THE BLUE KNIGHTS INTERNATIONAL
LAW ENFORCEMENT MOTORCYCLE CLUB, INC.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA CHAPTER PA VII
BY LAWS
As adopted (date)
The By Laws of the Blue Knights Chapter PA VII,
Pittsburgh were amended and approved by the general membership
this date.
The changes outlined herein, incorporated all
changes that have been previously made to the Chapter By Laws
on July 27, 1994.
Signed and Sealed (date)
President
Secretary
Vice President
Chairman of the Board
Blue Knights Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, Inc.
Pittsburgh Chapter PA VII
By-Laws as Adopted (date)
ARTICLE 1.
As of (date) the following By-Laws will be that
of Pennsylvania Chapter VII of the Blue Knights International
Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, Inc.
The purpose of these By-Laws is to preserve and
protect the Constitution and By-Laws of the International, as
well as the integrity and character of the chapter for its membership.
C. In the event of an item not covered by these
By-Laws or a discrepancy between these laws and that of the Blue
Knights International, any and all decisions will revert to the
International By-Laws and/or Constitution.
ARTICLE 2.
Order of Business
Call meeting to order
Roll call of officers
Reading of minutes of last meeting
Reading of new membership applications
Treasurer’s report
Report of officers
Correspondence
Committee reports
Unfinished/Old business
New Business
Good of the order
Adjournment
Meetings
Section 1.
General membership regular meetings of PA VII Pittsburgh
shall be held on the next to the last day of each month at 1930
hours unless prior notification is advertised to the membership.
There shall be at least 10 days prior written notice of any change
in the date, time, or location.
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Section 2.
Board meetings shall be held immediately prior to the general
membership meetings. All board meetings shall start at 1800 hours
on the date and location of the general membership meetings.
Section 1.
There must be ten percent (10%) of the membership present with
a majority of the entire board in order to hold a general membership
meeting.
Section 2.
Board members must notify the President for excused absences prior
to the Board of Directors meeting.
A quorum must be present to hold any authorized
meeting. Said quorum shall consist of ten percent (10%) of the
general membership and the majority of the entire board to hold
board or special meetings.
ARTICLE 3.
Officers.
The chapter officers shall consist of the President,
Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. They shall also be known
as the Executive Board of the chapter.
This chapter shall also have a Board of Directors,
consisting of three Elected members and the Immediate Past President
who will serve as Chairman.
There will also be two appointed officers, the
Quarter Master and the Sergeant at Arms.
d. Article VI, Section 6.02-6.04 of the International
By-Laws will be referred to for all other references to chapter
officers.
ARTICLE 4.
Duties of the Officers
President.
Subject to the authority of the Board, the President
shall be the General
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Executive Head of the chapter. The President shall preside
at all meetings of the chapter, the Board of Directors, and the
Executive Committee, and shall be Ex Officio member of all other
committees, except the Nominating Committee. He shall be the co-signer
with the Treasurer of All notes, cheques, deeds, leases, mortgages,
and other legal documents given on behalf of the chapter and shall
be bonded. This will be paid for by the chapter. He shall also
appoint all Committee Chairmen. He shall have the power to call
meetings of the Board of Directors and shall make a report of
the work of the Chapter Officers and Board of Directors at each
monthly meeting of the chapter. The President may not vote on
any motion presented to the board unless there is a tie.
Vice President.
At the request of the President, or in the event
of his absence or disability, the Vice President may perform the
duties and possess and exercise the powers of the President; and
to the extent authorized by law, the Vice President shall have
such other powers as the entire Board may determine, and shall
perform such other duties as may be assigned by the entire Board.
The Vice President may continue to perform the duties of the President
until such time as the entire Board declares a vacancy and elects
a qualified replacement to serve as President.
Treasurer.
