Bylaws

BYLAWS OF THE COSUMNES REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY

Adopted August 17, 2009

ARTICLE I
Name

The name of the organization shall be the COSUMNES REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY, a chartered unit of the California Republican Assembly, a nonprofit California corporation, here in referred to as the “CRA”.

ARTICLE II
Powers

The powers of this organization shall be to direct, manage, supervise, and control its business, property, and funds to carry out its objectives.

ARTICLE III
Objectives

The objectives for which this organization is formed are:

SECTION 1. To develop an intelligent, aggressive, and serviceable Republican organization within the area specified in ARTICLE IV.

SECTION 2. To foster and develop interest in and appreciation for the ideals of self-government.

SECTION 3. To encourage and persuade all citizens to register and vote to support the policies and candidates of the Republican Party.

SECTION 4. To gather and disseminate accurate information concerning proposed measures and candidates.

SECTION 5. To select, endorse, and support members of this organization and other outstanding Republicans for public office at both the primary and general elections.

SECTION 6. To conceive, develop, and support measures for the improvement of government and to promote public forums to serve in the public interest.

ARTICLE IV
Jurisdiction

The jurisdiction of the Cosumnes Republican Assembly shall be, as now established or hereafter created, the Cosumnes Community Services District, including the cities of Elk Grove and Galt; the Delta region of Sacramento County south of Freeport and west of Interstate 5, including the city of Isleton; and the Herald and Wilton Fire Protection Districts.

ARTICLE V
Membership

SECTION 1. The classification of memberships in this organization shall be regular members and honorary members.

SECTION 2. Members of this organization shall be those American citizens of good moral character who are registered with the Republican Party and have paid the appropriate unit dues.

SECTION 3. Honorary members shall be those registered Republicans who, by two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors of this Assembly, are elected to honorary membership in this organization.

SECTION 4. All records of this organization shall be kept by the appropriate officers of this Assembly.

SECTION 5. Any member may be suspended or expelled from membership by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the Board of Directors, provided that such member shall receive thirty days notice of such contemplated action and shall be entitled to be heard before action is taken. The action of the Board may be appealed to the general membership.

SECTION 6. If membership dues remain unpaid for a period of sixty (60) days after written notice by the Secretary of such delinquency and of intention to declare such a forfeiture of membership if same be not paid, such membership shall ipso facto terminate, and such member shall cease to be in good standing until he may be reinstated by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VI
Board of Directors and Officers

SECTION 1. The Board of Directors of this Assembly shall be composed of the officers as herein described, elected by the Assembly at its annual election meeting. The Immediate Past President of this Assembly shall be an ex-officio member of the Board with the right of voting.

SECTION 2. The officers of this Assembly shall consist of a President, a First Vice President, a Second Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. These officers shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Assembly in the month of January. The officers elected at the organizing meeting shall serve until the next annual meeting.

SECTION 3. The Board of Directors and each of the officers shall have the powers and duties usually attached to said offices and shall, in addition, have the powers and duties assigned to them by these Bylaws and by this Assembly.

(a) President. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and of the Assembly and to call such meetings as are herein provided to be called by him. He shall see that the Bylaws and such other rules and regulations are diligently enforced, shall supervise generally the affairs of the Assembly, and, at the annual election meeting, shall make a general report of its business during the previous year. He shall perform such other duties as usually pertain to the office of President.
(b)    Vice Presidents. It shall be the duty of the Vice Presidents to assist the President as pertains to such Vice Presidential duties, e.g., program, membership, etc. The ranking Vice President shall accede to the Presidency when that office is vacated by resignation, expulsion, or death. He shall perform all the duties of the President in the absence of the President.
(c)    Secretary. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the Assembly meetings and Board of Directors’ meetings. The Secretary shall keep a record of all members’ names and addresses and perform all such activities as the President may require. The Secretary shall cause a copy of these Bylaws and all such minutes of all previous meetings to be available at every Assembly meeting. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to do all the correspondence requested by the President and fulfill the obligation pertaining to the records of the CRA.
(d)    Treasurer. The Treasurer shall receive, collect, and deposit all monies received by the Assembly. He shall keep the usual book of accounts and such records and books as directed by the Board of Directors. He shall report on income, disbursements, and liabilities. He shall originate all disbursements on orders of the Board of Directors.   All drafts are to be signed by the Treasurer and the President or Secretary, or two of the three. He shall be bonded at the expense of the Assembly if requested by the Board of Directors.
(e)    Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall have the power to solicit and receive contributions from members of the general public for the purposes of the Assembly and the activities of its sponsors, but shall not solicit funds for the State or County Central Committees, or for use by the Republican Party, without first securing consent of the appropriate party officials in the manner provided by the Elections Code of California.
(f)    The Board of Directors shall cause the Treasurer to remit promptly to the Membership Secretary of the CRA all dues or assessments payable to the CRA in the amounts and at the time such payments may be due.
(g)    The Board of Directors shall be vested with the power and the duty of transacting all business of the Assembly. It shall be responsible for carrying out the objectives and purposes of the Assembly and shall make such rules and regulations as shall be deemed advisable provided only that such rules and regulations are not in conflict with these Bylaws.

