Article 1: Name and Address
The name of this club shall be Plano Republican Women and its address shall be that of the incumbent President.
Article 2: Objective
The objectives shall be:
- To promote and inform electorate through political education.
- To increase the effectiveness of women in the course of good government through active political participation.
- To facilitate cooperation among Republican women.
- To foster loyalty to the Republican Party and to promote its ideals.
- To work for the election of the Republican Party’s nominees on the local, state, and national levels.
Article 3: Policy
Section 1. Candidate Endorsement:
- This club, its President and its Campaign Activities Chairman, shall not endorse any candidate for office in contested Republican elections.
- There shall be no public endorsement of a candidate by any member during a club sponsored candidate’s forum, unless such member is a candidate, has a family member who is a candidate, or is a campaign manager for a candidate, but may not do so in the name of this club.
Section 2. Working for a Candidate:
Individual members, with the exception of the President and the Campaign Activities Chairman, may work for any candidate of their choice in contested Republican elections, but may not in the name of the club.
Section 3. Rules Exemption:
The President and the Campaign Activities Chairman shall be exempt from the rules of Section 1 and 2 in the event they are candidates themselves or have family members who are candidates in contested Republican elections, but may not do so in the name of this club.
Section 4. Controversial Issues:
This club shall not issue statements, pass resolutions, or distribute literature on controversial issues in the name of the club without first polling its members and obtaining two-thirds written vote of approval of the total membership.
Section 5. Lobbying:
There shall be no lobbying with legislators using the name of the Texas Federation of Republican Women by any federated club or any individual member without the express permission of the Board of Directors of the Texas Federation of Republican Women.
Section 6. Political Action Committee:
This organization shall be a Political Action Committee (PAC) registered with the Texas Ethics Committee (TEC).
Article 4: Membership
Section 1. Eligibility:
Any woman believing in the philosophy of the Republican Party and the objectives of this club shall be eligible for membership and she shall be a registered voter.
Section 2.
An active member is a woman who meets the eligibility requirements and pays the annual dues. She shall enjoy the full privileges of membership.
Section 3.
An active member may be counted in this club only for the purpose of delegate representation to the Texas Federation conventions. This will be the only club in which she may hold office.
Section 4.
An associate female member is an active member of another Republican Women club, who wishes to be a member of this club by paying the required annual dues. An associate female member shall not hold office, cannot make motions, be on a committee, have voice or vote. An associate female member may not be listed on the roster to the Texas Federation of Republican Women and cannot be counted for the purpose of determining the number of delegates to the state convention. Her name and dues will not be sent to the Texas Federation of Republican Women headquarters.
Section 5.
A Republican man is eligible for Associate membership in the Plano Republican Women club upon payment of the required dues. He cannot hold office, propose motions, be on a committee, have a voice or vote or be counted for the purpose of determining the number of delegates to National or State Federation meetings or conventions. His name and dues will not be sent to the Texas Federation of Republican Women.
Section 6.
Individual members may resign or transfer their membership in accordance with provisions in the Bylaws of the Texas Federation of Republican Women.
Section 7.
This club and its active members shall be members of the Texas Federation of Republican Women and the National Federation of Republican Women and shall support their objectives and policies.
Section 8.
This club shall not publicly endorse or work for a known candidate of another party in a partisan or non-partisan race where a Republican is in the race. When more than one Republican is in a non-partisan or partisan race, this club, President or Campaign Activities Chairman shall not publicly endorse or work for any candidate in said race. If this club violates this policy, it shall be the responsibility of the TFRW Executive Committee to remove the club from the Federation.
Section 9:
To be eligible to vote in club elections, a member must have paid her dues at least 30 days prior to the election and must have attended at least one meeting prior to the election.
Article 5: Officers
Section 1. Eligibility:
Each officer shall be an active member in good standing.
Section 2.
The officers shall be President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer.
Section 3. Term of Office:
There shall be no term limits for officers.
Section 4. Duties of Officers:
- President
- To preside at all club and Executive Board meetings.
- To represent the club at all times or to designate a representative in absence.
- To appoint all Committee Chairmen except those designated in these bylaws.
- To prepare a program of action with the Executive Board and Special Committee Chairmen.
- To sign checks in emergency and in the inability of the Treasurer to do so.
- To be an Ex-Officio member, without vote, of all committees, except the Nominating Committee.
- First Vice President: Programs
- To serve as the presiding officer in the absence of the President.
- To serve as Chairman of the Program Committee.
- To serve as Chairman of the Awards Committee.
- To perform such other duties as the President may designate.
- Second Vice President: Membership
- To serve as Chairman of the Membership Committee.
