Country Music Association of Rhode Island

Mission / Vision

BY-LAWS OF THE
COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION OF RHODE ISLAND

Approved at the General Membership Meeting September 6, 2015.Frank Keenan, President

ARTICLE I
NAME

Section 1
The name of this organization shall be the Country Music Association of Rhode Island and is hereby chartered under the laws of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in the Year of Our Lord Nineteen Hundred, Ninety-two (1992) as duly voted on by those members active at that time.

ARTICLE II
PURPOSE

Section 1
The purpose of the Country Music Association of Rhode Island is to perpetuate, foster encourage and promote the art of country music; to provide opportunities for fan participation; to produce, organize, and present jamborees, festivals, concerts; to award performers and performing groups at award concerts and shows; to donate to charitable organizations; and to provide a helping hand to our members in need.

ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP

Section 1
Association membership is available to musicians and the general public who are desirous of promoting and preserving country music.

Section 2
The applicant for membership must complete an application form and pay an annual membership fee. A membership card will be issued upon the approval of the governing body in office at that time.

Section 3
Special assessments may be imposed for special events upon approval by the Board of
Directors. Adjustments in payment of dues and assessments may be permitted upon approval of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE IV
GOVERNMENT

Section 1
The governing body of the organization shall be vested in a Board of Directors consisting of Twelve (12) Country Music Association of Rhode Island members in good standing to include Four (4) general officers, I.e. President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer; eight (8) Members at-large shall be elected annually from the regular membership by the general body. The President shall have the authority to fill any vacancies that may occur from time to time.

Section 2
The Board of Directors shall have general supervision of the operation of the association and will be responsible for all equipment. They shall also have powers to make emergency
repairs to and/or purchase new equipment and material used in the association’s daily operations.
They may at any time suspend the membership of any member for conduct detrimental to the best interests of the Country Music Association of Rhode Island until the next general
meeting where said violation shall be considered before the full general membership.

Section 3
If an Officer or member of the Board of Directors in office fails to attend three (3)
consecutive meetings or six (6) meetings throughout the year for any reason whatsoever, and/or displays a general lack of willingness to participate in the governing of the organization, he or
she may be replaced at the discretion of the President with a majority vote of the Board of
Directors. Exceptions to this removal shall be allowed for reasons of illness, accident or other personal tragedy, upon prior written notification to the President and/or the Secretary.

Section 4
The Board of Directors shall meet once a month; and the general membership shall have meetings twice a year, in June and December. All meetings shall be scheduled by the President.

Section 5
Each April an awards show shall be held as a regular occurrence to honor the outstanding member musicians and artists of that year by the vote of the members in good standing of the organization.. Ballots will be sent to the general membership for their vote. The votes will be counted by a non-biased organization or person designated by the President.

Section 6
All Committees shall be appointed by the President. Each member shall have one (1) vote. A majority vote of those members present shall be sufficient to carry out the business of that meeting. Each committee shall have a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Secretary. The Committee’s Secretary shall report the results of all meetings to the President immediately forthwith. The President shall sit ex officio on all Committees, but not as a voting member. All Committees’ decisions and recommendations shall promptly be reported, in writing, to the President.

All Committees’ decisions and/or recommendations are advisory only to the President at anytime, the Board of Directors may review the President’s actions on a particular Committee’s decision/recommendation. If there is a conflict or disagreement regarding the Committee’s recommendation, then the matter shall be referred to the general membership for finalization.

OFFICERS Section 1
The President shall preside over all meetings and may pick standing committees at his/her discretion. The President, by virtue of his/her office, shall have the authority to call special meetings of the regular membership and the Board of Directors. The President, by virtue of his/her office, is an ex officio member of all committees and has the power to fill vacancies that may occur from time to time on all committees.

Section 2
The Vice-President shall assist the President and will conduct all meetings in the absence of the President. The Vice-President may also be named by the President to serve on any committees as his/her designee when the President is unable to attend. Upon the disability or unavailability for service of the President, the Vice-President shall assume the role of Acting President until such disability and/or unavailability is removed. An initial determination of disability and/or unavailability shall be made by the President. In the event that the President shall fail to act in a timely fashion to declare his/her disability and/or unavailability, the Board of Directors, upon a vote of five (5) members, may call for a special Board meeting to consider the disability and/or unavailability of the President. A three-quarters (3/4) vote shall be necessary to determine a Presidents disability and/or unavailability to serve.

