By Laws

By unanimous approval of present members, Katy Area Democrats has adopted the new by-laws effective October 15th 2020. In 2022 these by-laws were amended by the vote of the membership. The two amendments were the creation of committees under the direction of VPs and the Parliamentarian, and to allow electronic voting.

Amended and Restated Bylaws

ARTICLE I--Name

The name of this organization shall be the Katy Area Democrats

ARTICLE II--Objectives

The Katy Area Democrats is a social and political organization which has the following objectives and purposes:

To promote, support, and serve the Democrats of the Katy area
To support and promote the Democratic Party at all levels of government
To exert influence on the Democratic Party to continue its historic role as a party which promotes social justice and the needs of all the people, at the local, state and national levels of government
To keep the Katy area community informed of the Democratic Party and its principles through education, political rallies, providing a forum for qualified speakers on current-events or matters of interest, letters to the editor, telephone banks, block walking and publishing a newsletter to interested citizens and voters.
To expand the Democratic voter base and to find and support Democrats who are interested in running for elected office.
To cooperate and coordinate with the Harris, Waller and Fort Bend County Democratic Parties and Precinct Chairs and build alliances with progressive clubs and organizations in the community.

ARTICLE III—Membership and Dues

All persons sixteen or older who are Democrats and/or interested in the Democratic Party and its principles are eligible for membership in the organization. The membership is primarily intended for those who reside in the Katy area, but all are welcome to join.

Annual membership dues shall be set by the Executive Committee and approved by a vote of the general membership at a regular monthly meeting. Payment of dues shall be required to maintain an individual member in good standing. Only members in good standing are eligible to vote. Dues shall be payable annually based on date of first payment. For sustaining members making a monthly payment, the membership shall be twelve months from the date the annual dues were fully paid.

Membership in the Club may be revoked for good cause and the member expelled upon the affirmative vote by secret ballot of two-thirds of the members attending a duly called meeting. Process for revocation of a member will consist of first an oral and written warning to such member. If member of concern does not adhere to such warnings, the Executive Committee will consider sending a motion for removal to the club for a vote.

Article IV—Officer Elections

The Katy Area Democrats shall have the following officers: President, Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Sergeant-at-Arms/Parliamentarian.

To be eligible to serve as an officer, a person must have become a dues--paying member at least three months before the organization’s election.

Elections shall be held at the regular October meeting of the organization in even numbered years. The term of the office shall be two years from January 1^st of each odd-numbered year following the election to December 31^st of the next even-numbered year.

In January of each even-numbered year, a nominating advisory committee shall be formed to recruit and nominate officers for the upcoming elections and to build alliances with progressive clubs and organizations in the community. Ideally, the nominating committee shall have at least five members and shall be comprised of representatives from some of the various progressive communities operating in or near Katy, such as Indivisible, Texans Against Gerrymandering, Pantsuit Republic, Senate District organizations, Moms Against Gun Violence, Tejano Democrats, Young Democrats, labor unions, Veteran organizations, etc. The nominating committee shall nominate officers in September, for voting in October.

Thirty (30) days notification of the slate of officers and vacancies shall be provided prior to election date via email, phone, Facebook and verbal announcements at meetings. Only members in good standing may vote in elections. Officers are elected via majority vote. Election for contested offices shall be by paper and or electronic ballot issued by the Secretary and a majority of all votes cast shall constitute the election.

Uncontested elections may be held by voice vote. Vacancies shall be filled for any unexpired term by election, by members present and voting at a regular meeting. In the event a vacancy occurs in the office of President, the Vice President shall assume the duties of President for the unexpired portion of the term. In the event a vacancy occurs in an office other than President, the Executive Committee shall have the option of leaving the office vacant or calling for a special election at the next regular meeting.

ARTICLE V—Officer and Executive Committee Responsibilities

The foregoing officers together with the Past Board Advisor as defined in Article V, shall constitute the Executive Committee of the Katy Area Democrats. The functions of the Executive Committee shall be the maintenance of a continuous program of political activity and education for the club membership along with promotion of political awareness and organization. Also, the Executive Committee is responsible for the development of fund--raising activities to maintain the programs of the organization, and any other functions as provided for in the bylaws.

