BREMERTON BASE
UNITED STATES SUBMARINE VETERANS, INCORPORATED
-Established
November 5, 1981-
BYLAWS
(Revised November 19, 2002)
(Article II Amended May 17, 2005)
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The Bremerton Base of United
States Submarine Veterans Inc (USSVI)
adopts in whole as it's own, the Constitution of the national organization of
United States Submarine Veterans Inc. Should these bylaws conflict with
the USSVI national constitution or bylaws, the later shall have precedence. The
accepted informal name for the Bremerton Base is Bremerton Subvets. Within
the USSVI national organization the Bremerton Base will be referred to as the
Bremerton Base. In the interest of clarity in press releases and other
communications with outside entities and the media, the Base may be referred to
as the Bremerton Chapter of USSVI.
The general procedure on meetings for the Bremerton Base shall be
in keeping with the normal parliamentary procedures set down by Roberts Rules
of Order Newly Revised.
Section 1. The annual dues will be established by the Board of Directors (E-Board). (Amd 5-17-05)
Section 2. Dues are due and payable on January 1st each year and remain effective until December 31st of the
same year.
Section 3. Members whose dues are in arrears on April 1st of a current year will be dropped from the roster.
Section
1. The Bremerton Base shall conduct
regular business meetings. The date, time and place
shal1 be
designated by the Base Commander.
Section 2. Five percent of the regular members in good standing, at least two of which will be elected
officers, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of all business at the Base meetings. Once a
quorum has been established, no member absenting himself shall destroy the quorum.
Section 3. Special meetings or E-Board meetings may be called when warranted by the Base Commander.
Section 4. Each member in good standing, whose name has been on the membership roll for 15 days, shall be
entitled to vote in person at any meeting of the organization.
Section
1. Regular membership is restricted
to all U.S. personnel having been designated “Qualified in
Submarines," by the U.S. Navy. Proof of qualification
and of Navy. Proof of
qualification and of
honorable service must be
provided to the Base Secretary through the Membership Committee in
accordance with National
Bylaws.
Section 2. Founding
members are those members who participated in the original establishment of the
Bremerton Base in March, 1981. They
are identified as Tudor Davis, Thomas Fiacco, Richard
Litscher, William Dean,
Kenneth Kerns and Charles Whitlock.
Section 3. All members on
or before July 17, 1982, in good standing, shall be known as Charter Members of
The Bremerton
Base (119 members).
Section 4.
Associate membership - A person who does not meet the requirements for
Regular membership
may join as an associate member if sponsored by a Regular Member
in good standing. Associate
members are not eligible to
vote in National Elections. They may vote in all other Base election
activities and can serve in
Base elected and appointed positions with the exception of
Base
Commander and Vice
Commander.
Section 5.
Honorary members are people who, based on their knowledge and or contributions
to the submarine
community, would be valuable members to the Bremerton Base USSVI.
Honorary Members may
be
elected as members of Bremerton Base. USSVI Honorary Members shall not be
eligible to vote
or hold any office in the
organization, elected or appointed, and are exempt from dues assessment.
Honorary
Members may participate in all other Bremerton Base activities,
including regular
meetings and special events, and may input for the good
of the order.
Section 6.
Life members - a member, regular or associate, may in addition become a
Base life member by
paying
the Base
Life Membership dues, which shall be to the National Organization dues
structure
provided
that the member is also, or simultaneously becomes, a National Life
Member.
Section
1. The E-Board shall have the control
and general management of the affairs and business of the
organization. The
immediate past base commander and the Bremerton Base elected officers, which
include the Base Commander,
Vice Commander, Secretary, Treasurer and
the Chief of the Boat
shall make up the E-board. Appointed Committee Chairmen and Project Managers may attend E-
Board meetings to give
input, but may not vote. Three members of the E-Board shall
constitute a
quorum. Once a quorum has
been established, it cannot be removed by a member absenting himself.
Section
2. The E-Board is responsible for long
range planning for recruiting, membership activities, finances,
ceremonies and other
organizational goals.
Section 3. The term of office for all elected officials will be for one year, or until successors have been elected.
The Base Commander and Vice Commander may not hold the same office for more than two
consecutive years.
Section 4. Regular meetings of the E-Board will be held prior business meetings.
Section 5. Any vacancies occurring on the E-Board shall be filled for the unexpired portion of the term by
majority vote of the remaining board members.
Section 6. A member of the E-Board may be removed from the E-Board, for cause, by a two-thirds vote of the
E-board.
each official day of the National Convention for food and lodging, not to exceed three hundred
dollars ($300) if so requested by him. No member of the E-Board shall be paid any salary for
services rendered on behalf of the Bremerton Base.
Section 8. Base Commander Duties - The Duties
of the Bremerton Base Commander shall include, but not be
limited to:
A. Act as the Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of Base E-Board.
B. Cause to be called all regular and special meetings of the Bremerton Base.
C. Preside over all regular and special meetings of the Bremerton Base.
D. Enforce the Constitution and Bylaws.
E. Direct and supervise the operation of the Bremerton Base.
F. Represent the Bremerton Base at official functions.
G. Submit, in writing to the Base E-Board for confirmation, all appointed officers and committee
chairmanships.
