Chapter Bylaws
BYLAW NUMBER 1 - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Membership in the Sons of Liberty Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution shall be as set forth in the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR) Bylaw number 1, "Membership" Sections 1 though 5.
Section 2: Prospective members, youth registrants, and/or men having difficulty meeting the requirements of regular membership may join the Chapter as a "SAR Associate" subject to the following rules:
a. SAR Associates must be recommended by a member of the chapter.
b. SAR Associates must pay the current Chapter dues and submit the Chapter's membership t worksheet.
c. SAR Associates will be presented a Sons of Liberty Chapter certificate attesting to their status.
d. SAR Associates may not hold an elected office but may be appointed to serve on Committees, Color Guard, etc.
e. SAR Associates are encouraged to bring their wife and and/or other guests to Chapter meetings. They are encouraged to participate in Chapter programs and events.
BYLAW NUMBER 2 -MEETINGS
The Chapter should hold not less than four (4) meetings each year. The Chapter will elect its Officers in November of each year and hold an installation of Officers meeting within 60 (sixty) days of the election.
BYLAW NUMBER 3 - BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1: The Board of Directors of the Sons of Liberty Chapter, S.A.R., shall have management and control of the property and affairs of this Chapter and be responsible for the promotion of its objectives.
Section 2: The Board of Directors shall comprise the elected Officers of the Chapter who are in good standing.
BYLAW NUMBER 4 - OFFICERS, POWERS AND DUTIES
Section 1: The Officers of this Chapter shall be the President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Registrar, Historian, Genealogist, Chancellor, Chaplain, three Trustees of the Permanent Fund and Color Guard Commander. The prior designation shall not change until the incumbent has been replaced.
They shall all serve without stipend. The Officers shall be elected in November of each year and assume office in January of the following year. If an Officer resigns or becomes incapacitated while in office, the Chapter may replace him by holding an election at any duly called meeting. Each of the Trustees of the Permanent Fund shall be elected for a three (3) year term, staggered such that one expires each year, except when there is more than one vacancy, different terms are required so that only one Trustee term expires each year.
Section 2: PRESIDENT. The President shall preside at all meetings of this Chapter and of the Board of Directors and have a casting vote. He shall exercise the usual functions of a presiding officer, and shall enforce strict observance of the Society's Articles of Incorporation, NSSAR, CASSAR and Chapter Bylaws. He shall appoint all Committees not otherwise provided for. In the absence of the President at any meeting or his incapacity to continue in service for any reason, his duties shall be assumed by other officers in the following order: First Vice President, Second Vice President and other elected officers in the order listed in Section 1 above.
Section 3: FIRST VICE PRESIDENT - The First Vice President shall assist the President in the operations of the Chapter and perform such duties as assigned him by the President.
SECTION 4: SECOND VICE PRESIDENT - The Second Vice President shall serve as Program Chairman and perform such other duties as assigned him by the President.
SECTION 5: SECRETARY - The Secretary shall conduct the general correspondence of the Chapter and such other matters as may be directed by the Board of Directors or the President. He shall have charge of the Bylaws and records of the Chapter and, together with the presiding officers, shall certify all acts of the Chapter. He shall keep fair and accurate records of all memberships, proceedings and orders of the Society, and shall give notice to the several officers of all votes, orders, resolves and proceedings of the Chapter affecting them or appertaining to their respective duties. He shall notify all members of their election, and shall, under direction of the president, give due notice of the time, place and agenda of all meetings of the Chapter or Board of Directors and shall attend same. He shall send or mail a copy of the minutes of the Board of Directors to each of its members when directed so to do by the Board of Directors.
