BYLAWS OF SHREVEPORT BRANCH

In absence of a formal record of the chartering By‑Laws for the Shreveport Branch of the Louisiana Section of the American Society of Engineers; these By‑Laws are hereby made to reaffirm the basis of the Shreveport Branch.  These By‑Laws shall supersede any previous By‑Laws, if any, and take effect this date, October 25, 1989, if ratified by the members present.

 

ARTICLE I.  NAME AND OBJECTIVE

SECTION 1.                The name of this organization shall be the Shreveport Branch, Louisiana Section, American Society of Civil Engineers.

SECTION 2.                The objective of the Shreveport Branch shall be the advancement of the science and profession of civil engineering through education, in a manner consistent with the objective of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

 

ARTICLE II.  AREA   AND MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1.                The area of the Shreveport Branch shall be the twenty‑four (24) Parishes of Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne, DeSoto, East Carroll, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Red River, Richland, Sabine, Union, Webster, West Carroll and Winn in the State of Louisiana.

SECTION 2.                All members of the American Society of Civil Engineers of all grades, who subscribe to the Bylaws of the Shreveport Branch and who have paid the current dues to the Section and who are resident in the branch area, shall be Subscribing Members of the Branch.  All other members of the American Society of Civil Engineers of all grades, whose addresses are within the boundaries of the Branch as defined by the Society, shall be Assigned Members of the Branch.

 

ARTICLE III.  DUES AND FINANCES

SECTION 1.               The Branch activities shall be financed by an annual allocation of monies from the Section based on a budget proposed by the Branch.  These monies may be supplemented as necessary by Branch activities.

SECTION 2.                There shall be no entrance fee.

SECTION 3.                There shall be no annual Branch dues.

 

ARTICLE IV.  OFFICERS

SECTION 1.                The officers of this Branch shall be a President, a President‑Elect, a Vice‑President, a Secretary‑Treasurer, who with the latest resident Past‑President shall constitute a Board of Directors in which the government of the Branch shall be vested.

SECTION 2.                All officers, except for the President, shall be elected at the Annual Meeting for terms of one year, which terms shall begin on June 1 of each year.

SECTION 3.                The term of office for the President shall be one year.  The President‑Elect shall succeed to the office of President on June 1.

SECTION 4.                Only subscribing members of the Branch shall be eligible for election to office.

SECTION 5.                The duties of officers shall be those usual for such officers.

SECTION 6.                A vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the President‑Elect.   A vacancy in the office of President‑Elect shall be filled by the Vice‑President.  Other vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment by the Board of Directors.

SECTION 7.                At meetings of the Board of Directors, three (3) members shall constitute a quorum.

 

ARTICLE V.   NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

SECTION 1.                A Nominating Committee composed of all past Branch Presidents that are currently subscribing members will nominate candidates for office.  The latest past President will Chair the committee.

SECTION 2.                The Nominating Committee shall choose one or more candidates for election to each office, except the office of President, and obtain the consent of each nominee to serve if elected.

SECTION 3.                The Nominating Committee shall make their report at the March meeting.  Nominations from the floor may be made at this meeting.

SECTION 4.                The Secretary‑Treasurer will list the nominees in the announcement of the April general membership meeting.

SECTION 5.                In case two (2) or more candidates are presented for any one office, a secret ballot must be taken on such candidates.  These ballots will be sent with the announcement of the April general membership meeting.  All ballots must be returned in an unsigned blank envelope.  The blank envelope will be enclosed in a regular addressed envelope with the voters name and return address.  Ballots must be received postmarked no later than one (1) week prior to the April general membership meeting.  The Secretary‑Treasurer will forward all the unopened blank envelopes with ballot to the Chairman of the Nominating Committee.

SECTION 6.                The Chairman of the Nominating Committee will appoint three (3) election commissioners from the members present to count the secret ballots.  The Chairman of the Nominating Committee will announce the new officers at the April general membership meeting.

SECTION 7.                If  on the first ballot, no candidate receives a majority of votes cast, a second vote shall be taken at the April general membership meeting.  This vote will be of the two (2) nominees, for one office, receiving the greatest number of votes on the first ballot.  The candidates receiving a majority of votes cast shall then be declared elected.

SECTION 8.                Installation of officers will be at the annual May meeting.

 

ARTICLE VI.  MEETINGS

SECTION 1.                The Annual Meeting shall be held in May on such date and at such place as the Board of Directors designate.  Other meetings shall be called at the discretion of the Board of Directors; or by the President upon the written request of at least ten subscribing members.

SECTION 2.                In addition to the Annual Meeting, monthly meetings shall be held each year, except during June, July and August.  The regular meeting will be a noon luncheon on the third Thursday of the month.

SECTION 3.                At all meetings ten (10) subscribing members shall constitute a quorum.

SECTION 4.                Notice of call for a Branch meeting shall be mailed to all subscribing members of the Branch not less than one week in advance of the meeting date.

SECTION 5.                All business meetings of the Branch and the Branch Board of Directors shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, except as provided in these Bylaws.

 

ARTICLE VII.  COMMITTEES

SECTION 1.                The President shall appoint such special committees as are from time to time deemed necessary.

SECTION 2.                The Nominating Committee shall be a regular standing committee.

SECTION 3.                The President will be an ex‑officio member of all committees.

 

ARTICLE VIII. AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1.                Bylaws may be adopted or amended only by the following procedure:

(a)         The proposed Bylaw or amendment shall be voted upon by a majority of the subscribing members of the Branch.

(b)         To become effective it shall receive an affirmative vote of not less than a majority of the subscribing members voting, and the approval of the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Section.

 

ARTICLE IX.  MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

SECTION 1.               No part of the net earnings of the Branch shall inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual and no substantial part of the activities of the Branch shall be carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation and the Branch shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), and political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

SECTION 2.                Upon dissolution of the Branch the assets remaining after the payment of the debts of the Branch shall be distributed to such corporation, community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary or educational purposes, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, which would then qualify under the provisions of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, as they now exist or as they may hereafter be amended, as the Board of Directors shall have designated and in the absence of such designation they shall be conveyed to the American Society of Civil Engineers.

 

ARTICLE X.  ADOPTION

These By‑Laws were adopted by the General Membership of the Shreveport Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers on October 25, 1989.