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PENNSYLVANIA STATE RABBIT BREEDERS ASSOCIATION CONSTITUTION

 

 

                                                                                              ARTICLE I

                                                                                                  NAME

 

 

Section 1.               This Association shall be known and designated as the Pennsylvania State Rabbit Breeders Association (PaSRBA).

 

                                                                                              ARTICLE II

                                                                                             OBJECTIVE

 

Section 2.               The object of this Association shall be to promote, encourage, and develop the Rabbit and Cavy Industry in all of its phases in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

 

                                                                                             ARTICLE III

                                                                                           MEMBERSHIP

 

Section 1.               Any person engaged in the raising of rabbits or cavies, or any person interested in rabbits or cavies and the objectives of this Association, whether actually engaged in raising them or not, may become a member of this Association by making application in writing and payment of the membership fee.  This membership must be renewed on an annual basis by the payment of the fee.

 

                                                                                             ARTICLE IV

                                                                                           AFFILIATION

 

Section 1.               Each ARBA chartered local rabbit and cavy club in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania shall be notified yearly of the opportunity to affiliate with the Pennsylvania State Rabbit Breeders Association.  Any ARBA chartered club can become an affiliated member of PaSRBA.

 

                                                                                              ARTICLE V

                                                                                 OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

 

Section 1.               Four officers; President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected from the general membership and as such shall have one vote each, however the President shall vote only in case of a tie.

Section 2.               Three Directors at Large shall be elected from the general membership and shall be members of the Board of Directors and as such shall have one vote each.

Section 3.               Each affiliated club shall elect or appoint a Director who will be a member of the Board of Directors and as such will have one vote.  This is inclusive of youth clubs.

Section 4.               The four officers, three directors at large and directors including youth directors shall constitute the Board of Directors.

 

                                                                                             ARTICLE VI

                                                                                                  ARBA

 

Section 1.               The Pennsylvania State Rabbit Breeders Association is a chartered club of the American Rabbit Breeders Association and will maintain this Charter by paying the annual fee and adhering to the rules and regulations of the ARBA.

Section 2.               All Officers and Directors must be members of ARBA.

Section 3.               The Association will encourage its members to belong to ARBA. 

 

                                                                                            ARTICLE VII

                                                                                              MEETINGS

Section 1.               Meeting times and places are designated in the by-laws.

Section 2.               Ten members, to include four Board members, constitute a quorum to conduct business at a previously announced meeting.

Section 3.               The presiding officer shall be the President, if President cannot attend, the order of the presiding officer shall be Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, or in lieu of the above, the President shall appoint a Board Member.

 

                                                                                            ARTICLE VIII

                                                                                             ELECTIONS

 

Section 1.               The term of office for officers is two years.

Section 2.               The term for director at large is 3 years.

Section 3.               The President shall not run for more than two consecutive terms.

Section 4.               The directors of affiliated clubs shall be elected or appointed annually by their local clubs.

Section 5.               Election process will be defined in the by-laws.

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                                                                                             ARTICLE IX

                                                                                         AMENDMENTS

 

Section 1.               The Constitution may be amended only by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the membership.

Section 2.               At least 10 members may petition the Board of Directors in writing to amend the constitution.

Section 3.               The Board of Directors will render an opinion of the change requested and publish it in the newsletter along with the change request.

Section 4.               The Secretary will mail ballots to each adult principal member and director with the changes noted and voting instructions.

Section 5.               The ballots will be tabulated and results implemented at the next scheduled meeting.

 

 

PENNSYLVANIA STATE RABBIT BREEDERS ASSOCIATION BY-LAWS

 

 

                                                                                              ARTICLE I

                                                                                                  NAME

 

Section 1.               This Association shall be known and designated as the Pennsylvania State Rabbit Breeders Association (PaSRBA).

Section 2.               The emblem of the Association shall be the seal adopted by PaSRBA as shown on the cover to the constitution and by-laws.

 

                                                                                              ARTICLE II

                                                                                             OBJECTIVE

 

Section 1.               The PaSRBA shall promote the rabbit and cavy industry by having an annual convention, having youth royalty contests and participating on the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Commission.

 

                                                                                             ARTICLE III

                                                                                           MEMBERSHIP

 

Section 1.               The principal membership in the PaSRBA shall be individual members, husband & wife, or family.

Section 2.               Annual dues are due by March 1st but not later than March 15th to maintain continuous active principal membership’s status. If application is received or postmarked before November 30th the membership will be ONLY for the remainder of the year, if application is received on or after December 1st the membership will be until the end of the following year.

Section 3.               Annual fees are as follows:

Individual                                              $8.00

Husband & Wife                                  $11.00

Family                                                    $13.00

 

Section 4.               Membership money shall be used for publication and mailing of the newsletter with excess money going to the general fund.

