CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF THE
ALABAMA COUNCIL OF THE BLIND, INC.
Revised November, 2005
PREAMBLE
We, the blind of Alabama, knowing that we are a part of society, recognizing and accepting our responsibilities to society, and believing that through an organization we may more ably discharge our obligation by improving the social and economic well-being of the blind; do ordain this Constitution and Bylaws.
ARTICLE 1 NAME
The name of this organization is and shall be the Alabama Council of the Blind, Inc.
ARTICLE 11 MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1 Membership:
Membership in the Alabama Council of the Blind, Inc. shall consist of three (3) classes: affiliates, members-at-large and Corporate/sponsoring members.
A. Any organization composed of five (5) or more persons may become affiliated with the Alabama Council of the Blind,
Inc., provided that at all times a majority of its members are legally blind as determined by the definition used by the Internal Revenue Service.
B. An individual, eighteen (18) years of age or older, may become a member-at-large of the Alabama Council of the Blind, Inc., provided that at all times a majority of such members-at-large are legally blind as determined by the definition used by the Internal Revenue Service.
C. Corporate/Sponsor Members are Honorary Memberships to companies and individuals work with the Alabama council of the blind inc. and affiliates: these entities are not voting members.
SECTION 2 Affiliation:
A. Any organization seeking affiliation with the Alabama Council of the Blind, Inc. must make an application for membership to the Council's Board of Directors, and submit a constitution and bylaws which is not in conflict with the provisions of this Constitution and Bylaws. An affiliate will
be accepted to membership when a majority of the Board of Directors favor acceptance. To remain in good standing, an affiliate must comply with this Constitution and Bylaws, and accept the will of the convention as the supreme authority of the Alabama Council of the Blind, Inc.
B. Any member-at-large seeking affiliation with the Alabama Council of the Blind, Inc. must make an application for membership to the Council's Membership Secretary. The application must be accompanied by one (1) year's dues and the designation of his/her preferred format of the Braille Forum. A certified member of an affiliate shall not simultaneously be eligible to be a member-at-large. To remain in good standing, a member-at-large must comply with this Constitution and Bylaws, and accept the will of the convention as the supreme authority of the Alabama Council of the Blind, Inc.
SECTION 3 Affiliate Officers
Affiliates shall elect and install officers in accordance with their Constitutions and bylaws. The names, addresses, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers of all elected officers, including the state Board member and alternate state Board member, shall be forwarded to the office no later than February 15 of each year.
SECTION 4 Affiliate Name:
All affiliates of the Alabama Council of the Blind, Inc. shall be identified by any name not previously taken.
SECTION 5 Dues:
Dues for all members, affiliate and member-at-large, shall be determined each year by the annual convention. The national dues for all members shall be paid to the American Council of the Blind, Inc. from the treasury.
ARTICLE III OFFICERS
SECTION 1 Officers:
The officers of the Alabama Council of the Blind, Inc. shall be: President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Recording Secretary, Membership Secretary, and
Treasurer: The President shall be elected for a term of three (3) years and the remaining officers shall be elected for a term of two (2) years. The outgoing president shall serve on the Board of Directors until superseded by the next out going president.
SECTION 2 Restrictions:
No sighted member shall be eligible for election as President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, or for election to the Board of Directors.
SECTION 3 Nominations:
The nomination of officers shall originate in the Nominating Committee; members may make nominations for any office from the convention floor.
SECTION 4 Elections:
An officer shall be elected upon receipt of a majority vote of all delegates and registered members present at convention. In case of a tie vote, the presiding officer shall vote to break the tie. Officers shall be installed at the same convention at which they are elected.
SECTION 5 Expenses:
These officers and member serving as a member of the board of directors or board of publications of the American Council of the Blind shall have an expense account as determined in the report of the budget committee.
Section 6 Board of Publications
Their shall be a Board of Publications comprised of four elected members and chaired by the President. The terms for the members shall be two (2) years. Two of the members are elected during the non officer election years.
