Hawai’i Federation of
Republican Women
By-Laws
    Date Adopted by Membership:
June 17, 2015
Amended on:  July 24, 2020

 

ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of this organization shall be Hawaii Federation of Republican Women, hereinafter referred to as HFRW. This club is affiliated with the NationalFederation of Republican Women. 

ARTICLE II – OBJECTIVES

The Objectives of this organization shall be to:

ARTICLE III – POLICIES

Section 1. ENDORSEMENT POLICY.  The club as a whole shall not publicly endorse any candidate for public office in contested Republican primaries, runoff elections and special elections, and/or non-partisan elections when more than one Republican is in the race.  Individual members and officers of this organization may work for the candidate of their choice in contested Republican primaries but not in the name of the organization, club, or Federation. 

Section 2. Neither the organization nor an individual member shall advocate a split ticket, support a candidate on an opposition ticket or act against the NFRW or state federation policies and by-laws.

Section 3. The organization shall not affiliate with any political organization not officially recognized as working in concert with the NFRW and the Republican National Committee.

ARTICLE IV – MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP.

  1. Republican Women who believe in the philosophy of the Republican Party and support the objectives of this organization shall be eligible for membership.
  2. A member in good standing shall be a member who has paid the required non-refundable dues for the current calendar year.

Section 2. ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP.

  1. Any woman who is an active member of another Federation of Republican Women’s club who supports the objectives of this organization shall be eligible to become an associate member upon payment of required annual dues.
  2. Associate women cannot hold office, vote, or be counted for the purpose of determining the number of delegates to national or state federation meetings or conventions. They can serve on club committees. 
  3. Republican men may be associate members but cannot make motions, hold office, have a voice or a vote or be counted for the purpose of determining the number of active members.
  4. Associate dues remain with the organization. Associate members are not reported to the NFRW.

ARTICLE V – DUES

Section 1. FISCAL YEAR. The fiscal year of this organization shall be from January 1 through December 31.

Section 2. MEMBERSHIP DUES. 

  1. Effective January 1, 2020 membership dues will be $35 per member. 
  2. Each club treasurer will forward $20 per member and an annual club registration fee of $15 to the HFRW Treasurer to cover national and state expenses.
  3. The HFRW shall pay the NFRW per capita dues and the annual service charges on behalf of its members from dues collected by each club and forwarded to the HFRW treasurer.

ARTICLE VI – ELECTED OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES

Section 1. ELECTED OFFICERS. The elected officers of this club shall be a President,        Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 2. ELIGIBILITY. An elected officer must be an active member in good standing.

Section 3. VACANCY. A vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the Secretary.  All other vacancies in elected office shall be filled by election at the first meeting following the creation of the vacancy.

Section 4.  REMOVAL FROM OFFICE. Officers may be removed by two-thirds vote of members after completion of an investigation by the executive committee:
Members of the Board of Directors or club members can be removed for any of the following reasons after:

  1. Non-payment of dues
  2. Advocating a split party ticket;
  3. Supporting an opposition party ticket;
  4. Failure to uphold the policies and objectives of this club as stated in the by-laws.

Section 5. ELECTION. The officers shall be elected at the November regular meeting and shall serve a term of two years or until their successors take office.

Section 6. DUTES OF THE OFFICERS.

  1. The President shall:
    1. Call and preside at all meetings of the organization, the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.
    2. Represent the organization at all times or designate someone as representative/proxie in her absence or inability to do so.
    3. Make Board appointments as necessary to conduct the business of the club, except the Nominating Committee, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.
    4. Prepare a program of action in consult with the Chairmen of the Standing Committees for presentation and approval by the Board of Directors.
    5. Be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Financial Review and Nominating Committees.
    6. Sign checks after approval in writing by the Treasurer as one of two authorized signatures, namely President and Treasurer.
    7. Represent the club in all Republican Party activities.
    8. Appoint the Financial Review committee in November, with the exception of a change of treasurer at which time a complete review will be done.
    9. Accept the resignation by written letter or e-mail of any member wanting to resign from a position, chairmanship or the club.
    10. Call meetings of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors; or upon the request of a majority members of Executive Committee and/or Board of Directors.
  2. The Secretary shall:
    1. Keep the minutes of all meetings of the club, Executive Committee, and Board of Directors.
    2. Keep a current inventory of organization property.
    3. Prepare organization correspondence in coordination with the President
    4. Perform such other duties as may be assigned to her by the President, the Board of Directors.
  3. The Treasurer shall:
    1. Be custodian of all organizational funds and deposit them in a bank(s) approved by the Executive Board.
    2. Sign checks after the written approval of the President as one out of two authorized signatures, namely President and Treasurer.  
    3. Disburse funds as directed by the Executive Committee or Board of Directors.
    4. Bring written financial report(s) to club regular and board meetings.
    5. Submit dues and reports to the Hawaii State organization and NFRW as required.
    6. Submit the financial records for an annual review to be completed by the first meeting of the fiscal year.
    7. Perform such other duties as may be assigned to her by the President and/or the Board of Directors.
    8. The State and Club Treasurers shall comply with all state elections and reporting requirements.

