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KEYSTONE CHAPTER NORTH AMERICAN VERSATILE HUNTING DOG ASSOCIATION Established March 1997 By-Laws Ratified December 1998 Amended-June 2003 Amended-December 2007
Article I Name and Purpose Section 1 Name The name of this organization shall be the Keystone Chapter of the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA). Also known as the Keystone Chapter of NAVHDA. The Keystone Chapter of NAVHDA is a non-profit chapter of NAVHDA.
Section 2 Purpose The purpose of this organization is to foster, improve and protect the versatile hunting dog breeds in North America by such activities as: a) Encouraging training under the philosophy of NAVHDA and the exemplification of such training for the benefit of chapter members and the general public. b) Sponsoring tests for the versatile breeds according to the rules of the NAVHDA. c) Preparing test records for submittal to NAVHDA. d) Encouraging new membership in NAVHDA and the Keystone Chapter of NAVHDA. e) Acquainting sportsmen and hunters with the history and use of versatile hunting dogs for the fair pursuit and conservation of game.
Article II Membership and Dues Section 1 Activation of Chapter The chapter shall become active upon the payment of annual dues of ten or more people to NAVHDA and the Keystone Chapter of NAVHDA.
Section 2 Membership a) People interested in membership in the Keystone Chapter of NAVHDA will be considered provisional or non-voting members upon payment of dues to NAVHDA and the Keystone Chapter of NAVHDA. b) Provisional members will be voted upon for active voting membership after a minimum six month period where the provisional member has participated in Keystone Chapter events. Provisional members will become active voting members upon majority vote of the Executive Council. Additionally, active voting members must be eighteen years or older. c) Membership rates for chapter tests shall be applicable to: 1. Members of NAVHDA. 2. Handlers with dogs owned by NAVHDA members. 3. Non-NAVHDA members shall pay an additional fee established by the Executive Council.
Section 3 Dues Annual dues shall be set by the Executive Council and shall be full calendar year dues. Dues are payable January first of each year. Dues must be paid by March first of each year or membership is considered terminated. Upon payment of delinquent dues after March first, membership may be re-instated as a non-voting provisional member subject to Article II, Section 2 (b). Dues paid after November first shall be deemed adequate for the balance of the year they were paid and the succeeding year. Family members may join at a $5.00 discount to the regular membership fee.
Section 4 Expulsion Executive Council may expel a member for violation of chapter rules, Pennsylvania Game Commission or United States Fish and Wildlife Service rules and laws, misconduct, any action determined to be harmful to the chapter by the Executive Council or any action contrary to the conduct of a sportsman who respects and conserves the natural environment. Full refund of dues shall be made upon request following expulsion from the chapter. An expelled member may petition the Executive Council for reinstatement within a period not to exceed sixty days from the receipt of expulsion. The Executive Council will vote on the petition at their next meeting following the receipt of the petition.
Section 5 Disputes In the event of a dispute or grievance which is of such a serious nature as to damage the chapter, the President may appoint a committee consisting of three members of the chapter; one member shall be a member of the Executive Council and serve as chairman. The purpose of the committee shall be to gather facts and mediate the dispute. If no settlement can be reached by efforts of the committee, they shall present the matter to the Executive Council for final arbitration.
Section 6 Dissolution In the event of the dissolution of the Keystone Chapter of NAVHDA, the Treasurer and Executive Council will see that all outstanding bills are paid from the available chapter funds. Any additional monies remaining will be sent to NAVHDA International. Chapter equipment will be offered for sale/auction to Chapter members on a date designated by the Executive Council.
Article III Officers and Directors
Section 1 Officers a) The active voting members shall elect the chapter officers. These officers include the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. b) No person shall be an officer of the chapter who is not an active voting member of the chapter. c) The term of office for the officers shall be two years. d) There shall be no salary or remuneration for services rendered in an official capacity with the exception of authorized travel or business expense. e) The duties of the officers are outlined in Article IV.
Section 2 Directors a) The chapter directors shall be Testing, Judging and Training. b) No person shall be a director of the chapter who is not an active voting member of the chapter. c) The term of office for the directors shall be two years. d) There shall be no salary or remuneration for services rendered in an official capacity with the exception of authorized travel or business expense. e) The director’s duties are outlined in Article IV.
