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| By-Laws of the Alaska State GrangeARTICLE I - TITLE • 1.1.1 This Grange shall be known and distinguished as the Alaska State Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. • 1.1.2 This Grange shall operate under the rules and regulations of the constitution, by-laws, and code as adopted by the National Grange and published in the Digest of Laws of the National Grange. ARTICLE II - MEMBERS • 1.2.1 The State Grange is a delegate body. Masters of Subordinate and Pomona Granges shall, by virtue of their office, be delegates to the State Grange. If the master's spouse cannot attend State Grange or the master is unmarried a second delegate shall be selected by the Subordinate/Pomona Grange. If a master cannot attend, the Subordinate/Pomona Grange shall select, by vote, all delegates to the State Grange. These delegates can be any member of that Subordinate/Pomona Grange who is in good standing, whether married or unmarried. ARTICLE III - APPLICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP • 1.3.1 Any person having no interest in conflict with our purpose, at the age of fourteen years, duly proposed, elected and complying with the rules and regulations of the Order, may be received as a member of a Subordinate Grange. Petitions for membership must always be accompanied by the requisite fee. If the candidate is not received, the money and shall be returned. Applicants must come recommended by one member in good standing A majority vote determines election to membership. • 1.3.2 (2001)The minimum application fee for membership in the Subordinate Grange shall be five dollars ($5.00) of which five dollars ($5.00) shall be forwarded to the State Grange. The fee must accompany the application. • 1.3.3 The minimum application fee for membership in the Pomona Grange shall be $1.00. A Pomona Grange may increase this fee by vote of the Pomona Grange. • 1.3.4 (2001)The application fee for membership in the State Grange shall be ten dollars ($10.00), of which two dollars and fifty cents ($2.50) shall be paid to the National Grange. • 1.3.5 The application fee for active and honorary membership in the Junior Grange shall be one dollar ($1.00). • 1.3.6 Subordinate Grange Affiliate Membership - A fourth degree member may not be a member of more than one Subordinate Grange at the same time except that fourth degree members may be elected to membership in one additional Subordinate Grange as an Affiliate Member. Proposals for Affiliate Membership and election thereto shall be the same as regular membership. Election shall be by majority vote on paper ballot. An Affiliate Member shall pay the applicable membership dues and be entitled to hold office and vote in the additional Subordinate Grange, provided that Affiliate Members are clearly designated as such in reports to the Secretary of the State Grange, and further provided that such Affiliate Members shall not hold the same office in two Subordinate Granges at the same time. • 1.3.7 Subordinate Associate Membership - A person with an interest in the advancement of agriculture and improvement of rural life may be elected to Associate Membership in the Subordinate Grange, and shall become an Associate Member upon payment of the annual dues as prescribed in Article X, Section 1.10.2. Associate Members shall be entitled to receive State Grange publications and participate in State Grange services. Associate Members shall not be entitled to attend regular Grange meetings, vote on matters of Grange policy, or participate in Grange sponsored contests that are designated for Grange members only. • 1.3.8 State Grange Associate Membership - A person with an interest in the advancement of agriculture, the improvement of rural life, and the services offered by the State Grange may apply for Associate Membership to the State Grange, and upon payment of the annual dues as prescribed in Article X, Section 1.10.4, shall be entitled to Associate Membership. Such Associate Members shall be entitled to receive State Grange publications and participate in State Grange services. They shall not be entitled to attend regular meetings of the Grange, vote on matters of Grange policy, or participate in Grange sponsored contests that are designated for Grange members only. ARTICLE IV - MEETINGS • 1.4.1 (1997) The State Grange shall begin regular annual meetings on the first Saturday in October, at such place as the delegate body may from time to time determine. Should the delegate body fail to select a place, the State grange Executive Committee shall make the selection. Special meetings may be called by the Master and Secretary, by giving written notice to each Subordinate and Pomona Grange thirty days preceding, or by vote of the State Grange at a regular meeting. • 1.4.2 Forty of the Subordinate Granges of the State being represented shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting, but a less number may close the Grange from day to day. • 1.4.3 All resolutions to be considered at the State Session must be received by the State Grange Office by October first, and printed in the resolution booklet, with the exception of those duly submitted by a committee of the State Grange. Each delegate shall receive a resolution booklet upon registering for the session. Guests may request a