By-Laws of the Carson City Republican Women’s Club
(As Amended January 19, 2021)
Article I
Name
The name of this organization shall be the CARSON CITY REPUBLICAN WOMEN’S CLUB.
Article II
Objectives
The objectives of this club shall be:
1. To promote a wider knowledge of the principles and policies of the Republican Party through educational programs.
2. To increase the effectiveness of women in the cause of good government through active political participation.
3. To cooperate with the State Republican Party and Carson City Republican Party to elect Republican candidates to office.
4. To support, as a member, the objectives and policies of the National Federation of Republican Women and the Nevada Federation of Republican Women.
5. To exemplify Republican values through active participation in civic activities.
Article III
Policies
Section 1. The club shall follow a policy of non-endorsement in contested Republican Primary campaigns, in General Election campaigns if both candidates are Republicans, and of presidential or vice-presidential candidates before the Republican National Convention.
Section 2. An elective officer shall not pre-endorse a candidate in a contested Republican Primary campaign; in a General Election campaign if both candidates are Republicans; or endorse a presidential or vice-presidential candidate before the Republican National Convention.
Section 3. Failure to support the GOP ticket, advocating a split party ticket, or supporting one Republican candidate to exclude other Republican candidates in a Primary or General election shall result in removing a unit club from State Federation membership.
Section 4. Any member publicly supporting a candidate of an opposition party in a campaign for which a Republican is also a candidate shall be removed from membership.
Section 5. An elective officer or board member who files as a candidate for an elective public office shall step back from her club position, effective with said filing if there is a Republican opponent. The officer/board member may step back into her position after the election.
Article IV
Membership
Section 1. a. Membership shall be open to any woman duly registered as a Republican.
b. Associate membership:
[i] Republican women who are members of another Federated club
may join as Associate members.
[ii] Any man, duly registered as a Republican, may become an Associate member.
[iii] An Associate member’s dues shall be one-half the dues of a Regular member.
[iv] An Associate member may speak on issues but may not hold office, vote, or serve on committees.
Section 2. This club shall be a member of the NEVADA FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN and the NATIONAL FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN.
Section 3. Should a member resign or be removed from membership, a majority vote of the Executive Committee shall determine whether the member shall be eligible for reinstatement.
Section 4. Honorary Life Memberships, Honorary Associate Life Memberships, Special Honorary Memberships, and Special CCRW Boosters may be granted under criteria as stated in the Standing Rules of this club.
Article V
Elected Officers
Section 1. a. To hold an elected office in this organization, a member must be in good
standing and a duly registered Republican in the State of Nevada.
b. A term of office is one year, from January 1 through December 31.
c. An elected officer may serve only two consecutive terms in the same office
or until her successor takes office.
[i] In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the 1st Vice-President shall assume the office of President. The 2nd Vice-President shall assume the office of the 1st Vice-President for the remainder of the term.
[ii] In the vacancy of the office of 1st Vice-President, the 2nd Vice-President shall assume the office of the 1st Vice-President for the remainder of the term.
[iii] In the event of a vacancy of any elective office, the vacancy shall be filled by direct vote of the membership. Notice shall be given via email/newsletter to the membership before the meeting at which the vote will take place.
d. No one may be elected to the Presidency who has not served on the Board of Directors for at least one year.
e. No one may be elected to any other elective office who has not been an active member and served on a committee for at least one year.
f. An officer candidate may not simultaneously run for more than one office.
Section 2. The elected officers of this club shall be:
President
1st Vice-President
2nd Vice-President
Recording Secretary
Treasurer
Section 3. The duties of the elective officers shall be:
a. The President shall:
[i] Preside over all general membership meetings and meetings of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors;
[ii] With the approval of the Executive Committee, appoint Chairmen of Standing Committees and Appointive Officers as provided in Article V, Section 4, and other special committees as determined necessary, except the Nominating Committee;
[iii] Serve ex-officio on all committees, except the Nominating Committee;
[iv] Sign all contracts and obligations of this club as approved by the Board of Directors;
[v] Serve on the Nevada Federation of Republican Women’s Board of Directors;
[vi] Serve on the Carson City Republican Party as the club’s representative, or appoint a representative from the club to do so.
b. The 1st Vice-President Shall:
[i] Perform the duties of the President in her absence;
[ii] Assist the President in the performance of her duties, as required;
[iii] Assume the responsibility for the programs presented at the general meeting;
[iv] Perform such other duties as required by the President of the membership.