The decision to remove said disability and/or unavailability of the President shall be made by the President if he/she has previously declared such disability and/or unavailability. If the Board of Directors has declared such disability and/or unavailability, a majority vote of the Board members shall be required to remove said disability and/or unavailability.

Section 3
The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all proceedings during a meeting and report the same at the next meeting; shall record and sign all reports and bulletins; shall read all applications and communications; shall write all correspondence in the name of the organization; shall notify all members of meetings; shall provide a newsletter to inform the membership of association activities; and conduct the actual voting when done by secret ballot at regular meetings.

Section 4
The Treasurer shall receive and collect dues, receipts from all tickets sales, raffles and other activities; shall present an accounting at each meeting; shall sign checks of One Hundred Dollars ($300.00) or less; shall sign checks in amounts of more than Three Hundred Dollars ($300.00) with the required signature of one (1) other designated Officer; shall also submit a written semi-annual report to the membership-at-large in June and November as to the financial condition of the organization, i.e. debits and credits. The Treasurer shall also file the organization’s Annual Report with the Secretary of State.

Section 1
Dues shall be assessed at the rate of Eight Dollars ($10.00) annually to become due and payable for renewal on the last day of the month that the member joined the organization. Any member who fails to pay their dues by the renewal date must reapply for membership in the organization.

Section 2 
Deleted

Section 3
Any musician member inducted into the Country Music Association Hall of Fame shall be admitted to the CMA of RI upon payment of Dues of the sum of Ten Dollars (10.) annually.

Section 4
Deleted

Section 5
Any member may have his/her dues waived if they are disabled and unable to work upon application to the Secretary. Proof of disability shall be in writing and must accompany the waiver request. A waiver of annual dues is available only to those members who have been a member in good standing for the immediate preceding three (3) years. Any member whose disability has been removed must immediately notify the Secretary, who shall then restore the member to active status.

ARTICLE VII
BY-LAWS

Section 1
Changes in the By-laws or amendments thereto shall be submitted in writing to the President who shall promptly and forthwith transmit them to the Board of Directors for consideration. Recommendations for changes and/or amendments to the By-laws shall thereafter be submitted to the general membership at a general meeting to be called by the President. Any changes and/or amendments to the By-laws shall require a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the members who attend said general meeting.

ARTICLE VIII
QUORUM

Section 1
A majority of the total number which constitutes the whole body, i.e. committees, Board of Directors, etc., shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting its business.

ARTICLE IX
ELECTIONS

Section 1
The Officers and Board Members of the Country Music Association of Rhode Island shall be elected to a one-year term, which will begin on July 1st of each year. The annual Election of Officers will be held at the general membership meeting in June. This meeting shall be announced in a newsletter or notice to the general membership prior to the meeting. Officers will assume their duties on July 1st. A formal installation banquet may be held but is not required.

Section 2
Any member in good standing of the Country Music Association of Rhode Island is eligible to hold a position as a Board of Director or General Officer, i.e. President, Vice President, Treasurer, or Secretary.

Section 3
In May of each year the current Board of Directors shall appoint a three member nominating committee. It is the purpose of the nominating committee to seek and present at least one slate of nominees at the June membership meeting. The nominating committee may present more than one nominee for a position.
At the June membership meeting the President shall call for the nominating committee to place its slate in nomination then call for any further nominations from the floor. In the event of multiple nominations for any of the elected positions an election is to be held.
Any resulting elections to be held will be by secret ballot. The President shall then appoint an impartial person who is not an Officer, Board Member or candidate for any of the foregoing positions to oversee the election. This designated person shall be responsible to distribute, collect, and tabulate secret ballots. The designated person shall report to the president the total number of votes received and the results. In the event of a tie on the first ballot subsequent balloting is to be held.

Section 4
Any Country Music Association of Rhode Island General Office holder or Member of the
Board may not be an Officer or Member of the Board of Directors of any organization in Rhode
Island that shares the same general purpose as the Country Music Association of Rhode
Island.

Section 5
It has been determined that any person owning, leasing, renting, managing, or otherwise associated with a nightclub, dance hall, or other establishment that on a regular basis includes music as part of their format has resulted in conflicts with the goals of the Country Music Association of Rhode Island. Therefore a person in such a position shall be limited to enjoying a general membership in the organization and is not eligible to hold an elected office or appointed position such as the Board of Directors or General Officer.

Approved at the General Membership Meeting September 6,2015. Frank Keenan, President