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![]() Constitution & BylawsConstitutionArticle IName and Objects
Section 1. The Name of the Club shall be Japanese Chin Club of America, Inc.
Section 2.The Objects of the Club shall be:
BylawsArticle IMembership
Section 1.
Eligibility. Membership is open to persons who are in good standing
with the American Kennel Club and who agree to uphold the constitution of the Japanese Chin Club of America.
There shall be six types of membership:
Section 2. Dues. Annual dues shall be set by the
Board of Directors, with a 2/3 vote needed to raise or lower the amount. Dues shall not exceed $60 per year
per Regular member, $70 per year per Foreign member, or $20 per year for Junior member. The Board may set an
annual surcharge for members who receive club mail at foreign addresses; the surcharge shall approximate the
difference between the costs of domestic mail and foreign mail. Membership dues are payable before the 1st day
of January of each year. No member may vote whose dues are not paid for the current year. During the month of
October, the Treasurer shall be responsible for sending to each member a statement of his dues for the ensuing
year. The treasurer shall be responsible for sending those members who have not renewed by January 1 a dues
reminder by email or mail prior to January 15.
Section 3. Election to Membership. Each applicant
for membership shall apply on a form approved by the Board of Directors and which shall provide that the
applicant agrees to abide by the JCCA constitution and bylaws and the rules of The American Kennel Club. The
application shall state the name, address, and occupation of the applicant. An application for membership
shall carry the endorsement of two regular members in good standing. Accompanying the application, the
prospective member shall submit dues payment for the current year. Applicants may be elected by ballot at any
meeting of the Board of Directors or by vote of the directors by mail or email. Affirmative votes of 2/3 of
the directors present at a meeting of the Board, or of 2/3 of the entire board voting by mail or email, shall
be required to elect an applicant. An application which has received a negative vote by the Board may be
presented by one of the applicant's endorsers at the next meeting of the Club, and the Club may elect such
applicant by favorable vote of 75% of the Members present.
Section 4. Termination of Membership. Membership may
be terminated:
Article IIMeetings
Section 1. Annual & General Meeting. The annual meeting of the club shall be held in conjunction with the club's
first specialty show of the year, at a place and date designated by the board of directors. A general meeting shall be held in conjunction
with the second specialty show of the year, if one is held. Written notice of the place and date of the general and annual meetings shall
be mailed by the Secretary to each member at least 30 days prior to the date of the meeting, or placed in the club publication to be mailed
to each member at least 30 days prior to the meeting. The quorum for the annual meeting and the general meeting shall be 10% of the voting
members in good standing. Specialty bids, shows and selection of judges shall be conducted according to guidelines approved by the board.
The Board of Directors shall submit proposals that meet the guidelines for a specialty bid to the membership by written ballot for the
majority vote rule.
Section 2. Special Club Meetings. Special Club Meetings may be called by the President or by a majority vote of the board
who are present at a Meeting of the Board or who vote by mail, and shall be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by
ten percent (10%) of the Members of the Club who are in good standing. Such Meeting shall be held at such a place, date and hour as may be
designated by the Board of Directors. Written notice of such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least twenty-one (21) days prior
to the Meeting. The notice of the Meeting shall state the purpose of the Meeting and no other Club business may be transacted at that
meeting. The quorum for such a Meeting shall be ten percent (10%) of the voting members in good standing.
Section 3. Meetings of the Board shall be held at such times and places as are designated by the President or by a
majority vote of the entire Board. Written notice of each such other meeting shall be mailed or emailed by the Secretary to each member
of the Board at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for a Board meeting shall be the majority of the
Board.
Section 4. Meetings: are defined as gathering where attendees see and/or hear each other. This includes meeting (in
person) "physically" in the same room or conducting a meeting by videoconference or teleconference. The Board of Directors may also
conduct business by telephone conference call, mail, fax or electronic mail through the Secretary. Business (voting): can be conducted
at meetings or through mail, fax or email. In order for business to be conducted by email the following precautions must be in place:
Article IIIDirectors and Officers
Section 1. Board of Directors. The Board shall be
comprised of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and five other persons to be called
Directors, all of whom shall be members in good standing who are residents of the United States. They shall be
elected for one-year terms in the Club's election as provided in Article IV and shall serve until their
successors are elected. General management of the Club's affairs shall be entrusted to the Board of Directors.
