[NFBA-Phoenix] The Current Constitution As It Stands

[Sharonda Greenlaw]

Chapter,
As promised, here is the Phoenix Constitution as it stands since
November, 2006.

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
OF ARIZONA

PHOENIX CHAPTER

CONSTITUTION
Revised: November 4, 2006


Article I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Phoenix Chapter of the
National Federation of the Blind of Arizona; hereinafter referred to
as NFBA.


Article II: Purpose

The purpose of this organization shall be to promote the general
welfare of the blind of Phoenix, of Arizona and of the Nation. The
Phoenix Chapter shall not merely be a social organization, but shall
actively work to promote the economic and social betterment of the
blind through its support of the policies and programs of the NFBA and
the National Federation of the Blind; hereinafter referred to as NFB.


Article III: Membership

Section 1 - Affiliation. Any person interested in the furtherance of
the purposes and objectives of this organization is eligible for
membership in the Phoenix Chapter. Membership in this organization
automatically establishes membership in the NFBA and in the NFB.

Section 2 - Active Members. Those wishing to gain or maintain active
member status in the Phoenix Chapter shall pay dues, annually. At
least a majority of the active members of this organization must be
blind. Any person may initially become an active member of the Phoenix
chapter by a simple majority vote of the active members present and
voting at any regular business meeting and upon paying dues to the
treasurer. Active members have the right to vote, to serve on
committees, to speak on the floor in favor of or in opposition to any
motion being entertained and to hold office.

Note: May want to add a paragraph addressing assessing “active” versus
“inactive” status prior to submitting the chapter’s “Active
Membership” list to the NFBA president 30 days in advance for voting
purposes at state convention. This 30 day deadline is required by the
terms in the NFBA Constitution.

Section 3 - Honorary Lifetime Member. An Honorary Life-Time Membership
may be granted to an active member of the Phoenix Chapter that
exhibits extraordinary dedication and commitment to promoting the
policies and programs of the organization. Honorary Life-Time
Membership status may be granted upon a simple majority vote of the
active members present and voting at any regular business meeting. An
Honorary Life-Time member shall exercise all the rights of Active
Members without being assessed the responsibility of paying annual
dues. $1.00 (one dollar) from the Phoenix Chapter treasury will be
forwarded by the treasurer to the NFBA each year on behalf of this
member.

Note: Address the question of whether or not a person receiving Honorary Life-
Time Membership status can become ineligible at a future time. If not,
consider adding a statement that declares this is a permanent title.

Section 4 - Expulsion. Any member may be expelled by a simple majority
vote of the active members present and voting at any regular business
meeting of this organization for any of the following reasons:

1. Flagrant violation of this Constitution and/or rules of the organization,
2. Unauthorized activity in the name of the Federation, or
3. Releasing confidential information to non-members where it
adversely affects the interest of the organization.

The State Convention of this organization may reinstate any person who
has been expelled, unless such expulsion has been confirmed by the
National Convention or by the Board of Directors of the NFB; in which
event, the person may not be reinstated except by the National
Convention or by the National Board. Any person who feels he/she has
been unjustly expelled from this organization may appeal to the Board
of Directors of the NFB which may (in its discretion) consider the
matter and make a binding decision.

Section 5 - Dues. The dues of this organization shall be established
by a simple majority vote of the active members present and voting at
any regular business meeting and are payable to the Phoenix Chapter
treasurer, annually. Dues must be paid in advance no later than the
conclusion of the regular business meeting each October of an
even-numbered election year in order to be eligible to vote and be
considered for office in November. The treasurer of the Phoenix
Chapter shall forward $1.00 (one dollar) per member per year to the
NFBA on behalf of each member. No person may retain active member
status in the Phoenix Chapter who has not made annual payment of
his/her dues.


Note: Suggest moving the article addressing Elections (from Article VI
to Article IV) after Membership, Expulsion and Dues for a more logical
flow into the make up of the Board of Directors and their Duties. This
would then advance the article addressing Officers and Their Duties to
Article V and the article addressing Board of Directors and Their
Duties to Article VI.