SECTION 6: TREASURER - The Treasurer shall collect and keep the general operation funds of the Chapter. They shall be deposited in a banking institution approved by the Board of Directors and shall be placed to the credit of the Sons of Liberty Chapter, S.A.R. The Treasurer shall expend funds of the Chapter only as directed by the Board of Directors through adoption of a budget or by specific direction for a particular item. Funds shall be expended by checks signed any two (2) officers so authorized. He shall keep a true account of his receipts and disbursements and at each meeting render the same to the Chapter. He shall also make such other reports as may be requested by the Board of Directors, The Treasurer shall also administer and manage any special funds other than the Chapter's Permanent Fund in accordance with Bylaw Number 9.
SECTION 7: REGISTRAR - The Registrar shall examine and prepare all applications for membership in this Society and for those found eligible he shall report to the Board of Directors or an agent it may designate. If further documentation is required, he may refer the application to the Chapter Genealogist. If the research is extensive, the Registrar shall be allowed to negotiate appropriate fees, without cost to the Chapter. Supplemental Applications shall be handled in a similar manner.
SECTION 8: HISTORIAN - The Historian shall obtain and preserve materials relating to the history of the Chapter, including but not limited to, medals and awards presented, news clippings, records of historical and commemorative meetings, minutes of meetings, names of officers, biographical and genealogical materials and obituaries. He shall, from time to time, forward appropriate materials to the Editor of the California Compatriot, The SAR Magazine or the NSSAR Historian General. He shall supervise the preparation and printing of any Chapter historical publications, other than those of membership rolls, which may be authorized by the Board of Directors.
SECTION 9: GENEALOGIST - The Genealogist shall assist the Registrar and the Board of Directors and any member of the Chapter who may appeal to him for help in preparing application papers for membership. If the research is extensive, the Registrar shall be allowed to negotiate appropriate fees, without cost to the Chapter. He shall examine all appeals from decisions or lack of action by the Registrar. He shall report to the Board of Directors on all matters that come before him.
SECTION 10: CHANCELLOR - The Chancellor shall be an Attorney-at-law or Paralegal and it shall be his duty to give opinions on all legal matters affecting the Chapter when such questions are referred to him by proper officers or by the Board of Directors. He shall act as Parliamentarian at meetings of the Chapter and the Board of Directors. Should he not so serve, the President may appoint a substitute to act as Parliamentarian.
SECTION 11: CHAPLAIN - The Chaplain shall open and close meetings of the Chapter and Board of Directors with religious services usual and proper on such occasions, when so directed by the President or the Chairman of the meeting.
SECTION 12: TRUSTEES OF THE PERMANENT FUNDS - The Trustees of the Permanent Funds shall select one of their members as Chairman and he shall have charge of all records and have the power to call a meeting of the Trustees whenever he deems it necessary. They shall manage and invest monies, securities or property which may accrue to the Permanent Funds in the name of the Permanent Funds of the Sons of Liberty Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution, in accordance with the prudent man rule. An account shall be opened in the name of the, Trustees of the Permanent Funds of the Sons of Liberty Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution, in a banking institution, and if necessary to manage stocks or bonds, in a brokerage firm, approved by the Board of Directors. If it is necessary to manage income real estate, the real property shall be held in the above name for the account(s). Any such funds deposited therein may be withdrawn only on the signatures of at least two (2) Trustees. Withdrawals of income from their investments and bank accounts may be made only as provided in Bylaw Number 9. Status reports shall be presented to the Board of Directors at least quarterly and to the Chapter Secretary at least ten (10) days before the Annual Meeting of the Chapter.
SECTION 13: COLOR GUARD COMMANDER - The Color Guard Commander will shall be responsible for coordinating all Color Guard and Reeactment activities. He shall also be responsible for arranging for the storage of all color guard and reenactment equipment. He may appoint a "Quartermaster Sergeant" to assist in the equipment duties. He may also appoint a Color Guard Vice Commander. The Color Guard Commander, or in his absence his appointed substitute, shall be responsible for enforcing all safety rules and regulations.
SECTION 14: FORMER PRESIDENTS - Former Presidents of the Chapter, who are in good standing, shall be voting members of the Board of Directors.
