CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I - NAMES AND OBJECTS

SECTION 1. NAME . The name of the club shall be SOUTHEAST FRENCH BULLDOG CLUB.

SECTION 2. OBJECTS. The objects of the club shall be:

a. To encourage and promote quality in the breeding of purebred French Bulldogs.
b. to urge members and breeders to accept the standard of the breed as approved by The American Kennel Club as the only standard of excellence by which the French Bulldog shall be judged.
c. to do all in its power to protect and advance the interests of the breed by encouraging sportsmanlike competition at dog shows obedience trials/agility
d. to conduct sanctioned
· sanctioned matches
· specialty shows
· obedience trials/agility
under the rules of The American Kennel Club.

SECTION 3. FINANCIAL CONDUCT. The club shall not be conducted or operated for profit and no part of any profits or remainder or residue from dues or donations to the club shall inure to the benefit of any member or individual.

SECTION 4. BY-LAWS REVISION . The members of the club shall adopt and may from time to time revise such by-laws as may be required to carry out these objects.

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I - MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1: ELIGIBILITY. There shall be two type of membership open to all persons who are in good standing with the American Kennel club and who subscribe to the objects of the club.
a. Regular membership shall be open to all persons 18 years or age or older.
b. Junior membership shall be open to all persons under the age of 18 years. They shall be eligible for all the rights and privileges of the club except the right to vote or hold office in the club.

SECTION 2. DUES. Membership dues shall be as follows:
a. regular membership dues shall be no more than $25.00 per year per person. Membership dues for Junior members shall be no more than $10.00 a year.
b. dues shall be payable on or before January 31st for each year. No member may vote whose dues are not paid for the current year.
c. dues notice will be mailed in the NOVEMBER Newsletter.

SECTION 3. ELECTION TO MEMBERSHIP. Each individual/family applicant for membership shall apply on a form as approved by the Board of Directors and which shall provide that the applicant agrees to abide by these Constitution and By-laws and the rules of the American Kennel Club. The application shall state the name and address of the applicant, and it shall carry the endorsement of one member in good standing. Accompanying the application, the prospective member shall submit dues payment for the current year.

SECTION 4. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP. Members may be terminated:
a. by resignation. Any member in good standing may resign from the club upon written notice to the Secretary.
b. by lapsing. A membership will be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated if such members dues remain unpaid for 60 days after the first day of the fiscal year. In no case may a person be entitled to vote whose dues are unpaid.

c. by discipline. Membership may be terminated by expulsion, as provided for in ARTICLE VI of these By-Laws.

ARTICLE II - MEETINGS AND VOTING

SECTION 1. CLUB MEETINGS. The Annual meeting of the Club shall be held in the FALL of each year, at a date, place and hour designated by the Board. General Meetings of the Club shall be held at such dates, and at such a place and hour as designated by the Board. Written notice of the Annual Meeting and General Meetings shall appear in the Newsletter or be mailed to each member by the Secretary at least 21 days prior to the date of the meeting.

SECTION 2. SPECIAL CLUB MEETINGS. Special Club meetings may be called by the President or by a majority vote by mail; or shall be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by 10% of the members of the Club who are in good standing. Such meetings shall be held at such place, date, and hour as may be designated by the Board of Directors. Written notice of such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 14 days and nor more than 30 days prior to the meeting. The notice of the meeting shall state the purpose of the meeting and no other club business may be transacted. The quorum for such a meeting shall be 5% of the members in good standing.

SECTION 3. BOARD MEETINGS. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held two times a per year at such hour and in a place as may be designated by the board. Written notice of each meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least five days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority of the board. The board may conduct its business by mail through the Secretary, by telephone or email.

SECTION 4. EMERGENCY BOARD MEETINGS. Emergency Board meetings may be called at the discretion of the President when business requiring the immediate attention of the Board is brought to his/her attention. A quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority of the Board Members.

SECTION 4. VOTING. Each member in good standing whose dues are paid for the current year shall be entitled to one vote at any meeting for the club, or when a ballot is transacted by mail. Proxy voting will not be allowed at any meeting, election or mail ballot.

ARTICLE III - DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

SECTION 1. BOARD OF DIRECTORS. The Board of Directors shall be comprised of 7 persons, all whom shall be members in good standing. The Board members shall be elected for two year terms or until their successor is elected. No person shall serve more than three consecutive terms in the same office. Only one person from a individual household may serve on the Board at any one time. No person shall hold more than one position on the Board at any one time. General management of the clubs affairs shall be entrusted to the Board of Directors.

SECTION 2. OFFICERS. The clubs officers, consisting of the president, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer shall serve in this respective capacities both with regard to the club and its meeting and the Board meetings.
a. The President shall preside at all meetings of the club and of the Board and shall have the duties and powers normally appurtenant to the office of President in addition to those particularly specified in these By-laws.
b. The Vice-President shall have the duties and shall exercise the powers of the President in case of the President's death, absence, or incapacity.
c. he Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Club and of the Board and of all votes taken by mail and of all matters of which a record shall be ordered by the Club. He/she shall have charge of the correspondence, notify members of meetings, and carry out other duties as prescribed by these By-laws.
d. The Treasurer shall collect and receive all moneys due or belonging to the club. He/she shall deposit same in a bank approved by the Board, in the name of the club. The books shall at all times be open to inspection by the Board and he/she shall report to them at every meeting the condition of the clubs finances and every item or payment not before reported; and at the annual meeting shall render an account of all moneys receive and expended during the previous fiscal year, which shall be published in the next newsletter. Before the Annual meeting the books of the club shall be audited every two years by a committee of three members appointed by the President, one of which shall be a Board member.