- To distribute, collect, and file alphabetically the membership forms. Pertinent membership information shall be provided to the President.
- To keep an accurate list of active and associate members.
- To perform such other duties as the President may designate.
- Recording Secretary
- To record attendance and determine that a quorum is present at meetings.
- To keep factual and unbiased minutes of all meetings.
- To assist the President in preparing the agenda for meetings.
- To be custodian of all records and papers.
- To perform such other duties as the President may designate.
- Corresponding Secretary
- To conduct all necessary correspondence. To perform such other duties as the President may designate.
- Treasurer
- To receive and keep records of all monies accrued.
- To deposit funds in the Plano Republican Women bank account.
- To disburse funds as budgeted or as directed by the President or Executive Board.
- To give a current financial report at each monthly meeting.
- To disburse required per capita dues and annual service charges to the State and National Federation.
- To forward notices of unpaid dues to members.
- To serve as Chairman of the Finance Committee with the President and Ways and Means Chairman.
- To notify the Texas Federation when a death occurs in the membership and to request that the name of the deceased be removed from all records.
- To perform such other duties as the President may designate.
Article 6: Executive Board
Section 1.
The Executive Board shall consist of elected officers, chairmen of standing committees and the immediate past President, who shall serve as Advisor and Parliamentarian. All officers and committee chairmen shall be registered voters.
Section 2. Duties of the Executive Board:
- To make recommendations and advise as to the policies.
- To transact any necessary business between meetings.
- To exercise the provisions of Article IX, Section 3 (b) when a vacancy occurs in an elective office.
- To approve the annual budget and present it to the membership for approval.
Article 7: Meetings
Section 1.
The Annual Meeting shall be held in November at which time officers shall be elected and committee folders containing records and reports shall be submitted to the president.
Section 2.
Regular meetings shall be on the third Tuesday of consecutive months, unless otherwise ordered by the Executive Board, providing there are not less than five meetings per year.
Section 3.
Special meetings shall be held at the call of the President, or upon request of ten members, for the purpose stated in the call and no other business shall be considered.
Article 8: Dues
Section 1.
Annual membership dues shall be $30.00, payable in December, and shall be delinquent, if not paid by the February meeting. After August 1, dues shall be reduced to $15.00, which shall include full dues to the State and National Federations.
Section 2.
Dues for associate men and women members shall be $25.00 per year. Dues for husbands of active members are $5.00 per year.
Section 3.
This club shall pay the per capita dues and annual service charges required by the Texas Federation of Republican Women and the National Federation of Republican Women.
Section 4.
The fiscal year shall be from January 1 through December 31.
Article 9: Nominations and Elections
Section 1.
The Nominating Committee shall consist of three members elected at the September meeting: The first elected shall serve as chairman of the committee. At the close of the meeting the committee shall set a time to convene. The Nominating Committee shall report one nominee for each office at the October meeting with prior consent of the nominees.
Section 2.
Nominations may be made from the floor at the November meeting, provided prior consent has been given by such nominees.
Section 3.
Vacancies in elective offices shall be handled as follows:
- In the event a vacancy occurs in the office of President, the First Vice President shall assume the duties of President for the unexpired portion of the term.
- In the event a vacancy occurs in an office other than President, the Executive Board shall have the option of leaving the office vacant or calling for a special election at the next regular meeting. If a special election is called, the Board shall recommend a candidate for the office. Nominations may be made from the floor with prior consent of the nominees.
Section 4.
Election for contested offices shall be by closed ballot and a majority of all votes cast shall constitute election. Uncontested elections may be held by voice vote. There shall be no proxy voting.
Section 5.
The officers shall be elected in November and installed at the December meeting.
Section 6.was deleted completely (term limits)
Article 10: Committees
Section 1. Eligibility:
Each Chair shall be an active member in good standing of the organization.
Section 2. Standing Committees:
- Americanism/Heritage
- Newsletter
- Bylaws
- Parliamentarian
- Campaign Activities
- Programs/Awards
- Caring for America
- Public Relations
- Chaplain
- PAC Chairman
- County Chair Liaison
- Senior Citizens
- Historian
- Technology
- Hospitality
- Telephone/Hot Line
- Legislation
- Ways and Means
- Mamie Eisenhower Library
- Project Youth Outreach
Section 3. Standing Committee Duties:
The standing committees shall outline programs for action in their respective fields for consideration and adoption by the Executive Board and shall carry out such other duties as may be prescribed by the Executive Board. The Plano Republican Women Political Action Committee chairman shall serve as treasurer of the fund. She shall work closely with the club Treasurer to ensure adequate records are available as required by the Texas Ethics Commission and Texas Election laws and shall file all reports required by same in a timely manner. The PAC Treasurer must be registered with the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC).