BYLAW NUMBER 5 - COMMITTEES
SECTION 1: NOMINATING COMMITTEE - It shall comprise the former Presidents of the Chapter who are in good standing, with the most recent Former President serving as Chairman, and three members in good standing who are selected at large. Amended by unanimous vote November 18th, 2001.
SECTION 2: STANDING COMMITTEES - The following are required Committees for which the President shall appoint a Chairman when one is not otherwise indicated, and may appoint directly or with the Chairman's recommendations, other members to the Committees.
SECTION 2A: FINANCE COMMITTEE - The First Vice President shall serve as Chairman, the Treasurer an ex-officio member. They shall estimate the income and expenditures, and recommend such fiscal actions as they consider in the best interest of the Chapter. One of their main duties is to prepare and recommend an annual Budget for the following year.(a) - Amended by unanimous vote on November 18th, 2000.
SECTION 2B: AUDIT COMMITTEE - It shall comprise at least three (3) members, two (2) of whom shall be other than elected officers. It shall audit the books and records of the Treasurer and shall report to the President.
SECTION 2C: MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE - The Second Vice President shall serve as Chairman of the Membership Committee. It shall solicit and encourage candidates for membership to file applications and join the Society. A member of this Committee should serve on the CASSAR Membership Committee.
SECTION 2D: BYLAWS COMMITTEE - The Chancellor shall serve as Chairman of this Committee. It shall review all proposed amendments to the Bylaws and submit the final wording to the Secretary who will distribute the proposed changes to the membership of the Chapter thirty (30) days prior to the meeting at which they will be considered.
SECTION 2E: COLOR GUARD COMMITTEE. The Chapter Color Guard Commander shall serve as Chairman under the title Commander. The committee shall have the responsibility of determining which events the color guard shall participate in or sponsor. It will also be responsible to determine what equipment is required to carry out its duties. It shall submit to the Board of Directors all requests for project or equipment funding.
SECTION 3: SPECIAL COMMITTEES - Special Committees as deemed appropriate by the President, may be appointed by him for his term of office. The President shall be an ex-official member of all Standing and Special Committees.
BYLAW NUMBER 6 NEWSLETTER
The President shall appoint a member of the Chapter to be the Editor of The Liberty Tree, the monthly newsletter of the Chapter.BYLAW NUMBER 7 FEES AND DUES
SECTION 1: ADMISSION FEES - The admission fee for membership shall be that currently declared by NSSAR Bylaw No. 19, Section I, and by CASSAR Bylaw No.7, Section I, plus that fee currently declared by the Board of Directors of this Chapter.
SECTION 2: THE FISCAL YEAR - The Fiscal Year of this Society is From January 1st through December 31st. The fiscal year for the Chapter is January 1st through December 31st.
SECTION 3: ANNUAL DUES - The dues for each member of the Chapter shall be that amount due to the NSSAR and due to the CASSAR, plus the amount of Chapter dues declared by the Board of Directors. New members approved and registered by the NSSAR and the CASSAR on or after November 1, do not pay NSSAR dues for the balance of that calendar year per NSSAR Bylaw No. 19. A member delinquent in payment of annual dues after December 31st is automatically suspended and shall be dropped from membership.
SECTION 4: REINSTATEMENT: Any member whose membership has been terminated for nonpayment of annual dues may be reinstated by payment of the current dues provided that his request for reinstatement is approved by the Board of Directors.
SECTION 5: MEMBERSHIP HARDSHIP - When there is evidence that hardship or misfortune may cause the lapse of payment of dues, the Board of Directors may grant to any an exemption from the year's dues. The NSSAR and the CASSAR dues are to be paid by the Chapter. The CASSAR has a similar provision for the payment of State Society dues. There is a Privacy Provision. The President, Secretary or Treasurer may make the appeal for the hardship privilege without using the Compatriot's name.
