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BY-
REVISED March, 2002 <Date of adoption>
Anything in Red is a proposed deletion. Anything in Green is a proposed
addition. Any changes that will affect re-numbering
are NOT shown; they will be applied later. Anything in Italics is a comment (such
as this) and is in blue.
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 disciplined by the Board
of Directors as provided in paragraph K-6 of Article Five of these By-laws. 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 by counsel 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 maintain an accurate roster of the
membership of the Unit, which shall include the name, address, telephone
number, e-mail if available, and the ACBL Number of each member. This change
will impact the numbering of items below. 2. 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. 3. 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. 4. 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. 5. To perform such other duties as may be assigned to him from time
to time by the President or by the Board of Directors. 6. 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. [New Letter] 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. E. 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 Chairman is unable to verify 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 by the Chairman of the reason for
such denial. 3. The President shall appoint an Election Committee
in sufficient time prior to any election so that the Chairman's name and
address can be listed in the notice of the election. Note:
Deleting this section will change the numbering below. 4. When the Chairman issues an Absentee
Ballot, it will be considered that the player requesting the ballot has voted
and that player's name will be stricken from the register of eligible voters at
the time of issue. 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. 5. Absentee Ballots will be serialized
numbered to avoid reproduction 6. The Chairman of the Election Committee shall submit the original of all requests for Absentee Ballots along with
a written report to the President of Georgia State Unit
114 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. 7. Absentee Ballots must be returned to the Election Chairman no
later than two days prior to 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 on
Monday 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 and
Election 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 not be denied the privilege. 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. |