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- AFFILIATION AND JURISDICTION: This organization is affiliated with the United States Lawn Bowls Association (USLBA) and represents and is open to men and women lawn bowlers in the seven southeastern states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. In the Constitution and Bylaws, this organization is referred to as the “Southeast Association” or “Southeast Division”.
- PURPOSE: The purpose of the Southeast Association is to govern, represent and improve lawn bowling in the seven states named in Article 1. More specifically, the Southeast Association will:
- Guide the recruitment and training of new lawn bowlers by instructing and working with the clubs in the Southeast.
- Sponsor as many division tournaments as seem appropriate each year, but they must include (1) a Playdowns tournament to determine the men and women who will represent the Southeast in the United States Championships and (2) a Southeast Division Open tournament consisting of men and women and mixed events. This shall be open to all USLBA and WBB affiliated lawn bowlers. The division Open should be administered as a single large tournament with men and women and mixed events even if it has to be held at more than one venue.
- Participate in every way possible in the creation of new clubs in the division and in helping to prevent the failure of existing clubs.
- Collect division and national dues, the latter to be recorded and sent to the National treasurer of the USLBA.
- Enforce the Laws of the Sport of Bowls in the Southeast Division, making sure that current copies of the laws are given to all members of the Southeast Association.
- Publicize and promote the game of bowls to the community at large and publicize the activities of lawn bowling in the Southeast to the clubs and members in the Southeast Division.
- MEMBERSHIP: Membership in the Southeast Association is open to both clubs and and individuals:
- Lawn bowling clubs – public, semi-public and private – located in the Southeast Division must affiliate with the USLBA through the Southeast Association in order to enjoy the benefits and share in the responsibility for maintaining the sport of lawn bowling at the club, division national and world levels. Clubs affiliate by paying divisional and national dues for all their participating lawn bowling members who pay local club dues or who have such dues paid for them. Clubs do not have to pay national dues for all members who have designated another USLBA club as their “home club”.
3.A.1. By definition, an affiliated club is one that annually pays national and divisional dues for each one of its active lawn bowling members. However, in cases of clubs unable to meet that standard because they are new or are older clubs that have lost affiliation and are trying to make a comeback, the SE Association may grant temporary affiliation status if such action might help those clubs eventually achieve full compliance with the definition.
- Two kinds of memberships are available to lawn bowlers in the Southeast:
(1)Membership through a club affiliated with the Southeast Association and (2) Membership at Large for bowlers who live more than 50 miles from an affiliated club.
B1. Bowlers choosing to belong to two or more clubs must declare in writing to the treasurers of each club which is their “Home club”. National dues for such members shall be forwarded by the home club to the National association through the division.
- OFFICERS AND DUTIES: Officers of the Southeast Association shall be a President, Vice President, a Treasurer and a Secretary. All officers of the Southeast Association must be fully paid members of the Southeast Division and the USLBA or their office will be declared vacant.
- The President and Vice President shall be elected for two year terms effective January 1st. They must be opposite gender, and the presidency must alternate between a man and a woman. The President and Vice President may not be reelected until they have been out of the presidency or vice presidency for at least one two year term.
A1. The President leads and represents the Southeast Division in all matters having to do with lawn bowling; supervises all lawn bowling activities sponsored by and under the jurisdiction of the Southeast Association and presides over regular and special meetings of the Southeast Assoc. and its Executive Board, at which he or she votes only to break a tie. The President appoints all standing and special committees, except the Audit Committee.
A2. The Vice President assists and works with the President and in the absence of the President, performs the duties of that office.
- The Treasurer and Secretary shall be elected for two year terms effective January 1st, and may be reelected. One person may be elected to do both jobs under the title of Secretary-Treasurer.
B1. The Treasurer is responsible for all funds held by the Southeast Association, for drafting an annual budget and for reporting at meetings of the Southeast Association and the Executive Board on the status of funds held and spent. The Treasurer must forward to the USLBA treasurer annually all national dues collected by the SE Association. The treasurer must cooperate in an annual audit of the SE finances. The fiscal year for the SE Assoc. is January 1 – December 31st.
B2. The Secretary is responsible for keeping the records of the meetings of the Southeast Association and the Executive Board, for reporting on them at the subsequent meetings and for distributing agendas and notices of meetings to come. The Secretary also handles any correspondence required in the name of the Southeast Association, keeps Bowls USA magazine informed about the names and addresses of members who receive the magazine, maintains the official list of affiliated clubs in the Southeast and stores all essential records of the Association.
- The President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer may not hold other elected offices in the Southeast Division, except for alternate Southeast Councilor.
- NATIONAL COUNCILORS: The Southeast Division is required to have two representatives on the USLBA National Council, one man and one woman. The two Southeast National Councilors and two alternates, also one man and one woman, will be elected to four year terms, one councilor and his or her alternate to be elected every two years, effective January 1st. (In the first election after adoption of this Constitution and Bylaws, a blind draw will determine which councilor and his or her alternate serve the two year term.). National Councilors and alternates may be reelected. Alternates should keep themselves prepared to sit in for their Councilor and vote for the Southeast Division if and when that Councilor is unable to attend a Council meeting.
