Columbine Chapter
Federally Employed Women
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I.
Name
The name of this organization is the Columbine Chapter, Federally Employed Women (FEW), hereinafter referred to as the Chapter.
ARTICLE II.
Purpose
The purpose of the Columbine Chapter is to take action to end sex discrimination in employment in the Government service; to increase job opportunities for women in the Government service and to further the use of the potential of women in the Government; to improve the merit system in Government employment; to assist Government employees and applicants for Government employment who are discriminated against because of sex; and to cooperate with and assist other organizations and individuals concerned with equal employment opportunity in the Government without discrimination because of sex, race, age, marital status, national origin, political affiliation, religion or physical handicap.
ARTICLE III.
Membership and Dues
Section 1. Eligibility – Membership shall be open to any person who supports the purposes of the organization upon payment of the dues.
Section 2. Restrictions – A majority of the membership shall be current or retired employees of the Federal Government; however, no person shall be restricted from membership, segregated or otherwise discriminated against within the organization on the grounds of sex, race, color, age, marital status, national origin, political affiliation, religion, mental or physical handicap.
Section 3. Honorary Members – Honorary memberships, for one year, may be bestowed on persons outside the FEW organization. These awardees shall be selected by a two-thirds vote of the Chapter Board. An honorary member is exempt from payment of all dues and is not eligible to hold office or vote.
Section 4. Life Members: Life members shall be entitled to enjoy all rights and privileges of regular members, without further payment of national dues. However, in order to be a Columbine Chapter FEW member in good standing, regional and local dues must still be paid annually.
Section 5. Dues and Assessments – Membership dues shall be set and collected by the national office annually; National FEW will then refund to the Chapter a portion of these dues collected ($20.00) per member. National FEW makes no recommendation regarding the use of this money over and above paying the chapter dues and regional assessments. The Chapter may retain the balance, refund a portion to the member, or take other action.The Rocky Mountain Region determines the regional assessment and the Chapter determines an amount for chapter dues. New memberships and renewals shall be submitted as determined by National and as described in policies and procedures.
Section 6. The fiscal year of the Columbine Chapter shall be October 1 through September 30.
Section 7. The chapter shall maintain a minimum membership of 15.
Section 8. Membership in Federally Employed Women may be terminated by (1) voluntary resignation, (2) failure to pay dues, or (3) expulsion from the organization for unprofessional conduct.
ARTICLE IV.
Elected Officers
Section 1. The elected officers of the Columbine Chapter shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Nominating Committee will also be elected at this time; the person receiving the most votes shall act as Chair of the committee.
Section 2. Qualification of Officers. The president shall have served as an elected officer or a Chairperson of a Standing Committee for at least one year. The treasurer shall have some financial experience.
Section 3. Term of Office.
a. Members shall take office following installation and shall serve for a term of one year.
b. No member shall be elected to the same office for more than two consecutive terms. Any officer who serves for a term of more than six months shall be deemed to have served a full term in that office.
c. Members may hold or be a candidate for more than one elective office at the Chapter level, and either the Regional, or National level at the same time.
Section 4. Nomination of Officers. In March, it shall be the duty of this committee to solicit qualified nominees for each elected position. The Committee shall report at the regular April meeting, and nominations may also be made from the floor. All nominations shall be entered on the ballot provided the nominees’ qualifications are given at the time of nomination and they have consented to run. Any member of the Nominating Committee who plans to seek an office on the Chapter Board shall no longer be able to serve on the committee; the President shall appoint a replacement.
Section 5. Election of Officers. The vote shall be by ballot except when there is but one candidate for an office.
Section 6. Vacancies in Office.
a. If a vacancy occurs in the office of President, the Vice-President shall succeed to the office of President for the unexpired term.
b. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Vice-President, the Nominating Committee shall present nominees for a special election at the next regular or special Chapter meeting to fill the office of Vice-President.
c. Vacancies occurring in the office of Secretary, Treasurer, or Nominating Committee shall be filled by vote of the Chapter Board.
Section 7. Removal from Office. Any elected officer may be removed from office for nonperformance of duties, malfeasance, or misfeasance by a vote of the Chapter Board.
ARTICLE V.
Duties of Elected Officers
Section 1. All Officers shall:
a. Prepare an annual written report for presentation at the June meeting; and,
b. Transfer the permanent records of their office to their successors at the end of their term at the June meeting.
Section 2. The President shall:
a. Preside at all meetings of the Chapter and Chapter Board.
b. Appoint the Parliamentarian, the Newsletter Editor, and the Chairperson of all Standing Committees, except the Nominating Committee, with the approval of the Chapter Board;
c. Appoint special committees as necessary, with the approval of the Chapter Board;
d. Be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Finance and the Nominating Committee;
e. Be a member of the Rocky Mountain Region Board; and,
f. Perform other duties as required.
Section 3. The Vice-President shall:
a. Preside in the absence of, or at the request of, the President;
b. Be Chairperson of the Fund Raising Committee;
c. Be an ex-officio member of the Finance Committee;
d. Be an alternate ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee;
e. Coordinate with the Public Relation/Publicity Chairperson concerning arrangements for all regular and special meetings; and,
f. Perform other duties as assigned by the President.
Section 4. The Secretary Shall:
a. Record the minutes of all meetings of the Chapter and the Chapter Board and submit these minutes to the President at the next Chapter Board meeting for approval;
b. Maintain the current membership file of all member of the Chapter;
c. Keep on file the official copies of the National, Regional, and Chapter bylaws and standing rules, with any amendments to these documents properly recorded;
d. Keep the Chapter Charter;
e. Conduct correspondence of the Chapter as directed by the President;
f. Notify the National Office and the Regional Manager of the names and addresses of the officers of the Columbine Chapter immediately after election and any changes, which may occur during the year;
g. Upon installation of officers, file the names and the addresses of such officers with local Chamber of Commerce, Penrose Public Library, and notify them of any changes during the year;
h. Complete the online quarterly report and submit as directed for receipt within 10 calendar days past the quarter ending; and,
i. Perform other duties as assigned by the Chapter Board.