SECTION 4. No officer of the Assembly shall hold any partisan, remunerative, elective public office, provided that this shall not prohibit serving on any public commission or board for which no regular salary is received, nor other office other than an office within the Republican Party. Should any officer of the Assembly, during his term of office, become a candidate for election to any partisan, remunerative, elective public office, which shall be defined as the filing of necessary papers with the proper authority, or authorities, then his term of office as an officer of the Assembly shall automatically terminate.

SECTION 5. Any officer may be removed by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the Assembly at a regular monthly meeting where a quorum is present, but only after thirty (30) days written notice to all members specifying that such removal will be voted upon and the reasons thereof.

SECTION 6. Vacancies, however created, shall be filled by an election to be held at the next regular meeting of the Board of Directors following the creation of such vacancies. Whenever a vacancy shall occur in any of the elective offices of this Assembly, the duties pertaining to the office becoming vacant shall be performed by the next succeeding officer until such vacancy shall be filled by an election called by the Board of Directors.

SECTION 7. Delegates to attend the Conventions of the CRA and to represent this organization shall be elected by the membership, under the provisions of the CRA Bylaws.

ARTICLE VII
Committees

SECTION 1. The Standing Committees of the Assembly shall be established by the Board of Directors.

SECTION 2. The President shall have full power to appoint subject to the ratification of the Board of Directors. All members of the committees shall hold the office at the pleasure of the President and shall in no event be deemed to continue in appointments beyond the time of the annual election, unless reappointed. The President shall be en ex-officio member of all committees.

SECTION 3. Nominating Committee. Not less than thirty (30) days and not more than sixty (60) days before the annual meeting of the Assembly, the President shall appoint, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, a Nominating Committee consisting of five (5) members in good standing. When fully selected, the Nominating Committee shall immediately organize and schedule two meetings, which shall be publicized, and every member may recommend candidates for the officers of the Assembly. At the annual meeting, the Nominating Committee shall report its nomination of officers for the ensuing year. Nominations may be made from the floor at the annual meeting.

ARTICLE VIII
Meetings

SECTION 1. Board of Directors’ Meetings. The Board of Directors shall meet once each month at a time and place to be designated by the President. All members of the Assembly shall be entitled to attend such meetings and to be heard, but shall not have the right to vote. A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the full Board of Directors.   A Board meeting may be called at any time by the President or by request of one-third (1/3) of the full Board of Directors.

SECTION 2. Assembly Meetings. Meetings of all the members of the Assembly shall be held annually in January of each year as an election meeting and monthly at a time and place designated by the Board of Directors. Special meetings may be called at any time by the President or by a majority of the Board of Directors. A quorum shall consist of 5 or 10% whichever is greater. Ten days notice of each meeting of the Assembly shall be given by the Secretary to each member in good standing prior to such meeting stating the time and place.

ARTICLE IX
Revenue and Dues

SECTION 1. Sources. The revenue of this Assembly shall be derived from dues and contributions.

SECTION 2. Dues. The dues shall be as follows: annual membership dues of individual members of the Assembly shall be $ 25 per year ($ 15 for each additional person in the same household), or such other amount as may be fixed by the Board of Directors upon sixty (60) days notice, or by the Assembly at its annual meeting.

SECTION 3. Contributions. Funds may be contributed or pledged by any interested member or honorary member or other donor to the general funds. No such contribution shall exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) per year from any one contributor, unless approved by the Board of Directors of the Assembly.

ARTICLE X
Voting

Only those members who have been members in good standing for more than thirty (30) days prior to the annual meeting held in January for election of officers shall be eligible to vote for such officers.

ARTICLE XI
Endorsements

Endorsements shall be made in accordance with the State CRA Bylaws.

ARTICLE XII
Parliamentary Authority

SECTION 1. All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised.

SECTION 2. These Bylaws shall be subject to the provisions of the Articles and Bylaws as adopted and amended from time to time by the California Republican Assembly, which provisions are incorporated herein and made a part thereof wherever appropriate. A copy of these Bylaws, as amended from time to time, shall be filed with and subject to approval of the CRA Charter Review Committee.

ARTICLE XIII
Amendments

These Bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the Assembly by a favorable vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present, provided such amendment be proposed in writing and filed with the Secretary at least sixty (60) days prior to such meeting and notice thereof be given to all members at least thirty (30) days prior to such meeting. Any amendment becomes effective immediately, unless subsequently found to be in conflict with the State CRA Bylaws. The Bylaws as amended must be submitted to the CRA Charter Review Committee.

ARTICLE XIV
Order of Business

The following is a suggested model for the order of business at meetings:

1.    Invocation
2.    Pledge of Allegiance
3.    Reading of Minutes
4.    Communications
5.    Officers’ Reports
6.    Committee Reports
a.    Membership
b.    Campaigns
c.    Other Committees
7.    Old Business
8.    New Business
9.    Suggestions for Party Improvements
10.    Appointments
11.    Adjournment