Section 7. RECORDS. All officers and all committee chairmen shall deliver all records, files, and properties of the club to their successors upon retiring from office, unless otherwise directed by the President or the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE VII – APPOINTED OFFICERS AND CHAIRS

Section 1. APPOINTED POSITIONS. The President may appoint, with the approval of the Board of Directors, a Corresponding Secretary, Parliamentarian and any other positions required to conduct the business of the club.

Section 2. DUTIES OF APPOINTED OFFICERS

  1. The Corresponding Secretary shall:
    1. Conduct the correspondence of the club under the supervision of the President.
    2. Preserve in a permanent file all letters and papers of value to the club.
    3. Perform such other duties as may be assigned to her by the President, the Board of Directors or the club.
  2. The Parliamentarian shall:
    1. Serve as counsel and to give advice on parliamentary procedure.
    2. Be familiar with the by-laws and standing rules of the club.
    3. Be entitled to the membership privilege of a ballot vote if a club member

ARTICLE VIII – MEETINGS

SECTION 1. Regular meetings. A minimum of five (5) regular meetings shall be held during the club year. These meetings shall be held as decided by the Executive Board. A quorum at club meetings shall be 15% of active members.

SECTION 2. Special Meetings. Special meetings may be called by the President upon the request of 51% members of the organization. The purpose of the meetings shall be stated in the call, with no other business to be transacted at the meeting.  At least five days’ notice shall be given to all members for any special meeting.

SECTION 3. Annual Meeting.  The November meeting will be designated as the Annual Meeting.

SECTION 4. Virtual Meetings.In the event a properly called board meeting has to be canceled due to circumstances beyond the control of the Hawaii Federation of Republican Women, then it shall be acceptable to hold said board meeting by an approved electronic means with seven days’ notice being given to all the members of the board of directors.  This section does not apply to a meeting required by these bylaws that has not already been called.

SECTION 5. Voting.  A vote of the membership may be conducted by mail, telephone, fax or email between meetings provided there is participation by a majority of the members of the body. The vote shall be ratified and entered into the minutes at the next regular meeting of the body.

ARTICLE IX – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

SECTION 1. COMPOSITION. The Executive Committee of this organization shall consist of the elected officers, the Immediate Past President, and Parliamentarian (in the case of a ballot vote).

SECTION 2. DUTIES. The Executive Committee shall transact any necessary business between meetings, approve committee appointments made by the President, and perform such other duties as assigned by the Board of Directors. These actions shall be ratified by the Board of Directors at its next meeting.

SECTION 3. QUORUM. A majority of the members of the Executive Committee or Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE X – BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SECTION 1. COMPOSITION. The Board of Directors of the organization shall consist of the elected officers, standing committee chairmen, appointed chairmen and the Immediate Past President and Parliamentarian (in the case of a ballot vote).

SECTION 2. MEETINGS. The Board of Directors shall meet as decided by the President. Special meetings shall be called by the President or upon the request of a majority of members of the Board of Directors.

SECTION 3. DUTIES. The Board of Directors shall transact any necessary business between organization meetings.

