of any of its committees.
C. A
member remains in good standing unless:
1. He/she has
failed to pay his/her dues by the due date and any grace periods allowed.
2. He/she has been suspended or
expelled from the ACBL. ARTICLE
FOUR MEMBERSHIP
MEETINGS
A.
The annual meeting of the members of the Unit shall be held during
the first quarter of the calendar year at a time and place to be specified
by the Board of Directors unless otherwise directed by the Board of
Directors.
B.
Special meetings of the membership, for any purpose or purposes,
may be called at any time by the President, and shall be called by the
President or Secretary when so directed by the Board of Directors, or at
the request in writing of any seven (7) or more members of the Board of
Directors, or at the request in writing of any fifty (50) or more of the
members of the Unit. Such request shall state the purpose or purposes of
the proposed meeting.
C.
Written notice of any special meeting of the membership shall be
given to each member of the Unit at least 30 days prior to the date of
said meeting. Notice of any Special Meeting of the membership shall state
the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called. No written notice
shall need to be given for the Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting shall be
held at the first Sectional of each calendar year which is held in
D. A
quorum for the transaction of business at any annual or special meeting of
the membership shall consist of fifty (50) members. ARTICLE
FIVE BOARD
OF DIRECTORS
A.
Except as otherwise provided herein, the affairs of the Unit shall
be managed by the Board of Directors. In addition to the powers and
authority expressly conferred upon the Board by these By-laws, the Board
may exercise all such powers of the Unit and do all such acts and things
as are not directed or required to be exercised or done by the members in
the Constitution, By-laws, or regulations of the ACBL, District 7, or the
Mid-Atlantic Conference, or by these By-laws.
B.
The Board of Directors shall consist of the following members, each
of whom shall be a member of the Unit:
1. President of
the Unit.
2. Vice-President
of the Unit.
3. Secretary of
the Unit.
4. Treasurer of
the Unit.
5. Immediate past
President of the Unit.
6. A number of
Area Representatives from the Metropolitan Atlanta geographic area of the
Unit, and Area Representatives from other geographic areas of the Unit as
presently designated by the Board of Directors or changed in the future as
provided for in Article Five paragraph C. The Board shall establish and
maintain as an attachment to these By-Laws a map of the State of
7. All past
Presidents of the Unit except the immediate past President shall be
honorary, non-voting members of the Board.
8. The President,
with the approval of the Board, may from time to time name such honorary,
non-voting members of the Board as he/she shall deem necessary or
proper.
C.
The Board of Directors shall from time to time designate areas of
the Unit from which Area Representatives to the Board shall be chosen,
shall define the geographical limits of such areas, and shall establish
the procedure by which such Area Representatives shall be
chosen.
D.
The term of office of the Area Representatives to the Board shall
be two (2) years, and the word "year" as used herein shall mean the period
from the adjournment of one annual meeting until the adjournment of the
next annual meeting of the membership. Each area representative shall
continue to serve until the term for which he/she was elected shall have
expired, and until his/her successor shall have been duly elected and
qualified.
E.
As long as the person is a member in good standing of the Unit,
that person need not reside in the Area set forth and identified on the
map as the various geographic areas of the Unit to represent said Area
provided that he/she is selected by that Area.
F.
Vacancies on the Board shall be filled by the appointment of the
President, with the approval of the Board, and the person so appointed
shall hold office until the next annual meeting of the membership. If the
vacancy is that of an Area Representative, the residents of the
geographical area of the Area represented shall elect a successor who
shall take office at such annual meeting and shall hold office during the
remainder of the non-expired term.
G.
Board of Directors shall hold meetings at such time or place as it
may from time to time determine. The Secretary shall call a meeting of the
Board at the request of the President, or upon the request in writing
(including e-mail) of seven (7) of the members of the Board. Notice of
said meeting will be mailed or e-mailed
to each member of the Board at least ten (10) days prior to the
date of such meeting. If an Area Representative is unable to attend,
he/she may designate any member in good standing of Unit 114 as an
alternate to attend in his/her place. Such alternate shall have full
voting rights.
H. A
quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Board of
Directors shall consist of fifty percent (50%) of the Directors entitled
to vote.
I. In
addition to the powers granted by other provision of these By-laws, the
Board of Directors shall have the following powers and
duties:
1. To acquire,
hold, administer, maintain, and dispose of all property of the
Unit.
2. To appropriate
the funds of the Unit for the purposes set forth in these
By-laws.
3. To hire and
discharge employees and to supervise their conduct and fix their
compensation.