Section 6. The Treasurer shall:
a. Receive all funds of the Chapter and disburse such funds in accordance with the budget approval by the Chapter Board; all checks shall be co-signed by the Treasurer and either the President or Vice-President;
b. Forward dues for those members unable to use the online system to National and the Regional Treasurer as outlined in their respective bylaws;
c. Prepare a monthly written financial report for submission to the President, Secretary, Finance Committee, and the membership at the Chapter meetings;
d. Submit monthly reports and annual report for audit to the Audit Committee at the close of the fiscal year and at the request of the Chapter Board;
e. Review list of members who have not renewed through the National online system and help members renew if necessary. ;
f. Be an ex-officio member of the Finance Committee; and,
g. Perform other duties as assigned by the Chapter Board.
ARTICLE VI.
Appointed Officers
Section 1. The appointed officers shall by a Parliamentarian and a Newsletter Editor.
Section 2. The Parliamentarian shall:
a. Advise the President, other officers, committees, and members on matters of parliamentary procedure;
b. Attend Chapter Board meetings,
c. Keep bylaws and standing rules of all levels current for reference; and,
d. Perform other duties as assigned by the President.
Section 3. The Newsletter Editor shall compose articles, compile, edit, publish, and distribute a monthly newsletter to the members at least one week prior to the Chapter meeting.
ARTICLE VII.
Meetings
Section 1. The regular meeting of the Columbine Chapter shall be held at least nine times annually in accordance with the standing rules.
Section 2. The regular meeting in May shall be known as the Election meeting and shall be for the purpose of electing officers and for any other business that may arise.
Section 3. The regular meeting in June shall be know as the Annual meeting and shall be for the two-fold purpose of the presentation of annual reports and the installation of new officers.
Section 4. Special meetings can be called by the President or by the Chapter Board and shall be called upon the written request of five members of the Chapter. The purpose shall be stated in the call. Except in a case of emergency, at least three days notice shall be given.
Section 5. Five voting members of the Chapter shall constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE VIII.
The Chapter Board
Section 1. The elected officers and Nominating Committee Chair of the Columbine Chapter shall constitute the Chapter Board.
Section 2. The Chapter Board shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Chapter between its regular meetings.
Section 3. The Chapter Board shall make appointments to fill a vacancy in an office as provided in Article IV, Section 6.
Section 4. Regular meetings of the Chapter Board shall be held once each month, except July and August, at a time designated by the President (if possible, these meetings will be in person; however, if circumstances don’t permit, they may be held via telephone or e-mail). Special meetings of the Board can be called by the President, and shall be called upon written request of at least two members of the Board.
Section 5. Three members of the Chapter Board shall constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE IX
Standing Committees
Section1. The Standing Committees of the Columbine Chapter shall be Audit, Bylaws, Finance, Fund-Raising, History, Legislative, Membership, Nominating, Public Relations/Publicity, and Scholarship. All Standing Committee files shall be transferred to successors by July 31.
Section 2. Duties of Committees.
a. The Audit Committee shall audit the Treasurer’s records following the close of the fiscal year, at any time requested, and present a written and oral report at the next meeting.
b. The Bylaws Committee Shall:
1. Update Chapter bylaws and standing rules as needed and to conform to changes in National and Regional bylaws in accordance with Article XI;
2. Present proposed amendments to the bylaws and standing rules to the members for discussion and vote; and;
3. Furnish each member with a copy of the Chapter bylaws and standing rules annually or when changes are made.
c. The Finance Committee shall prepare a budget for the fiscal year and submit it to the membership for approval at the regular meeting in September. The Finance Committee shall include the Vice-President, the Immediate Past President, the Treasurer, and the Immediate Past Treasurer. The Finance Committee can submit supplements to the budget for the current year.
d. The Fund-Raising Committee shall plan and conduct projects to gain additional funds for the Chapter treasury.
e. The History Committee shall compile a record of the Chapter history for the year.
f. The Legislative Committee shall advise the members of current legislation and encourage active participation in writing letters or telephoning their legislative representatives. The Chairperson of this Committee is responsible for providing input of legislative activities to the Secretary each quarter of the FEW year for the quarterly report.
g. The Membership Committee shall:
1. Process applications for members unable to access the National online system.
2. Maintain, and keep update through National the membership roster distributed to members.
3. Actively promote and solicit membership within the community where Federal activities are located; and,
4. Develop membership recruitment letters, flyers, and ads.
h. The Nominating Committee shall conduct its activities in accordance with Article IV, Section 4.
i. The Public Relations/Publicity Committee shall:
1. Determine the location of Chapter meetings, make all arrangements, greet and introduce guests;
2. Coordinate meeting arrangements and the number reserved with the President and Vice-President prior to the meeting;
3. Encourage Chapter participation in community service; and,
4. Publicize Chapter activities through releases to the Gazette Telegraph, agency newspapers, and other publicity media, and serve as advisor to the Newsletter Editor.
j. The Scholarship Committee shall establish the criteria and application form, distribute information, publicize, select, notify the recipient and non-recipients, and advertise the winner through the Public Relations/Publicity Committee. No candidate shall be selected to receive a scholarship without fulfilling all necessary criteria outlined for the scholarship.
Section 3. Such other committees shall be appointed by the President as the membership or the Chapter Board shall deem necessary to promote the objectives of the Chapter.
Section 4. The Standing Committee Chairperson is responsible for transferring the permanent records of their committee to their successors at the end of their term.