NJSA BY-LAWS
Article I: Name, Place of Business, and Purpose
1. Name. The name of this association shall be the “National Junior Swine Association” (NJSA).
2. Place of Business. Unless otherwise designated by the Association membership or by the
3. Purpose. This organization (heretofore and hereinafter referred to as the “Association”) exists solely as an educational youth activity and is an unincorporated joint program activity of the National Swine Registry, and every provision of these by-laws shall be construed consistent with this declaration. The purpose of the Association is to provide a network uniting purebred swine enthusiasts through a youth organization that offers competitive opportunities to reward excellence, provide educational experiences, promote the value of pure genetic lines and develop leadership skills at both the state and national level. The Board of Directors of the National Junior Swine Association shall serve as a communication link between the NJSA membership and the National Swine Registry Board of Directors and Staff.
4. No member of this Association can legally bind, or act in the name of, the National Swine Registry without the express prior consent of the National Swine Registry.
Article II: Membership
As a condition of membership in the Association, each member shall agree to conform to and abide by the by-laws, rules and regulations of the Association, and amendments or modifications thereto, which may be adopted from time to time.
1. Qualification of Members. As stated in the by-laws of the NSR, applicants for junior membership shall be youth 21 years of age and younger as of January 1 each year. Junior memberships shall be issued only to an individual and remains in effect until such minors reach the age of 22 and may be converted to active membership upon application and paying the active membership initiation fee.
2. Membership in the National Junior Swine Association is completely separate from state junior association membership.
3. Membership in the Association shall cease upon death, resignation, or expulsion of a member, except as may otherwise be provided in the rules and regulations of the Association.
4. By-laws of Organizational Members. All state junior associations must operate under state by-laws that are in accordance with the by-laws of the NJSA. These must be on file with the NSR Director of Junior Activities in
Article III: Meetings of Members
1. Place of Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of members shall be held in conjunction with the National Junior Summer Spectacular each year.
2. Time of Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of the organizational members shall be held on a date which is concurrent with the annual meeting date of the membership of the National Junior Swine Association each year, at a time designated by the Board of Directors.
3. Special Meeting. Special meetings of the members may be held at any time and for any purpose at such place designated from time to time by resolution of the board of directors. Special meetings may be called by a majority vote of the board of directors.
4. Voting. All junior, intermediate and senior NJSA members present at any membership meeting are eligible to cast one vote on all propositions submitted at the meeting. A majority of those qualified members attending shall decide all questions according to Robert’s Rules of Order.
5. Parliamentary Procedure. All annual membership meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order.
Article IV: Board of Directors
1. General. The Board of Directors shall develop and implement all programs as instructed by the general membership. In addition, the Board of Directors shall serve as a communication link between the NJSA membership and the National Swine Registry Board of Directors and Staff.
2. Numbers, Terms, Qualifications, and Election of Directors. The directors of the NJSA shall be nine (9) in number, each of those serving at any one time having been elected from different regions. Directors shall serve for one two-year term. Directors will be voted in according to Robert’s Rules of Order. Representation shall be based on regional membership. To be eligible for election, board candidates must not have reached their 21st birthday before January 1 of their election year.
3. Resignation. Any member of the Board of Directors may resign at any time by giving written notice thereof to the remaining members of the Board of Directors. Such resignation shall take effect at the time specified therein, and, unless otherwise specified therein, the acceptance of such resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective.
4. Vacancies. Vacancies in the membership of the Board of Directors resulting from any cause, may be filled by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Board of Directors at their next regular meeting or at a special meeting called for that purpose. A member appointed to fill a vacancy created by any reason, shall serve for that unexpired term of his predecessor in office and until his successor has been elected and qualified. The member filling the vacancy shall be eligible to run for election serve an additional full two-year term.
5. Attendance. Any director who is absent at two consecutive meetings may be removed from office by the majority vote of the remaining members of the Board of Directors, if they find such absences were without a reasonable excuse.
6. Meetings. The
7. Annual Meeting. The newly elected members of the
8. Regular Meetings – Notice. Regular meetings of the
9. Quorum. At all meetings of the
10. Committees. The Board of Directors may, from time to time, appoint standing or special committees that may include non-members of the Board of Directors. Standing or special committees appointed by the Board of Directors shall be charged with and limited to such responsibilities as the Board of Directors shall set forth by resolution.
11. Expenses. When the
12. Conduct of Directors. All board members should conduct themselves in a businesslike manner at all NSR functions. The Director of Junior Activities has the power and duty to issue warnings to board members when needed. Warning may be issued 1) when a board member is not willing to perform an assigned task without a good reason, or 2) for general lack of cooperation by a board member. When a member receives two (2) warnings, it is grounds for removal from the board. Removal requires discussion and a two-thirds majority vote of the directors at a regular meeting, or a special meeting called for that purpose. A code of conduct is encouraged to be developed and signed by each year’s directors.
Article V: Officers
1. General. The officers of the association shall consist of president, vice president and secretary.
2. Election of Officers. Directors serving in the second year of their 2-year term will be accepted for officer nomination at the National Junior Summer Spectacular. Votes will be cast by secret ballot by the previous year’s nine directors. This election procedure will be followed for each office. The order of election will start with president, vice president and secretary.
3. Removal. Any officer so elected may be removed by a two-thirds majority vote of the directors present at any regular meeting or special meeting called for that purpose, at which a quorum is present, provided that such removal shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the person removed.
4. Vacancies. Vacancies caused by death, resignation in capacity, removal, or disqualification of an officer of the Association shall be filled by a majority vote of the
5. President: The president holds the following responsibilities: organize and lead meetings; appoint committee members; hold month conversations with the NJSA Director of Junior Activities; and co-chair the by-laws committee.
6. Vice President: The Vice President holds the following responsibilities: oversee committee operations and structure; assist in meeting planning and operations; serve in the absence of the president and co-chair the by-laws committee.
7. Secretary: The Secretary holds the following responsibilities: act as the recording officer of the organization; keep attendance at each meeting; take and write minutes of each meeting; and correct minutes if necessary.
Article VI: Committees
The following standing committees will be appointed:
1. Fundraising
2. Membership
3. National Junior Summer Spectacular
4. Programs & Activities
5. By-laws
Article VII: Miscellaneous
1. Amendments. The by-laws of the Association may from time to time be altered or amended in any respect or repealed in whole or in part, by voting members of the Association, which power may be exercised by a vote of two-thirds of the membership present at any annual or special meeting at which a quorum is present or by a majority vote of the