Bylaws of the Oklahoma Chess Association

Last Modified 3 September 2006

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of the organization shall be the Oklahoma Chess Association, commonly known as the OCA.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

The purpose of the OCA shall be to educate, instruct, encourage its members, and to promote and extend the social benefits of chess in Oklahoma, and not for profit. Insofar as the provisions of the law in the State of Oklahoma under which this non-profit corporation is incorporated shall permit, this corporation shall fulfill its State Affiliate duties and responsibilities to all Oklahoma members of the US Chess Federation and members of the Oklahoma Chess Association.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

III.1 Membership:

· Regular Membership: Any person may become a Regular Member of the OCA upon payment of $10.00 dues for one year.

· Patron Membership: Any person may become a Patron Member of the OCA upon payment of $25.00 dues for one year.

·  Youth Membership: Any youth under 20 years of age may become a Youth Member of the OCA upon payment of $5.00 dues for one year.

In the discretion of the Policy Board, in order to address either financial hardship or as a marketing promotion effort, the regular or youth membership fee may be waived or reduced.

III.2 Rights and Privileges:

Each Member of the OCA shall be entitled to the official state publication, to participate in the Annual Meeting, to hold office, and to enjoy all other rights and privileges of membership, with the following exceptions:

a) any OCA member shall be entitled to vote in the Annual Meeting only if he/she is also a current and verifiable USCF member; and
b) any new or renewing OCA member shall be entitled to vote in the Annual Meeting only if either

(i) he/she has registered for and played in at least one round on the first day of the current Oklahoma State Championship tournament; or

(ii) his/her OCA membership dues are received by the OCA Secretary, Treasurer or State Championship contact person at least ten (10) business days prior to the first day of the current State Championship tournament.

c) No Member of the OCA under age 18 may hold office.

New memberships and renewals shall extend the term of membership from the date of payment or prior membership expiration, whichever is latest.

Each Member of the OCA, if their email is kept current with the Secretary or Webmaster, shall be included in an email distribution list for Oklahoma chess related news and announcements.

III.3 Removal from Office:

The Policy Board may suspend or remove from office any OCA officer or official for good cause, if approved by three fourths of all the Policy Board Members eligible to vote as provided for in these Bylaws. The Policy Board shall, prior to taking such action, give to the individual 30 days written notice of the proposed action. Within said time, that individual may submit in writing to the Policy Board reasons why such action should not be taken. The Board may thereafter, if it sees fit, act upon written suggestions or set a date for a hearing to be held concerning the proposed action. The actions taken shall be final and without recourse.

III.4 Annual Membership Meeting:

The President shall call and preside at an annual meeting of the membership, held in conjunction with the Oklahoma Open, for the purpose of hearing reports, making suggestions to the Policy Board, and conducting the Annual Election. Twelve members present in person shall constitute a quorum. The Secretary shall publish at least 30 days advance notice of the annual membership meeting in the "Oklahoma Chess Bulletin". The membership meeting will have a minimum of 90 minutes allowed to conduct business. The agenda will be posted on the OCA website at least 10 days prior to the meeting.

III.5 Annual Election:

The Annual Election shall be used to amend the Bylaws and fill Policy Board positions that are vacant. The call for Policy Board nominations and bylaws amendment proposals shall be published and available to all members no less than 30 days prior to the Annual Members Meeting. The ballots will only be provided to all voting members per section III.2 at the Annual Election. Proxy voting is not allowed. The ballots will be tallied by the Secretary or other person(s) assigned by the Policy Board, and results tallied for reporting of results at the Annual Members Meeting. The original ballots shall be kept as backup for recount and auditing purposes.

ARTICLE IV: POLICY BOARD

IV.1 Responsibility:

Ultimate authority in the Association shall rest in the membership; such authority is exercised at the Annual Membership Meeting. Between Annual Membership Meetings the business and activities of the OCA shall be governed by the Policy Board, in accordance with these Bylaws.

IV.2 Composition:

The Policy Board shall be composed of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and three Members at Large elected by the membership of the OCA, and the Immediate Past President.

