
Rev H : 14 NOV 2011 : Bulldog, NAT SEC
23-6 Homepage
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ARTICLE 1 : NAME AND EMBLEM |
Section 1 (a)
The name of the association is: Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association.
- Principle office of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle
Association will be located at the following address: 1019 Highland,
Liberty, MO 64068 USA
- Change of Address. The designation of the county or state of
Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association principal office may change
by amendment of these bylaws. The board of Officers may change the
principal office from one location to another within the named
country by noting the changed address and effective date below, and
such changes shall not be deemed minor, and require an amendment of
these bylaws.
- New Address:
Dated:
- New Address:
Dated:
- Other Offices. The Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association may
also have offices at such other places, within or without its state
of incorporation, where it is qualified to do business, as its
business and activities may require, and as the board of directors
may from time to time, designate.
Section 1 (b)
IRS Section 501(c)(19) Purposes. Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association
is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational and/or
scientific purposes as specified in Section 501(c)(19) of the Internal
Revenue Code, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions
to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section
501(c)(19) of the Internal Revenue Code. The BOD has the authority to
change the CVMA bylaws if any part is found to be in conflict with
Federal or MO state tax laws.
Section 2
The emblem / logo used by the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association is
the sole property of the CVMA. The CVMA patch and logo cannot be
reproduced without license from the BOD. The emblem of the Combat
Veterans Motorcycle Association is in the shape of a skull encompassed
by the following colors. The incorporated colors are: Red, representing
the blood that has been shed on the battlefield. The Military Gold,
representing all branches of the military service of the United States.
Black, representing the heavy hearts possessed for those who gave their
lives and for those that are considered missing in action or prisoners
of war. The Skull and ace of spade represents the death that war leaves
in its wake.
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| ARTICLE 2 : OBJECTIVES |
General: Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association
Protocol.
The Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association is formed for the betterment
of communication and camaraderie between other Motorcycle Associations,
Veterans Organizations, and or Motorcycle Groups.
Section 1
To promote interest in various forms of motorcycle activity associated
with Veterans.
Section 2
To create and maintain camaraderie among Combat Veterans from all U.S.
Branches of Service and its allies.
Section 3
To support Veteran Organizations.
Section 4
To raise awareness for the plight of POWs, MIAs and their families.
Section 5
To conduct Association functions and activities in a manner befitting
the members of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association and as well as
the association's Auxiliary Members.
Section 6
To encourage a better understanding of motorcycle riders as a
constructive sport among members of the public, press, and law
enforcement agencies.
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| ARTICLE 3 : MEMBERSHIP |
Definitions:
The term "Good Standing" shall be defined as any person who has
fulfilled the requirements for membership in the Combat Veterans
Motorcycle Association, who is not currently under disciplinary review
or probationary status for disciplinary reasons, who has paid the
necessary dues and conformed to the requirements as set forth in these
bylaws.
Section 1
Any person:
- Of good character.
- Who is a Veteran of a Foreign War, "Combat".
- The ONLY Acceptable proof for membership to the Combat
Veterans Motorcycle Association is a copy of one's DD 214 or ERB
which must be surrendered to the BOD for verification.
- Annual dues of $20 will be assessed effective March 1, 2010
for all Full Members (Combat Veterans) and $10 for Support Members
(non-combat veterans). Dues for CVMA members deployed in a war zone
will be waived. Dues for all members are payable by June 30th of
each year. Dues for all new members joining between January 1st and
June 30th will be considered as paid in full for the balance of the
current dues year and the following dues year. Dues for new members
joining between July 1st and December 31st will be for the current
dues year only.
- Must own and operate a Motorcycle of 500cc or above.
- Should a full member resign they will be given a 5 day grace
period to rescind their resignation with no repercussions. After the
5 day grace period a member will have to re-apply for membership as
a new member and will require BOD approval.
- Active members in good standing with the CVMA who become
infirm, disabled or otherwise unable to ride their motorcycles will
be able to keep their patch and be retired as members in good
standing with the CVMA. Members must submit medical documentation
and a minimum of one year as a member and/or BOD approval is
required.
- Life members, if for health reasons can no longer ride can at
their discretion, remain members in good standing with full voting
privileges and can keep their patch.
- Life membership requirements: 3 years active in the CVMA.
Member must be in good standing for all three years and minimum
participation of one sanctioned CVMA event per year is required. One
of which must be a National meeting. Cost for life membership is
$150 and will be $200 effective March 1, 2010. If a life member
quits for any reason or the member is removed from the CVMA rolls
for any reason, no refunds will be made.