resolution booklet. ARTICLE V - OFFICERS • 1.5.1 The Officers of the State Grange shall consist of and rank as follows: Master (President), Overseer (Vice President), Lecturer, Steward, Assistant Steward, Lady Assistant Steward, Chaplain, Treasurer, Secretary, Gatekeeper, Ceres, Pomona, Flora, and an Executive Committee of four members. It shall be their duty to see that the laws and rules of the Order are faithfully executed. ARTICLE VI - ELECTIONS • 1.6.1 Officers of the State Grange, except for the Executive Committee, shall be chosen at the regular annual meeting every even numbered year for a two-year term. One member of the Executive Committee shall be elected each year to a four-year term. • 1.6.2 Vacancies occasioned by death, resignation, or otherwise in the State Grange, shall be filled at a special election at the next regular meeting. Officers so chosen shall fill the unexpired term of their immediate predecessor and be at once installed. The Executive Committee of the State Grange shall have the right to fill the vacant office until the next regular meeting of the State Grange if it so determines that filling it is in the best interest of the Order. • 1.6.4 All elections authorized by the By-Laws of the State Grange shall be by ballot, and a majority of all votes cast shall be necessary to constitute a choice. If no candidate receives the necessary majority, only the names of the two candidates receiving the most votes will be considered for the second ballot. • 1.6.5 No nominating speeches shall be allowed in any Grange. It shall be permissible for a member to present the name of another member for election to any Grange office, together with the name of the county in which the member resides, and the name and number to the Subordinate Grange to which the member belongs. • 1.6.8 The Officers of the State Grange shall be installed at the same meeting at which they are elected. ARTICLE VII - DUTIES OF OFFICERS • 1.7.1.1 It shall be the duty of the Master to preside at all meetings of the State Grange; to preserve order and enforce the rules; to see that all the officers and committees perform their respective duties; to take care that the National Grange Constitution, Digest of Laws, and State Grange By-Laws, and the usages of the same are observed and obeyed; to approve all bills, and in conjunction with the Secretary call special meetings of the State Grange when the good of the order requires it. • 1.7.1.3 The Master shall serve ex-officio on all committees, and provide leadership and oversight of Grange programs. • 1.7.1.4 The master shall monitor the status of Subordinate Granges by observing the quarterly reports which are submitted to the State Grange office, and take appropriate action to enforce National Grange Digest of Laws rules concerning delinquency in dues payments. • 1.7.1.5 The Master has the authority to appoint Deputies who shall serve at the direction of the State Master. The Pomona Grange Master and Executive Committee shall be contacted for suggestions for the position of Deputy. Section 2 - Secretary • 1.7.2.1 The Secretary of the State Grange shall keep an accurate record of all proceedings of the State Grange; prepare and sign official documents; keep accurate records of lifetime membership longevity. • 1.7.2.2 The Secretary shall be available to work in the State Grange office a minimum of, but not limited to, one day a week to perform such duties as the State Master and Executive Committee shall assign. ARTICLE VIII - OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES • 1.8.1 Departmental Committees of the State Grange, unless otherwise ordered, shall consist of members, one representing each region. Other standing and special committees may be appointed as needed by the Master and Overseer. • 1.8.2 The Executive Committee shall consist of the Master, Overseer, and four members elected by ballot, who shall hold their office for four years, one being elected each year. They shall have authority to act on matters of interest to the order when the State Grange is not in session; shall provide for the welfare of the Order in business matters, and shall report their acts, in detail, to the State Grange at each meeting. They shall be responsible for hiring a Certified Public Accountant to audit the books of the State Grange on an annual basis. • 1.8.3 A Salary Committee of three members appointed by the Master and Overseer shall review the salaries of the Master, Secretary, Treasurer, and Lecturer, and recommend to the delegate body each off numbered year such adjustments which may be appropriate. They shall consult with the Treasurer and Executive Committee. ARTICLE IX - ANNUAL AND FISCAL YEARS • 1.9.1 The annual year of the State, Pomona, and Subordinate Granges shall commence on the first day of January and end on the last day of December in each year. The fiscal year of the State Grange shall commence on the first day of July and end on the last day of June of each year. Pomona and Subordinate fiscal years shall begin on the first day of October and end on the last day of September unless changed by the Pomona or Subordinate Grange. ARTICLE X - DUES • 1.10.1 (1999) The Secretary of the Subordinate Grange shall remit to the State Grange Office the sum of $4.00 per member each quarter, less $1.00 per quarter for Golden Sheaf