SECTION 3. VACANCIES. Any vacancies occurring on the Board or among the officers during the year shall be filled until the next biannual election by a majority of all the then members of the Board within 30 days of notice of such vacancy by special meeting of the Board or regular Board meeting whichever comes first, except that of a vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the Vice-President and resulting in the office of Vice-President being filled by the Board.

ARTICLE IV - THE CLUB YEAR, ANNUAL MEETING AND ELECTION

SECTION 1. CLUB YEAR. The club's fiscal year shall begin on the 1st day of January and end on the last day of December. The club's official year shall begin immediately upon conclusion of the annual meeting (in odd years) and shall continue through the next annual meeting.

SECTION 2. THE ANNUAL MEETING. The Annual Meeting shall be held in the FALL of each year.. The Officers and Directors of the club elected by the membership in the biannual general election, held in odd numbered years, shall take office immediately upon conclusion of the annual meeting. Each retiring officer shall turn over to his successor all properties and records relating to the office within 30 days.

SECTION 3. ELECTIONS. The biannual election of Officers and Directors of the club shall be by mail ballot to be sent by the Secretary or with the SEPTEMBER Newsletter to each member in good standing no more that 60 days and no less than 30 days before the annual meeting. Ballots must be returned to the Secretary no less than 14 days before the annual meeting. The nominated candidate receiving the greatest number of votes for each office shall be declared elected. The three candidates for Director receiving the greater number of votes shall be declared elected.

SECTION 4. NOMINATIONS.
a. Nominations may be made by any member provided written consent of the member so nominated is forwarded to the Secretary by AUGUST in odd numbered years. Such nominations shall be published in September newsletter.
b. No person may be a candidate for more than one position.

ARTICLE V - COMMITTEES

SECTION 1. STANDING COMMITTEES. The board will appoint standing committees to advance the work of the club in such matters as Annual Awards, Archives, Fund Raising, Matches, Membership, Newsletter, Public Education, Rescue of Dogs, Specialty Shows and other fields which may well be served by committees. Such committees shall always be subject to the final authority of the Board.

SECTION 4. NEWSLETTER. The newsletter shall be considered a Standing committee of the Board. The Editor shall be appointed by the Board and Shall be directly responsible to the Board.
a. Shall be mailed during ODD numbered months by the 15th of the month. The editor shall be considered automatically resigned if the newsletter is more than 30 days late and the Board has not received reasonable cause and formally accepted such by the majority vote of the Board.

ARTICLE VI - DISCIPLINE

SECTION 1. SUSPENSION.
a. Any member who is suspended from the privileges of the American Kennel Club automatically shall be suspended form the privileges of this club for a like period.
b. Any disciplinary action for the purpose of expulsion must be submitted in writing to the Secretary who will inform the Board members. Within sixty days the Board will make a determination as to whether the allegations are valid and merit expulsion.

ARTICLE VII - PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY AND POLICE MANUAL

SECTION 1. GOVERNING. Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised Edition shall govern the club in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these By-laws and any special rules of order the club may adopt. All special rules of order, standing rules of order and valid motions passed that affect the functioning of the club or its policies shall with 30 days of their passage enter such orders and approved motions into a permanent file.

ARTICLE VIII - AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1. Amendments to the constitution and by-laws may be proposed by the Board of Directors or by written petition addressed to the Secretary signed by 5% of the membership in good standing. . Amendments proposed by such petition shall be promptly considered by the Board and must be submitted to the members by the Secretary within three months of the date when the petition was received by the Secretary.

SECTION 2. The constitution and by-laws maybe amended by any time provided a copy of the proposed amendment has been mailed by the Secretary to each member in good standing on the date of the mailing, accompanied by a ballot on which he/she may indicate his/her choice for or against the action to be taken. The notice shall specify a date not less than 30 days after the date of the mailing, by which date ballots must be returned to the Secretary to be counted. The favorable vote of a simply majority of the members in good standing who return valid ballots within the time limit shall be required to effect any such amendment.

ARTICLE IX - DISSOLUTION

SECTION 1. PROCEDURE. The club may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of not less than two-thirds of the members in good standing. In the event of the dissolution of the club, whether voluntary or involuntary or by operation of law, other than for the purpose of reorganization, none of the property of the club nor any proceeds thereof nor any assets of the club shall be distributed to any member of the club. After payment of the clubs debts, its property and assets shall be given to the French Bulldog Club of America Rescue Fund.

ARTICLE X - ORDER OF BUSINESS

SECTION 1. CLUB MEETINGS. At the meetings of the club, the order of business so far as the character and nature of the meeting may permit, shall be as follows:
Roll Call
Minutes of the Last Meeting
Report of the Secretary
Report of the Treasurer
Report of Committees
Unfinished Business
New Business
Installation of Officers and Directors (Annual Meeting, odd numbered years)
Adjournment

SECTION 2. BOARD MEETINGS. At meeting of the Board, the order of business, unless otherwise directed by majority vote of those present, shall be as follows:
Minutes of Last Meeting
Report of the Secretary
Report of the Treasurer
Report of Committees
Unfinished Business
New Business
Adjournment