Republican Women in Government By-Laws

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Membership/Sponsor Information

Republican Women in Government
P.O. Box 573
Harrisburg, PA 17108

State Council Pledge

I pledge my loyalty to the Pennsylvania Federation of Republican Women and my efforts to further its aims, to strengthen the party, to advance women in political knowledge and political activity, and to promote honest government and unselfish patriotism.

ARTICLE I: Name and Affiliations

This organization shall be known as Republican Women in Government (hereinafter "RWG"), and shall be affiliated with the PA Federation of Republican Women and the National Federation of Republican Women.

ARTICLE II: Objectives

RWG shall serve as a network for Republican women, and it's purpose shall be: to provide a forum for political education, legislative information and practical service; to increase the number of voters registered with the Republican Party; to support, work for and raise funds for Republican candidates; and, to encourage qualified Republican women to run for state, local and municipal office.

ARTICLE III: Membership

Section 1 - Regular Member: Registered Republican women voters who work in or have worked in state, local or municipal government, government relations or for the Republican party at the federal, state or local level, or any registered Republican woman whose name has been submitted for membership. A paid regular membership constitutes one vote.

Section 2 - Associate Member: Registered Republican women or men who do not meet the membership criteria of Section 1, but who want to support the work of RWG. Individuals in this category may join RWG as non-voting members.

ARTICLE IV: Officers and the Executive Board

Section 1 - The officers of RWG shall be a President, a Vice President, a Recording Secretary, a Corresponding Secretary, a Treasurer, a Parliamentarian, and an Historian, who, together with the chairs of the standing committees, shall constitute the Executive Board.

Section 2 - All officers of the Executive Board, except for the Historian, shall serve a term of one year. The Historian shall be an appointee of the Board, and shall serve an indefinite term, at the pleasure of the Board. No member of the Executive Board shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office.

Section 3 - All officers, except the Parliamentarian and the Historian, shall be elected by ballot at the November meeting, and their terms of office shall begin January 1, in the year following their election. In the event that there is only one nominee for an office to be filled, election may be made by acclamation.

Section 4 - The Executive Board shall meet at least once per year, and otherwise at the call of the President, or at the call of any three members of the Board, for consideration of special matters in the interim between regular monthly RWG meetings.

Section 5 – It shall be the duty of the Executive Board to conduct all the affairs of RWG, and to fill all vacancies in elective offices that occur in the interim between regular elections. All decisions of the Board shall be by majority vote.

ARTICLE V: Duties of the Officers

Section 1 - President: It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of RWG and the Executive Board. She shall, with the concurrence of the Executive Board, appoint all standing and special committee chairs and shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee.

Section 2 - Vice President: It shall be the duty of the Vice President to perform the duties of the President, in her absence, and to act in an advisory capacity at all times.

Section 3 - Recording Secretary: It shall be the duty of the Recording Secretary to keep a record of all business at meetings of RWG and the Executive Board, in a book provided for that purpose.

Section 4 – Corresponding Secretary: It shall be the duty of the Corresponding Secretary to work with the Membership Chair to maintain a correct list of the names and addresses of all members, classified as to category of membership. She shall conduct the general correspondence of RWG as directed by RWG or the Executive Board. She shall be responsible for sending the call to the membership for all Special and Regular RWG meetings and Executive Board meetings.

Section 5 - Treasurer: It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to:

a. Be the custodian of the funds of RWG;

b. Be bonded, at the expense of RWG, if the balance of RWG funds reaches or exceeds $25,000.00;

c. Serve as Chair of the Finance Committee and, with the Finance Committee, prepare an annual budget;

d. Collect all dues, assessments and receipts, and deposit the same in a depository approved by RWG for that purpose; and,

e. Prepare a monthly report identifying receipts and distributions of RWG funds, including a beginning and ending balance. Such report shall be submitted to the Recording Secretary to be entered into RWG records, and shall be orally presented at RWG meetings. All monies received by RWG shall be utilized solely for the purposes of RWG, which may, with prior approval of the Executive Board, include reimbursement to one or more of the officers for routine business or related expenses in the furtherance of RWG objectives.