4. To audit all
receipts and disbursements of the Unit.
5. To conduct,
manage, supervise, and control all of the business of the Unit, including,
but not limited to, the conduct of tournaments, the selection of all dates
and locations for holding such tournaments, and the making of all
contracts in connection therewith.
6. To censure,
suspend, expel, or otherwise discipline any member of the Unit; provided,
however, that no member shall be censured, suspended, expelled, or
otherwise disciplined, until he/she has been furnished with written
charges, to which he/she has had opportunity to reply, and until after a
hearing, of which he/she has received notice, and at which he/she may be
represented as permitted by ACBL procedures.
J.
Members of the Board of Directors may be allowed such compensation
for attendance at regular or special meetings of the Board as may be from
time to time determined by resolution of the Board.
K.
Any Area Representative to the Board of Directors may be removed
from the Board, by a two-thirds vote of all members of the Board
(including those Unit officers entitled to vote) present and voting at a
Special Meeting called for such purpose. Any Area Representative to the
Board of Directors may also be removed at any Regular Meeting of the Board
of Directors provided that notice has been given at least ten days in
advance of the meeting to all members of the Board of Directors that said
removal will be considered at that meeting. Any Area Representative whose
removal has been proposed shall be given the opportunity to be heard at
said meeting. ARTICLE
SIX OFFICERS
A.
The officers of the Unit shall consist of a President, a Vice
President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.
B.
In order for a person to be eligible to run for the office of
President, he/she must have served the Unit as an officer, a member of the
Board of Directors, or a member of a committee, for a period of at least
six (6) months.
C.
The term of office of each officer shall be two (2) years, and the
word "year" as used herein shall mean the period from the adjournment of
one annual meeting until the adjournment of the next annual meeting of the
membership. Each officer shall continue to serve until the term for which
he/she was elected shall have expired, and until his/her successor shall
have been duly elected and qualified.
D.
Duties of the President shall be as follows:
1. To preside at
all meetings of the membership of the Unit, and at all meetings of the
Board of Directors.
2. To serve as
Chairman of the Executive committee.
3. To prepare an
annual report on the affairs of the Unit to be presented at the annual
meeting of the membership.
4. To see that
all orders and resolutions of the Board of Directors are carried into
effect.
5. To serve as an
ex-officio member of all committees except the nominating committee and
the ethics committee.
6. To exercise
all of the powers of the Board of Directors as directed by the Executive
Committee between meetings of the Board and to report to each meeting of
the Board the actions taken.
7. To perform
such other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned to him by the
officers of the Board of Directors of the ACBL, District 7, or the
Mid-Atlantic Conference, or by the Board of Directors of the Unit, and all
actions necessary to implement the provisions of these
By-laws.
E.
Duties of the Vice President shall be as
follows:
1. To perform the
duties of the President in the absence of the President or in the event of
his/her inability or refusal to act; in so acting, the Vice President
shall have all the powers and be subject to all the restrictions upon the
President.
2. To perform
such other duties as may be assigned to him from time to time by the
President or by the Board of Directors.
3. To become
President in the event of the death, incapacity, or resignation of the
President.
4. To serve as a
member of the Executive committee.
F.
Duties of the Secretary shall be as follows:
1. To attend all
meetings of the Board of Directors and all meetings of the membership and
record all votes and the minutes of all proceedings in books to be kept
for that purpose, and to perform like duties for the standing committees
when required.
2. To give, or
cause to be given, any notice required to be given of any meetings of the
membership or of the Board of Directors.
3. To conduct all
correspondence with the ACBL, the Mid-Atlantic Conference, and all other
persons and agencies having official business with the Unit, and to
conduct all unofficial correspondence.
4. To perform
such other duties as may be assigned to him from time to time by the
President or by the Board of Directors.
5. To serve as a
member of the Executive committee.
G.
Duties of the Treasurer shall be as follows:
1. To have charge
of and be responsible for the receipt, custody, safekeeping, and
disbursement of all Unit funds in accordance with the instructions of the
President or the Board of Directors.
2. To prepare and
maintain any and all financial data as may be requested by the Board of
Directors.
3. To perform
such other duties as may be assigned to him from time to time by the
President or by the Board of Directors.
4. To serve as a
member of the Executive committee.
H. A
vacancy occurring other than by removal of an officer in any office except
President shall be filled by the appointment of the President, with the
approval of the Board, and the person so appointed shall hold office for
the remainder of the unexpired term.
I. Any
compensation of all officers of the Unit shall be fixed by the Board of
Directors.
