AMERICAN BRIDGE ASSOCIATION

WESTERN SECTION

 

 

CONSTITUTION

 

 

ARTICLE I                           Name

 

The name of this organization is and shall be the Western Section of the American Bridge Association, Incorporated, hereinafter called the ABA.

 

ARTICLE II                         OBJECTIVE

Its object shall be to foster, encourage and develop the game of Duplicate Contract Bridge and any other later developments of the game of cards, and to sponsor, supervise, and conduct duplicate sectional tournaments through which contestants may be rated.

ARTICLE III                          MEMBERSHIP

 

The membership shall consist of all financial members of the ABA residing within the boundaries of the Western Section.

 

ARTICLE IV                         GOVERNMENT

 

The government of the Western Section shall be vested in the members at the business meetings and in the Section Vice President and Section Committee in the interim between business meetings.

 

ARTICLE V                          OFFICERS

 

The officers of the Western Section shall be the Vice-President, Secretary, and Assistant Secretary-Treasurer.

 

ARTICLE VI                         ELECTIONS

 

The election of section officers shall be by the membership in a manner as prescribed in the Bylaws. The election shall be held biennially in odd numbered years at an open meeting. Each financial member shall have the right to vote in any general election.

 

ARTICLE VII                        COMMITTEES

 

There shall be a Section Committee established in a manner as prescribed in the By-Laws

 

ARTICLE VIII                      TOURNAMENTS

 

Sectional tournaments shall be sponsored by the Section as prescribed in the By-Laws.

 

ARTICLE IX                         MEETINGS

There shall be an open business meeting at each Sectional tournament.

 

ARTICLE X                           AMMENDMENTS

 

Amendments to this Constitution may be made at any business meeting provided that the proposed amendments have been mailed to all financial members at least thirty (30) days before the business meeting and are supported by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present and voting.

 

ARTICLE XI                         RULES OF ORDER

Insofar as they do not conflict with the provisions of the ABA

or Western Section Constitution and By-Laws, Robert's Rules of Order, latest revision, shall govern the deliberations of the Western Section.

 

 

 

 

WESTERN SECTION BY-LAWS

 

 

CHAPTER I – MEETINGS

 

Section 1                                 DATE

The business meetings shall be held on or about the third day of the Sectional Tournament

 

Section 2                                 AGENDA

 

The agenda shall be prepared by the Western Section Vice-President or his/her designee.

 

Section 3                                 MEETINGS

 

The Section Vice-President shall be empowered to fix the date, time, and place of any additional meetings.

 

Section 4                                 QUORUMS

 

A quorum for a business meeting shall be twenty (20) financial members

 

CHAPTER II - - OFFICERS

 

Section 1                                 TERMS OF OFFICE

 

A.                 The Western Section Vice President shall serve in accordance with Chapter VII, Section I of the By-Laws of the American Bridge Association, Incorporated, hereinafter called the ABA.

B.                  All other elected officers are eligible to serve successive two-year terms and shall hold office until their successors are duly elected or appointed.

 

 

 

Section 2                                 ELIGIBILITY FOR OFFICE

 

All candidates for office shall at the time of nomination have been members in good standing of the ABA for at least the three (3) calendar years immediately preceding the year of nomination.

B.        All elected officers shall be active members of the ABA, willing to assume the duties of the office to which he/she is elected.

C.       All elected officers may be bonded at the discretion of the Section Committee.

D.       Members of the Section Committee shall be active members of the ABA and shall be duly authorized to serve by their respective club and shall be willing to attend meetings of the Section Committee.

Section 3                                 NOMINATIONS

 

A The names of all candidates for office shall be presented to the Elections Committee during the period of April 1st through July 15th of the election year.

B. The Elections Committee shall certify eligibility in accordance with Section 2 of this Chapter.

 

Section 4                                 ELECTIONS

 

A. Application for an absent voter's ballot shall be made in writing to the Elections Committee at least thirty (30) calendar days prior to the election.

 

B. An application for an absent voter's ballot can be submitted by any financial member of the Western Section. The request forms to be used will be provided in the Western Que Newsletter.

 

C. Absentee ballots shall be returned, as designed by the Election Committee, at least seven (7) calendar days prior to the election.

          D. Procedure for casting an absentee ballot

  1.  A ballot will be mailed to the member upon receipt of the request form.

  2. Complete the ballot, seal it in a plain white envelope, and print and sign your name across the seal along with your ABA number.

  3. Place a First-Class stamp on it, then mail to the Election Committee Chair, do P. O. Box in city where election is to be held.

