Bexar County Democratic Women

Proposed changes to the Bexar County Democratic Women Bylaws are as follows:

* Article VI Section 2 --- fiscal year is changed to calendar year (January 1st)

* Article VIII Section 1 --- Elections are moved from first general membership meeting of the fourth quarter to first general membership meeting of the second quarter

* Article XII Section 3 --- budget is to be submitted for a calendar year rather than a September 1st fiscal year

* Article XIII Section 1 --- the fiscal year begins January 1st

* Article XIII Section2 --- the financial reports shall be presented at the first meeting of the first quarter

BYLAWS

Bexar County Democratic Women

Adopted:

ARTICLE I-NAME AND PRINCIPAL OFFICE

Sec. 1-The organization shall be known as Bexar County Democratic Women (BCDW). It shall be affiliated with the state organization known as Texas Democratic Women (TDW).

Sec. 2-The principal office of BCDW shall be in San Antonio, Texas, or at such other place as determined by the Executive Board (Board).

ARTICLE II-EMBLEM

The emblem shall be in the form of the state of Texas with the initials BCDW inscribed inside the state figure.

ARTICLE III-PURPOSE

BCDW will promote the increased political activity and influence of Democratic women in Texas politics and government.

ARTICLE IV-POLICY

Sec. 1-BCDW will not endorse one Democrat in opposition to another Democrat.

Sec. 2-BCDW may affiliate with national democratic women’s organization(s) with Executive Board approval.

Sec. 3-BCDW will provide training and other support for democratic women working in party organizations, campaigns, and/or seeking party or public office.

Sec. 4-BCDW will work to promote increased representation of women in party organizations and government institutions.

Sec. 5-BCDW will promote legislative, executive, and judicial policies that enhance equitable representation of women in party organizations and government affairs.

ARTICLE V-MEMBERSHIP

Sec. l-Any Democrat who supports Article III-Purpose and Article IV-Policies of BCDW’s bylaws is eligible to join BCDW.

Sec. 2-A BCDW member shall be an individual whose dues are current or who has received a scholarship.

ARTICLE VI-DUES

Sec. 1-Dues will be set by a vote of the general membership. A portion of the dues will be collected for TDW in accordance with TDW by-laws.

Sec. 2-Membership dues are payable at the beginning of the calendar year (January 1st). Renewing members must pay dues each year to be considered a member in good standing for that year.

ARTICLE VII-OFFICERS

Sec. 1-The officers shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer.

Sec. 2-A term of office shall be for one year or until their successor is elected.

Sec. 3-Terms of office begin the day after the election.

Sec. 4-Officers may not serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office

ARTICLE VIII-NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

Sec. 1- Elections of officers are held at the first general membership meeting of the second quarter, or as soon thereafter as practical, and are conducted by the Elections Committee. The Elections Committee will meet prior to this meeting to prepare a slate of candidates for office. The membership will be asked to offer names to the Election Committee prior to the committee meeting.

Sec. 2-Only members who are in good standing shall be permitted to vote and be eligible for office.

Sec. 3– At the meeting to elect new officers, nominations may be made from the floor provided the candidate gives consent.

Sec. 4-There shall be no proxy voting.

Sec. 5-A person who fills an unexpired term greater than six (6) months shall be considered to have served a full term of office in determining eligibility for re-election.

Sec. 6-In an election with two (2) candidates on the ballot, the candidate with the simple majority shall be elected. In an election with three (3) or more candidates, the candidate with fifty-one percent (51%) of the votes shall be elected. If none of the candidates receives fifty-one percent (51%) of the vote, an immediate runoff election shall be held between the two candidates who received the most votes.

Sec. 7-Vacancies in offices and executive board positions shall be filled for the remainder of the term by the Executive Board at the next Executive Board meeting, or as soon thereafter as practical. The general membership will be asked to confirm the appointment at the next general membership meeting.

ARTICLE IX-DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Sec. 1-The President shall:

a) preside at all meetings;

b) represent BCDW publicly or designate an alternate;

c) appoint standing committee chairs and members as provided in these bylaws;

d) appoint special committees and non-voting officers as needed with approval of the Executive Board;

e) serve as ex officio member on all committees, except the Elections Committee;

f) set meeting dates and prepare the agenda for each;

g) present annual Committee reports to the Board;

h) appoint a Parlimentarian to serve at all meetings as a non-voting member of the Board.

Sec. 2-The Vice-President shall:

a) perform the duties of the President when the President is absent;

b) perform duties assigned by the President;

c) form a committee to organize fundraising activities;

d) coordinate with the Treasurer to maintain strict accountablilty of all funds.

Sec. 3-The Secretary shall:

a) be responsible for the minutes of the Executive Board Meetings and membership meetings, take minutes, and distribute the minutes to the Executive Board and to the membership at regularly scheduled meetings;

b) report attendance of the Executive Board members at Executive Board meetings in the minutes;

c) be responsible for BCDW’s correspondence as directed by the President;

d) send out notices and newsletters to the Executive Board and the general membership as directed by the President;

e) maintain copies of all records, agendas, minutes, reports, and resolutions for official records;

f) maintain a current roster of members for distribution as directed by the President or the Executive Board;

g) perform such other duties applicable to the office as contained in these bylaws, or as prescribed by the parliamentary authority adopted in Article XIV.