The Treasurer shall have custody of all funds
and property of the chapter, subject to such regulations as may
be imposed by the entire Board, in such sum and with such sureties
as the entire Board may require. He shall receive all chapter
funds, depositing the same in the name of the chapter in such
bank or trust company as may be designated by the entire Board,
and keep accurate record of all receipts and disbursements. When
necessary or proper, he may co-sign with the President on behalf
of the chapter, cheques, notes, and other obligations, given on
behalf of the chapter. He shall not make any disbursement of chapter
funds, other than chapter administrative expenses in excess of
one hundred dollars ($100.00) without prior approval of the entire
Board. He shall enter regularly, on the books of the chapter to
be kept by him for the purpose, full and accurate account of all
monies and obligations received and paid or incurred by him for
or on account of the chapter, and shall exhibit such books at
all reasonable times to any board member on application. He shall
make a full report of the financial status of the chapter at each
monthly meeting and upon request, at any meeting of the Board.
He shall, in general, perform all duties incident to the office
of Treasurer, subject to the control of the Board. He shall also
be bonded, which is to be paid for by the Chapter.
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Secretary.
The Secretary shall have charge of such books,
documents, and papers as the entire Board may determine and shall
have the custody of the Chapter Seal. The Secretary shall attend
all meetings of the chapter and the board, and shall keep the
minutes of all meetings. He shall keep a record, containing names,
alphabetically arranged, of all the members of the chapter, showing
their places of residence, and such book shall be open for inspection
as prescribed by law. He shall collect all yearly dues from membership
and turn the same over to the treasurer upon demand, taking a
receipt therefore. He shall give adequate notice to all members
in advance of the monthly meeting or any special meeting of the
chapter, and shall make a full report of the membership status
of the chapter at each monthly meeting. At the request of the
President, or as otherwise provided herein, he shall give adequate
notice of all meetings of the Board. He shall also be bonded,
paid for by the chapter.
Sergeant at Arms
The Sergeant at Arms will be appointed by the
President for a term not to exceed one year. His appointment or
removal must be approved by the Executive Board. The Sergeant
at Arms will maintain order at chapter meetings and will ensure
that no unauthorized individuals enter the meeting place. He will
maintain a sign-in sheet for chapter meetings, which in turn,
at the end of each meeting, will be given to the Immediate Past
President for census purposes. He will officiate and operate a
50/50 raffle at each chapter meeting and turn the monies over
to the Treasurer at the end of each meeting.
Quarter Master.
The Quarter Master will be appointed by the President
for a term not to exceed one year. His appointment or removal
must be approved by the Executive Board. He will preside over
the sales and purchases of all chapter and International merchandise
for the disbursement to the membership. He will maintain a log
of sales and purchases to be available upon request of the board.
He will be bonded, which will be paid for by the chapter.
ARTICLE 5.
Election of Officers.
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Section 1.
The election of officers shall be staggered every
two years with the President, the Treasurer, and one Director
being nominated and elected in an odd year and the balance of
the Executive Board and Directors to be nominated and elected
even years. All elections will be held in October of each year
with nominations being submitted at the September meeting.
Section 2.
Written ballot shall be sent to the entire membership
on the first Monday of October and said ballot shall consist of
all offices open for election and the names of each nominee for
that office.
Section 3.
All ballots must be returned to the secretary
by 1200 hours on the day of the election and marked “BALLOT”
on the exterior of the envelope by the sender. All ballots shall
remain unopened until the meeting, where a committee will be appointed
by the President to count the ballots. This committee will make
their report at the meeting after the count. Again, this will
be conducted at the October meeting.
Section 4.
Newly elected officers shall take office at the
end of the regular business meeting in October to ensure a smooth
transition between outgoing and incoming officers.
Section 5.
If there are no candidates for office, no ballot
need be formed and sent to the membership as outlined in Article
6, Section 2. The presiding officers shall remain in office until
the next scheduled election for that office.
ARTICLE 7.
Qualifications for Election to Office.
Qualifications for elected officers are the same
as that established by the International By-Laws, Article VI,
Section 6.02, with the following additions:
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A member must be present to accept nomination
to office at the meeting to which nominations are being made.
If such circumstances prevail in which the member can not attend,
written notification to the Board that the member will accept
the nomination is required.
The member to be nominated must be a member of
PA Chapter VII for a period of one year prior, and needs to have
attended at a minimum, 80% of the monthly meetings of this chapter,
unless given special dispensation to be absent by the entire board.