J.
Any officer of the Unit may be removed from office by a two-thirds
(2/3) vote of all members present and voting at a special meeting of the
Unit called for such purpose. An officer whose removal has been proposed
shall be given an opportunity to be heard at such meeting. The vacancy in
any office created by the removal of an Officer shall be filled by the
members of the Unit at the same meeting. Any officer may also be removed
at any Annual Meeting of the Unit provided that notice has been given at
least ten days in advance of the meeting to all members of the Unit that
said removal will be considered at that meeting. Any officer whose removal
has been proposed shall be given the opportunity to be heard at said
meeting. ARTICLE
SEVEN EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE An
Executive Committee shall consist of the President, Vice-President,
Secretary, Treasurer, and Immediate Past President. It shall decide any
issues that cannot wait until the next regularly scheduled meeting. The
President shall serve as Chairman of this committee and will make the
report of its actions to the full Board at the next meeting. Any action
that is taken must have three affirmative votes from this committee in
order to be implemented. ARTICLE
EIGHT E-MAIL
PROCEDURES E-mail
can be used to conduct Unit business as permitted by ARTICLE
NINE NOMINATIONS
AND ELECTIONS
A.
The Nominating Committee shall consist of the immediate past
President (or a past President) of the Unit who shall serve as chairman,
and not less than two other members of the Unit. At least one member of
the Committee shall reside outside the Metropolitan Atlanta
area.
B.
The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of officers to be
placed in nomination at the Annual Meeting of the membership. Written
notice of the slate of officers chosen by the Nominating Committee shall
be given to each member of the Unit at least forty-five (45) days prior to
the annual meeting of the membership. Members may be notified by inclusion
in the unit publication, which may be distributed by placing the
publication on the unit web page and making copies available to clubs in
the unit.
C.
Any other person desiring to run for office may so notify the
Secretary in writing or by e-mail at least thirty (30) days prior to the
Annual Meeting of the membership. All persons so notifying the Secretary
shall be considered duly nominated, and shall be listed on the printed
ballot to be distributed at the Annual Meeting. Provisions shall also be
made on the ballot for write-in votes for each
position.
D.
ELECTIONS for Officers shall
be held at the Annual Meeting of the membership. Elections shall be by
written ballot. A printed ballot shall be prepared and distributed by the
Secretary. Ballots shall be cast in person at such times as shall be
determined by the Board of Directors during the tournament at which the
Annual Meeting is to be held. Absentee ballots may be cast as provided for
in sub-section E. Absentee
ballots shall be separately retained. If a quorum is present, the
affirmative vote of a majority of the members voting in the election shall
be necessary for election. If none of the candidates for a particular
office receive the required number, a run-off shall be held between the
two candidates receiving the higher number of votes. If at all possible,
this run-off shall be at the Annual Meeting, or if that is not possible,
at such other time as determined by the Board of Directors. If any
absentee ballot has been cast for a candidate who is in the run-off, that
ballot shall be counted for that candidate in the run-off as it was in the
regular election. Absentee ballots cast for candidates not in the run-off
shall be disregarded. If there is an uncontested election then no ballot
will be prepared and the slate will be presented at the Annual Meeting.
The President will declare the candidates elected.
E.
Elections
for Area Representatives shall be conducted by the Unit, acting through
the Election Committee. These elections should be held (if possible)
at tournaments in the affected Areas before the Annual Meeting, rather
than at the tournament when the Annual Meeting is to take
place.
F.
ABSENTEE BALLOTS/E-MAIL BALLOTS. Provisions shall be made for any
member in good standing of the Unit to acquire an Absentee Ballot from the
Chairman of the Election Committee, under the following guidelines: If a
Unit member is unable to attend the tournament at which elections are held
that member shall:
1. Send a
stamped, self-addressed envelope along with a request for an Absentee
Ballot to the Chairman of the Election Committee or send an e-mail to the
Chairman of the Election Committee. In
elections for Area Representatives the requests for absentee/e-mail
ballots should be to the designated Election Monitor.
2. The following
information must be submitted with each request for an Absentee
Ballot:
a. Player's
Name
b. Player's ACBL
Number
c. Player's
address as recorded on the ACBL Membership List
d. Player's
Telephone Number
e. Player's
Signature (if a written request)
f. Player’s
e-mail address (if an e-mail request) An
incorrect ACBL Player Number or failure to provide any of the above
information will invalidate the request. If the address or e-mail provided
does not agree with the current ACBL roster, the Chairman of the Election
Committee or Election Monitor shall make a reasonable effort to verify the
address or e-mail submitted as valid. In the event that the address or
e-mail cannot be verified, no Absentee Ballot will be issued. When a
request for an Absentee Ballot is denied for one of the above reasons, the
player shall be notified in writing or e-mail of the reason for such
denial.