Sec. 4-The Treasurer shall:

a) be the custodian of funds in bank accounts and pay all bills upon authorization of the President or the Executive Board (The names of the President, Vice-President, and Treasurer shall be on file with the bank. The President or Treasurer will sign all checks. In the event the President is unavailable, the Vice-President is empowered to sign.);

b) submit a written financial report of BCDW and account for all funds received and disbursed at each Executive Board meeting;

c) serve on the Financial Committee;

d) provide complete member information to the Secretary and President upon receipt of that information;

e) keep an itemized record, in a permanent file, of all receipts and expenditures;

f) present a budget to the Board in a fourth quarter meeting to be approved at a general membership meeting;

g) present a financial statement at a fourth quarter meeting of the general membership to be filed for audit;

h) perform such other duties applicable to the office as contained in these bylaws, or as prescribed by the parliamentary authority adopted in Article XIV.

Sec. 5-The Board Members shall:

a) serve on the Executive Board;

b) perform such other duties applicable to the office as contained in these bylaws, or as prescribed by the parliamentary authority adopted in Article XIV.

Sec. 6- At the end of a term of office, all officers shall deliver all BCDW records to their successor within 30 days.

ARTICLE X-MEETINGS

Sec. 1-The Executive Board shall meet quarterly at a date and time determined by the Executive Board. The President may call special meetings as needed with advance notice. Members of the Executive Board may participate in meetings by telephone.

Sec. 2-A quorum shall consist of a simple majority (one-half plus one) of the members present. The Secretary shall determine and the President shall verify that a quorum is present. Members participating in the meeting by telephone shall be counted in determining if a quorum is present.

Sec. 3 – An Executive Board member is automatically removed if absent from three consecutive meetings without approval from the President.

Sec. 4 – General membership meetings will be held monthly at a place and time determined by the Executive Board. Notices of the meetings will be provided to the membership. A simple majority of members present will constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE XI-EXECUTIVE BOARD

Sec. 1-The Executive Board shall consist of five members. The Executive Board shall be composed of the Officers, the immediate past president of BCDW, and the chairs of the standing committees.

Sec. 2-The Executive Board shall set policy for BCDW, determine its programs, and take all actions authorized or required by these bylaws.

Sec. 3-No member shall have more than one (1) vote and no voting by proxy shall be allowed.

Sec. 4-A quorum shall consist of three (3) Executive Board members. An Executive Board member may participate during the board meeting by telephone. Such member participating by telephone shall be included in determining the existence of a quorum.

ARTICLE XII-COMMITTEES

Sec. 1-The standing committees for BCDW shall be Bylaws, Elections, Finance, Membership, Legislation/Candidates, and Public Relations.

Sec.2 – The committees and chairs shall be appointed by the President. Chairs shall submit a written plan of action with proposed budget requests as directed by the President. A written report of the committee’s accomplishments will be submitted to the President at the last Executive Board meeting of the year.

Sec. 3-The functions of the Standing Committees shall be to plan and to recommend to the Executive Board policies and programs within their areas of responsibility. Committees shall perform other duties assigned by the Board. Their specific functions shall be:

a) The Bylaws Committee shall review BCDW’s bylaws and policies annually and make recommendations to the Executive Board when necessary.

b) The Elections Committee shall conduct the election of BCDW officers and vacancies as provided in Article VIII.

c) The Finance Committee shall:

1) submit a budget for the subsequent calendar year (January 1st), for approval by the Executive Board members;

2) assist the Executive Board in developing a sound financial policy.

3) from time to time submit amendments to the budget for the current fiscal year, which may be adopted by a majority vote of the Executive Board;

4) present reviewed and reconciled financial statements at the Annual Meeting.

d) The Membership Committee shall recruit new members, submit all applications to the Executive Board, send annual renewal notices to the membership, and form a scholarship subcommittee and a phone tree subcommittee.

e) The Legislative/Candidates Committee will monitor current and future legislation and present information for the general membership. The Committee will present position papers for the general membership when directed to do so by the Executive Board.

f) The Public Relations Committee shall be responsible for the public image and visibility of BCDW. Along with the President, the chair shall contact the media regarding appropriate BCDW activities to be publicized. The committee will produce a minimum of one newsletter per year to be sent to all members and will provide quarterly reports to the President. The committee will form a Speaker’s Bureau subcommittee.

Sec. 4-The Committee Chairs shall be appointed by the President, with the exception of the Elections Committee, at the first Quarterly Executive Board meeting.

Sec. 5-Each committee shall consist of a Chair and two (2) or more members. Committee members are appointed for one-year terms and may be reappointed. No person shall serve more than three (3) consecutive years on the same committee.

Sec. 6-Other committees, standing or special, shall be created by the Executive Board as deemed necessary to carry on the work of BCDW.

ARTICLE XIII-FINANCES

Sec. 1-The fiscal year shall begin January 1st.

Sec. 2-The financial statement and financial reports and the budget shall be presented to the membership at the first general membership meeting of the first quarter.

ARTICLE XIV-PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, shall govern BCDW in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order that BCDW may adopt.

ARTICLE XV-DISSOLUTION

Should BCDW be dissolved by appropriate action of its membership, the funds and other assets shall be given to the Texas Democratic Party.

ARTICLE XVI-AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS

Sec. 1-The bylaws of BCDW may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of members present at a regular business meeting. Written notice of a proposed by-law change shall be sent to the membership at least thirty days prior to the meeting at which a bylaws amendment will be voted upon.

Sec. 2-Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed by the Bylaws Committee, the Executive Board, or by a written petition signed by five (5) eligible members.

Sec. 3-The Bylaws Committee shall be responsible for reporting the effect of any proposed bylaw change to the membership.

ARTICLE XVII-NOTICE

Sec.1 – Notices required by any section of these bylaws may be given by mail, e-mail, FAX, or any similar electronic means.