Roles. The roles and responsibilities of the Officers are as follows:

The President shall preside at all meetings and be the official spokesperson for the Executive Committee. The President shall propose establishment of committees and appoint their members and chairpersons with the consent of the Executive Committee. The President shall have the power to call special meetings. The President shall be the official spokesperson at all official meetings or gatherings with other Democratic organizations, Democratic office holders, and/or candidates seeking office.
The Vice--President shall preside in the absence of the President. They shall with executive committee approval establish the social events committee including the appointment of a social director
The Second Vice--President shall preside in the absence of the President and the Vice President. They shall with executive committee approval establish the communications committee including the appointment of a social media and website director
The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings and report those minutes at the next scheduled meeting of the general membership. The Secretary shall make such records available to any of the club members if requested.
The Treasurer shall receive and deposit all monies of the organization and shall record all financial transactions and report them to the Executive Committeemen and the general membership. Other duties of the Treasurer include,
Filling regular reports with the Texas Ethics Commission as required to comply with status as a GPAC. Preparing an annual budget for submission to the Executive Committee by April of each year. Maintaining all bank records and serving as the primary signer on all checks. Serve as co-signer on the Katy Area Democrats checking account, together with the President or Designees.
The Sergeant-at-Arms/Parliamentarian shall keep order at the meetings. Robert’s Rules of Order will be used to guide all parliamentary procedures during all club meetings. They shall with executive committee approval establish the Voter education committee including the appointment of a voter education Committee director
The Past Board Advisor shall be the out-going President, who will provide continuity and advise the Executive Committee for the first year of the new President’s term. In the event the President is unable or unwilling to serve on the Executive Committee, another officer shall be chosen to serve in the advisory role of the Past President, with preference given to the Vice President, then the 2nd Vice President. Should the Past Board Advisor serve on the Executive Committee in another office position, that Officer gets only one vote.
Executive Committee Voting. All decisions of the Executive Committee shall be made by a majority vote of those members present.
Term Limits. Officers of the club and members of the Executive Committee shall be limited to a maximum of 4 consecutive years in any one office and 8 consecutive years holding any of the offices on the Executive Committee (other than the Past Board Advisor). If the nomination Committee is unable to fill the roles of the Officers, the membership may approve exceptions to the term limits by a majority vote of members in good standing present at the September meeting held prior to the Election. The term limits outlined above shall not apply to the Past Board Advisor role.
Appointments. At the discretion of the Executive Committee, the following positions may be appointed in order to further the goals of the Club: Field Director, Social Media Director, webmaster, Fundraising, Social Director, Candidate Recruitment, and other roles as needed.
Removal of an Officer. The Executive Committee may recommend the removal of an Officer to the Membership. The Membership must vote by a two-third majority of members present in order to remove an officer from the post. The position will be considered vacant at that time.

ARTICLE VI--Expenditures

Any expenditure by the Katy Area Democrats will require the authorization and signature by the Treasurer of the Club and one other member of the Executive Committee. If the Treasurer is unavailable for any reason, another member of the Executive Committee may authorize and sign in his or her absence, but in all cases, signatures of two members of the Executive Committee are required on all checks.

ARTICLE VII—Bylaws

These bylaws may be amended by a two--thirds vote of the members in good standing who are present and voting at a meeting, provided that:

Notice of intent to amend the bylaws has been announced at a general meeting one month prior to meeting where the amendment will be presented for approval to the general membership.
The proposed amendment has been read as a proposed amendment at the preceding meeting. Bylaws not in conflict shall be adopted by a majority vote of the members present and voting at the meeting.
Additional notice has been provided to the general membership either through a web posting, email, general mail-out, or by the newsletter twenty-one days prior to the meeting where the amendment will be presented for approval. This notice will contain the text of the proposed amendment.
A quorum of 25% of the members in good standing is required to be present for the amendment to pass. In the event a quorum is not present, the Secretary may solicit proxy votes from all members not present.

Article VIII--Dissolution

If, at any time, this club shall be dissolved, no part of the funds or property shall be distributed to or among its members, but after payment of all indebtedness of the club, its surplus funds and properties shall be donated to the Harris County Democratic Party.

Adopted on October 15, 2019

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