Bylaws
ARTICLE 1
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Official Name
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The organization shall be called the Utah Democratic Black Caucus, hereafter referred to as Utah Democratic Black Caucus. and, upon compliance with requirements shall be an auxiliary of theDemocratic Party of Utah.
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ARTICLE II
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Membership
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Section 1
Any Black American committed to the objectives of the Utah Democratic Black Caucus., and who declares his/her commitment to the Democratic Party, shall be eligible for membership and shall become a member of this organization upon the completion of the membership application.
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Section 2
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Associate members may be of any nationality/race. Associate members will have the right to attend and participate in all meetings of the full Caucus or the Executive Committee and Standing Committees of the Utah Democratic Black Caucus, but will have no vote in either meeting of the Caucus or its Committees.
Section 3
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Local county chapters of this organization may be established. A local Utah Democratic Black Caucus. County chapter may become certified with 10 members.
Section 4
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Proxy votes shall be permitted at meetings of the Utah Democratic Black Caucus. only as follows:
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A. No member shall vote the proxy of more than three (3) members;
B. No proxy shall be valid for more than one meeting;
C. Proxies shall be granted only by a dated and signed writing, filed with the Secretary
before the commencement of the meeting.
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ARTICLE III
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Elected Officers
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Section 1
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The elected offices of the Utah Democratic Black Caucus. shall be the Chair, First Vice-Chair, Second Vice-Chair, Secretary, Assistant Secretary and Treasurer. The Parliamentarian, Historian and Chaplin shall be appointed by the Chair. Historian and Chaplin shall be appointed as officers by the Chair and shall be part of the Executive Committee. The elected and appointed officers shall perform the duties as prescribed by the bylaws. No person shall hold office if he/she is not a member.
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Section 2
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The duties of the Chair shall be as follows:
A. be the Chief Executive of the organization; preside over all official meetings; acts as the official representative of the organization to other groups and to the media when necessary; attend the meetings of the national, state and county Democratic Committee’s on behalf of the organization.
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B. act as the Political Director of the organization by coordinating and directing the political activities of the organization.
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C. with the consent of the Executive Committee, establish and appoint committees which are necessary to achieve the goals of the organization.
D. coordinate and direct the fund-raising activities of the organization.
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Section 3
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The duties of the First Vice-Chair shall be as follows:
A. performs all the duties of the Chair in the absence of incapacity of the Chair until he/she returns.
B. assumes the duties of the Chair upon the Chair’s death, removal, or resignation for the remainder of the elected term.
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C. serves as chairman of the Mobilization Standing Sub-Committee as assigned by the bylaws.
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D. performs other duties as assigned by the Chair.
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Section 4
The duties of Second Vice Chair shall be as follows:
A. performs all the duties of First Vice Chair in the event the First Vice Chair is unable to perform the duties of his/her office.
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B. serves as chairman of the Public Policy Standing Sub-Committee as assigned by the bylaws.
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C. performs other duties as assigned by the Chair
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Section 5
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The duties of Secretary shall be as follows:
A. makes and or ensure that all necessary preparations for meetings, (agenda, meeting notifications, response to correspondence, etc.) and record and distribute the minutes of all meetings.
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B. serves as chairman of the Membership Standing Sub-Committee as assigned by the bylaws.
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Section 6
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The duties of the Treasurer shall be as follows:
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A. with the Chair or First Vice-Chair, sign all checks drawn on the organization’s accounts.
B. maintains complete records of all expenditures and receipts and deliver a financial report at each regular and special meeting of the organization and at each Executive Committee meeting.
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Section 8
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The duties of the Parliamentarian
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The Parliamentarian shall see that all meetings are conducted according to The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure and shall oversee all voting to ensure eligibility and along with one other Executive Committee Member, counts the yeas and nays for all business requiring such a vote.
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Section 9
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The duties of the Historian
The Historian shall keep an accurate historical record of the organization, including photographs, news articles and accomplishments and shall make sure it is available for display when required.
Section 10
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The duties of the Chaplin
The duties of the Chaplin are often both routine and highly specialized, including tending to the religious and spiritual needs of the organization, its members and their families.
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ARTICLE IV
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Meetings
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Section 1
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The regular meeting of the Utah Democratic Black Caucus. shall be held on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., unless the Utah Democratic Black Caucus. orders otherwise in advance.
Section 2
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The regular meeting in January shall be known as the annual meeting and shall be for receiving annual reports, adoptions and budget projection.
Section 3
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Special meetings of the Utah Democratic Black Caucus. may be called by the Chair at his or her discretion, or upon the request of 10 percent of the members. The purpose of the meeting shall be set forth in the notice. Notice of a special meeting shall be given a minimum of five (5) calendar days in advance.
