Bylaws – Criminal Justice Association of Georgia

Criminal Justice Association of Georgia
Bylaws

ARTICLE I Name

This organization shall be known as the Criminal Justice Association of Georgia.

ARTICLE II Objectives

SEC. 1 The objectives of this Association shall be as stated in Article II of the Constitution.

SEC. 2 To fulfill the objectives, the functions of this organization may incorporate social and informational activities.

ARTICLE III Membership

SEC. 1 Applicants for membership must meet the requirements as set forth in Article III of the Constitution.

SEC. 2 Applications shall be completed and sent to the Treasurer who will process them. All dues received by the Treasurer shall be deposited without delay in the CJAG account. The treasurer shall forward the names of all dues-paying members to the Secretary/Director of Communications, who shall maintain a current membership roster.

SEC. 3 To maintain good standing, a member must have paid the annual dues. Dues shall be $15.00 annually, payable by September 1 of each year.

SEC. 4 Any member six (6) months in arrears for dues after the annual meeting shall be dropped from the Association; reinstatement shall be according to policy established by the Executive Board.

SEC. 5 Only regular members in good standing shall be allowed to vote.

SEC. 6 Disciplinary procedures as found in Roberts’ Rules of Order Newly Revised shall be used (Rule No. 60).

SEC. 7 Other rules governing membership in Article III of the Constitution shall apply.

ARTICLE IV Executive Board

SEC. 1 The Executive Board shall be as established by Article IV of the Constitution.

SEC. 2 The Executive Board shall be invested with all powers necessary and proper for the good governance of the Association. Any action of the President or the Executive Board shall be subject to challenge at the general business meeting so long as the challenge is placed on the agenda in a timely fashion.

SEC 3 The Executive Board shall meet at the call of the President or of any three officers. A mid-year meeting of the Executive Board shall occur annually, and may be held with members physically present or through electronic media.

SEC. 4 All members of the Executive Board shall attend called meetings of the Association and shall be subject to recall for absence from two consecutive meetings without reasonable cause.

SEC. 5 The President shall faithfully execute the policies of the Association and shall make emergency decisions when the membership is not in session, pending approval of the Executive Board. In the event of the President’s inability to handle the duties of the office that may require emergency or immediate action, the duties shall devolve upon the Vice-President or, if the Vice-President is unable to act, upon any member of the Executive Board, until the Vice President can assume the duties or until the President is able to reassume them.

ARTICLE V Officers

SEC. 1 The Officers of the Association shall be as established in Article V of the Constitution.

SEC. 2 The terms of President and Vice President shall be for two years.

SEC. 3 The Vice President shall ascend to the presidency at the conclusion of the incumbent’s term.

SEC. 4 The Treasurer and the Secretary/Director of Communications shall be chosen for two-year terms and shall be eligible for re-election.

SEC. 5 The duties of the President shall be:

To preside at all Executive Board meetings;
To preside at all meetings of the Association;
To enforce the Constitution and Bylaws;
To appoint those committees required by the Constitution and bylaws and such other committees as deemed necessary to the orderly operation of the Association;
To require the Treasurer, at each Annual Meeting or at such time as the President may direct, to present a statement of monies received, deposited and disbursed since the last Annual Meeting and the financial standing of the Association;

SEC. 6 The duties of the Vice President (President Elect) shall be:

To assist the President in the performance of his duties;
To officiate for the President in his absence;
To assume the responsibility for planning the Annual Meeting;
To represent the Association at various functions at the request of the President.

SEC. 7 The duties of the Secretary/Director of Communications shall be:

To keep accurate minutes of the proceedings of the Executive Board of Directors, the Annual Meeting and special and called meetings;
To keep a record of the names, addresses and such data pertaining to the membership as directed by the Executive Board;
To maintain the Association’s Web Page or to work with the Web Master;
To assist the President and Executive Board in communications to the Association’s members and from the Association to other organizations;
To maintain and distribute information about the Association and facilitate communication among the Association’s members.
To perform such other duties as directed by the President or the Executive Board.

SEC. 8 The Duties of the Treasurer shall be:

To keep an accurate record of all monies received, deposited and disbursed in the name of the Association;
To sign all orders drawn on the funds of the Association as authorized;
To perform such other duties as directed by the President or the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VI Election, Recall and Appointment of Officers

SEC. 1 Any member can nominate any other member for office, but each recommendation for nomination must include a statement that the potential nominee has been contacted and that he/she is willing, if elected, to serve and to actively carry out the duties and responsibilities of the office. All nominations not made at the annual meeting shall be mailed, faxed, or emailed to the President prior to the start of the annual business meeting at which elections are to be held.