3. As provided
for in Article Seven, paragraph D, absentee ballots shall be separately
counted and retained, and can be recounted in the event of a run-off,
provided the absentee ballot was cast for one of the individuals in the
run-off.
4. Absentee
Ballots will be numbered to avoid reproduction
5. The Chairman
of the Election Committee shall submit a written report to the President
at the same time as election results are presented and
containing:
a. The number of Absentee Ballots issued.
b. The number of Absentee Ballots counted.
c. Details of any request that was denied.
6. Absentee
Ballots must be returned to the Election Chairman no later than midnight
of the day before the start of the elections, i.e, if the election starts
on a Thursday, Absentee Ballots must reach the Chairman by midnight on
Wednesday. ARTICLE
TEN COMMITTEES
A.
The following shall be standing committees of the Unit and shall be
appointed by the President with the approval of the Board of
Directors:
1. Conduct and Ethics
2. Membership
3. Tournaments
4. Finance
5. Unit and Novice Games
6. Elections
B.
There shall be such special committees as the Board of Directors
may from time to time authorize or create, including Nominating Committees
for each election. A member may not serve on both the Nominating and
Election Committees.
C. A
vacancy on any committee, unless otherwise provided for in the By-laws,
shall be filled by appointment of the President, with the approval of the
Board.
D.
Any
person requesting the opportunity of serving on a committee shall be
considered by the President and Board.
E.
The compensation of members of committees of the Unit shall be
fixed by the Board of Directors. ARTICLE
ELEVEN MISCELLANEOUS
A.
The Unit books of account shall be kept on a fiscal year basis, and
shall be closed and balanced at the end of each fiscal year. The fiscal
year of the Unit shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31. The Unit
books of account shall be reviewed by the Executive Committee of the Board
of Directors at a meeting prior to the annual meeting and a report will be
given at the annual meeting.
B.
All funds of the Unit shall be deposited in the name and to the
credit of the Unit in a bank or banks designated by the Board of
Directors. Withdrawals from such accounts shall be made only by checks or
vouchers signed by persons authorized by the Board of
Directors.
C. If
practicable, a blanket fidelity bond shall be obtained to cover all
officers, employees, or other persons handling the funds of the Unit,
which bond shall be payable to the Unit, in such amounts as the Board of
Directors shall determine from time to time, but not less than ten
thousand dollars.
D.
Whenever under the provisions of these By-laws notice is required
to be given to any member, director, or officer, such notice may be given
by personal notice, by publication of such notice in the official
publication of the Unit, by e-mail or by mail. If notice is given by mail,
such notice shall be directed to the member at his/her post office address
last shown on the records of the Unit. Notice may also be given to the
members by mailing a copy of such notice to the club manager of each
franchised duplicate club within the Unit, with instructions that such
notice be announced and posted. All notices pertaining to Conduct and
Ethics matters shall be given only by personal notice, e-mail or by
mail. ARTICLE
TWELVE AMENDMENTS
A.
The By-laws of the Unit may be amended and new By-laws adopted at
any annual or special meeting of the membership.
B.
Amendments may be proposed by members of the Unit upon petition
signed by at least fifty (50) members and submitted to the Secretary at
least thirty (30) days in advance of any Annual or Special Meeting called
for such purpose. Amendments may be proposed by members of the Board of
Directors upon petition signed by at least seven (7) members of the Board
and submitted to the Secretary at least ten (10) days in advance of any
Annual or Special Meeting of the Board called for such
purpose
C.
The Secretary shall provide a notice that there is a proposal to
amend the By-laws in the notice of the meeting, and that any member may
request a copy of the proposed changes.
D.
The concurrence of two-thirds (2/3) of all members present and
voting shall be required to pass any amendment.
E.
A copy of any amendment shall be attached to or incorporated into
these By-laws. ARTICLE
THIRTEEN EFFECTIVE
DATE The foregoing By-laws shall supersede all
previous By-laws and upon adoption by a two-thirds (2/3) vote at the
Annual Meeting of the membership shall become the official By-laws of
Georgia State Unit 114. Modification Dates: These By Laws were modified at the Annual
General Meeting on Saturday, March 1, 2009. The previous version was last modified in March
2002. |
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