 

                                                                                             ARTICLE IV

                                                                                           AFFILIATION

 

Section 1.               Any local club can be affiliated with PaSRBA upon payment of dues to PaSRBA.  Fee for affiliation is twenty-five dollars ($25), ten dollars ($10) for youth clubs.

Section 2.               Annual dues are due by March 1st but not later than March15th to maintain continuous active affiliated club membership status. If membership application is received or postmarked before November 30th the membership will be ONLY for the remainder of the year, if application is received on or after December 1st the membership will be until the end of the following year.

Section 3.               The local clubs must submit to PaSRBA a list, signed by the President and Secretary, of all club members to be recognized as affiliated members with the name of the elected or appointed director to serve on the PaSRBA board.

Section 4.               Directors have one vote at Board of Directors meetings and should vote in the manner directed by their local club.

Section 5.               Club members of an affiliated club who are not principal members of PaSRBA will be known as affiliated members.

Section 6.               Affiliated members have no voting rights or special rights. The purpose of an affiliated member is for sweepstake points only.

Section 7.               Affiliation money will go toward the scholarship fund.

 

                                                                                              ARTICLE V

                                                                       DUTY OF OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

 

Section 1.               President: shall preside at all meetings of the Association, appoint all committees and chairpersons with board approval, call special meetings and perform all duties that pertain to the office of President.

Section 2.               Vice President: shall carry out the duties of the President in the case of his/her absence, and is an ex-officio member of every committee.

Section 3.               Secretary: shall conduct the general correspondence of the Association and keep accurate minutes.

Section 4.               Treasurer: shall handle all monetary transactions, keep accurate records of all transactions and pay all bills by check. The Treasurer shall issue money that has been budgeted for or approved by the Board of Directors.  The Treasurer shall reimburse anyone, if money has been approved and accompanying vouchers are filled out by person asking for reimbursement. The Treasurer must submit a quarterly and annual written report to the Board of Directors.

Section 5.               The Board of Directors shall interpret the constitution and by-laws, as well as handle any disciplinary action of the Association.

Section 6.               The Board of Directors shall have charge of the business of the Association, and authorize all expenditures necessary to run the Association.

 

                                                                                             ARTICLE VI

                                                                                              MEETINGS

 

Section 1.               There will be four (4) required meetings during the year.  Two (2) will be general membership meetings with the other two (2) being Board of Directors meetings.

Section 2.               Meeting time and location will be decided by the President with board approval.

Section 3.               The meetings will take place in February, May, August and November.  The meetings will take place at such a date that it shall be announced in the Newsletter at least 30 days prior to meeting, and at a date that will allow minutes and other business to be published in the next newsletter.

Section 4.               Postcard reminders will be mailed out to all Board of Directors by the Secretary reminding them of the meeting.

Section 5.               The order of business meetings shall be.

a.             Call to order.

b.             Roll call of officers and directors.

c.             Reading of minutes.

d.             Treasurer report.

e.             Committee reports.

f.              Correspondence.

g.             Unfinished Business.

h.             New Business.

i.              Payment of bills.

j.              Announcements.

k.             Adjournment

Section 6.               The President shall call a special Board of Directors meeting when requested by at least three (3) directors, providing that all Board of Directors have ten (10) days notice by phone made by the President or Vice President.

Section 7.               The President shall call a special general membership meeting when requested by 10 adult members in good standing; if 30 day written notice is given, notice can be given by mail or  the newsletter.

Section 8.               The agenda at a special meeting shall be confined to the subject of which the meeting was called.  Each director must be notified of the subject.

Section 9.               The order of business at a special meeting.

a.             Call to order.

b.             Roll Call.

c.             Subject of meeting.

d.             Adjournment.

Section 10.             Only officers and directors may vote at Board of Directors meetings.

Section 11.             Officers, directors and adult members may vote at general membership meetings.

Section 12.                                                                                             To vote, one must be present at the meeting.

Section 13.             Robert's Rules of Parliamentary Law "Original Edition" shall prevail at all meetings except where constitution and by-laws provides otherwise.

 

                                                                                            ARTICLE VII

                                                                     ROYALTY & EDUCATION CONTESTS

 

Section 1.               Youth royalty and education contests at the annual convention will be conducted with guidelines drafted by the youth committee and approved by Board of Directors.

 

 

 

                                                                                            ARTICLE VIII

                                                                                         SWEEPSTAKES

 

Section 1.               PaSRBA sweepstakes will be conducted with guidelines drafted by the sweepstakes committee and approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 2.               Money collected from clubs for sanctions will be used as follows:

75%        Prizes

25%        General fund

Section 3.               Shows that are PaSRBA sanctioned shall so state in their catalogs with information provided on the sanction request form.

