District 4
By Laws
DISTRICT 4
AMERICAN CONTRACT BRIDGE LEAGUE
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I – NAME AND ORGANIZATION
A. The name of this corporation is District Four, American Contract Bridge League.
B. The corporation is organized as a District of the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL).
ARTICLE II – OBJECTIVES
The District shall have the following objectives:
1. To cooperate with and assist the League in the promotion and conduct of Bridge tournaments within the District.
2. To help coordinate tournament schedules within the District and adjacent Districts.
3. To seek concerted action on all matters affecting the District, by consultation with and recommendations to the District Representative on the National Board of Directors.
4. To promote the highest standards of conduct and ethics for participants in tournaments and to take any and all steps necessary for that purpose.
5. To conduct the Regionals allocated to the District and decide when and where they will be held.
6. To publish a newsletter and maintain a website to disseminate information to members of the District.
7. To perform such other functions as may promote the best interests of Contract Bridge.
ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP
A. All ACBL Units which are or hereafter come into being within the geographical boundaries of the District are automatically Member Units of the organization so long as they remain within the District, without requirement of any petition or formal action on the part of the Unit.
B. ACBL members who are members of the Member Units of the District shall be deemed members of District Four.
ARTICLE IV – BOARD OF DIRECTORS
A. The governing body shall be a Board of Directors consisting of representatives from the
Member Units, members selected in accordance with paragraph E, below, plus the following ex officio members:
(1) the immediate past president and the National Board Member (each of whom shall have full voting rights); and
(2) the First and Second Alternates to the National Board and the District representatives to the National Board of Governors (who shall have no vote unless selected as a representative from a Member Unit).
(3) elected Officers of the Board (The Secretary and Treasurer shall have no vote unless selected as a representative from a Member Unit. The President, 1st Vice-President, and 2nd Vice-President shall have full voting rights.)
B. Representatives from the Member Units shall be selected by each unit by January 1 of each year. Each representative shall serve for a term of one year commencing January
C. Each unit shall be entitled to one representative and, in addition thereto, one representative for each 250 unit members or major fraction thereof, except that no single unit may have more representatives than the total number allocated to all other units minus one: provided, however, that each unit shall be entitled to at least two representatives. A unit’s membership for the purpose of this section shall be its membership on October 1 according to the ACBL.
D. Units shall notify the District Secretary in writing immediately following each selection. Units also may select alternates to fill permanent or temporary absences of such representatives, but the names of such alternates must be submitted to the District Secretary as promptly as possible.
E. The President may nominate to the Board not more than two members of the District who shall be voting members. Upon approval by a two-thirds vote, a member so nominated shall serve on the Board for one year beginning January 1.
ARTICLE V – POWERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors of the District shall have the following powers:
1. To approve the place and date for any Regional Tournament held within the District.
2. To acquire, hold, and dispose of any funds or property acquired by the organization, including the receipts of Regional Tournaments.
3. To employ personnel to serve the organization at the discretion of the Board.
4. To levy dues or assessments on Member Units, prorated on the basis of membership.
5. To establish the compensation or expense reimbursement, if any, to be paid to an officer or other District official.
6. To do such things as will promote the best interests of competitive contract bridge, including, but not limited to, entertainment, charity programs, and assistance to the ACBL.
7. To do such things as may be necessary to accomplish the objectives outlined in Article II of these By-Laws.
ARTICLE VI – MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
A. The annual meeting, normally the last regular meeting of the calendar year, and other regular meetings shall be held preferably during District Regional Tournaments at such dates and times as shall be designated by the President or his authorized representative. A Board member desiring to include an item in the Agenda of such meeting shall so advise the District Secretary in writing 45 days prior to such meeting.
B. Notice of all regular meetings shall be e-mailed or postal system mailed to the President and Secretary of each Member Unit at least 30 days prior to such meeting. In addition, such notice shall be given to each Board member either by District publication, website or by separate mailings at least 30 days prior to each meeting.
C. Special meetings may be called on not less than 15 days written notice by the District President or upon written request of not less than one-half of the Member Units. Notification of such meetings will be accompanied by an Agenda stating the items to be discussed, and the meeting shall be limited to such Agenda.