Article VI: Elections

Elections shall be held every two (2) years at the regularly scheduled
business meeting in November of the even numbered years. Each member
of the Board of Directors shall be elected to serve a term of two (2)
years. Their term of office shall begin at the conclusion of the
business session at which they are elected. Anyone whose name is
placed for nomination for a position on the Board of Directors
(whether by the Nominating Committee or from the floor during
elections) must agree to serve in advance and must be present during
the election process.

Each member of the Board of Directors shall be elected by a simple
majority vote of the active members present and voting. There shall be
no proxy voting. If no nominee receives a majority vote on the first
ballot, the name of the person receiving the fewest votes shall be
dropped from the list of nominees and a second ballot shall be
conducted. This procedure shall continue until one of the nominees has
received a majority vote from the active members present and voting.
No member of this organization shall hold more than one elective
office at a time.


Article IV: Officers and Their Duties

Section 1 - Officers. Officers of the Phoenix Chapter shall consist of
President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary and
Treasurer. The President, the First Vice-President, the Second
Vice-President and the majority of the Board must be blind.

Section 2 - Duties of the President. The President is the principal
administrative officer of the organization. As such, his/her duties
consist of: carrying out the policies adopted by the membership;
conducting the day-to-day management of the affairs of the
organization; authorizing expenditures from the treasury in accordance
with and implementation of the policies adopted by the membership;
establishing all committees of the organization (except the Board of
Directors); coordinating all activities, including the work of other
officers and committees; and taking all administrative action
necessary and proper to put into effect the programs and to accomplish
the objectives of the organization.

Section 3 - Duties of the First Vice-President. The First
Vice-President shall, in the absence of the President and during such
time, as the President may be unable to perform the duties of that
office, perform such duties. If the office of the President becomes
vacant for any reason, the First Vice-President shall succeed to that
office.

Section 4 - Duties of the Second Vice-President. The Second
Vice-President shall be next in the line of succession.

Section 5- Duties of the Secretary. The Secretary shall keep minutes
of all Board and Chapter meetings and shall keep a list of the members
of the Phoenix Chapter and of all committees. The Secretary shall
furnish to the President of the NFBA, annually, on or before January
1st, a list of the names and addresses of Chapter members and elected
officers. A copy of the Constitution of the Phoenix Chapter and of all
amendments and By-Laws, thereto. shall be sent to the President of the
NFBA without delay.

Section 6 - Duties of the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall receive and
have custody of all funds of the organization. The Treasurer shall be
responsible for keeping accounts of all receipts and disbursements, in
addition to presenting written reports to all meetings of the
membership and to the Board upon request.


Article V: Board of Directors

Section 1 - Directors. This organization will have a Board of
Directors consisting of the five (5) constitutional officers and two
(2) additional members. The Board shall advise the President and have
charge of the affairs of the organization between regular business
meetings. Its function is to make policy decisions when necessary in
accordance with and implementation of those adopted by the membership.
The Board of Directors should not make policy decisions that can
reasonably be postponed until the next regularly scheduled business
meeting.

Section 2 - Vacancies. Vacancies in the offices of the Second
Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer or any of the
Directorships shall be filled by special election at the next regular
business meeting of the Phoenix Chapter following the meeting at which
such vacancies occurred.


Article VII: Meetings

Section 1 - Regular Business Meeting. The Phoenix Chapter shall hold a
monthly business meeting--the time and place of which shall be fixed
by a simple majority vote of the active members present and voting at
any regular business meeting or by the Board of Directors. At least
seven (7) active members must be present to constitute a quorum in
order to transact business.

Note: deleted redundant language of “at any regular business meeting.”

Section 2 - Board Meeting. The Board of Directors shall hold meetings
as called by the President or on the written request of any three (3)
members. There shall be no proxy voting by Board members. The Board of
Directors may be polled by telephone or mail ballot on any question.
At least four (4) members of the Board of Directors must be present to
constitute a quorum in order to transact business.

Note: Consider adding a statement that distinguishes between polling
the Board members on an individual issue versus holding
open-to-the-public Board meetings.

Note: Deleted redundant language “at any Board meeting.”