Section 3 Vacancies The President, with approval of the Executive Council, shall appoint people to fill any officer or director vacancies.
Article IV Executive Council Section 1 Executive Council Members The Executive Council shall consist of the four elected officers and the three elected directors. In the event that one person holds more than one position, that person can cast only one vote for any issue.
Section 2 Duties of the Executive Council a) President The President is the chief executive officer of the chapter and has the duty and authority to appoint acting officers and directors to fill vacancies occurring between elections. Such appointments shall be made with the concurrence of the Executive Council. The President has the duty and authority to conduct meetings, appointing committees and assume other duties as may be deemed necessary. b) Vice President The Vice President shall assume the office of the President in the event of a vacancy and shall perform such other duties as determined by the Executive Council. The Vice President shall serve as the membership chairman and leader in chapter promotions. The Vice President will be responsible for aiding and encouraging the development and growth of the chapter membership. c) Secretary The Secretary is responsible for chapter correspondence, keeping records of chapter business in accordance with these by-laws and such resolutions deemed necessary by the Executive Council. The Secretary shall record, retain and report minutes of all chapter meetings. d) Treasurer The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining all financial records of the chapter. The Treasurer will maintain bank accounts, sign checks and receive and distribute chapter monies. e) Director of Testing The Director of Testing, in consultation with the Executive Council, is responsible for coordinating and conducting the chapter tests. Duties include dissemination of test information both before and after the test. f) Director of Judging The Director of Judging, in consultation with the Executive Council, is responsible for recruiting and training potential judges and submitting their names to NAVHDA for certification. The Director of Judging shall also obtain and coordinate with judges for chapter tests. g) Director of Training The Director of Training, in consultation with the Executive Council, is responsible for coordinating the chapter training program for the regular training sessions.
Article V Chapter Meetings
Section 1 Executive Council Meetings The Executive Council shall meet at least two times per calendar year. These meetings should be scheduled for June and December and shall be announced and open to the membership. Voting at Executive Council Meetings is restricted to members of the Executive Council.
Section 2 General Membership Meetings General Membership Meetings shall be held two times per year. The General Membership Meetings shall be conducted on the same day as, and following the Executive Council Meetings. The June General Membership Meeting will be considered the Annual Meeting.
Article VI Committees
The President or Executive Council shall appoint committees, standing or special, as necessary to carry on the work of the chapter.
Article VII Parliamentary Authority
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the chapter in all cases to which they are applicable and consistent with these by-laws and any special rules or order the chapter may adopt.
Article VIII Testing
All tests must be conducted in accordance with the requirements established by NAVHDA.
Article IX Elections
Section 1 Nominations
a) A nominating committee comprised of three active voting members shall be appointed by the Executive Council at the June meeting. The nominating committee duties include collecting nominations and preparing ballots for upcoming elections. In the event that a nomination has not been received by the committee for any position, the committee shall nominate an individual for said position. b) Nominations must be submitted by an active voting member and received by the deadline provided in Article IX Section 6. c) A person may be nominated for only one position in a given election.
Section 2 Ballots
A complete ballot shall be mailed to the active voting members according to the schedule provide in Article IX Section 6. The ballot shall contain the offices which are up for election and the name of each person nominated for office or directorship.
Section 3 Voting
Active voting members shall be entitled to one vote for each office. The order of voting may be decided at the discretion of the Executive Council. Ballots must be received by the nominating committee by the date specified in Section 6.
Section 4 Counting of Ballots
The nominating committee will count the votes and report the results to the Executive Council.
Section 5 Election Disputes
The Executive Council shall be the sole arbitrator of disputes regarding the validity of the election.
Section 6 Procedure
The Executive Council may make rules regarding elections as necessary provided they do not conflict with these by-laws. The current schedule as decided by the Executive Council upon activating the chapter is as follows.
