Bylaws of the
Washington State School Retirees’ Political Action Committee
ARTICLE I – NAME, LOCATION, PURPOSES, POLICIES, AND ORGANIZATION
Section 1. Name
The name of this Organization is the Washington State School Retirees’ Political Action Committee, commonly referred to as WSSR-PAC. WSSR-PAC and PAC are used interchangeably in this document.
Section 2. Location
Headquarters and offices of WSSR-PAC shall be housed and located at the home of the current Treasurer.
Section 3. Purposes
a. The purpose of WSSR-PAC is to promote the general welfare of school retirees through political processes while continuing the promotion of public education and good citizenship.
b. The organization aims to raise funds for contribution to and support for candidates for the Washington State Legislature; for candidates for state offices; for political party caucuses; and for advancing position of the WSSR-PAC on statewide initiatives and referenda or opposing the same.
Section 4. Policies
a. The WSSR-PAC is strictly nonpartisan and is organized to encourage voluntary involvement of members in state political processes through voluntary personal financial participation.
b. The WSSR-PAC shall operate in conformity with Washington State law and with requirements of the Public Disclosure Commission.
Section 5. Organization
a. The members of WSSR-PAC shall be all individuals who make a voluntary contribution to WSSR-PAC during the current fiscal year.
b. The officers of WSSR-PAC shall be President, Vice President and Secretary and Treasurer.
c. The business and affairs of WSSR-PAC shall be managed by a PAC Board of Directors.
d. All officers and members of the Board of Directors must be members of the PAC.
e. For operational purposes the WSSR-PAC shall be divided into the same geographical districts as the Coordinating Council Districts of the Washington State School Retirees Association as specified in Article VI, Section 1, of the WSSRA Bylaws as now or hereafter amended.
ARTICLE II – POWERS AND DUTIES
Section 1. Powers and Duties
a. The Board of Directors shall have and shall exercise all management and financial responsibility for the organization and shall have all the powers allowed to the Board by the laws of the State of Washington and consistent with these bylaws. The Executive Committee shall have and shall exercise all the powers and responsibilities of the Board during the time between meetings of the Board.
b. The Board shall adopt policies and procedures governing the affairs of the organization. The Board shall adopt and enforce such policies and establish such committees as are necessary to ensure its compliance with federal and state law. The Board shall establish the period of the fiscal year.
c. The Board may enter into and approve contracts and leases.
d. The Board shall adopt and monitor the annual budget and all revisions thereof.
e. The Board of Directors may hire such professional staff when and as it deems necessary.
f. No part of any income or revenue to WSSR-PAC shall inure to the material or pecuniary benefit of any member, officer or any member of their family or to any private individual (except that the Board of Directors may authorize reasonable expenses to be reimbursed and reasonable compensation to be paid for services rendered in connection with one or more of its purposes) other than as a recorded contribution under Article VI.
Section 2. Non-Discrimination
The Board members, Officers, committee members, and employees shall be selected and members of the PAC granted membership entirely on a non-discriminatory basis with respect to age, sex, race, religion, sexual preference, national, tribal or ethnic origin or marital status.
ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP AND MEETINGS
Section 1. Term of Membership
Membership shall be for a one-year period and for the fiscal year in which a contribution is made.
Section 2. Annual Meeting
There shall be an Annual Meeting of members of the WSSR-PAC in conjunction with Executive Committee at the WSSRA annual meeting at a convenient time and place as may be designated by the PAC for the transaction of WSSR-PAC business. At this meeting the President shall report to the members on the activities of WSSR-PAC during the past year.
Section 3. Vote
Each member shall be entitled to one (1) vote. A member must be present in order to vote.
Section 4. Quorum
A quorum shall consist of 25 members of WSSR-PAC present in person.
ARTICLE IV – BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. Members
The Board of Directors of WSSR-PAC shall consist of the Officers elected under Article V and one member from each WSSRA Coordinating Council District appointed by the Chair of each respective WSSRA Coordinating Council District. The Co-Chairs of the WSSRA Legislative Committee shall be members with full voting rights. All Board members must be members of WSSR-PAC. Upon resignation or removal of a WSSRA District Board member, the Chair of the respective WSSRA Coordinating Council District shall promptly appoint a replacement.
Section 2. Meetings
Meetings of the PAC Board of Directors may be called by the PAC President with concurrence of the PAC Executive Committee or by any five members of the Board, provided fourteen (14) day notice of such meetings is given to each member of the PAC Board in advance of such meeting.
Section 3. Quorum
The Directors shall act only as a Board and individual Directors (other than Officers) shall have no power as such. A majority of Directors having been duly appointed as described in Section 1 shall constitute a quorum. The act of a majority of Directors present at any meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of the PAC Board of Directors.
Section 4. Attendance at Board Meetings
Members of the Board may attend meetings of the Board by concurrent electronic means and may cast votes by hand if present or electronic means in a manner established by the Board and allowed by Washington state law.
Section 5. Terms of Members of the Board
Terms of the Board of Directors shall be for one year or until they or their successors are appointed and are renewable.
Section 6. Executive Committee
The Executive Committee of the PAC Board of Directors shall consist of the Officers plus the Co-Chairs of the WSSRA Legislative Committee. The Executive Committee shall assist the President in conducting affairs of the PAC during the time between Board meetings. Decisions shall be by majority vote and shall be communicated promptly to the PAC Board of Directors for their information.