Section 2 (a)
Auxiliary Members:
- Must be of good character.
- All Auxiliary members must be a spouse, widow or widower of a
full member who is in good standing with the CVMA
- Must support the efforts of ALL branches of the United States
of Americas Armed Forces and the Combat Veterans Motorcycle
Association.
- Will have no vote in CVMA business.
- Cannot hold a position on the BOD
- $10.00 annual dues will be assessed by the CVMA Auxiliary
Unit
Section 2 (b)
Support members:
- Must be of good character.
- Must own and operate a motorcycle of 500cc or greater.
- Maximum number of support members will not exceed 10% of
total CVMA full Combat membership.
- Support members must be a veteran of the United States Armed
Forces.
- Support members will read and abide by all CVMA by-laws
applicable to them. Sections excluded:
- Section 6 and subsection 2
- Section 3
- Elections
- Duties of Officers
- Support members are required to submit their application with
proof of military service through a full member of the CVMA who has
held a membership for not less than one year. Support members are
required to have either ridden a minimum of 3,000 miles with their
sponsor, attended three CVMA events or be known by their sponsor for
a minimum of 6 months. A full member submitting an application for a
support member should verify they meet the above criteria. Only 1
support member can be vouched on per year by an individual CVMA
member. Support members will be at a 1 to 10 ratio, 1 support member
to 10 full members based on state.
- Will have no vote in CVMA business .
- Cannot hold a position on the BOD
- $10.00 annual dues will be assessed and a CVMA Support ID
will be issued.
- Support members in good standing can wear a small CVMA
Support Patch on the front of their vest or jacket which will be
supplied by their sponsor. Support members can also wear the 10 inch
support back patch which will be supplied by their sponsor.
Section 3
By applying for membership with the Combat Veterans Motorcycle
Association, you are giving the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association
and its Board of Directors the right to verify any membership
application and DD 214 records.
Section 4
Each member should attend a minimum of at least one (1) event hosted by
the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association per year. This can also be an
event in any member's state if prior approval is obtained by the state
representative from the governing body of the Combat Veterans
Association.
Section 5
All members MUST conduct themselves in a manner that is not an
embarrassment to themselves, the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association,
or the United States of America.
Section 6
All members must possess a valid motorcycle driver’s license endorsed
by their state as well as proof of insurance for their motorcycle.
Section 7
- In the event of misconduct by any member, under the by-laws
of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, the Board of
Directors possesses the right to revoke that member's membership.
Misconduct is defined as failure to abide by the by-laws of the
Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association and any organization that the
Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association supports.
- Bringing dishonor upon the Combat Veterans Association in
action, word(s), or deeds. Always remember WE ARE NOT, NOR DO WE
CLAIM TO BE, A MOTORCYCLE CLUB! WE DO NOT HAVE COLORS! We do not
prospect. We do have membership fees.
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| ARTICLE 4 : MEMBERSHIP DUES |
Section 1
Membership dues shall be at such rate, schedule or formula as may from
time to time be prescribed by the governing body of the association and
approved by the general membership.
Section 2
The governing body of the association shall determine deadlines for
payment of renewal membership dues.
Section 3
New members purchasing patches of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle
Association will be done so at cost plus shipping and handling.
Section 4
Charter members will not be required to pay annual dues and may wear the
45 patch designating that they are an original starter member, or
support member, of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association.
Section 5
Chapters can collect local dues. A cap of $10.00 annual chapter dues can
be assessed. All national dues continue to go straight to national.
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| ARTICLE 5 : ELECTIONS |
Section 1
All nominees for any office must be active and in good standing in the
association with a minimum of one (1) full year CVMA membership. All
nominees for the National BOD must be a member in good standing and have
held a Chapter, State or Regional leadership position for a a period of
one (1) year. Retired members cannot hold a CVMA officer position.
Chapter officers in newly formed chapters are excluded from the one year
requirement.
Section 2
All elected and or appointed officers and Board of Directors must remain
active members in good standing for the duration of the term while in
office.
Section 3
All officers are to be nominated and elected at the CVMA National and
will assume office within 60 days of the election and hold that office
for 36 months or until their successors are duly qualified. Consecutive
terms are permitted.
Section 4
Nominations and elections to the BOD must be made at the CVMA national.
The President will vote only in the event of a tie.
Section 5
Members nominated for office are qualified if he or she is a paid member
in good standing with the CVMA for a minimum of 1 year.