H.
Sign all certificates notes, drafts, or bills of exchange,
warrants or other orders for the payment
of moneys duly drawn by the Bremerton
Base Treasurer, except as provided elsewhere in the
Constitution and Bylaws, subject to the approval of the Base E-Board.
I.
Be responsible for the
promulgation of all pertinent information to the membership of the
Bremerton Base.
J.
Work up, keep current and
pass on, immediately to his relief a “Turn Over” folder, including all
official correspondence, records, and official materials assigned to his care.
K. Be an ex-officio member of all committees, except the
“Nominations Committee” and the
“Resolution Committee”.
Section 9. Base
Vice Commander Duties - The Duties of the Bremerton Vice Base Commander
shall include,
but
not be limited to:
A.
Assist the
Bremerton Base Commander in the discharge of his duties.
B. Assume the duties of the Bremerton Base
Commander in the event of his absence, illness, or
call to eternal patrol.
C.
Execute
the powers and authority of the Bremerton Base Commander, when required, in the
absence of the Bremerton Base
Commander.
D.
Serve
as a member of the Base E-Board.
E.
Act
as Chairman for the Ways and Means Committee.
F.
Serve as a member of the Base Membership
Committee.
G.
Work up, keep current and pass on,
immediately to his relief a “Turn Over” folder, including all office correspondence, records, and official
materials assigned to his care.
Section 10. Base Secretary Duties - The Duties of the Base Secretary shall include, but not be limited to:
A. Officiate when required in Bremerton Base matters in the
absence of the Commander or Vice
Commander.
B. Serve as a member of the Base E-Board.
C.
Serve as a
member of the Base Membership Committee.
D.
Act
as Chairman of the Public Relations Committee.
E.
Be the clerk of
the Bremerton Base and:
(1)
Be
the custodian of all non-financial records and materials, which shall remain
Bremerton Base property.
(2)
Keep
permanent records as required by the Articles of Corporation, the National and
Base Constitution,
and these Bylaws.
(3)
Keep
permanent records of the proceedings of all meetings of the Bremerton Base.
(4)
Shall
collect and retain all historical records for the base and its membership.
(5)
Prepare
and distribute the Base Ballot.
(6)
Insure
that only Base members in good standing vote on organizational business.
(7)
Serve
as the official organization correspondent, forwarding to officers and
committee
chairman such correspondence as may be appropriate to the
performance of their duties.
(8)
Work
up, keep current and pass on, immediately to his relief a ‘Turn Over”
folder,
including all office correspondence, records, and official
materials assigned to his care.
Section 11. Base Treasurer Duties - The Duties of the Base Treasurer shall include, but not be limited to:
A. Serve as a member of the Base E-Board.
B. Serve as a member of the Base Membership Committee.
C. Serve as a member of the Base
Ways and Means Committee.
D.
Be
the Chief Financial Officer of the Bremerton Base.
E.
Be
the custodian of all financial records of the Bremerton Base.
F.
Receive
and be responsible for the collection of all moneys due and payable to the
organization.
G.
Have
custody of all organization funds, and shall provide for their safekeeping,
retention,
disbursement, and investment in a manner acceptable to the Base E-Board.
H.
Shall
complete the annual summary financial report and forward it the National
Treasurer.
I.
Make such reports and returns as are required
by Federal, State, and Local governments the
Articles of Incorporation, The
Constitution, and these Bylaws, including the disbursement of
appropriate taxes and fees.
J.
Maintain accounts appropriate to the
structure and activities of the organization and in
accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles.
K.
Upon election to the position as Base
Treasurer, the Treasurer-Elect within 15 days and prior
to becoming custodian of
the organizations funds shall apply for a personal bond in the
amount to be determined at the newly
elected Base E-Board meeting held subsequent to the
Annual Business Meeting unless waived
by the Base E-Board. All costs involved in securing
the required personal bond shall be
borne by the organization. The outgoing Treasurer shall
be responsible to ensure that the
present bond has been executed and that the organization is
fully protected prior to transferring
any funds to the new
Treasurer. An incumbent Treasurer shall be
required to comply with this requirement.
L.
Work up, keep current and pass on,
immediately to his relief a “Turn Over” folder, including
all official correspondence, records,
and official material assigned to his care.
Section 12. Chief of the Boat - The Duties of the
Chief of the Boat shall include, but not be limited to:
A.
Shall act as Master At
Arms/Parliamentarian at all meetings. He shall be responsible to the
Base Commander for ensuring that only
members in good standing and bona fide guests are
admitted to all meetings.
B. Shall symbolically toll the bell for Lost Boats at all meetings.
ARTICLE VI. APPOINTED BASE
OFFICERS OR POSITIONS
Section
1. The appointed officers are the
Chaplain, Newsletter Editor, Webmaster and Storekeeper. Their term
of office
will begin immediately after confirmation and notification by the Base
E-Board. These
appointed officers serve at
the pleasure of the Base Commander and may be removed/replaced at
his discretion.