Section 6 - Parliamentarian: It shall be the duty of the Parliamentarian to ensure that "ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER - REVISED" shall govern RWG in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these By-Laws, the By-Laws of the PA Council of Republican Women and the National Federation of Republican Women. To that end, the Parliamentarian shall have copies of each of these items available at RWG meetings. The Parliamentarian shall be the immediate Past President. In the event that a President shall serve more than one consecutive term, or the immediate Past President is unable to assume the office of Parliamentarian, the President shall appoint a Parliamentarian with the majority concurrence of the members of the Executive Board.

Section 7 - Historian: It shall be the duty of the Historian to maintain all past records of RWG, and to maintain and update the RWG scrapbook.

ARTICLE VI: Nominations and Elections

Section 1 - The Nominating Committee shall nominate at least one candidate for each office to be filled at the next election. Officers shall be elected at the November RWG meeting. Only Regular Members whose dues are paid are eligible to vote. Those elected shall take office on January 1 in the year following their election.

Section 2 - The outgoing Executive Board shall meet with the newly elected Board in the interim period between their election in November, and January 1, to facilitate transition and the orientation of new Board members in an orderly manner.

ARTICLE VII: Meetings

Section 1 - Regular meetings shall be held on the second Thursday of each month. There will be no regular meetings routinely scheduled in July and August.

Section 2 - A special meeting of the entire membership of RWG may be called by the President or by any five (5) regular members, provided all members are notified in writing of the time, place and purpose of such meeting.

Section 3 - Each Regular Member shall be entitled to only one vote. A member may vote by proxy, but may do so only after having provided written notice to the President of her intention to do so, on or before the day of the meeting, which notice shall contain the name of the regular member she has authorized to vote her proxy. A proxy may be general, allowing the holder to use her discretion, or specific, dictating votes on particular issues before RWG at a given meeting.

ARTICLE VIII: Dues

Section 1 - Regular Membership dues shall be paid to the Treasurer. At the September meeting, the members will vote on the proposed dues for the upcoming calendar year. The annual membership term shall be from January 1 to December 31. State dues shall be paid to the State Treasurer of the PCRW on or before August 31 of each year. National dues shall be paid to the National Federation of Republican Women on or before December 31 of each year. RWG shall retain the balance of dues paid, to be deposited by the Treasurer into an approved depository as provided for in Article V, section 5.

Section 2 - Associate Membership dues shall also be paid to the Treasurer, with the thanks of the Regular Membership.

ARTICLE IX: Committees

Section 1 -There may, at the discretion of the Executive Board, be the following Standing Committees:

a. The Finance Committee, which shall be chaired by the Treasurer, to oversee RWG financial planning.

b. The Membership Committee, which shall be chaired by a regular member appointed by the Executive Board, and which shall be responsible for maintaining and increasing regular and associate RWG membership.

c. The Legislative Committee, which shall be chaired by a regular member appointed by the Executive Board, and which shall study contemplated legislation and inform RWG members of pertinent legislative issues.

d. The Publicity Committee, which shall be chaired by a regular member appointed by the Executive Board, and which shall be responsible for sending publicity of the RWG directly to appropriate news outlets, as determined by the Executive Board, and/or to the membership, reflecting RWG's activities and plans.

e. The Program and Activities Committee, which shall be chaired by a regular member appointed by the Executive Board, and which shall be responsible for arranging all RWG programs and special events.

Section 2 - In addition to these standing committees, special committees may be created as needed, at the direction of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE X: Publicity

No publicity, press releases or public notices shall be distributed in the name of RWG without prior review and authorization by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE XI: Parliamentary Authority

ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER - REVISED shall govern this Council in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these By-Laws, the By-Laws of the PA Council of Republican Women and the National Federation of Republican Women.

ARTICLE XII: Amendments

These By-Laws may be amended at any regular meeting of RWG by a two-thirds vote of the regular members voting either in person or by proxy, provided the amendment has been read at a previous regular meeting of the Council, or has been distributed in writing, or by electronic transmission, to the regular membership, at least seven business days before the meeting at which the vote will be taken.

ARTICLE XIII: Audit

Section 1 - An audit shall be prepared annually. In September, the Executive Board shall establish an Audit Committee, to consist of the Vice President, who shall serve as Chair, three regular members, and the Treasurer, who shall serve in an ex-officio capacity. The Committee report shall be presented at a regularly scheduled November meeting.

Section 2 - The Audit Committee shall prepare a special audit in the event of a change in the Treasurer.

These By-Laws were duly approved at an RWG meeting on October 28, 2004, by a majority vote of the Regular Members, to be effective immediately.