Section 4. Special Committees:
- Financial Review
- Finance
- Committee for disbursement of funds
- Lincoln Day Dinner
- Nominating
- Social
- Yearbook
Additional special committees shall be appointed by the President and/or Executive Board as deemed advisable.
Section 5. Special Committee Duties:
The special committees shall outline programs in their respective fields for consideration and adoption by the Executive Board. These committees shall be formed only for the duration of their service.
Section 6. The Finance Committee:
The Finance Committee shall prepare a projected budget for each fiscal year and submit it to the membership for approval in January. The committee is composed of the President, Treasurer, Past Treasurer, and Ways and Means Chairman.
Section 7. Financial Review Committee:
The Financial Review Committee shall review the books as of December 31, annually and submit a report at the February meeting. The President shall appoint two active members to complete the review.
Section 8. All Committees:
All committees shall report at the regular meeting, or as ordered by the President.
Section 9. Term of Office
The Chairs shall serve for a term of one year and shall assume their duties on January 1.
Section 10. Committee for Disbursement of Funds to Candidates.
The Committee will consist of five members: Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Campaign Activities Chairman and two at-large members elected at the general meeting in May. The Campaign Activities Chair will preside at the disbursement hearing. The President will serve as ex-officio member. The May newsletter will state when the PAC Disbursement hearing will occur but it will be prior to August 1st.
- Members of the Plano Republican Women shall screen and recommend the recipients of the contributions from PRW. At the hearing an individual member can present their case for a candidate or the candidate may do so in person. The hearing shall be listed in Elephant Talk as well as announced at the general meeting at least 30 days prior to the hearing.
- In the event a Plano Republican Women member or the candidate cannot attend the hearing, a request of a contribution will be considered if it is made in one of the following ways:
- A request may be made in writing and if by a candidate, must be on letterhead stationery.
- A request may be made by a telephone call to a PRW member and documented in writing by this member.
- A request may be made by Fax to a PRW member.
- All requests for contributions will be considered if they are completed and made 24 hours prior to the PRW hearing. Requests made after this time period will not be accepted.
- All recommendations will be taken to the PRW Executive Board for approval. With board approval the recommendations will then be taken to the PRW general membership and final recipients shall be named.
- Disbursement of funds shall be made following the August membership meeting. A PRW letter of transmittal shall accompany each check. This letter should be signed by the PRW Chairman, but can be signed by the PRW Treasurer if the Chairman is not available. A copy of this letter shall be retained for PRW records with the date of the check and check number clearly posted on the copy letter.
Article 11: Representation
Section 1.
The club shall be represented at the Biennial Convention of the Texas Federation of Republican Women by one delegate and one alternate for each ten (10) members or major fraction thereof. Delegates and alternates shall be elected at the August meeting.
Section 2.
This club shall be represented at the Biennial Convention of the National Federation of Republican Women by one delegate and one alternate, elected by the membership at the April meeting.
Article 12: Quorum
Section 1.
A quorum for a meeting shall be twenty percent (20%) of the members.
Section 2
A quorum for a meeting of the Executive Board shall be twenty percent (20%) of the members.
Article 13: Parliamentary Authority
Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, the latest edition thereof, shall govern all proceedings except where inconsistent with the Bylaws of and those of the Texas Federation of Republican Women and the National Federation of Republican Women.
Article 14: Amendments
Section 1.
These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the active members present and voting at any regular or special meeting, provided notice of the proposed amendment shall have been given in writing or by personal contact to all members at least thirty days prior to the meeting.
Section 2
These Bylaws shall be reviewed once every two years promptly after the state convention and submitted to the Vice President Bylaws of the Texas Federation, only if amended. Amendments will become effective upon receipt of approval.
Section 3.
When an amendment is adopted to the Bylaws of the Texas Federation which affects club Bylaws, this club shall automatically amend its Bylaws to conform. The membership shall be notified of such mandatory amendment but no further action will be required.
Article 15: Indemnification
The officers and directors of the Plano Republican Women may be indemnified for the expenses of defending actions arising against either as long as they are found to be innocent or, found guilty of improper conduct, acted in good faith.
Article 16: Dissolution
In event of dissolution of this club, the Board of Directors shall, after payment of all liabilities of the local club, distribute any remaining assets to Texas Federation of Republican Women (TFRW). None of the assets shall be distributed to any member or officer of Plano Republican Women. The right to use the name of Plano Republican Women shall revert to TFRW.
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Amended January 20, 2009
PLANO REPUBLICAN WOMEN