Section 2. The Base Chaplain is appointed by
the Base Commander. The Base Chaplain shall be consulted on
all Base
matters pertaining and relative to the Spiritual Life
of the Bremerton Base. He recommends
to the Base Commander persons to be
considered for this office upon his relief.
Section 3. The Base
Newsletter Editor is appointed by the Base Commander. He is responsible for gathering
And
organizing of information to be published in
a bi-monthly newsletter. He
shall edit, print and
distribute the newsletters to all paid up Bremerton Base members and
those persons denoted in the
National
Policy and Procedures Manual (PPM) (National officers, committee chairmen,
district
nine
bases and local veterans organizations).
Section 4. The Base
Webmaster is appointed by the Base Commander. His duties are to maintain the Base
Website
and serve as a member of the Base Membership/Publicity Committee.
Section
5. The Base Storekeeper is
appointed by the Base Commander. If possible the Base Storekeeper will
obtain submarine
memorabilia from qualified . The Base Storekeeper will solicit sales from
the
Base members for
the purposes of adding revenue to the Base to meet Base financial
obligations.
He will make a written annual report (due June 30th)
of sales, expenses, total
profits and unsold
inventory to the Chairman of the Ways and Means
Committee. He will keep a record of
sales,
expenses and profits by
date of acquisition and date of sale. He will maintain a product
sales
brochure book for members’
review at the meetings. He shall offer a
display of products at each
meeting.
Section 1.
Definitions:
A. Standing Committees are permanent
committees.
B. Annual Committees are disbanded at the end
of the year.
C. Special Committees are appointed as
necessary for the Base Commander for a specific purpose
and are
disestablished when that purpose has been fulfilled or deemed no longer
necessary by
the E-Board.
Section
2. The Base Commander shall select a
Chairman for each committee that he may appoint, and for all
Standing committees and
shall serve as ex- officio chairman of all committees. The standing
committees shall be as follow:
B.
Membership/publicity Committee – The Membership/Publicity Chairman is
appointed by the
Base Commander. He,
with other committee members, is responsible for recruiting new
members and retaining current members. He maintains accurate membership status, and
shall
report the status of Bremerton Base membership at each
business meeting. He is responsible
for publicizing Bremerton Base events by all available
means.
C.
Ways and Means Committee – Establish an annual budget and determine the methods for
acquiring the funds required to meet the expenses of the
budget.
Section 3. The following are Annual Committees:
Nominations Committee - The
Nominations Committee will expire at the end of the calendar
year. It shall be chaired by a member appointed
by the Base Commander no later than February
1 and shall consist of three current members appointed by the Base
Commander.
ARTICLE VIII.
ANNUAL ELECTIONS
Section 1. The Chairman of the Nominating Committee shall conduct the nominations for the five elected
Offices
.
Section
2. The chairman of the Nominating
Committee shall call for nominations of eligible candidates for the
five elected offices to
all members on or before April 1. Nominations shall be submitted by any
member
in good standing on or before May 1, to the Chairman of the Nominating Committee, but
only if such nominations
are accompanied by a written consent of the nominee that he will accept
the nomination and
serve if elected must be a member of
good standing. Upon receipt of all
nominations, the Chairman
of the Nominating Committee shall have published the names, in
alphabetical order, of all candidates properly nominated,
at least thirty days prior tothe date of
elections. Additional
nominations, when called for, shall be made from the floor, on the
day of the election,
and shall be accepted upon the oral or written consent of the nominee
that he
accepts the nomination and will serve if
elected. Elections will normally be held at the business
meeting in June. The new
officers shal be installed during the month of July.
Section 3. All elections shall be by secret ballot vote of the members in good standing.
ARTICLE IX. ORDER OF BUSINESS AT
BASE MEETINGS
1. Salute to the Flag.
2. The USSVI Creed.
3. Moment of silence for our departed shipmates.
4. Tolling of the Bells for the current month.
5.
Introduction of National, Regional, District and other visiting
Base Officers in attendance
Stating name and office. (Shall include Bremerton Base members
that may hold an upper
echelon office).
6. Introduction of new members, potential new members and guests.
7. Secretary’s reading of the minutes of the last meeting.
8. Treasurer’s financial report.
9. Reports of standing committees.
10. Reports of annual committees
11. Reports of special committees.
12. Unfinished Business
13. New business:
(a) Resolutions
(b) Other business
14. Special Orders:
(a) Nominations from the floor for election of officers
(b) Validation and counting of ballots for officers
(c) Introduction of new
officers
15. For the good of the Order.
16. Closing of monthly business meeting.
ARTICLE X. FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year of the organization shall commence on the first day of January and end on the last
day of December.
ARTICLE XI. BY-LAW
AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Any member in good standing may submit recommendations to amend these Bylaws to the E-
Board
Section 2. All recommendations to amend these Bylaws shall be placed on the Base Commanders docket to
be read to the membership.
Section 3. All amendments to these Bylaws must be read at three consecutive regular meetings. The third
reading a Vote will be taken and a two-thirds majority vote 'yes' shall be required to pass the
amendment.
Section 4. All amendments certified as being passed shall become effective immediately.
Section 5. The secretary shall record in the minutes’ book the vote count pertaining to the balloting under this
Article.