Section 6
BOD members will be considered for re-election in the following order,
President / Secretary, VP / Treasurer, SGT at Arms / PR. Should any
Officer resign or be removed for any reason the BOD has the authority to
replace the officer and the new officer will be put up for approval by
the CVMA members and nominations for the newly filled position will also
be taken at this time.
Section 7
Should an elected officer resign from office for any reason the BOD will
appoint a replacement to serve until the next CVMA National.
Section 8
Candidates for office MUST declare their intentions a minimum of 90 days
prior to the designated election date unless the election is to fill a
vacated position due to a previous election.
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| ARTICLE 6 : DUTIES OF OFFICERS |
Section 1
The President will preside over all meetings of the association; serve
as Chairman of the Board of Directors, act as executive officer member
of all committees, issue the call for regular and special Board of
Directors meetings, schedule regular elections, and be sure they are
held IAW this constitution, and carry out the directives of the Board of
Directors. Treasurer and Secretary positions are both accountable to the
CVMA BOD the CVMA BOD is allowed to temporarily fill these positions as
required.
Section 2
The Vice-President will perform all duties of the President in his
absence.
Section 3
The Secretary shall keep minutes of the NBOD and general membership
meetings. The Secretary shall provide copies of minutes to NBOD members
and State representatives within sixty days of meeting. The Secretary
will assume all duties assigned to office by the NBOD.
Section 4
The Treasurer will collect dues and other forms of income due to the
association, maintain the accounting books, make payments from the
associations funds when so ordered by the board of Directors, sign all
associations checks (along with another officers signature) and make
regular reports of the associations financial status to the Board of
Directors, State Representative and the general membership.
Section 5
The Public Relations Officer will maintain a file and have it ready to
present at each meeting and all association functions. He or she will be
in charge of all the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Associations publicity,
in conjunction with and approved by the association's President. Duties
will include: Historian, club file, pictures, newspaper articles, TV and
radio announcements and the associations web site.
Section 6
Sgt. of Arms has and will maintain order during CVMA meeting's and check
members ID cards before each meeting will start.
Section 7
The Board of Directors constitutes the Executive Board of the
Association, responsible for the execution, through its officers of the
authorized policies, by majority votes, fills vacancies in any office of
the Board of Directors and submits to the associations meetings and
recommendations affecting the policies of the association which have
been previously approved.
Section 8
Regional Representatives will be chosen by the members in the given
region and will require BOD approval prior to taking office. Regional
representatives primary duty will be to enforce the CVMA bylaws.
Section 9
State Representatives are elected by the full members of their
respective state. Nominees must be active and in good standing with a
minimum of two(2) full years CVMA membership. Term of office shall be
three (3) years. The State Representative is over their State’s Chapter
Commander(s). Responsibilities include carrying out the bylaws of the
national, watch over their membership, and review applications for
membership within the association and forward same to NBOD. State
Representatives can dismiss or discipline unruly members with NBOD
approval.
Section 10
State and Regional Officers would use military terms to describe their
position.
Section 11
State Representative's responsibilities. These include carrying out the
bylaws of the national and to watch over their membership. State
representatives can dismiss or discipline unruly members with BOD
approval.
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| ARTICLE 7 : MEETINGS |
Section 1
A quorum of conducting business shall be those present at any given
meeting.
Section 2
See DUTIES OF OFFICERS, Article 6, Section 1.
Section 3
Special membership meetings and special Board of Directors meetings can
be called by the President or two active members.
Section 4
Roberts Rule of Order will be applied during meetings to affect
parliamentary procedures, unless otherwise amended and provided for in
the bylaws. President will appoint a member of the NBOD to serve
additional duty as parliamentarian.
Section 5
- The awarding of national meetings will be based on a
rotating, regional assignment. The State Representatives, Chapter
Commanders and Regional Representative of the affected region will
determine where the national meeting will be held for the specified
time period in accordance with Annex A to these bylaws.
- In the event a region chooses not to host, they will drop to
the end of the rotation and the next region in order will become
eligible to host.
- When a region hosts a national meeting, they will drop to the
bottom of the rotation list.