IV.3 Meetings:

The Policy Board shall meet at least twice annually at reasonable intervals to conduct the business of the OCA. These meetings shall be open to all interested observers. Meetings may be held at the request of the President or a majority of the members of the Policy Board provided that all Policy Board Members have been given 7 days advance notice of the meeting. The minutes of the Policy Board Meetings shall be published in the "Oklahoma Chess Bulletin". A quorum shall consist of four members of the Board being present in person or through electronic conference means, wherein all participants can be heard by, and speak to, all other participants at all times.

IV.4 Nomination and Bylaws Amendment Proposals:

a) Any voting OCA member age 18 or over shall be eligible for any elected OCA office upon nomination by a fellow member at the Annual Meeting. If there are no nominations for a Policy Board position to be filled, then the person currently in that position will appear on the ballot.

b) Proposed bylaws amendments must be submitted in writing to the Secretary or President by the Nominating Committee, or voting members per section III.2, no less than 30 days prior to the Annual Membership Meeting. Amendments by voting members not on the Policy Board must be submitted in writing by at least three voting members.

IV.5 Elections:

OCA elections shall occur at the Annual Election. Positions to be filled shall be included in the annual membership meeting notice. A plurality of the ballots shall elect the nominee and any tie will be decided by a vote at the Annual Members Meeting. No individual on the Policy Board shall hold more than one office nor be entitled to more than one vote on the Policy Board. If a vacancy occurs in any elected office, a successor to serve until the next annual election shall be nominated and elected by the Policy Board, except that a vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the Vice President.

IV.6 Terms:

The terms of the elected Policy Board shall begin upon completion of the annual membership meeting . The Members at Large shall have terms of approximately one year. The President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall have terms of approximately two years. The Immediate Past President shall remain a member of the Policy Board so long as he/she remains Immediate Past President.

IV.7 Duties:

· Policy Board:

a) The Policy Board shall appoint the Editor of the Oklahoma Chess Bulletin.

b) The Policy Board shall be responsible for choosing the organizer of the “Oklahoma Open” and any other state championship deemed necessary.

c) The Policy Board shall appoint the Webmaster to maintain the official OCA web site, www.ochess.org, which is the property of the OCA. The Policy Board may approve changes or deletions of any content at any time, which must be immediately adhered to by the Webmaster. OCA meeting minutes and bylaws revisions or proposals must be approved in advance by the policy board before being published.

d) The Policy Board may appoint committees that are deemed necessary to advance OCA’s purpose. In particular, the Policy Board may appoint a Nominating Committee to find candidates for open Policy Board positions to be filled by the Annual Election. The term of office of each committee shall terminate at the next election, or before as is provided at the time of appointment.

e) The Policy Board is responsible for ensuring Oklahoma representation to the USCF.

f) The Policy Board shall appoint the Oklahoma Clearinghouse Designate to maintain a calendar of tournaments and attempt to resolve potential schedule conflicts.

· President: The President shall preside at all meetings of the membership and the Policy Board, carry out all requirements of these Bylaws, represent the OCA on occasion, be the official spokesman for all business and correspondence, and report to the membership at the Annual Meeting.

· Vice President: The Vice President shall be responsible for encouraging, promoting, and advising OCA Tournament Directors. He/she shall execute the duties of the President when the President is unable to serve.

· Secretary: This officer shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the membership and the Policy Board; carry out all duties prescribed by these Bylaws; distribute to all Policy Board Members and publish in the "Oklahoma Chess Bulletin" the minutes of all meetings; keep mailing lists of current OCA members; and conduct correspondence under the direction of the Policy Board.

·  Treasurer: This officer shall carry out all duties prescribed by these Bylaws; keep records of the  property and financial affairs and manage the funds of the OCA; provide a financial report at Policy Board and Membership meetings; promote, encourage, and coordinate additional sources of income; and ensure that OCA memberships are checked and dues collected at all OCA tournaments.

· Immediate Past President: This officer shall be an advisor to the President and the rest of Policy Board.

· Members at Large: These officers will report to the Secretary and Treasurer the successful checking of OCA memberships and collection of dues at all events requiring OCA membership.

