Katy Area Democrats - Bylaws

ARTICLE I

The name of this organization shall be The Katy Area Democrats

ARTICLE II

The Katy Area Democrats is a social and a political organization which has the following objectives and purposes:

A. To promote, support, and serve the Democrats of the Katy area.

B. To support and promote the Democratic Party at all levels of government.

B. The exertion of influence on the Democratic Party to continue its historic role as a party which promotes social justice and the needs of all the people, at the local, state and national levels of government.

C. To keep the Katy area community informed of the Democratic Party and its principles F- for example, through political rallies, providing a forum for qualified speakers on current events or happenings, letters to the editor, telephone banks, block walking, and publishing a newsletter to interested citizens and voters.

E. To expand the Democratic voter base and to find and support Democrats who are interested in running for elective office.

ARTICLE III

All persons who are Democrats and/or interested in the Democratic Party and its principles, are eligible for membership in the organization. The membership is primarily intended for those who reside in the Katy area, but all are welcome to join.

ARTICLE IV

The Katy Area Democrats shall have the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Sergeant of Arms/Parliamentarian.

To be eligible to serve as an officer, a person must have become a dues-paying member at least three months before the organization election.

The term of the office shall be one year from January 1st to December 31st of each calendar year.

Elections shall be held at the regular November meeting of the organization. Vacancies shall be filled for any un-expired term by special election by members present and voting at regular meeting. Only members who are current with respect to their annual club dues are considered members in good standing and are eligible to vote.

The foregoing officers shall constitute the Executive Committee of the Katy Area Democrats. The functions of the Executive Committee shall be the maintenance of a continuous program of political activity and education for the club membership along with promotion of political awareness and organization. Also, the Executive Committee is responsible for the development of fund-raising activities to maintain the programs of the organization, and any other functions as provided for in the bylaws.

ARTICLE V

A. The President shall preside at all meetings and be the official spokesperson for the Executive Committee. The President shall propose establishment of committees and appoint their members and chairpersons with the consent of the Executive Committee. The President shall have the power to call special meetings. The President shall be the official spokesperson at all official meetings or gatherings with other Democratic organizations, Democratic officeholders, and/or candidates seeking office.

B. The Vice-President shall preside in the absence of the President.

C. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings and report those minutes at the next scheduled meeting of the general membership. The Secretary shall make such records ailable available to officersany of the club members if requested.

D. The Treasurer shall receive and deposit all monies of the organization and shall record all financial transactions and report them to the Executive Committee and the general membership. Other duties of the Treasurer include:

Filing regular reports with the Texas Ethics Commission
Preparing an annual budget for submission to the Executive Committee by April 1 of each year
Maintaining all bank records and serving as the primary signer on all checks

E. The Sergeant of Arms/Parliamentarian shall keep order at the meetings. Robert's Rules of Orders will be used to guide all parliamentary procedures during all club meetings.

F. All decisions of the Executive Committee shall be made by a majority vote of those members present.

The Sergeant of Arms/Parliamentarian shall keep order at the meetings and using Robert's Rules of Orders to make sure proper parliamentarian procedures are maintained during all meeting.

G. Officers of the club and members of the Executive Committee shall be limited to a maximum of two consecutive years in any one office and four consecutive years holding any of the offices and sitting on the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE VI

Annual membership dues shall be set by the Executive Committee and approved by a vote of the general membership at a regular monthly meeting. Annual membership dues shall be for the period of January 1st through December 31st.

A. These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at a meeting, provided the proposed amendment has been read as a proposed amendment at the preceding meeting. Bylaws not in conflict shall be adopted by a majority vote of the members present and voting at a meeting.

ARTICLE VII

Any expenditures by the Katy Democratic Club will require the authorization and signature by Treasurer of the club and one other member of the Executive Committee. If the Treasurer is unavailable for any reason, another member of the Executive committee may authorize and sign in his or her absence, but in all cases, signatures of two members of the Executive Committee are required on all checks.
Robert's Rules of Order shall govern unless provided in these bylaws of bylaws. These bylaws and Bylaws shall take effect upon adoption by a two-thirds vote of those in attendance at a mass meeting of the membership.

Bylaws

1. Membership dues for the Katy Area Democrats shall be $15.00 per person per year. Calendar year for dues will be January 1 through December 31.
ARTICLE VIII

C. These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members in good standing who are present and voting at a meeting, provided that:
Notice of intent to amend the bylaws has been announced at a general meeting two months prior to meeting where the amendment will be presented for approval to the general membership.
Additional notice has been provided to the general membership either through a web posting, email, general mail-out, or by the newsletter twenty-one days prior to the meeting where the amendment will be presented for approval. This notice will contain the text of the proposed amendment.
A quorum of 25% of the members in good standing is required to be present for the amendment to pass.