  4.  All ballots will be checked against the Financial and Life Membership Rosters of the Western Section.

  5.  The ballots will be opened by the Election Committee at the Open Meeting in the designated city.

  

E. The successful candidate for any Section office shall be the person receiving a plurality of the recorded votes.

 

Section 5                                 FILLING VACANCIES

 

A. If a vacancy should occur in the office of the Vice President, the Section Committee has the authority to appoint an acting Vice-President who will serve until the next business meeting, at which time a successor will be elected by the membership to fill the unexpired term.

 

B. If there should occur a vacancy in the office of the Secretary or Assistant Secretary-Treasurer, the Vice­President shall appoint a successor to serve until the next business meeting when a successor will be elected to fill the unexpired term.

 

 

Section 6                                 DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

A                                             Western Section Vice-President shall:

  1. Perform the duties specified in Chapter VU, Section 3 of the ABA’s By-Laws.

  2. Act in accordance with Part 1 - - The Organization (The Section) of the Official ABA Handbook.

  3. Chair the Section Committee.

  4. Give such assistance to the National President as my be required.

  5. Be the final authority for all games, including Sectional games, in the Section.

  6. Approve and authorize the printing of the Sectional Tournament Schedule.

  7.  Be responsible for the regular newsletter to be diseminated within the Section (If this cannot be delegated, the Vice-President MUST be responsible for the newsletter.)

  8. Appoint chairperson of all standing committees within thirty (30) days after the election meeting but not later than January 31st of the year assuming office.

 

B                                              The Western Section Secretary shall:

 

1.      Act in accordance with Part 1—The Organization (The Section) of the Official ABA handbook.

2.      Have full charge of the correspondence and committee reports of the Section and maintain the official file of the Section.

3.      Keep an accurate roster of the membership of the Section.

4.      Take minutes of the Buiness and Section Committee meetings and shall, within thirty (30) days thereafter, render a clear copy of the minutes to the Western Section Vice-President and as specified in the Official ABA Handbook.

5.      Receive and properly dispose of all monies for the Section and shall give receipts for all money receivede, and shall transmit at least once a month all monies received for the Section during that period to the treasurer.

6.      Conduct correspondence for the Section as directed by the Vice President.

7.      Be one of the signatories on the bank account of the Section.

8.      Keep a record of all Sectional tournaments.

9.      Maintain a record of all sanctioned grade “A”, “B” and “C” tournaments held by the clubs and units of the Western Section.

 

C                                 The Western Section Financial  Secretary - Treasurer shall:

1.      Accept from the Secretary and deposit in the Section's bank account all monies handed over to him/her.

2.      Give receipts for all monies received.

3.      Maintain accurate records of the Section's financial transactions.

4.      Prepare and distribute to the membership a completed financial report at business meetings of the Section, including a detailed report of all Sectional Tournaments.

5.       Be a signatory on the Section's bank accounts.

6.      Issue checks necessary to pay such expenses as have been approved by the Vice President or his/her designated representative.

7.       Prepare and distribute a statement of finances as often as required by the Vice President or the Section Committee.

 

Section 7                                 Annual Reports

The elected officers shall prepare annual reports of their activities to be presented at a business meeting and/or in the Section Newsletter.

 

 

 

CHAPTER III – COMMITTEES

Section 1                                 SECTION COMMITTEE

A.     Membership – The Section Committee shall be composed of officers of the Western Section two (2) authorized representatives from each club.  Unit Presidents are urged to attend the meetings, but without an official vote.

B.     Selection – Authorized representatives shall be selected by the clubs by January 1st of each year.

C.     Meetings --

1.      The Section Committee may meet as often as necessary,  but must meet prior to a business meeting.

2.      All Section officers and section representatives are responsible for attending all Section Committee meetings.

D.     Quorum – A quorum shall consist of eleven (11) committee members.

E.     Duties – The Section Committee shall:

1.                 Perform the duties specified in Chapter VII, Section 4 of the ABA By-Laws.

2.               Assist in the efficient collection, processing and maintenance of sanctions, fees, schedules and other such materials as may be required by and for all units, clubs, and/or individual members of the Section.

3.             Assist in the implementation and communication of all procedures, policies and decisions to members.

4.             Be empowered to fully act for their clubs on issues presented at the Section Committee meetings with the exception of disbursing their respective club funds

5.             Be required to supply the Section Secretary with a copy of the written report made to their club on matters presented.

6.           Bear the uitimate responsibility for the Sectional Tournament.

7.           Enforce the Constitution and By-Laws of the Western Section and the ABA.

8.        Assist units and clubs in recruitment and training activities.

 

Section 2                                 ELECTIONS COMMITTEE

            The Election Committee Shall:

1.      Certify the eligibilty of nominees for each office

2.      Provide for absentee ballot election by the membership

3.      Distribute collect and tall ballots.

4.      Reject a ballot if it is found to be insufficient.

 

Section 3                                  NEW PLAYERS/MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

(Standing Committee)

 

            The New Players/Membership Committee shall assist the Section Vice President in recruiting and Section expansion.