c. The 2nd Vice-President shall:
[i] Perform the duties of the President in the absence of both the President and the 1st Vice-President;
[ii] Perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President or the membership;
[iii] Be chairman of the Membership Committee.
d. The Recording Secretary shall:
[i] Have custody of all papers and records;
[ii] Take the minutes of all general meetings, Executive Committee, and Board of Directors meetings and mail/email them to the members of these boards before the next meeting; and maintain an accurate and permanent record of the club’s activities;
[iii] Sign all checks in the absence of either the President or Treasurer. The President has priority; if unavailable, the Treasurer has priority, and the Secretary only if the Treasurer is unavailable.
[iv] Act as co-signatory with the President on all other documents;
[v] Issue notice of any special meeting.
e. The Treasurer shall:
[i] Be custodian of all funds of this organization;
[ii] Be responsible for the collection of dues and all other monies collected by the club;
[iii] Pay all bills, keep all receipts and financial records and sign all checks;
[iv] Submit the books for the annual audit, which shall be complete by the fifteenth day of January;
[v] Be ex-officio on the Budget Committee;
[vi] When feasible, the Treasurer shall be bonded, and the unit club shall pay the necessary fees.
Section 4 The Appointive officers of this club shall be:
Parliamentarian
Corresponding Secretary
Chaplain
Historian
Section 5 The duties of the appointive officers shall be:
a. The Parliamentarian shall:
[i] Be thoroughly familiar with the bylaws of the club to interpret and inform;
[ii] Be familiar with the rules set out in the adopted parliamentary authority;
[iii] Serve as the interpreter of correct parliamentary law procedure and protocol;
[iv] Serve as a Board of Directors member, without a vote, except in the case of a written ballot;
[v] Instruct the nominating committee as to proper procedure, orally and in writing;
[vi] Be a member of the Revisions and Bylaw Committee.
b. The Corresponding Secretary shall:
[i] Answer all correspondence, write all acknowledgments, send special invitations and attend to any other mail as required by her by the President, Executive Committee, or the Board of Directors.
[ii] Serve as a voting member of the Board of Directors.
c. The Chaplain shall:
[i] Offer appropriate prayers for meetings and other events as directed by the President.
d. The Historian shall:
[i] Compile an official historical record of the CCRW’s activities to be stored in a permanent records division of the library at the University of Nevada.
Article VI
State Nominating Committee
Section 1. A member and two alternates to the State Nominating Committee shall be elected biennially by the members at the regular meeting in January preceding the State Convention. Per NvFRW bylaws, she may serve one two-year term, commencing February 1 following the NvFRW Biennial convention.
Section 2. She, or her designated alternate, shall represent the Carson City Republican Women at any meeting of the State Nominating Committee, which will be called by the chairman of the State Nominating Committee.
Article VII
Committees
Section 1. The standing committees shall consist of the following:
Achievement
Americanism
Audit
Boutique
Budget
Bylaws
Campaign
Fundraising
Hospitality
Legislative
MELP/Literacy
Newsletter
Pancake Breakfast
Publicity
Scholarship
Telephone
Webmaster
Section 2. Special Committees may be:
Caring for America
New Member Reception
Literacy
Article VIII
Executive Committee & Board of Directors
Section 1. The Executive Committee:
a. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Elective Officers, Immediate Past President, and Parliamentarian (non-voting).
b. The President may call a meeting of the Executive Committee, or a meeting may be called at the request of three members of the Executive Committee.
c. The Executive Committee shall be empowered to act for the club when necessary for the good of the order.
Section 2. The Board of Directors:
a. The Board of Directors shall consist of the Executive Committee, Parliamentarian, Appointed Officers, Chairmen of the Standing Committees, and Special Committees.
b. The Board of Directors shall meet monthly when regular meetings are held or at the call of the President.
c. The Board of Directors shall propose recommendations for presentation to the members for action at the regular meetings.
[i] If a member of the Board of Directors is absent from three consecutive BOD meetings without sufficient cause, she shall be removed from her office or chairmanship at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
[ii] The President, with the approval of the Executive Committee, shall appoint a Chairman to fill a vacancy so caused.
Article IX
General Meetings
Section 1. At least ten meetings shall be held each year.