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Section 4
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A quorum shall be required before any vote is taken and shall exist when one twentieth (1/20) of the general membership is present at the meeting
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ARTICLE V
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Election, Removal, and Vacancies
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Section 1
Elections shall be held biennially during even-numbered years at the scheduled meeting in April. Officers shall take office upon the close of business of the meeting for which they are elected after the election, or at the Annual State Convention, whichever is earlier. The officers shall be elected to serve two (2) year terms.
Section 2
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A person shall be eligible to run for elected office if they have attended ¾ meetings of last calendar year prior to election. has been an active paid member for ninety (90) days prior to the election. A person shall be eligible to vote if he has been an active paid member for sixty (60) days prior to the election.
Section 3
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A simple majority of voting members present shall be required for the election of the officers. The presence of a quorum, as determined according to Article V, Section 4 shall be required before elections may be held. Once an officer resigns from holding a position, he or she is required to submit all records of the Utah Democratic Black Caucus to the Chair or remaining officers immediately upon their resignation and or departure from the position. Additionally, when new officers are elected to position the previous officer/administration is required to submit all records of the Utah Democratic Black Caucus to the incoming officer/administration immediately.
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Section 4
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An elected officer may be removed for good cause upon a three-quarters 3/4 vote of the paid members present at the next regular scheduled meeting or a “special” called meeting. A quorum must be present, and the officer must be given an opportunity to be heard by the membership. Just cause can be defined as failure to carry out constitutional duties or failure to attend two or more meetings in a quarter.
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Section 5
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A vacancy in an elected office shall be filled by appointment by the Executive Committee or a majority vote of the paid members present at a meeting where there is a quorum. The Executive Committee shall ask the membership for volunteers before making an appointment.
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ARTICLE VI
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Executive Committee
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Section 1
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The following thirteen people s hall constitute the voting members of the Executive Committee: the elected and appointed officers of Utah Democratic Black Caucus., and District representatives from each congressional district. The Executive Committee shall determine the goals of and oversee the ongoing operations of the organization.
Section 2
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The Executive Committee shall meet prior to the regularly scheduled meeting.
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ARTICLE VII
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Standing Committees or Subcommittees
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The following shall be the standing/subcommittees of the Utah Democratic Black Caucus:
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Section 1
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Membership Standing Sub-Committee
A. shall solicit memberships and present a report at each monthly meeting of the Utah Democratic Black Caucus.
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Section 2
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Public Policy Standing Sub-Committee
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A. Shall be responsible for submitting the platform or resolutions reports to the State; Creating task forces to study issues for the Utah Democratic Black Caucus; compiling research on issues for the use by candidates for public elected office.
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Section 3
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Fundraising Standing Sub-Committee
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A. Whose function, duty and responsibility will be to seek relationships from mutually beneficial outside community organizations; for the support and activities of the Utah Democratic Black Caucus.
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B. This committee shall consist of at least five (5) members or more at the request of the Chair and/or Executive Committee.
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Section 4
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Mobilization Standing Sub-Committee
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A. Shall be responsible for helping to create and implement a field program with the Utah Democratic Black Caucus Executive Committee.
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B. This sub-committee should create workshops for the Utah Democratic Black Caucus, information for potential Democratic Party candidates, workshops and programs for volunteer training, and campaign workshops.
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C. This sub-committee shall also be responsible for initiating, building, and maintaining relationships with grassroots organizations aligned with the Utah Democratic Black Caucus.
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ARTICLE VIII
Caucus Endorsement Platform
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Section 1
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The Utah Democratic Black Caucus Executive Committee may choose to endorse candidates for office in intra-party races after the filing deadline, if the candidate has met criteria established by the Executive Committee. The vote must be affirmed by a â…” vote.
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ARTICLE IX
Parliamentary Authority
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The rules contained in the modern edition of the Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the Utah Democratic Black Caucus. in all cases where they are not inconsistent with the bylaws and any special rules of order the Utah Democratic Black Caucus may adopt.
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ARTICLE X
Amendments and Ratification
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These bylaws constitute the official rules of the Utah Democratic Black Caucus. These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) votes. Ratification of any amendments to the bylaws may occur at any regular/annual/special meeting of the Utah Democratic Black Caucus., provided that (a) the amendment has been submitted in writing to the Executive Committee at least thirty (30) days prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting, (b) the amendment has been considered by the membership at the meeting, (c) ratification of the amendment occurs sixty (60) days after the submission to the Executive Committee.
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