Section 7. Annual Report
The PAC Board of Directors, after the close of the fiscal year, shall submit in the WSSRA Journal a report as to the condition of the WSSR-PAC and an accounting of the financial transactions of the past fiscal year.
Section 8. Exemption from Liability
A member of the PAC Board of Directors shall not be personally liable to the Committee, or to its members for his/her conduct as a Director, provided this elimination of personal liability shall not eliminate the liability of a Director for acts or omissions that involved intentional misconduct by a Director, or a knowing violation of law by a Director, or for any transaction from which the Director will personally receive a benefit in money, property or services to which the Director is not legally entitled.
ARTICLE V – OFFICERS
Section 1. Nominating Committee
Not less than four months prior to the PAC Annual Meeting in odd-numbered years, the WSSR-PAC President or his/her designee shall appoint no fewer than four PAC members representing coordinating council districts from both East and West areas of the state as a Nominating Committee to recruit nominees from the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer of the PAC. To the extent possible, the committee should present at least two nominees for each office. The Nominating Committee shall submit its list of candidates to the President no less than thirty days before the Annual Meeting in which an election is to be held. Additional nominations of PAC members present may be made from the floor during the PAC election at the Annual Meeting.
Section 2. Elections and Terms
Officers shall be elected at the Annual Meeting of the PAC in odd-numbered years and shall serve until they or their successors are elected at the Annual Meeting in the next odd-numbered year. If a candidate fails to receive a majority vote of those members present, the persons with the two highest vote totals shall be put before the meeting as nominees. Officers may succeed themselves. Newly elected officers will take office thirty days after their election.
Section 3. Vacancies
In the event of a vacancy in an office due to removal, resignation or incapacity, the President in consultation with the Board of Directors shall appoint a replacement to serve until the next PAC officer election. Incapacity of an officer may be determined by the Board by two-thirds of those voting.
Section 4. President
The President shall be the chief executive of the WSSR-PAC subject to direction of and with the assistance of the PAC Board of Directors. The President shall appoint the members of all Committees with the advice of the Board of Directors and shall be an ex-officio member of all Committees. He/She shall preside at meetings of the PAC Board of Directors and meetings of WSSR-PAC.
Section 5. Vice President
He/She shall perform duties as assigned by the President or PAC Board of Directors. When the President is absent or unable to perform his/her duties, or in the event the President is removed or resigns, those duties shall be assigned to the Vice President. In the absence of the Secretary or Treasurer the Vice President shall serve in that office in an interim capacity until a Secretary or Treasurer is appointed.
Section 6. Treasurer
a. The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining records on the financial affairs of the WSSR-PAC in accordance with Washington State law and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
b. The Treasurer shall have custody of all receipts, disbursements, and funds and securities of WSSR-PAC. The Treasurer shall deposit all WSSR-PAC funds in appropriate bank accounts. The Treasurer shall prepare and file reports required by the Washington Public Disclosure Commission, Federal Elections Commission and the WSSR-PAC Board of Directors.
c. The Board of Directors may require the Treasurer to submit all books of account for an audit by a committee selected by the WSSR-PAC Board of Directors.
Section 7. Secretary
a. The Secretary shall send a notice of the meeting of the Board of Directors to each Director or of the Executive Committee to each member of the Executive Committee at least fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting.
b. The Secretary shall prepare all PAC Annual Meeting, Board of Directors and Executive Committee minutes and promptly issue the same to each WSSR-PAC Board member. Minutes of the Annual Meeting and Board meetings shall be subject to Board amendment and approval. Members may request copies of minutes by contacting the Secretary.
Section 8. Removal
The Board of Directors may remove any Officer for malfeasance or nonfeasance of his/her duties by two-thirds vote of all members at a meeting called with at least 30 days notice to the Board.
ARTICLE VI – CONTRIBUTIONS AND DISBURSEMENTS
Section 1. Contributions
Individuals may make contributions to the WSSR-PAC in the form of money, goods or services. These contributions shall be recorded with such information as required by Washington State Public Disclosure and federal regulations.
Section 2. Use of Contributions
Contributions shall be used for the following purposes:
a. For support of candidates for the Washington State Legislature
b. For support of candidates for Washington state offices.
c. For political, informational, and educational activities and services.
d. For general administrative purposes and operation of the PAC.
e. For donations to the political caucuses of the State Legislature.
f. For support of campaigns advancing the positions of WSSR-PAC including for or against statewide initiatives or referenda.
Section 3. Authorization for Contributions
The Executive Committee shall make recommendations as to the recipients of PAC contributions and the amounts to be contributed to each recipient. Contributions may only be made with the specific approval of the PAC Board of Directors.
ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS
These Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the members of the PAC present and voting at the Annual Meeting or by a three-fourths vote of the Board of Directors, provided that no amendment adopted by the Board of Directors shall become effective until after 30 days.
ARTICLE VIII – DISSOLUTION OR LIQUIDATION
No member, officer or private individual shall be entitled to share in the distribution of any other assets of WSSR-PAC on its dissolution or liquidation. In the event of a recommendation for dissolution or liquidation, the assets of WSSR-PAC, after payment of debts and obligation, shall be transferred to an organization with federal tax exemption for purposes similar to those of WSSR-PAC, which exempt organization shall be designated by the final WSSR-PAC Board of Directors meeting.
ARTICLE IX – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, current edition, shall govern all activities of the WSSR-PAC in all instances to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with its Bylaws.
Revised: January 9, 2002, June 4, 2007, June 21, 2010, June 5, 2013, June 8, 2015
Copyright © 2013 WSSR-PAC