Section 2. The meetings shall be held on the third Tuesday of each month.
Section 3. The day the meetings shall be held will be determined by a majority vote of the members present at any regular meeting.
Section 4. The months in which meetings shall be suspended shall be determined by a majority vote of the members present at any regular meeting.
Article X
Dues
Section 1. The club’s dues shall be approved annually by the general membership to meet required obligations to the State and National Federation of Republican Women.
Section 2. Dues are due and payable on January 1 of each year. The Membership Chairman shall mail/email the dues notices no later than the fifteenth day of December of the preceding year.
Section 3. Dues shall be delinquent on February 1 of each year.
Section 4. Notices shall be mailed/emailed) by the Membership Chairman no later than the first day of March to all members whose dues have not been received by the first day of February.
Section 5. The Board of Directors shall declare those members delinquent whose dues have not been received by the fifteenth day of March and clear the membership rolls accordingly.
Section 6. Dues shall be non-refundable, and membership dues shall not be prorated. Dues shall be forfeited for any member resigning or being removed from membership. New members joining during the last three fiscal months (October, November, and December) shall have their dues applied to the following year.
Section 7.
CCRW dues do not apply to Honorary Life Members, Honorary Life Associate Members, and Honorary Members. Per NFRW bylaws, the CCRW will pay the NvFRW and NFRW dues for Lifetime and Honorary members.
Article XI
Nominations and Elections
Section 1. A Nominating Committee of five members, two from the Board of Directors and three from the general membership, shall be elected in September. The committee shall elect its own chairman. The Parliamentarian shall instruct the committee, orally and in writing, as to the proper procedures.
Section 2. The Nominating Committee shall report a slate of officers, with at least one qualified name for each office, to the Board of Directors and the general membership at the October Board of Directors and general membership meetings, after which nominations from the floor shall be in order.
Section 3. All nominees shall be members in good standing, have met the bylaw requirements for the position, and have given their consent to serve if elected. Prior written consent is required for any person not present when nominated. (See Article V)
Section 4. Elections shall be by ballot at the November meeting. When there is no contest, the election shall be by voice vote.
Section 5. The candidate receiving a majority of all votes cast shall be considered elected.
Section 6. Newly elected officers, except for the Treasurer, shall assume office
immediately after installation at the December meeting. The Treasurer shall take office on January 15 or upon completion of the audit.
Section 7. Except as noted in Article V, Section 1 c, in case of a vacancy during the regular term, the Executive Committee shall submit one or more names for the vacated office, and nominations from the floor shall be in order.
Article XII
Election of Delegates to State Biennial Convention
Section 1. Representation of CCRW delegates at the NvFRW Convention shall be determined as follows:
a. The Club President (or her representative) shall be an automatic delegate. Any CCRW member of the NvFRW BOD shall be an automatic delegate. In addition, there shall be one delegate and one alternate for every ten members or a major fraction thereof. This shall be based on the NvFRW Treasurer’s records, dated no later than 15 days before the Convention.
b. Elections of the CCRW delegates and alternates shall occur at a regularly scheduled membership meeting no later than 15 days before the Convention. A list of delegates and alternates, including addresses and telephone numbers, shall be sent to the NvFRW President at least ten days before the Convention.
c. Alternates may vote only in the absence of their delegate.
Section 2. Election of delegates to the NvFRW Biennial Convention shall be as follows:
a. Delegates must be members of the CCRW in good standing. The Club Treasurer shall verify this.
b. Nominations/requests to serve may be made from the floor or through a letter of request at the designated membership meeting, at least 15 days before the Biennial Convention.
c. If there are more applicants than positions available, voting will be by written ballot. Delegates will be those receiving the most votes. Alternates will be ranked according to the number of votes received. Appointment by the Club President shall fill vacancies occurring among alternates.
d. If there are fewer qualified candidates for delegate than positions available, their appointment will be automatic.
e. The President, if necessary, shall appoint an Elections Committee and Chair to oversee the counting of the ballots.
f. Per the NvFRW bylaws, each delegate shall be entitled to one vote. There shall be no proxy voting.
Article XIII
Quorum
Section 1. A quorum for a club meeting shall consist of 10% of the club membership.
Section 2. A quorum for an Executive Committee meeting shall consist of a majority of the members of the Executive Committee.
Section 3. A quorum for the Board of Directors meeting shall consist of a majority of the BOD membership.