Members, and no remittance for Lifetime Members, on the Quarterly Report Form, except that dues in a Subordinate Grange for a member who has not reached their 19th birthday by January 1 shall be $1.25 per quarter and that the appropriate verification and credit checks be placed on the Quarterly Report Form, such verification to be updated annually. (Effective Jan. 1, 2000. The Subordinate Grange Secretary will remit in the year 2001, $4.25; 2002, $5.50;2003, $5.75; and 2004,$6.00.) • 1.10.2 (1998) The minimum dues for Subordinate Grange Associate Members shall be $20.00 per year. The Secretary of the Subordinate Grange shall report all Associate Members and remit $4.00 per member per quarter to the State Grange. (Effective Jan. 1, 2000. The Subordinate Grange Secretary will remit in the year 2001, $4.25: 2002, $5.50; 2003, $6.25; and 2004, $6.50.) • 1.10.3 The minimum dues in the Junior Grange shall be $1.00 per year. The Secretary of The Subordinate Grange shall report the number of members in their Junior Grange each June 30th, and remit $1.00 per member to the State Grange. • 1.10.4 (1998) The Minimum dues for State Grange Associate Members shall be $20.00 per year; however this fee may be lowered to $10.00 for members enrolled in certain health insurance programs. This fee shall be billed annually by the State Grange. The name and address of each member will be forwarded annually to the legally active Pomona Grange in the county in which the State Grange Associate Member resides. • 1.10.5 The Secretary and Master of each Subordinate Grange shall make the appropriate quarterly reports and remit the amounts due within 30 days following the end of each quarter - March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31. The Master of the State Grange shall take such action which may be appropriate, and in accordance with the Digest of Laws of the National Grange, toward those Granges which are determined to be delinquent. • 1.10.6 (2001) The State Grange shall remit to the National Grange within 60 days following the end of each quarter the sum of $2.00 for each Subordinate Member, except Golden Sheaf Members; and $2.50 for each Associate member; and following the end of the quarter ending June 30, $1.00 for each Junior Grange member. • 1.10.7 (1999) Subordinate Grange members in good standing may become Lifetime Members by paying a fee, and maintaining membership in a Subordinate Grange. A special committee shall be appointed at three - year intervals to evaluate the program and make recommendations to the delegate body. A two - thirds majority vote of the delegates is required to approve changes in the Lifetime Membership program. The Secretary of the State Grange shall keep a record of all Lifetime Members, provide a certificate and membership card, and notify the appropriate Subordinate Grange Secretary when a Lifetime Membership is granted. The Secretary of the Subordinate Grange shall take a credit of $6.00 per Lifetime Member on each quarterly report to the State Grange. • 1.10.8 Any dues increase approved by the delegate body shall be implemented the second January first after being passed at State Session, except for a National Grange dues increase. ARTICLE XI - DEPUTIES • 1.11.1 There shall be appointed by the State Master a sufficient number of State Deputies to properly encourage and advance Grange activities throughout the state in the most efficient and economical manner possible. The duties of the Deputies shall be to organize and reorganize Granges, to see that duly elected Officers of Granges are properly installed, and to aid in the promotion of all Grange programs. They shall be vigilant that no disorder shall exist in the Granges within their jurisdiction. • 1.11.2 Deputies shall receive for organizing new Granges such amounts as are granted and stipulated for this purpose by the National Grange. In addition they shall receive such compensation from the State Grange as may be determined by the Executive Committee. • 1.11.3 Deputies shall be appointed for two - year terms, but shall be subject to removal at the discretion of the State Master. ARTICLE XII - GRANGE SERVICES • 1.12.1 There shall be established an Alaska Grange Service Corporation under its own by- laws to provide such services for Grange members and associate members as its Board of Directors may from time to time approve. • 1.12.2 There shall be established an Alaska Grange Federal Credit Union under its own by- laws to provide such services as its Board of Directors may from time to time approve. ARTICLE XIII - AMENDMENTS • 1.13.1 These By-Laws may be amended or revised at any regular meeting of the State Grange by a two-thirds vote of the delegates present and voting. With the exception of dues increases, revisions become effective immediately upon approval unless ordered differently in the resolution for change. Any dues increase approved by the delegates becomes effective the second January first after being passed at the State Session, except for National Grange dues increases. • 1.13.2 Any proposal to amend these By-Laws shall be submitted in writing, including the recommended language for the change, and reported upon by the Committee on By- Laws one full day before being brought to the floor for a vote of the delegates. |
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