Section 2. Term limits. No Officer or Director shall
serve more than four terms in a row in the same position. However, an Officer who has served four years may be
elected to a different office or directorship, and a Director who has served four years in a row may be
elected to the office of President, Vice-President, Secretary, or Treasurer. If elected, an Officer or
Director who has served four years in the same position may resume service in a previously held position after
an absence of one year or more.
Section 3. Officers. The Club's Officers, consisting
of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall serve in their respective capacities both
with regard to the Club and its meetings and the Board and its meetings.
Section 4. AKC Delegate. The AKC delegate shall
report to the Club pertinent actions and matters discussed at the AKC's Quarterly Meetings. The Board of
Directors shall appoint the Delegate for a term of one year. In years where a new Delegate is appointed, the
previous year's Delegate may continue to represent the JCCA until the new Delegate has been seated.
Section 5. Vacancies. Any vacancies occurring on the
Board of Directors or among the Officers during the one year of their term shall be filled until the next
regularly occurring annual election by a majority vote of all the then members of the Board, except that a
vacancy in the office of the President shall be filled automatically by the Vice-President and the resulting
vacancy in the office of Vice-President shall be filled by a majority vote of the Board.
Article IVThe Club Year, Voting, Nominations, Elections
Section 1. Club Year. The club's fiscal year shall begin on the 1st day of January and end on the last day of December.
The Club's Official year shall begin February 1st and end on January 31st. The elected officers and Directors shall take office on the
first day of February. Each retiring Officer shall turn over to his successor in office all properties and records, including the web
site domain, relating to that office by February 1. At this time, the treasurer will also turn over the results of the latest audit.
Section 2. Voting. At the Annual Meeting, General Meeting, or at a special meeting of the club, voting shall be limited
to those Regular Members in good standing who are present at the Meeting except for the annual election of Officers and Directors and
amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws and the Standard for the Breed which shall be decided by written ballot cast by mail. Voting
by proxy shall not be permitted. The Board of Directors may decide to submit other specific questions for decision of the Members by
written ballot cast by mail.
Section 3. Annual Elections: The election of Officers and Directors shall be conducted by mail ballot. Each member may
submit only one ballot. The Board shall designate an independent entity to receive and count the ballots. To be valid, ballots must be
received by the independent entity on or before December 29. Ballots shall be counted by the independent entity on December 30, or the
first business day following that date. The independent entity will notify both the President and the secretary of the results of the
election, as well as the identity of any ballots that were uncounted. The secretary is responsible for notifying the board and the
candidates of the results. Any request for a recount must be received by the secretary within ten days after the election results are
announced to the board and the candidates.
The nominated candidate receiving the greatest number of votes for each office shall be declared elected.
In the case of a tie, a runoff election between the tied candidates shall be held, with the ballots for the runoff to be mailed by
January 15 and returned to the independent entity by January 30.
Section 4. Nominations and Ballots. No person may be a candidate in a Club election who has not been nominated in
accordance with these Bylaws. A Nominating Committee shall be chosen by the Board of Directors before September 15. The Committee shall
consist of three (3) Members from different areas of the United States and an alternate, all Members in good standing, no more than one
of whom shall be a Member of the current Board of Directors. The Board shall name a Chairman for the committee. The Nominating Committee
may conduct its business by mail, telephone, fax or email.
Article VCommittees
Section 1. Each year, the Board may appoint standing committees to advance the work of the Club. Such committees shall
always be subject to the final authority of the Board. Special committees may also be appointed by the Board to aid it on particular
projects.
Section 2. Any committee appointment may be terminated by a majority vote of the full membership of the Board upon
written notice to the appointee, and the Board may appoint successors to those persons whose services have been terminated.
Article VIDiscipline
Section 1. American Kennel Club Suspension: Any Member who is suspended from the privileges of the American Kennel Club
automatically shall be suspended from the privileges of this Club for a like period.