IV.8 Resignations:

Policy Board resignations shall be submitted in writing to the President or Secretary, who shall then immediately notify the other Policy Board members. Any member of the Policy Board shall be regarded as having resigned as an officer or member-at-large upon missing three consecutive duly scheduled meetings of the Policy Board during the same twelve months, with exception to be made by the Policy Board. Resignations will become effective upon passing of an associated motion by the Policy Board at a Policy Board meeting. Resignations may only be published in their entirety and after becoming effective. If the President resigns, succession to the Immediate Past President position is forfeited.

IV.9 Motions Conducted by Correspondence:

The Policy Board may raise and vote on motions using correspondence under the following conditions:

a) All Policy Board Members have confirmed receipt of the motion or have been notified by a phone call about the proposed motion.

b) Approvals requiring a majority of a Policy Board Meeting quorum will require a majority of all Policy Board Members for correspondence approval.

c) Policy Board motions conducted using correspondence shall be published in the official state publication.

IV.10 OCA Records:

All OCA financial, membership, tournament and publication records are the property of the OCA.  Any such records in the possession of an officer, policy board member, or regular member at the conclusion of their term, expiration of their membership, or resignation from same, shall be turned over to the current President or Secretary within 10 days of such event.  No records shall be shared with, or used by, individuals or organizations other than the current OCA Policy Board. Some excerpts of those records may appear in the official publication and official web site, as authorized by the Policy Board. Member information shall only be used for official business of the OCA, and any other use is expressly prohibited.

ARTICLE V: STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

The format and location of the state championships shall be approved by the Policy Board. Only OCA members residing in the State of Oklahoma shall be eligible to receive the titles and trophies.

ARTICLE VI: SUNDRY BYLAWS

VI.1. Office: The registered office of the OCA shall be the mailing address of the Secretary.

VI.2. Publications: The “Oklahoma Chess Bulletin” is designated as the official state publication of the OCA. All material submitted or created for the official state publication and/or the official web site immediately becomes the copyrighted property of the OCA and the author, and will require approval of the Policy Board for any other publication, aside from that of the author. OCA copyright statements shall appear in the official state publication and web site to protect the interests of the OCA. The Policy Board will have access to a draft of the official state publication one week before publishing and may edit or remove material by a majority vote.

VI.3. Fiscal Period: The fiscal period shall end on December 31.

VI.4. National Affairs: The OCA is the official Oklahoma State Affiliate Chapter of the USCF.The OCA Policy Board shall fulfill all functions designated by Article VIII, Section 2 of the USCF Bylaws.

VI.5. Procedure: “Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised” shall be used at all meetings whenever they are not in conflict with these Bylaws.

VI.6. Authority: These Bylaws have been adopted by the membership under the authority of the United States Chess Federation (USCF), subject to all State and Federal laws.

VI.7. Amendment: The Bylaws may be amended by  a 2/3 majority vote of ballots containing a vote for that item in the Annual Election per section III.5. The Bylaws may also be amended by a 3/4 vote of the entire Policy Board, with ratification of the amendment at the next Annual Election by a 2/3 majority vote to remain in effect.

VI.8. Review: These Bylaws should be reviewed by 2006 or earlier.

VI.9. Scholastics: The Oklahoma Scholastic Chess Organization is the official State scholastic chess organization responsible for the oversight of scholastic chess issues and State scholastic chess championship tournaments.

VI.10 Funds: All general funds shall be designated in one or more federally insured depositories in the OCA's name, disbursable only by check signed by the Treasurer or by others designated by the Policy Board.

VI.11 Interpretation: At Policy Board or General Membership Meetings a majority vote shall determine the interpretation of these Bylaws with the understanding that the ambiguous expression be amended as soon as practicable.

VI.12 Reimbursement: No member shall receive compensation from the Association except for reimbursement of reasonable approved expenses.

VI.13 Dissolution: In the event of the dissolution of this corporation, all assets remaining after all liabilities and obligations of the corporation have been paid, satisfied, and discharged, or adequate provisions made therefore, shall be distributed to United States Chess Trust,  a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization.