Constitution and By-Laws of the Pacific American Singers

an officially sanctioned member chapter of the American Singers Club, Inc.

Article 1. NAME
Pacific American Singers, (abbrieviated PAS) a non-profit social club, chapter 29 of the American Singers Club, Inc.

Article 2. GOALS
To increase fancier interest on the Pacific Coast and promote public awareness of the American Singer canary, we will:

sponsor one or more annual shows on the Pacific Coast of the United States of America,
actively recruit prospective American Singer canary breeders,
freely share all information of merit with all American Singer canary breeders,
assist the beginner in stock procurement, canary management problems, training, showing,
adhere to the founding principles and goals of the originators of the American Singer canary,
assist and train individual members to become judges,
encourage breeding research of canary song and its inheritance factors,
publish a quarterly newsletter,
support and obey the rules and regulations of the American Singers Club, Inc. as put forth in its constitution,
be agreeable to change and improvements according to the will/vote of the majority.

Article 3. MEMBERSHIP
Section I.
Membership is open to any person interested in American Singer canaries. The payment of annual dues is the only requirement for membership in good standing. All members have full voting privileges, regardless of whether they are members of the American Singers Club, Inc. Couples or entire families may join as one member, but will receive only one newsletter and be allowed to cast one vote. Membership is for each calendar year.

Section II.
Suspension of membership is automatic when non-payment of dues occur. Suspensions are automatically lifted when dues are paid. Dues are due the same month each year that a member joined, and must be paid before their 5th newsletter is to be sent to avoid suspension. Each member's 4th newsletter will have a renewal notice as a reminder.

Section III. a.
Expulsion of membership shall occur when an individual member violates either the constitution and bylaws of PAS, or the constitution of the American Singers Club, Inc. A 2/3 majority of those voting is required to expel an accused violator.

Section III. b.
Expulsions may be petitioned by the member in question. Upon receipt of the petition, the voting membership of PAS shall, within a reasonable time, decide by simple majority of those voting if the expulsion is upheld or rescinded. If upheld, another petition may be made after one year.

Article 4. OFFICERS
Section I.
Officers must be members of this organization, and of the American Singers Club, Inc. Officers are elected by majority vote to a 2 year term. The officers shall consist of 3 individuals: president, secretary, and treasurer. Mid-term replacements are appointed by the remaining officers.

Section II. a. President
The president shall conduct meetings, direct the activities of the secretary and treasurer, and serve as a spokesperson. The president's vote is a tie breaker.

Section II. b. Secretary
The secretary shall keep records concerning the activities of PAS, take minutes at meetings, conduct all correspondences, and publish the quarterly newsletter.

Section II. c. Treasurer
The treasurer shall keep all records concerning the finances of PAS, hold the treasury, and disburse its funds as directed by the president.

Section III. Board Members
Four board members are to attend meetings and act as a steering committee and decision making body for the well-being of the club. Any paid member in good standing is eligible. Election or re-election to be held at the fall meeting. A simple majority vote suffices. In event of a tie, the president will act as tie breaker. Any board member may fill in for any officer at that officer's request.

Article 5. MEETINGS
There will be at least one meeting per year, possibly in conjunction with an annual show in the fall. Attendance is not mandatory for any member, but officers must appoint a representative if they cannot attend.

Article 6. VOTING
Votes may be made in writing to be counted and can be returned by mail. Nominations for officers can be phoned in or sent in writing anytime before the published deadline for the newsletter which will include the ballot. The ballot may be returned anonymously, but must not be a copy. Elections of new officers will be held at the annual fall meeting. Mailed ballots must be received before then. One vote per membership, regardless of fee paid or number of persons sharing a joint membership.

Article 7. ROSTER
A roster of members will be maintained and made available only to the membership. Members may elect to not have their street address and/or phone number printed. Officers must be willing to have all contact information published in the roster and in the newsletter. The full address mailing list will only be available to officers and will not be given to outside organizations.

Article 8. DUES
The basic dues are $20 each calendar year. New members joining between July-December are considered paid through the following year. Additional donations may also be made.

Article 9. AMENDMENTS
Proposed amendments must be submitted in writing and will be published in the next newsletter. The following newsletter will publish arguments for and against that are submitted in writing. If no arguments are submitted, a ballot will be published in that newsletter instead. If arguments are printed, then rebuttals to those arguments that are submitted in writing will be published in the newsletter after that, along with a ballot. The amendment is adopted if passed by a simple majority of those returning the ballots.