SECTION 4. QUORUM. A majority of the voting members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE XI – COMMITTEES

SECTION 1. STANDING COMMITEES

  1. The Standing Committee Chairmen of this club shall be appointed by the President and approved by the Board of Directors to include: Membership, By-laws, Campaign Activities, Fundraising, Public Relations/Communications, Legislation, Community Outreach, and such other committees as the club or Board of Directors shall deemnecessary to carry on the work of the club.
  2. Standing Committee Chairmen shall be appointed for a two-year term and shall be non-voting members of the Board of Directors.
  3. Duties of Standing Committees:
    1. Membership
      1. Contact all current members to encourage payment of upcoming annual dues.
      2. Solicit new members to join established clubs or to form new clubs of at least ten members each.
      3. Grow active membership each year.
    2. By-laws
      1. Conduct a biennial review of these by-laws; and
      2. Request and receive proposed amendments to the by-laws of club and submit them to the Board of Directors for action or shall initiate changes requested by the Board.
      3. General membership should have final vote of amendments
      4. Maintain the By-laws Committee of the State Federation with a complete set of club by-laws for review and approval.  Review and approve by-laws of member clubs when they are established and upon revision.
    3. Campaign
      1. Shall coordinate all activities of the club’s campaign program
      2. HFRW is not registered with the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission (CSC) and therefore must keep all politically affiliated expenses limited to less than $1000 per election period.
      3. Candidate awareness is the focus of our political involvement.  Participation in campaigns is the decision of each member to support the candidate(s) of their choice.
    4. Fund Raising
      1. Shall prepare and implement a plan for raising funds in order to meet the club’s budget.
      2. The treasurer shall be notified of all meetings and may attend.
    5. Public Relations / Communications
      1. Shall solicit maximum publicity for all activities of the Organization;
      2. Shall coordinate all releases for the media with the HFRW President;
      3. Shall maintain a good working relationship with the media to enhance the public image of the organization.
      4. Shall publish and distribute a minimum of two newsletters per year;
      5. Shall establish and maintain organization’s website.
    6. Legislative
      1. Shall implement club current directives;
      2. Shall inform the Board of Directors and the club of any state legislation affecting the interests of the Federation
    7. Community Outreach
      1. Encourage club members to expand activities in their communities
      2. Organize club projects as directed by the Board of Directors.

Section 2. SPECIAL COMMITTEES (non-voting). Special committees deemed necessary by the club or Board of Directors shall be appointed by the President subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.

A) Financial Review Committee. A committee of three active members shall be appointed by the president in November of each year whose duty it shall be to review the treasurer’s accounts at the close of the fiscal year and to report at the first board meeting of the following fiscal year and report to the membership.

Section 3.  All members of committees must be active members in good standing.  Women associates may serve on committees.

Section 4. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating and Financial Review Committees and shall have final authority over all printed materials.

ARTICLE XII – NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

Section 1. Nominations.

  1. A nominating committee of not less than three members shall be elected by the organization no later than October of even-numbered years. The committee shall elect its own chairman. The Parliamentarian will instruct the committee as to proper procedure and will be available for further counsel if required.
  2. The nominating committee shall report a slate of nominees at the meeting in November of each even-numbered year.  Nominations from the floor shall be in order followingthe report of the nominating committee and just before the election. All nominees shall be active members in good standing in the club and shall give written consent to serve if elected.

Section 2. Election of Officers.

  1. Election shall be by ballot at the regular meeting in November of even numbered years. However, if there is but one nominee for any office, the election for that office may be by voice vote.
  2. No officer may simultaneously run for more than one office.
  3. An Officer may run for a third two-year term but is subsequently term-limited.

ARTICLE XIII – STATE CONVENTION DELEGATES

Section 1. At the biennial convention of the Hawaii Federation of Republican Women, the organization shall be represented as specified by State by-laws.

Section 2. Election of delegates and alternates shall take place at a regular meeting before convention to conform with HFRW certification requirement.

ARTICLE XIV – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the organization in all instances where they are applicable and in which they are consistent with NFRW and/or HFRW by-laws and any special rules of order each federation may adopt.

ARTICLE XVI – AMENDMENTS

These by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote at any regular (general) meeting of the organization, provided that notice of the proposed amendment or amendments shall have been sent to each member thirty days prior to the date of the general meeting.

ARTICLE XVII – DISSOLUTION

This organization may be dissolved by a three-fourths vote at any regular or special meeting of the club, provided that notice of the dissolution has been submitted in writing at the previous meeting and has been sent by mail to all members of the club. In the event of dissolution, the Board of Directors shall, after payment of all liabilities of the club, distribute any remaining assets to the NRW.  No funds shall be distributed to any member.

These By-laws approved and amended by the Hawaii Federation of Republican Women, this day July 24, 2020.

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