Article XIV
Parliamentary Authority
Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern all proceedings except where inconsistent with the bylaws of this club and those of the State and National Federation of Republican Women.
Article XV
Finances
Section 1. Budget
a. The President shall appoint a Budget Chairman and Budget Committee composed of two from the membership, with the Treasurer as ex-officio, following the September meeting.
b. A proposed budget shall be presented to the Board of Directors for approval and to the membership for approval at the Board of Directors and general membership November meetings.
c. The fiscal year shall coincide with the calendar year.
d. Any proposed expenses not provided for in the budget shall be presented, in writing, to the Board of Directors and then to the membership for approval.
e. The Budget Committee shall prepare and present quarterly reports to the Board of Directors and general membership (March, June, September, December).
Section 2. Audit
a. An Auditing Committee, composed of two members from the general membership and one from the Executive Committee, shall be appointed by the President in November.
b. The committee’s final report shall be presented to the membership at the general meeting in January.
Article XVI
Dissolution
In the event of dissolution of this organization, all assets remaining after payment of costs and expenses of such dissolution shall be distributed to the Nevada Federation of Republican Women. None of the assets shall be distributed to any member or officer of the Nevada Federation.
Article XVII
Amendments
These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any regular meeting, providing the amendment has been presented in writing with at least a 10-day notice.
Article XVIII
These bylaws shall become effective upon approval of the membership by a two-thirds vote of the voting members present.
Approved by the membership on January 19, 2021
CARSON CITY REPUBLICAN WOMEN
STANDING RULES
(As amended January 19, 2021)
1. At the demise of a Republican elected official or current unit club executive board member, the club may send flowers or an appropriate memorial donation (up to $100. Permission shall be automatic upon approval of the President and Executive Committee.
2. Special Membership/Recognition:
a. Honorary Life Membership may be granted to a woman who has participated actively in Carson City Republican affairs and given outstanding service to the Party. The CCRW will compliment her Club dues; and, per the NFRW bylaws, pay her NFRW and NvFRW dues as long as she remains a member of the CCRW.
b. In conferring an Honorary Associate Life Membership, the Carson City Republican Women will consider that the candidate for this honor has participated actively in Carson City Republican affairs and given outstanding service to the Party. The CCRW will complement the honoree’s Club dues.
c. Honorary Membership may be granted to a Republican woman Governor, or the wife of the incumbent Republican Governor, during the term of office. The CCRW will complement her Club dues and pay her NvFRW and NFRW dues.
d. Recognition may be given to other prominent local Republicans as determined by the Executive Board and designated as a “Special CCRW Booster. The Board of Directors will determine the manner of recognition.
3. The Carson City Republican Women shall finance and support only Community organizations necessary to qualify the Club for the NFRW Diamond Award.
4. The money for the outgoing President’s gift shall not exceed $100. The 2nd Vice President shall act as Chairman of the Gift Selection Committee.
5. The club shall, as a general rule, compliment the following person(s) to lunch:
a. The Governor and his/her spouse;
b. The speaker and his/her spouse, when appearing on a program as the sole speaker;
c. Members of the working press who are covering the meeting for their media;
d. The qualifying scholarship applicants as determined by the Scholarship Committee;
e. The scholarship winner.
The Treasurer shall take office on January 15, or upon completion of the audit.
Section 7. Except as noted in Article V, Section 1 c, in case of a vacancy during the regular term, the Executive Committee shall submit one or more names for the vacated office, and nominations from the floor shall be in order.
Article XII
Election of Delegates to State Biennial Convention
Section 1. Representation of CCRW delegates at the NvFRW Convention shall be determined as follows:
a. The Club President (or her representative) shall be an automatic delegate. Any CCRW who is a member of the NvFRW BOD shall be an automatic delegate. In addition, there shall be one delegate and one alternate allowed for each 10 members or major fraction thereof. This shall be based on the NvFRW Treasurer’s records, dated no later than 15 days prior to the convention.
b. Election of the CCRW delegates and alternates shall take place at a regularly scheduled membership meeting no later than 15 days prior to the Convention. A list of delegates and alternates, including addresses and telephone numbers, shall be sent to the NvFRW President at least 10 days prior to the Convention.
c. Alternates may vote only in the absence of their delegate.