 

 

Section 4                                 RECOMMENDATIONS COMMITTEE

 

The Recombination's committee shall:

 

1.      Receive recommendations from member clubs or units in writing prior to each meeting.

2.      Hold a meeting and report on all recommendations received to the body at the following business meeting.

 

 

Section 5                                 APPEALS AND ETHICS COMMITTEE

        (Standing Committee)

 

The Appeals and Ethics Committee shall:

 

1.      Hold meeting on complaints of individuals, on behavior of persons participating in tournaments and make final decisions of action to be taken.

2.      Hold a meeting on complaints of individulas who are not satisfied with a director’s decision and make final decisions on a ruling.

 

 

Section 6                                 AUDITING COMMITTEE

        (Standing Committee)

 

The Auditing Committee shal audit the records of the Secretary and Assistant Secretray Treasurer and make an annual report of findings at a business meeting or in the section newsletter.

 

 

Section 7                                 TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE

           (Standing Committee)

 

The Tournament Committee shall perform appropriate duties in accordance with the Official ABA Handbook.

 

 

ection 8                                 SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE

         (Standing Committee)

 

The Scholarship Committee shall distribute, receive, and evaluate applications, select recipient(s) and make recommendations to the Section Committee.

 

 

 

Section 9                                 STAFF DEVELOPMENT/CERTIFICATION COMMITTEE

        (Standing Committee)

The Staff Development/Certification Committee shall perform appropriate duties in accordance with the Official ABA Handbook.

 

Section 10                              MERIT AWARDS & LIFE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

         (Standing Committee)

 

The Merit Awards and Life Membership Committee shall perform appropriate duties in accordance with the Official ABA Handbook.

 

 

Section 11                               BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE

        (Standing Committee)

 

The Budget and Finance Committee shall be empowered to obtain the use of any and all fiscal records, files and reports of any official and committees of the Western Section to accomplish the following duties:

1.      Review and analyze the fiscal activities of the Section.

2.      Prepare and submit an annual budget for the Section for approval by the membership.

3.      Prepare and submit recommendations for raising revenue to finance the budget for all operations.

4.      Monitor the application of efficient financial procedures within the Section.

5.      Make provisions for an audit of Section finances on a regular basis.

6.      Prepare and maintain procedures pertaining to the area of financial administration.

 

Section 12                                           AD-HOC COMMITTEES

 

Ad-Hoc Committees shall be appointed by the Section Vice-President as necessary to carry out the business of the Section.

 

 

Section 13                               DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES

 

ALL officers and committee members shall perform their duties in compliance with the rules and regulations of the American Bridge Association,

 

 

CHAPERT IV            - -TOURNAMENTS

 

 

A.     Tournaments will be held at any area that the Section Committee believes would be beneficial to the goals of the Western Section.  The Western Section November Sectional will be held at any area the Section Committee believes would be beneficial to the goals of the Western Section.

B.     Tournaments shall be sponsored in accordance with ABA National Authority Rules and Regulations.

 

 

CHAPTER V - - CLUBS AND UNITS/INDEPENDENT CLUBS

 

A.     Clubs and units/independent clubs shall function in accordance with the Official ABA Handbook.

B.     Clubs and units/independent clubs shall report the actions of delinquent directors to the Section Staff   Development/Certification Chairperson.

C.     Clubs and independent clubs shall submit member and officer rosters to the Section Secretary.

D.     Units and independent clubs shall submit current officer rosters to the Section Secretary.

E.       Units and Independent Clubs shall request sanctions, tournament schedule dates and other necessary information from the Section Vice President by October 15th of the current year for the following year.

F.      Clubs and Units shall disseminate relevant information received from Section officers and committees to members.

G.     Clubs and Units shall submit a report for the newsletter on a regular basis.

H.     Clubs and Units shall develop and maintain an active recruitment program to add new members to the Section.

I.       Clubs and Unit shall develop a certificated training program to aid New Players.

J.       Where possible, only certificated bridge teachers or those mentored by a certificated bridge teacher will be used within the Section.

K.     Clubs and Units shall participate in all activities of the Section.

 

 

CHAPTER VI - - AMENDMENTS

Amendments to these By-Laws may be made at any business meeting by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of those financial members present.

 

Constitution and By-Laws Approved and Adopted November 12, 2002.

Constitution and By-Laws Committee:

Diane Marbury, Chair Arthur Carvanas,  James Pruitt, Anita E. Troy

(*Sara Pearson Deceased)

Harley Wyatt

Vice-President, Western Section