Section 2. Charges: Any Member may prefer charges against another Member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best
interests of the Club and the Breed. Written charges with specification must be filed in duplicate with the Secretary together with a
deposit of $50.00 which shall be forfeited if such charges are not sustained following a hearing. The Secretary shall promptly, within
30 days, send a copy of the charges to each Member of the Board or present them at a Board Meeting. The Board shall first consider
whether the Board has jurisdiction over the charges. The Board will not hear contractual disputes, nor will it hear allegations regarding
actions that took place at AKC events. The Board shall then consider whether the actions alleged in the charges, if proven, might
constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club or Breed. If the Board considers that the charges do not allege conduct
which would be prejudicial to the best interests of the Club or the Breed it may refuse to entertain jurisdiction. If the Board entertains
jurisdiction of the charges, it shall fix a date of a hearing by the Board or a Committee of not less than three (3) Members of the Board,
not less than three (3) weeks nor more than six (6) weeks thereafter. The Secretary shall promptly, at least 3 weeks prior to the date of
the hearing, send one copy of the charges to the accused Member by registered mail together with a notice of the hearing and assurance
that the defendant may personally appear in his own defense and bring witnesses if he wishes.
Section 3. Board Hearing: The Board or Committee shall have complete authority to decide whether counsel may attend the
hearing, but both complainant and defendant shall be treated uniformly in that regard. Should the charges be sustained after hearing all
the evidence and testimony presented by complainant and defendant, the Board or Committee may, by a majority vote of those present,
reprimand (A written reprimand directed exclusively to the member may be somewhat detailed but an official published reprimand should only
indicate that subsequent to a board hearing ... "member (X) was officially reprimanded as a result of charges filed by member (Y).") or
suspend the defendant from all privileges of the Club for not more than six (6) months from the date of the hearing or until the next
Annual Meeting if that will occur after six (6) months. And, if it deems that punishment insufficient, it may also recommend to the
membership that the penalty be expulsion. In such case, the suspension shall not restrict the defendant's right to appear before his
fellow members at the ensuing Club meeting which considers the recommendations of the Board or Committee. Immediately after the Board
or Committee has reached a decision, its findings shall be put in written form and filed with the Secretary. The Secretary, in turn,
shall notify each of the parties of the decision and penalty, if any.
Section 4. Expulsion: Expulsion of a Member from the Club may be accomplished only at the Annual Meeting of the Club
following a hearing and upon the recommendation of the Board or Committee as provided in Section 3 of this Article. The defendant shall
have the privilege of appearing in his own behalf though no evidence shall be taken at this meeting. The President shall read the
charges and the findings and recommendations, and shall invite the defendant, if present, to speak in his own behalf. The Meeting shall
then vote by secret written ballot on the proposed expulsion. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present and voting at the Annual Meeting
shall be necessary for expulsion. If expulsion is not so voted, the suspension shall stand.
Article VIIAmendments
Section 1. Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws (and to the Standard of the Breed) may be proposed by the Board
of Directors or by written petition addressed to the Secretary and signed by twenty percent (20%) of the membership in good standing.
Amendments proposed by such petition shall be promptly considered by the Board of Directors and must be submitted to the Members with
recommendations of the Board by the Secretary for a vote within three (3) months of the date when the petition was received by the
Secretary.
Section 2. The Constitution and Bylaws (and the Standard for the Breed) may be amended at any time provided a copy of
the proposed amendment has been mailed by the Secretary to each Member in good standing on the date of the mailing, accompanied by a
ballot on which he may indicate, his choice for or against the action to be taken. The notice shall specify a date not less than
thirty (30) days after the date mailing by which date the ballots must be returned to the Secretary to be counted. The favorable vote
of two-thirds (2/3) of the Members in good standing who return valid ballots within the time limit shall be required to effect any such
amendment.
Section 3. No amendment to the Constitution and Bylaws (or to the Standard of the Breed) that is adopted by the Club
shall become effective until it has been approved by the Board of Directors of the American Kennel Club.
Article VIIIDissolution
Section 1. The Club may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of not less than two-thirds (2/3) of the Members
in good standing. In the event of the dissolution of the Club, whether voluntary or involuntary or by operation of law, none of the
property of the Club nor any proceeds thereof nor any assets of the Club shall be distributed to any Members of the Club but after
payment of the debts of the Club its property and assets shall be given to a charitable organization for the benefit of dogs selected
by the Board of Directors.
Article IXOrder of Business
Section 1. At Meetings of the Club, the order of business so far as the character and nature of the Meeting may permit,
shall be as follows:
Article XParliamentary Authority
Section 1. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Club in all cases
to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules of order the Club may adopt.
Effective October 2018
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