BYLAW NUMBER 8 - MEETINGS OF THE CHAPTER
SECTION 1: MEETINGS - Meetings of the Chapter shall comprise all the members of the Chapter who are in good standing. The right to vote shall be limited to one vote for each member present. There shall be no proxy or absentee voting permitted at any meeting of this Chapter.
SECTION 2: NOTICE OF MEETINGS - The Notice of meetings shall be sent by the Secretary no less than seven (7) days prior to the meeting.
SECTION 3: QUORUM - Pursuant to the duly sent meeting notice, a quorum at any meeting of the Chapter shall be five (5) members is good standing that are present.
SECTION 4 - ORDER OF BUSINESS - The following order of business is suggested for the meetings of the Chapter:
SECTION 5: MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called from time to time by the President or three (3) members of the Board of Directors and in either case, the Secretary shall give notice thereof in accordance with Section 2.
SECTION 6: CONDUCT OF MEETINGS - All meetings of the Chapter, of the Board of Directors and Committees shall be conducted in accordance with these Bylaws or where they are silent, by the provisions of Robert's Rules of Order, revised.
SECTION 7: CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS - Elections of Officers shall be by ballot provided that by unanimous consent of the electing body, election by ballot may be wavered as to any office, if, after nominations for that office are declared closed and only one member has been nominated for that office. There shall be no cumulative, absentee or proxy voting.
SECTION 8: CASSAR AND NSSAR MEETINGS - Delegates and Alternates to the CASSAR meetings shall be elected. Delegates and alternates to the NSSAR Congress shall be appointed by the CASSAR President. The Sons of Liberty Chapter, SAR, elects all members of the Sons of Liberty Chapter, who are in good standing, to serve as delegates to the State Society and shall serve as the discretion of our Chapter President.
BYLAW NUMBER 9 - THE PERMANENT FUNDS
SECTION 1: GENERAL - This Chapter shall maintain a Permanent Fund(s) to insure the stability and perpetuity of this Chapter. Management of the Permanent Funds shall be the responsibility of the Trustees of the Permanent Funds, as provided in Bylaw No.4, Section 12.
SECTION 2: The corpus of the Permanent Funds shall comprise all the monies or property, real or personal, which may accrue to this Chapter, by donation, gift, devise, bequest or otherwise for this purpose and all sums of money or property as the Chapter may by action of the Board of Directors apply to this purpose. The corpus shall not be impaired or diminished but may be increased as provided herein.
SECTION 3: PERMANENT FUND INCOME - The income from the Permanent Fund shall be accumulated and added to the principal of the Permanent Fund, provided that any part not to exceed three-fourths of such income may, by vote of a majority of the Board of Directors, be used for the general purposes of the Chapter. The income from the Walter G. Turnell ROTC Fund is restricted to support our ROTC program.
SECTION 4: PERMANENT FUND SEGREGATION. Should any donation, gift, devise, or bequest of monies or property, real or personal, of "substantial magnitude" be received by the Sons of Liberty Chapter, S.A.R. subject to conditions that prevent it from being incorporated into and commingled with the Permanent Fund as defined in the provisions of prior sections of Bylaw No.9, such as but not limited to otherwise designating use of the income or otherwise designating a name for the corpus, the Trustees of the Permanent Fund shall manage it as a separate investment, a special fund, and shall not commingle it with the Permanent Fund. The Trustees, by majority vote shall recommend to the Board of Directors whether items received are of "substantial magnitude" sufficient to merit management as a special fund under this section, and the Board of Directors, by majority vote, shall approve or deny the recommendation. Should the decision be that items are not of "sufficient magnitude" for management by the Trustees, they shall be managed by the Treasurer, subject to the conditions of the donor or of the Will.
These Bylaws were approved by the Membership of the Sons of Liberty Chapter, California Society, Sons of the American Revolution on May 30, 1988 and Amended on April 29, 1991 and again on October 2, 1996, and again on November 18, 2000 and again on November 18, 2001 and again on October 18, 2004, and again on April 17, 2010.