 

 

                                                                                             ARTICLE IX

                                                                                             ELECTIONS

 

Section 1.               Terms of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be 2 years; Directors at Large are elected to three year terms.  Directors are elected or appointed annually by their local club.

Section 2.               Terms of the officers start January 1st, with one Director at Large elected yearly.  President and Secretary are elected in the odd year with Vice President and  Treasurer being elected in the even year.

Section 3.               Any vacancy in an office will be filled by the President with Board of Directors approval for the balance of that term.

Section 4.               Nomination ballots will appear in the June newsletter, nomination ballots must be returned to the election committee by August 1st.

Section 5.               Any principal member may nominate any member or his or herself for an office. 

Section 6.               Persons nominated must be adult members of ARBA & PaSRBA. 

Section 7.               The election committee consisting of three (3) members shall notify nominees and ask for a written acceptance or rejection.  If a nominee accepts, they must submit a brief biography to be published in the September newsletter.

Section 8.               The election committee shall mail ballots on November 1st with a November 20 deadline.  Results will be published in the December newsletter.

Section 9.               Newly elected officers will take office January 1st.

Section 10.             No member of the election committee may be nominated for an office.

Section 11.             Any adult member of PaSRBA is eligible to vote in the election.

Section 12.             Any director, whether adult or youth is eligible to vote in the election. The directors should vote according to their club's direction.

 

                                                                                             ARTICLE X

                                                                                 ANNUAL CONVENTION

 

Section 1.               The PaSRBA shall sponsor an annual state convention.

Section 2.               The location of the state convention will be decided upon by the Board of Directors, with the recommendation of the convention committee.

Section 3.               Money from the annual convention shall go back into the convention; any deficit shall come from the general fund any excess shall go to the general fund.

 

                                                                                             ARTICLE XI

                                                                                          COMMITTEES

Section 1.               Committees and chairpersons shall be named by the President.  The term of each chairperson is one year appointed at the first membership meeting of the year.  The President shall have the authority to make replacements as are considered to be in the best interest of the Association with Board approval.

Section 2.               Committees shall meet outside of Board of Directors meetings and report their work or findings at the Board of Directors meetings in writing to be voted upon by Board of Directors.

Section 3.               Each committee shall have a chairperson and as many committee members as needed to function.

Section 4.               Each committee chairperson shall submit a budget to the President outlining general expenditures for the year.  Board of Directors must approve this budget and the Treasurer must then keep a record of this budget.

Section 5.               Committee chairperson must give a report at all board of director meetings whether in person or by proxy, if no report is necessary or given then "no report" will be the report.

Section 6:               Standing committees are as follows:

Audit                                      Three non-officer members to audit records of the Association.

Commercial            Promote the commercial aspect of the Association. Submit articles of a commercial nature to be printed in the quarterly newsletter.

Convention           Manage the PaSRBA annual convention whose appointed term shall run to convention completion.

Election  Three adult members to handle election process as set forth in by-laws.  Chairperson shall receive ballots from membership.

Farm Show            To be the liaison between PaSRBA and the Pennsylvania State Farm Show.

Membership          Receive all membership requests and maintain records and a current mailing list showing members of individuals and affiliated clubs.

Newsletter             Publish the PaSRBA newsletter which is the official publication of the Association.

Sweepstakes         Manage the PaSRBA sweepstakes.

Youth                                     Promote youth involvement in the Association.

Web Page              Manage the PaSRBA web page.

Section 7.               The President shall appoint other committees and chairpersons as necessary.

 

                                                                                            ARTICLE XII

                                                                                           NEWSLETTER

 

Section 1.               The newsletter is published quarterly by PaSRBA, deadline for articles are February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15th.

Section 2.               The newsletter will be printed and mailed between the 1st and 10th of the month following the article deadline, these months are March, June, September and December.

Section 3.               The newsletter will be mailed or delivered to all principal members and directors of affiliated clubs.

Section 4.               The newsletter shall be published with all minutes of prior Board of Directors and membership meetings.

 

                                                                                           ARTICLE XIII

                                                                                         SCHOLARSHIPS

 

Section 1.               PaSRBA scholarships will be conducted with guidelines drafted by the Scholarship committee and approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 2.               Scholarships are for any youth members of the PaSRBA.

Section 3.               Scholarships can be used to promote PaSRBA royalty on a regional or national level.

 

                                                                                           ARTICLE XIV

                                                                                         AMENDMENTS

 

Section 1.               At least 10 members may petition the Board of Directors in writing to amend the By-laws.

Section 2.               The Board of Directors will render an opinion of the change requested and publish it in the newsletter along with the change request.

Section 3.               The membership will vote on the changes at the next general membership meeting.