SEC. 2 The Officers of the Association shall be elected by majority vote of the members attending the annual meeting. The President will announce the election results by the end of the general business meeting at the Annual Meeting and the results will be posted on the CJAG web site.

SEC. 3 Officers of the Association may be recalled for any violation of the Constitution, Bylaws or rulings of the Executive Board.

SEC. 4 Motion for recall may be made at the Association’s general business meeting or in an Executive Board meeting. Any officer of the Association may be removed on petition of one-half of the members present at the general business meeting of the Annual Convention, when such petition shall be ratified by two-thirds of the members present. The President shall fill vacancies in any office of the Executive Board on an interim basis through appointment.

SEC. 5 Procedure in the case of resignation, recall or death:

In the event the President resigns, is recalled, or dies, or is otherwise unable to complete the term of office, the Vice President shall become President and shall appoint a Vice President subject to the advice and consent of the Executive Board. The new President will serve the regular term as President that he was due to have served in addition to the remainder of the vacated presidential term.
In the event the Vice President resigns, is recalled, dies, or is otherwise unable to complete the term of office, the President shall appoint a Vice President subject to the advice and consent of the Executive Board. The appointed Vice President shall hold office only until the next Annual Meeting at which time the newly elected Vice President will take office.
In the event the Treasurer or the Secretary/Director of Communications resigns, is recalled, dies or is otherwise unable to complete the term of office, the President shall appoint a member in good standing to serve the remainder of the term of office that has been vacated. This appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Executive Board. The appointed officer shall hold office until the next regular election.

SEC. 6 Other election matters are as established in Article VI of the Constitution.

ARTICLE VII Meetings

SEC. 1 Meetings shall be held as established in Article VI of the Constitution.

SEC. 2 In meetings of the Association and the Executive Board, the following order of business shall prevail unless set aside by parliamentary procedure:

Call to order;
Minutes of previous meeting;
Report of the President;
Reports of the other Officers;
Any Committee Reports;
Unfinished business;
New business;
Resolutions;
Next meeting;
Adjournment.

SEC. 3 The rules contained in the latest edition of Roberts’ Rules of Order shall govern the Association in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association.

SEC. 4 Special meetings shall be called at the discretion of the President. Moreover, the President shall be required to call such meetings upon a demand of a majority of the officers or upon demand of ten or more members. The call for special meetings shall be issued by mail or email or fax at least thirty days in advance of the session.

ARTICLE VII Funds of the Association

SEC. 1 A general fund is hereby created. All revenues derived from membership dues shall be placed in said fund.

SEC. 2 The members at large shall have the power to establish the membership dues.

SEC. 3 The Executive Board shall have the authority to enter into agreement with public and private agencies for the purpose of accepting grants to aid the Association in meeting the objectives stated in Article II of the Constitution.

SEC. 4 Funds received with restrictions shall be administered in a manner established in agreement between the grantor and the Association.

SEC. 5 An Audit Committee consisting of not less than three regular members of the Association appointed by the President shall at least annually inspect the financial records of the Treasurer and the Secretary/Director of Communications. The Audit Committee will submit the report of its findings to the Executive Board and the general membership. Immediate notification of any irregularities will be made to the President.

SEC. 6 Upon the dissolution of the corporation, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by a court of competent jurisdiction of the county in which the principal office of the corporation is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.

ARTICLE VIII Committees

SEC. 1 The following committees, described elsewhere in these By-Laws, are the standing committees of the Association: The Executive Board and the Audit Committee. Other committees may be established as the Executive Board or Association sees fit.

SEC. 2 The President may create such other ad hoc committees as are deemed appropriate. The President shall appoint the chairpersons of all committees that do not have an alternative method described in these Bylaws, and shall appoint the members as appropriate.

ARTICLE IX Amendments

SEC. 1 Amendments to the Constitution shall be as established in the Constitution.

SEC. 2 The Bylaws may be amended by vote in the same way as the Constitution may be amended.

SEC. 3 Bylaw amendments should be labeled “Amendments to the Bylaws”.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this 10th day of November, 2011.

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President

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Vice President

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Secretary

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Treasurer