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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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