Section 3 - Special Meeting. The President of this organization may
call a special meeting of the body at any time he/she or a majority of
the Board of Directors deems such action to be necessary. At such a
special meeting, at least seven (7) active members must be present to
constitute a quorum in order to transact business. Except in cases of
emergency, notice shall be given to the membership at least three (3)
days prior to the date of the meeting.

Note: Consider adding a statement that provides that a certain
number/percent of active members may also call for a Special Meeting.


Article VIII: Affiliation

The Phoenix Chapter of the NFBA shall function as an integral part of
the NFB. The Phoenix Chapter shall comply with the provisions of the
Constitution of the NFBA and the provisions of the contract appearing
on the back of the Charter of Affiliation issued to state affiliates
by the NFB. Policy decisions of the NFBA and the NFB (whether made by
the National Convention, by the National Board of Directors, by the
State Convention or by the State Board of Directors) are binding on
this organization, and this organization shall participate
affirmatively in carrying out such policy decisions.

As a condition of affiliation, it is agreed by this organization that
the NFBA and the NFB have the power and authority to expel and
discipline any member, to remove officers and to reorganize the
Phoenix Chapter. In the event of reorganization, the Phoenix Chapter
shall dissolve and cease to exist.

It is hereby recognized by this organization that the name National
Federation of the Blind, Federation of the Blind or any variant,
thereof, is the property of the NFB; and, the Phoenix Chapter or any
of its members that cease to be a part of the NFBA or the NFB (for
whatever reason) shall forthwith forfeit the right to use the name
National Federation of the Blind, Federation of the Blind or any
variant, thereof.


Article IX: Disbursement of Funds

The funds of this organization shall be deposited in a bank to be
selected by the Treasurer with the approval of the President. All
financial obligations of this organization shall be discharged by
check issued on order of the President and signed by the treasurer.
Each financial transaction conducted on behalf of the Phoenix Chapter
shal be verified by a receipt, invoice or other appropriate document
furnished to the treasurer for record-keeping purposes.


Article X: Dissolution

In the event of the dissolution of the Phoenix Chapter, or if (for
whatever reason) this organization ceases to be an affiliate of the
NFBA and the NFB, its assets shall be given to the NFBA to be held in
trust for a reorganized chapter in the Phoenix area. In the event that
no new chapter is reorganized for a period of two (2) years from the
date this organization ceases to be an affiliate of the NFBA and the
NFB, the assets shall become the property of the NFBA.


Article XI: By-laws

Any situation not covered by this Constitution may be considered by
the membership in the form of a motion or resolution, and when
adopted, shall become a by-law when so designated by the membership.
The adoption or repeal of a by-law shall require a simple majority
vote of the active members present and voting at any regular business
meeting.


Article XII: Amendments

This Constitution may be amended at any regular business meeting of
the Phoenix chapter by an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the
active members present and voting provided that the proposed amendment
has been submitted in writing and read at a previous regular business
meeting; and, provided that it is in compliance with the provisions of
the Charter of Affiliation received from the National Federation of
the Blind and with the policies of the National Federation of the
Blind of Arizona and the National Federation of the Blind.


BY-LAWS (Proposed)

Definitions:


Active Member - An Active Member is one who pays annual dues and acts
on his/her pledge to participate actively in the efforts of the
National Federation of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity and
security for the blind; to support the policies and programs of the
Federation; and to abide by its constitution.

Honorary Life-Time Member - An Honorary Life-Time Member is one who
believes in and promotes the cause of the National Federation of the
Blind and who has been awarded this title by a simple majority vote of
the active members present and voting at any regular business meeting.
Any member receiving this distinctive recognition shall retain it for
Life except in the event their actions meet the criteria for
expulsion.

Flagrant violation of the Constitution - A flagrant violation of the
Constitution is an obvious and/or provable action or inaction that is
in direct opposition to the strict or implied terms stated in the
Constitution of the National Federation of the Blind.

Unauthorized activity: Unauthorized activity is observable and/or
provable action and/or communication that directly or indirectly
either wrongly affiliates itself or interferes with sanctioned
affiliation with the cause, the policies and programs of the National
Federation of the Blind, its affiliates and its chapters and
divisions.


-- 
Sharonda Greenlaw
National Federation of the Blind of Arizona (NFBA)
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