D. A quorum at any meeting shall consist of no less than one-half of the Board Members representing at least one-half of the Member Units.
E. Meetings of the Board will be conducted according to O. Garfield Jones “Parliamentary Procedure at a Glance”, revised edition 1971.
ARTICLE VII – OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS
A. The officers shall be a President, a First Vice-President, a Second Vice -President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The President and Vice- Presidents shall be elected from the District membership for a term of one year (and until their successors shall be elected) at the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall also be elected, except that the Treasurer does not have to be an ACBL member. Such officers shall take office at the conclusion of the Regional Tournament then in progress (or at the Annual Meeting if there is no Regional Tournament in progress) and shall continue in office until their successors take office.
B. Nominations for each of the elective offices will be made by a Nominating Committee and/or from the floor during the course of the meeting. A majority of votes is necessary for election, and, if no majority exists on a first ballot, the candidate receiving the least number of votes will be dropped from the second ballot; and so on until a candidate has a majority of votes. All ballots shall be secret.
C. The President is limited to a tenure of two successive terms, when a new President must be elected.
D. The President with the approval of the Board shall appoint the Secretary. The Secretary shall have no vote unless such person is chosen from among the Board Membership.
ARTICLE VIII – DUTIES OF OFFICERS
A. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and shall supervise the management of the affairs of the District and perform all duties incidental to this office. The President shall be a member ex officio of all committees, shall be Chairperson of the Board of Directors, and shall appoint the following: an interim replacement to fill a vacancy on the ACBL’s Board of Governors, a District Recorder, a Tournament Coordinator, a Tournament Committee Chairperson, a District Judiciary Committee Chairperson, an Education Committee Chairperson, an Appeals Committee Chairperson, an Intermediate/Newcomer Committee Chairperson, Publicity Chairperson, Charity Committee Chairperson, Finance Committee Chairperson, coordinators of the Grand National Teams Event and the North American Pairs Event and such special committees as the President shall, from time to time, consider necessary. The President, in consultation with the committee chairperson, shall appoint committee members to all committees.
B. In the absence of the President or the President’s inability to act, the First Vice-President, or, in the First Vice-President’s absence, the Second Vice-President, or in the Second Vice-President’s absence, the Immediate Past President shall preside at meetings and succeed the President in the performance of the President’s duties. If the President, Vice-Presidents and the Immediate Past President are unable to act, then the Board of Directors shall choose a presiding officer from among their group.
C. The Treasurer shall be bonded and shall have the care, custody, and responsibility of all funds, securities, and properties of the District. The Treasurer shall deposit the funds of the District in such financial institutions as may be designated by its Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall keep an accurate account of all receipts and disbursements and shall submit a report at the Annual Meeting and at such other times as may be required by the President or Board of Directors.
D. The Secretary shall keep the records of the District and the Minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee and shall perform other duties incident to this office, including the sending of notices of Board meetings.
ARTICLE IX – MEMBER UNITS
A. All Member Units retain autonomy in the conduct of their affairs, as provided in the Regulations and By-Laws of the ACBL.
B. Each Member Unit shall:
(1) Submit to the District Secretary names and addresses of Officers of the Unit Board of Directors promptly after their election.
(2) Submit to the District Secretary names and addresses of Representatives to the District immediately following their selection.
(3) Submit to the District Tournament Coordinator dates and locations of tournaments.
ARTICLE X – COMMITTEES AND OTHER APPOINTMENTS
A. The District shall have an Executive Committee, Tournament Committee, District Judiciary
Committee, a Tournament Coordinator, Charity Committee, a District Recorder, Finance Committee, Publicity Committee, Education Committee, Appeals Committee, Intermediate/Newcomer Committee, a GNT Coordinator, an NAP Coordinator, a Nominating Committee and such other committees and officials as the Board, or the President, from time to time, shall appoint. Unless these By-Laws of the Board direct otherwise, all such committees and officials, with committee chairpersons, shall be appointed by the President from among the members of the District.
B. Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall consist of nine members of the Board:
The immediate past President, the President, the First Vice-President, the Second Vice-President, the Treasurer, the National Board Member, one person selected by the President from among the District representatives to the National Board of Governors, and two members selected by the President from among the Members of the District Board. The Committee is authorized to act on behalf of the Board between board meetings. Actions of the Committee shall be reported to the Board at its next meeting and shall remain effective unless overruled, rescinded, or modified. The Executive Committee also shall have such other powers as the Board may delegate to it.
C. Tournament Committee. All tournaments for which the District is responsible shall be subject
to such regulations and conditions as the Board may impose. Regional Tournament Committee Chairpersons and the GNT and NAP Coordinators shall serve as members.
D. District Judiciary Committee. The District Judiciary Committee shall consist of six members, two of whom shall be appointed each year for a term of three years. In addition to the duties prescribed by the ACBL, the Committee shall perform such functions as may be designated to it from time to time by the Board. Rules of procedure adopted by the Committee are subject to review by the Board. Appointments to the Committee for regular terms, and to fill vacancies, shall be made by the President in consultation with the chairperson.
E. Appeals Committee. The District Appeals Committee shall hear and decide player appeals of a Tournament Director ruling not based on Law or Regulation. Also, the committee shall consider an appeal of a Chief director’s ruling based upon Law or Regulation. However, the Committee may only ask the Chief Director to reconsider the decision.
F. Tournament Coordinator. The Tournament Coordinator, and/or Tournament Coordinating Committee, shall be responsible for co- ordinating the scheduling of all ACBL-sanctioned tournaments within the District.
G. Charity Committee. A chairperson and such other charity committee members as may be necessary, shall be appointed to coordinate the District’s charity program.
H. District Recorder. The District Recorder, and such Assistant Recorders as may be deemed necessary, shall be appointed to perform such duties as may be designated by the ACBL and the Board.
I. Finance Committee. The Finance Committee shall consult with the Treasurer and advise the
Treasurer and the Board on all matters pertaining to the investment of assets of the corporation. The Board may delegate to the Treasurer and Finance Committee specific powers to deal with investments. The Committee shall make at least an annual review of District financial matters, including tournament reports, and make recommendations, if appropriate, to the Board.
J. Publicity Committee. The Publicity Committee shall have responsibility for tournament publicity, the District newsletter, and such other duties as may be designated by the Board.
K. Education Committee. The Education Committee shall include the District Education Liaison, District I/N Chairperson, District Membership Chairperson and others interested in establishing programs to promote membership and retain members.
L. Intermediate/Newcomer Committee. The Intermediate/Newcomer Committee shall provide recommendations and assistance to Tournament Chairpersons with respect to Intermediate/newcomer events and to otherwise promote bridge events throughout the District
of interest to intermediate and new players.
M. GNT Coordinator. The GNT Coordinator is responsible for recommending conditions of contest to the Board, establishing the date and location of the District event according to Board guidance, publicizing the event, and in cooperation with the District’s National Board Member and Tournament Director, assuring that the event is conducted according to ACBL and District conditions of contest.
N. NAP Coordinator. The NAP Coordinator is responsible for recommending conditions of contest to the Board, establishing the date and location of the District event according to Board guidance, publicizing the event, and in cooperation with the District’s National Board Member and Tournament Director, assuring that the event is conducted according to ACBL and District conditions of contest.
O. Nominating Committee. The District’s National Board Member serves as Chairperson,.
Committee members consist of the eight most recent past presidents of the Board and the current Unit Presidents of the units comprising District 4. The Committee shall recommend one or more candidates for President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President and Treasurer to the Board assembled at the annual meeting.
ARTICLE XI – AMENDMENTS TO THE BY-LAWS
These By-Laws may be amended at any meeting of the Board of Directors provided that the
notice of such meeting states the amendment to be considered and is e-mailed or postal system mailed to the President and Secretary of each Member Unit and to each member of the Board at least 30 days prior to such meeting. A concurrence of two-thirds of the votes present at any quorum meeting of the Board of Directors shall be required for the passage of any amendment to these By-Laws.
Prepared by William L. Bauer III, District Secretary