June Meeting Appoint nominating committee September 1 Nominations due to nominating committee October 1 Nominating committee send ballot to active voting members November 1 Votes due back to nominating committee December Executive Council Meeting with previous and newly elected Executive Councils January Election Results presented in chapter newsletter
Article X Chapter Procedures
Section 1 Procedure
Chapter business may be conducted by mail, telephone, and e-mail. Any active voting member may present a proposal to the Executive Council he/she deems will benefit the Chapter. Proposals must be submitted in writing and directed to the Chapter Secretary. Proposals regarding a potential emergency situation may be brought in front of a majority of the Executive Council at a Keystone Chapter event or meeting. The Executive Council majority present will consider the potential emergency situation as a group and determine if immediate action is required and take appropriate action as deemed necessary. If the Executive Council majority present does not consider the proposal an emergency situation then, the members making the proposal shall be instructed to follow the above procedure by submitting a proposal in writing to the Chapter Secretary for submission to and consideration by the Executive Council. If the Executive Council majority present does consider the proposal an emergency situation, then, every attempt will be made to contact the remainder of the Executive Council members for additional discussion prior to rendering a decision.
Section 2 Financial Statements
The Treasurer shall submit a financial report semi-annually to the Executive Council for their meetings. An annual financial report shall be distributed at the annual meeting or posted in the chapter newsletter.
Section 3 Chapter Expenditures
All chapter expenditures must be supported by a receipt, recorded and maintained by the Treasurer.
Section 4 Audits
An audit should be performed between January 1 and the annual meeting. The Treasurer or Executive Council may request an audit at any time. Audits may be performed by two active voting members except for the Treasurer. The auditors must be appointed by the President and approved by the Executive Council.
Article XI By-law Amendments
Two thirds majority vote of the active voting membership shall be required to pass amendments to these by-laws. Amendments may be voted on at the semi-annual meetings. The amendment must have been submitted in writing at a previous meeting. The active voting members shall be informed of the pending by-law amendment at least thirty days prior to the meeting when the vote will take place. No changes to these by-laws will be considered that is contrary to the original purpose of the chapter (Article I Section 2).
Article XII Policy Manual
Section 1 There shall be established and maintained a set of regulations and policies called the “Policy Manual”, which consists of rules passed by a majority vote of the Executive Council for topics not covered by the Keystone Chapter of NAVHDA By-Laws. These rules may also be referred to as “Standing Rules”.
Section 2 Standing Rules may be added, deleted or altered from time to time by majority vote of the Executive Council.
Section 3 Standing Rules shall support and not conflict with the By-laws.
Section 4 The Policy Manual shall be maintained by the Secretary and kept as an addendum to the By-laws.
KEYSTONE CHAPTER OF NAVHDA Rules and Regulations
Established February 19, 2000Eligible gunners must meet the following criteria: · a gunner shall be a voting member in good standing with the Keystone chapter; · a gunner shall demonstrate safe handling and shooting technique to at least one member of the executive committee prior to selection and shall be approved by consensus of the committee members; · a gunner shall have successfully handled a dog in at least one NA-UPT-UT test; · a gunner shall annually attend and participate in a safety discussion conducted by the executive committee or other approved representative and be familiar with NAVHDA rules and practices for safe shooting; · a gunner shall provide his or her own break open shotgun; · test gunners would be selected by the executive committee from the pool of approved gunners based upon a demonstrated ability to be safe and accurate.
Established February 23, 2002The Test Secretary will handle test entries on the following basis: · Test entries will be taken on a first come first serve basis by the Test Secretary. Test entry applications must be completed in entirety and accompanied by the appropriate funds in order to be accepted by the Test Secretary (NO EXCEPTIONS!). All checks will be deposited upon receipt by the Test Secretary. If a handler requests to cancel a test entry, such request will be handled as follows: If the Test Secretary receives notification at least 30 days prior to the test date and the test slot can be filled from the waiting list, the entry will be refunded less a twenty dollar ($20) administration fee. If the Test Secretary receives notification within 30 days of the test date, no refund will be granted. · Limit the number of test entries per handler per test day to one half of the available test slots based on the test entry formula from NAVHDA (i.e. an all natural ability test will have a maximum of ten (10) slots. Thus, the maximum number of test slots per handler per test day would be five (5) slots).
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