If a member is currently holding an office and
is to be nominated for Another office, that member must relinquish
his current position in order to accept nomination. However, the
member may serve until the election results are counted. The office
that is relinquished will be placed on the election ballot and
any person elected will serve for a period of one year in order
to maintain the integrity of election rotation.
In the event a vacancy in any office occurs, the
President shall appoint a qualified member, in good standing,
to the vacant position with the approval of a majority of the
entire board and the general membership, until that position becomes
open during the next election.
ARTICLE 8.
Membership.
a. All rules for membership will follow International
By-Laws, Article 7, with the following additions:
Charter Members are those that were founding members
present during PA Chapter VII’s inception in April of 1984,
and are currently members in good standing of this Chapter.
2. Associate Members must attend, at the minimum,
one monthly meeting per year, and one ride, event, or detail,
unless given special dispensation by the Executive Board.
3. Honorary Members must attend, at the minimum,
two monthly Meetings per year, and two rides, events, or details,
unless given special dispensation by the Executive Board.
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ARTICLE 9.
Dues Structure.
All “new” members shall pay the same
dues of $37.00 with their application to the chapter Secretary.
A total of $32.00 will be the renewal fee each
year, with $20.00 going to the International and $12.00 going
to the chapter. Retired members will be required to pay one half
of this total.
Renewal dues are due by the end of January each
year. The Secretary will begin to collect renewal dues in November
and tabulate such at the end of each monthly meeting and turn
over these monies to the Treasurer at that time.
A reduction in annual chapter dues may be decided
upon by the majority vote of the entire Board prior to any payment
being made by the membership for the pending year.
ARTICLE 10.
Chapter Colors.
Colors are rented and the rental fee is retained
by the chapter. When the member leaves the chapter his/her colors
will be relinquished and a refund will be given in the amount
decided upon by the Board.
If a member leaving the chapter refuses to give
up his/her colors, legal action will be taken by the chapter to
obtain said colors.
ARTICLE 11.
Chapter Rules and Regulations.
Members are required to dress neatly and cleanly.
Shirts must be worn at all times.
All vehicles must conform to Pennsylvania State
Inspection Codes. Operators must have a valid license, registration,
and insurance in order to operate a vehicle.
During any Blue Knight function, all weapons will
be concealed, no loud profanity and/or obnoxious behavior will
be tolerated. Members will not be intoxicated or use other than
legally prescribed medications.
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ARTICLE 12.
Complaints/Disciplinary Actions.
Any complaints on or against any member(s) or
guest attending any chapter function, must be brought before the
Board in writing. Complaints may range from malfeasance of office
to any violation of the rules and regulations or a violation of
the International By-Laws. Complaints will be handled as outlined
below:
A written complaint must be filed with the entire
Board of the chapter. The person lodging the complaint must appear
personally before the board to lodge their complaint verbally.
Upon receiving the complaint, the Board shall
make the necessary inquiries into the allegations.
The accused will be served with written notice
of the complaint lodged against him/her by certified mail, or
in person.
After the necessary inquiries have been made,
the results will be brought before the Board within thirty days
for action.
The accused shall be given the opportunity to
express their defense of the allegations before any action is
taken. The accused also has the right to present the allegations
and their defense to the general membership for input. The membership
will then be presented the opportunity to vote on any action taken.
The type of disciplinary action taken shall depend
upon the offense and results of the inquiry. A member may be dismissed
from the chapter for cause, suspended from any/all events for
a specified period of time, may receive a written reprimand or
notice, or any other disciplinary action deemed appropriate by
the Board and/or the general membership.
The member being disciplined shall be notified
by written notice of the final decision made by the Board and/or
the general membership.
The member then has the right to appeal any and
all decisions to the International as prescribed by the International
By-Laws.
ARTICLE 13.
Amendments to the Chapter By-Laws.
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The By-Laws of this chapter may be amended after written
notice to the membership of the proposed amendment. A vote on
the amendment(s) shall be held at the next general membership
meeting. A majority of the general membership is required for
the passing of the proposed amendment(s). Any and all changes
to the Chapter By-Laws shall not be in conflict with those of
the International.
ARTICLE 14.
Rules, regulations, and procedures not covered
in or by the Chapter By-Laws will always fall back to the International
By-Laws and the Roberts Rules of Order for appropriate action.
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