Roberts Rule of Order will be applied during meetings to affect
parliamentary procedures, unless otherwise amended and provided for in
the bylaws. President will appoint a member of the NBOD to serve
additional duty as parliamentarian. |
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| ARTICLE 8 : DELEGATIONS |
Section 1
Delegations will be appointed by the President, but are subject to the
approval of the Board of Directors, to represent the association at any
convention, meeting, rally, or other assembly that may be deemed
necessary, and all delegations are authorized to exercise only those
powers specifically vested in them by the Board of Directors. |
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| ARTICLE 9 : AMENDMENTS |
Section 1
The membership may present amendments to the bylaws when ratified buy
three fourths of the membership present at a CVMA National meeting.
Amendments once passed will take place immediately.
- Proposals for amendments to bylaws may be submitted to the
general membership meeting for consideration for a maximum of two
consecutive year. If the proposal is denied for two consecutive
National meetings , it shall not be placed on the agenda again
unless one of the following criteria is met:
- A two year time limit has elapsed
- The National BOD approves the item for placement on the
agenda
Section 2
National BOD members may not hold the position of Regional
Representative, State Representative or Chapter Officer while serving on
the National BOD.
Section 3
The National BOD is responsible for implementing overall policy and
direction of the association. The National BOD is responsible for
day-to-day operations of the association and shall make decisions as
necessary to maintain the association's viability and order. At the
BOD's discretion, they may delegate responsibility of implementing
policy operations to the State Representatives and Regional/Area Reps
when necessary.
Section 4
Benevolent fund for CVMA members will be $250 per incident. Chapters
must help raise money on their own prior to applying for additional
funds from the National. Money given out will not be required to be
given back. Chapters with a member in need can petition National for
funds. $3 out of members dues will be set aside for the benevolent fund.
Section 5
Any full member who is still a member of the Armed Forces of the USA who
attends the previous years Nationals, but cannot, because of Military
deployment to a combat zone, attend the current year national meeting
will be given credit for the National and will be authorized a rocker
for the National patch that will read, for example, DEPLOYED 20XX.
Section 6
Chapters will have delegate votes based on chapter membership. One
delegate vote per 15 full members. Delegate votes will be used for
National agenda items. Votes for National officers will not be changed
and will still be taken by full members in actual attendance at the
National.
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| ARTICLE 10 : STATE CHAPTERS |
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Section 1
State chapters require a minimum of 15 members.
Section 2
Initial State chapters are based on when they were recognized; KY being
chapter one, MA chapter two, etc. Subsequent chapters within the same
state shall be numbered in accordance to their initial recognition as a
full chapter within that state. Example Kentucky Chapter is KY Chapter
1-1; the next full chapter will be KY Chapter 1-2.
Section 3
Chapters should not be located closer than a 1-hour ride from a
previously established Chapter within the same state unless approved by
the State Rep and/or National BOD.
Section 4
The Chapter members would elect the Chapter Commander. The State
Representative would be over the Chapter Commander; state members would
elect all below the State Representative.
Section 5
Chapter Commanders within the state are considered to be equal in "rank"
regardless of chapter recognition dates.
Section 6
(DETACHMENTS)
Detachments are sponsored by and accountable to a state chapter.
Section 7
Detachments require a minimum of 8 members.
Section 8
Detachments may apply for Chapter status provided they meet Chapter
guidelines. (see Article 10 sections 1-5).
Section 9
Every chapter at a minimum needs to be incorporated. Each chapter that
has their own runs and checking account will stand as an individual
entity and will be responsible for their own audit. Each chapter or sub
chapter, at their discretion can apply for tax exempt 501 c status and
will submit a yearly report to their State Representative. The State
Representative will in turn submit a financial statement to the National
Treasurer. The report is due following close of the business year and
not later than 15 Feb. Report needs to include an itemized list of any
donations made to eligible groups (example Veterans homes) and any
monies raised from chapter sponsored events and all donations received
from sources outside CVMA. A detailed of expenses for chapter operation
are to be included as well.
Section 10
The Detachment members would elect the Detachment Commander. The State
Representative would be over the State Chapter Commander; State Chapter
Commander would be over the Detachment Commander; state members would
elect all below the State Representative.
Section 11
The BOD has is the final authority in disbanding a chapter or dismissing
a chapter member. The BOD has the authority to assemble an investigative
committee to investigate any incidents involving either a chapter or
chapter member.
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| ANNEX A (see reference in Article 7, Section 5) |
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2011 - Region 8, Colorado
2012 - Region 2, North Carolina
2013 - Region 7, South Dakota
2014 - Region 3
2015 - Region 6
2016 - Region 4
2017 - Region 9
2018 - Region 5
2019 - Region 10
2020 - Region 1
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| Rev H : 14 NOV 2011 : Bulldog, NAT SEC |