- Southeast Councilors or their alternates must attend all meetings of the USLBA Council or account in writing to the Southeast Association President for the absence. At the council meetings the councilors or alternates must try to represent the views of the division when those views have been clearly communicated, but must feel free to exercise independent judgment on matters in which there is no clear mandate from the Southeast Association.
- Southeast Councilors also serve on the Executive Board of the Southeast Association and should represent the views of the USLBA National council when attending our meetings. They also should provide a report to the Association at the end of the year.
- THE EXECUTIVE BOARD: The Executive Board is made up of the President, who presides; the Vice President; the two Southeast Councilors; the Secretary and the Treasurer (or the Secretary-Treasurer), and eight elected at-large Board members. Four of the elected at-large members should be male and four should be female. All eight of the at-large members should be from different clubs whenever possible. The at-large members will be elected at the Annual Meeting to serve staggered two year terms, effective January 1st and may be reelected. A majority of the 13 or 14 member Board shall constitute a quorum. All Board members are voting members, except the President, who votes only to break ties. All members of the Executive Board must be fully paid members of the Southeast Association and the USLBA or their office will be declared vacant.
- Duties of the Executive Board: (1) Meet at least annually during the Spring of the year; (2) Advise the President on all matters pertaining to lawn bowling in the Southeast; (3) Appoint pro-tem Officers, Councilors, alternate Councilors, and At-Large Board members when and if vacancies occur; (4) Annually appoint division tournament managers; (5) Set dates, entry fee, prizes (if any) and special rules for Southeast Division tournaments; (6) Establish procedures for selecting and managing Southeast teams in inter-division competitions; (7) At least every three years, review and possibly amend the list of affiliated clubs in the Southeast; (8) Appoint a committee of SE Association members to audit the finances of the Southeast Association and report to the Annual Meeting (Dec); (9) Conduct the business of the Association between annual meetings on the call of the President.
- In an emergency situation in which quick action is called for, the President may poll the Executive Board in lieu of a special meeting or may conduct a telephone conference meeting or email ensuring all responses are attached meeting.
- ANNUAL AND SPECIAL MEETINGS: The Annual Meeting will be held in November or December, at a date and place in the Southeast Division to be set by the President. The Secretary should mail out notices of this meeting 30 days in advance. The meeting is open to all Southeast affiliated lawn bowlers, but only club delegates and Executive Board members may vote. A majority of Board members and delegates present shall constitute a quorum.
- Each affiliated club should designate two delegates to the Annual and Special meetings, one man and one woman, except clubs made up of only one gender may send only one delegate. All delegates must be fully paid members of the Southeast Association and USLBA.
- The Annual meeting shall elect officers, Councilors, alternate councilors, and At-Large Executive Board members as provided in this Constitution and Bylaws; establish Southeast Division annual dues, which once set will remain at the level until changed by a majority vote at the Annual meeting; hear reports from the President, Secretary, Treasurer, Councilors, SE Divisional umpire and special committees; and discuss and make decisions on all matters pertaining to lawn bowling; particularly in the Southeast Division.
- Special meetings maybe called by the President or by petition to the Secretary signed by at least 7 delegates.
- COMMITTEES: The Southeast Association shall have the following standing committees to be appointed by the President, unless otherwise provided for in this document: Divisional and assistant Umpires, Staff correspondent for Bowles USA magazine, tournament directors, East Coast Challenge chairperson and any other committees per the Policy and Procedure Manual.
- Special committees may be appointed for short term projects by the President, the Executive Board or at the Annual meeting.
- When necessary, a Nominating Committee of at least three Southeast Association members, the majority of whom are not members of the Executive Board, shall be appointed by the President at least three months prior to the Annual Meeting at which elections are to be held. This committee will recruit a slate of officers, etc. to be recommended for election at the annual meeting.
- DISCIPLINE: The Executive Board is authorized to investigate complaints and allegations against an affiliated club or individual member of the Southeast Division for extreme violations of the Laws of the Sport of Bowls, of this document, and of the general rules of behavior expected of lawn bowlers. If the complaint seems justified, the Executive Board may recommend to an Annual Meeting that action up to and including suspension be taken against the offending club or individual. After due process has been given to all involved, a two thirds vote of delegates present is required to effect whatever disciplinary action the Executive Board recommends.
- AMENDMENTS: A two thirds vote of the Executive Board members and delegates present at an Annual or Special meeting for which 30 days notice has been given, is required to amend this Constitution and Bylaws.
- PROCEDURES: The Officers and Executive Board members should conduct the business of the Southeast Association consistent with the provisions of this Constitution and these bylaws. On all other points, Roberts Rules of Order (latest edition) shall prevail.
- DISSOLUTION: In the event of dissolution, the residual assets of the organization will be turned over to the United States Lawn Bowling Association (USLBA) to be held in escrow to turn over to any successor organization that would be formed for the Southeast Division. If no such organization exists, or will exist, the residual assets will be turned over to charities that are decided by the remaining Officers, delegates and Executive Board that remains.
Original document approved: November 2002
Amended: November 2004 and again December 2008
Jackie Tucker, President SE Division
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