Section 2. Election of delegates to the NvFRW Biennial Convention shall be as follows:
a. Delegates must be members of the CCRW in good standing. This shall be verified by the Club Treasurer.
b. Nominations/requests to serve may be made from the floor or through a letter of request at the designated membership meeting, at least 15 days prior to the Biennial Convention.
c. If there are more applicants than positions available, voting will be by written ballot. Delegates will be those receiving the most votes. Alternates will be ranked according to the number of votes received. Vacancies occurring among alternates shall be filled by appointment by the Club President.
d. If there are fewer qualified candidates for delegate than positions available, their appointment will be automatic.
e. The President, if necessary, shall appoint an Elections Committee and Chair to oversee the counting of the ballots.
f. Per the NvFRW bylaws, each delegate shall be entitled to one vote. There shall be no proxy voting.
Article XIII
Quorum
Section 1. A quorum for a club meeting shall consist of 10% of the club membership.
Section 2. A quorum for an Executive Committee meeting shall consist of a majority of the members of the Executive Committee.
Section 3. A quorum for the Board of Directors meeting shall consist of a majority of the BOD membership.
Article XIV
Parliamentary Authority
Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern all proceedings except where inconsistent with the bylaws of this club and those of the State and National Federation of Republican Women.
Article XV
Finances
Section 1. Budget
a. The President shall appoint a Budget Chairman and Budget Committee composed of two from the membership, with the Treasurer as ex-officio, following the September meeting.
b. A proposed budget shall be presented to the Board of Directors for approval and to the membership for approval at the Board of Directors and general membership November meetings.
c. The fiscal year shall coincide with the calendar year.
d. Any proposed expenses not provided for in the budget shall be presented, in writing, first to the Board of Directors and then to the membership for approval.
9
e. The Budget Committee shall prepare and present quarterly reports to the Board of Directors and general membership (March, June, September, December).
Section 2. Audit
a. An Auditing Committee, composed of two members from the general membership and one member from the Executive Committee, shall be appointed by the President in November.
b. The final report of the Committee shall be presented to the membership at the general meeting in January.
Article XVI
Dissolution
In the event of dissolution of this organization, all of its assets remaining after payment of all costs and expenses of such dissolution shall be distributed to the Nevada Federation of Republican Women. None of the assets shall be distributed to any member or officer of the Nevada Federation.
Article XVII
Amendments
These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any regular meeting, providing the amendment has been presented in writing with at least a 10-day notice.
Article XVIII
These bylaws shall become effective upon approval of the membership by a two-thirds vote of the voting members present.
Approved by the membership January 19, 2021
10
CARSON CITY REPUBLICAN WOMEN
STANDING RULES
(As amended January 19, 2021)
1. At the demise of a Republican elected official or current member of the unit club’s executive board, the club may send flowers or an appropriate memorial donation (up to $100. Permission shall be automatic upon approval of the President and Executive Committee.
2. Special Membership/Recognition:
a. Honorary Life Membership may be granted to a woman who has participated actively in Carson City Republican affairs and given outstanding service to the Party. The CCRW will compliment her Club dues; and, per the NFRW bylaws, pay her NFRW and NvFRW dues as long as she remains a member of the CCRW.
b. In conferring an Honorary Associate Life Membership, the Carson City Republican Women will take into consideration the candidate for this honor has participated actively in Carson City Republican affairs and given outstanding service to the party. The CCRW will compliment the honoree’s Club dues.
c. Honorary Membership may be granted to a Republican woman Governor, or to the wife of the incumbent Republican Governor, during the term of office. The CCRW will compliment her Club dues and will pay her NvFRW and NFRW dues.
d. Recognition may be given to other prominent local Republicans as determined by the Executive Board, and designated as a “Special CCRW Booster. The manner of recognition will be determined by the Board of Directors.
3. The Carson City Republican Women shall finance and support only Community organizations necessary to qualify the Club for the NFRW Diamond Award.
4. The amount of money for the outgoing President’s gift shall not exceed $100. The 2nd Vice President shall act as Chairman of the Gift Selection Committee.
5. The club shall, as a general rule, compliment the following person(s) to lunch:
a. The Governor and his/her spouse;
b. The speaker and his/her spouse, when appearing on a program as the sole speaker;
c. Members of the working press who are covering the meeting for their media;
d. The qualifying scholarship applicants as determined by the Scholarship Committee;
e. The scholarship winner.