Section 7 Duties of Board of Publications
It shall be the duty of the board of publications to work with the President on such projects as, brochures, news letters, email list, web-site, and other projects the President and Board of Directors deem necessary.
ARTICLE IV DUTIES OF OFFICERS
SECTION 1
The President shall preside over all meetings of the organization and of its Board of Directors; call all special meetings; call meetings of the Board of Directors; vote at conventions or board meetings only to break a tie vote; appoint all committees; serve as an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee; serve as the official delegate of the Alabama Council of the Blind, Inc. to any national convention of the American Council of the Blind Inc.; poll the members of the Alabama Council of the Blind, Inc. present at any national conventions, on the convention floor at time of vote, and cast the official vote as tallied. The President's expenses to the convention of the American Council of the Blind, Inc. shall be paid from the organization's treasury. The President shall carry out the policies set forth by the organization's convention.
SECTION 2
The First Vice President shall perform all duties of the President in the President's absence or on the President's request.
SECTION 3
The Second Vice President shall perform the duties of the President or First Vice President when neither is able to perform and other duties as assigned by the president.
SECTION 4
The Recording Secretary shall keep the minutes of all business transactions of each meeting of the organization and of its Board of Directors; furnish each board member with a copy of the minutes of each convention and board meeting within sixty (60) days; read the minutes of each preceding meeting.
SECTION 5
The Membership Secretary shall keep a file of all member affiliates which shall include the names, addresses, phone numbers and The Braille Forum and newsletter format preference (Braille, audio CD, computer disc or large print) of the members of each affiliate; submit the list of subscribers to The Braille Forum office and newsletter editor immediately following the convention, submit the corrected membership list and dues to the national office of the American Council of the Blind, Inc. in accordance with requirements of its constitution; chair the Credentials Committee; provide other members of the committee with a written list of the membership, delegates and alternates on the first day of the convention, hand roll call votes and provide the recording sectary the official results.
SECTION 6
The Treasurer shall keep a record of all money received and expended by the organization; receive all money and spend it as authorized by the organization or its Board of Directors; reimburse authorized expenses of officers upon receipt of signed written expense vouchers; furnish blank voucher forms on request; submit a check for national dues to the Membership Secretary; provide an itemized financial report to each affiliate at all board meetings and at the convention, and serve as a member of the Budget Committee.
ARTICLE V MEETINGS
SECTION 1. The Alabama Council of the Blind, Inc. shall hold one regular meeting annually. The meeting site shall be determined by Executive Board, who shall also serve as a Planning Committee. The state will receive all proceeds from the convention.
SECTION 2. The number of delegates from each affiliate to the annual convention of the Alabama Council of the Blind, Inc. shall be determined as follows: Each affiliate shall be entitled to one (1) delegate for each five (5), or major fraction thereof, of its members. Each affiliate President or an appointed alternate shall cast the votes for that affiliate on the floor of the convention. Each duly certified delegate to any of the organization's meetings shall be entitled to one (1) vote.
SECTION 3. Voting: Each voting member attending an annual convention shall be entitled to one (1) vote. In addition, official delegates from affiliates shall cast the number of votes to which their organization is entitled. Voting on all issues at annual conventions shall be conducted in one (1) of two (2) manners: voice vote, by which the presiding officer calls for the oral ayes and then for the oral nays, or record vote. A record vote shall be composed of two (2) distinct components: a standing vote by which the individual votes of certified voting members and members-at-large are taken, and a roll call of affiliates by which official affiliate delegates shall announce the votes of their respective organizations. Elections where there are contests of officers must be conducted by record vote. If a voice vote on any issue, in the opinion of the presiding officer, is too close to determine the result, the presiding officer shall have the discretion to order a record vote on the issue. A record vote on any issue shall also be ordered by the presiding officer if any ten (10) certified voting members and/or members-at-large identify
themselves from the floor of the convention and request a record vote.
SECTION 4. Each affiliate shall forward to the Membership Secretary the annual dues, along with a list of names, addresses, phone numbers and The Braille Forum format preference (Braille, audio CD, computer disc or large print) of its members, along with a list of delegates and alternates. This information must reach the Membership Secretary on or before February 15th.
ARTICLE VI. COMMITTEES
SECTION 1. The Nominating Committee shall be composed of a chairperson appointed by the President and the presidents of each affiliate present. The committee shall nominate one (1) candidate for each office.
SECTION 2. The Legislative Committee shall be composed of a chairperson appointed by the President and five (5) additional members.
SECTION 3. The Auditing Committee shall be composed of a chairperson appointed by the President and the treasurers of each affiliate present.
SECTION 4. The Resolutions Committee shall be composed of a chairperson appointed by the President, and one member from each affiliate present. All members of the Resolutions Committee shall caucus with their delegation prior to the business meeting to apprise them of all forthcoming resolutions.
SECTION 5. The Credentials Committee shall consist of the secretaries of all affiliates present and be chaired by the Membership Secretary.
SECTION 6. The Ways and Means Committee shall consist of five members with the chairperson being appointed by the President.
SECTION 7. The Scholarship Committee shall consist of five (5) members: a chairperson appointed by the President, and four (4) members appointed by the President for a term of two (2) years. These terms will be established so that two (2) of the four (4) members will be appointed each year. Other than the Byrd Bryan Scholarship, each additional scholarship name will be approved by the Board of Directors. It shall be the duty of the Scholarship Committee to set guidelines for the dispersal of funds under the control of the committee and to submit such guidelines to the Board of Directors for approval from time to time as it becomes necessary to change any guidelines; to notify the Executive Board of scholarship recipients; and to raise any and all monies used for the purpose of giving scholarships based on the guidelines of the committee. All fund raising projects must have the approval of the Board of Directors.
SECTION 8. The Budget Committee shall consist of the treasurer, serving as chair, and a member from each affiliate present. The committee shall prepare a budget for presentation to the convention. The budget shall include, but not be limited to: money for national dues; contributions; expense accounts for officers to cover the cost of performing organizational business; and expenses of the meetings of the Board of Directors. Guidelines for reimbursement of expenses shall be formulated.
SECTION 9. Other special or standing committees may be appointed by the President from time to time to carry on the work of the organization.
ARTICLE VII. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
SECTION 1. The organization shall have a Board of Directors consisting of the officers and one (1) member elected by each affiliate, who shall serve for a period of two (2) years. The Board shall meet at the call of the President.
SECTION 2. It shall be the duty of the Board of Directors to conduct the business of the organization occurring between the regular meetings of the organization; approve applications for affiliate membership; approve fund raisers; and approve recommendations of the Scholarship and Ways and Means Committees.
SECTION 3. The elected officers shall constitute an Executive Committee which will be empowered to act when quick decisions are imperative, and to make recommendations to the full Board. This committee shall accept nominations, and select a recipient for the Marguerite McKinnon and Exie Hill Award.
ARTICLE VIII. FINANCES
SECTION 1. All fund raisers accepted by the Alabama Council of the Blind, Inc. must be approved by the Board of Directors, or by the Executive Board between Board Meetings.
SECTION 2. The state may also raise money through sweepstakes opportunities through its own members. All sweepstakes proposals must comply with section 1 of this article.
ARTICLE IX. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern this organization in all cases where they are applicable and are not in conflict with this Constitution and Bylaws.
ARTICLE X. AMENDMENTS
Any proposal to amend any part of this Constitution and Bylaws must be presented at a regular meeting of the organization, and to be adopted must receive approval of two thirds (2/3) majority of the members present. Any proposed amendment to this Constitution shall require that the affiliates and all members-at-large be notified by mail, email, or fax, at least one (1) month before the meeting at which it is to be presented.
