BYLAWS
Of the
KENTUCKY COURT REPORTERS ASSOCIATION, INC.
Revised and Adopted March
31, 2003
Revised
and Adopted April 4, 2003
ARTICLE
I. Name.
A. Name. The name of this
corporation shall be: Kentucky Court Reporters Association,
Inc., hereinafter referred to in these Bylaws as "the
Association."
ARTICLE
II. Meetings.
A. Meetings. The Annual
Business Meeting of the Association shall be held each year
at a time and place designated by the Executive Board. This
meeting shall be for the purposes of electing officers,
receiving reports of officers and committees, and any other
business that may arise.
B. Special Meetings. Special
meetings may be called at any time upon the motion of the
President, or may be called by the Executive Board on receipt
of written request of one-third (1/3) of the voting members
of the Association, giving the reasons therefor, and the
business to be transacted at the special meeting. At such
special meeting, no business shall be transacted except as
specified in a notice to the Members.
C. Voting. At any meeting of
the Association, only Active Members shall have the right to
vote, which vote shall be case in person only. Voting by
proxy shall not be allowed. A majority of votes cast shall be
sufficient to carry any resolution that is proposed for
voting, except for Amendments to Bylaws. The procedure for
Amendments to Bylaws is provided for in a separate Article.
D. Quorum. At any annual or
special meeting of the Association, if ten (10) percent of
the total Active Membership is present and responding to roll
call at the business meeting, that shall constitute a quorum
for the transaction of business of the Association.
E. Parliamentary Authority. Roberts
Rules of Order Revised shall be the parliamentary authority
where applicable and where there is no conflict between said
Rules and the Bylaws of the Association. In the event of such
a conflict, the Bylaws of the Association shall govern.
F. Order of Business. Unless
otherwise ordered by a majority vote of the members present,
the order of all business at all regular and special meetings
of the Association shall be as follows:
1. Reading of minutes.
2. Reports and statements of
officers and committees.
3. Unfinished business.
4. Election of Executive Board (when
scheduled).
5. New or miscellaneous business.
ARTICLE
III. Executive Board.
A. The Executive Board shall
be the governing board of the Association and shall establish
policies and procedures and administer all affairs and
activities of the Association.
The Executive Board shall consist of
the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary,
Immediate Past President, and four (4) directors. The
chairman of each standing committee will serve in an advisory
capacity to the Executive Board but will have no vote in
matters before the Executive Board.
B. Election and Term of Office. Elected
officers of the Executive Board shall be elected by the
membership at the annual meeting of the Association for a
term of two (2) years. The term of each officer shall begin
at the close of the annual meeting at which the officer is
elected. The officer shall serve until the election of a
successor, or until such time as a vacancy shall occur in
accordance with these Bylaws. No elected officer shall serve
for more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same office.
C. Eligibility. No person
shall be eligible to hold office in the Association who is
not an Active Member at the time of election or appointment.
D. Vacancies. The Executive
Board shall have the power to declare a vacancy in any office
or chairmanship in the event of:
1. The inability of that officer or
chairman to actively perform the duties and functions of that
office;
2. Absence from three (3)
consecutive meetings of the Executive Board.
With the exception of the office of
President, any vacancy on the Executive Board shall be filled
as follows: The remaining members of the Board shall select a
member to fill the vacancy of any elective office for the
unexpired term of that officer.
E. Nominations. Nominations
for all officers shall be made at the annual meeting of the
Association at which elections are held.
ARTICLE
IV. Duties of Officers.
A. President. The President
shall preside at all meetings of Members and the Executive
Board, and perform generally all duties usually incident to
such office, and such other and further duties as may be from
time to time required by the Members or Executive Board.
The President shall be the
representative of the Association to the Annual Convention of
the National Court Reporters Association and shall make a
full report of the convention proceedings at the next regular
meeting of the Association. The President shall designate one
(1) other member to attend the convention with the President.
The expenses of the President and the designee, or any
portion thereof in attending such convention, shall be
reimbursed upon approval by the Executive Board in a
reasonable amount, taking into consideration the necessary
expenses incurred and the financial status of the
Association. In the event the President is unable to attend
the National Convention, the President shall designate a
representative to so attend and such representative shall
have the same duties and be entitled to the same
reimbursement as provided in this section.
B. Vice-President. The
Vice-President shall perform all the duties of the President
in case of the latter's absence or disability and shall
perform such other duties as assigned by the President. In
case both the President and Vice-President are absent or
unable to perform their duties, the Members or Executive
Board, as the case may be, may appoint a President Pro
Tempore.
C. Secretary. The Secretary
shall keep an accurate record of all transactions of the
Members and Executive Board; shall give all notices required
by law and all notices provided by the Bylaws of the
Association; shall keep a proper Secretary's book; and shall
properly record therein all minutes of Members and Executive
Board Meetings, and such other matters as shall be proper and
necessary and generally perform such duties as may be
required by the Members or Executive Board. At the expiration
of the term of office the Secretary shall deliver all books,
papers, and property of the Association to the President, or
to the succeeding Secretary.
D. Treasurer. The first duty
of the Treasurer shall be to obtain a bond to insure the
actions of the Treasurer while in office and while handling
the accounts and funds of the Association. The Treasurer
shall collect all dues and assessments of the Association,
and shall make disbursements, making a report to the
membership at all meetings and an annual written report for
the annual meeting.
E. Executive Board Meetings.
The Executive Board shall hold such meetings as designated by
the President. Five (5) members of the Executive Board shall
constitute a quorum. The President shall act as chairman of
the Executive Board.
ARTICLE
V. Committees.
A. Committees. The President
shall appoint such committees as may be found necessary to
properly conduct the business of the Association, each
committee to consist of not less than three (3) Active
Members.
B. Nominating Committee. The
Nominating Committee shall consist of three (3) voting
members, one (1) of which shall be a Past President of the
Association.
ARTICLE
VI. Membership.
A. Classes of Members. The
membership shall consist of the following classes:
Active Members,
Associate members,
Honorary Members,
Student members,
Vendor members.
B. Active Members. The
following classes of persons shall be eligible for Active
Membership in the Association:
1. Any reputable and competent
shorthand reporter engaged in the profession of court
reporting for a period of not less than one (1) year next
prior to making application for admission as a member; or
2. Any person who is the holder of a
Certified Shorthand/Court Reporter Certificate issued
pursuant to a Statutory certification or licensing act under
Federal or State law; or
3. Any person who has attained the
National Court Reporters Association's Certificate of
Proficiency or Certificate of Merit; or
4. Any person who has graduated from
an NCRA approved court reporting school and/or has passed the
Registered Professional Reporter examination.
C. Associate Members. The
following classes of persons shall be eligible for Associate
Membership in the Association:
1. Any Active Member in good
standing on retiring from the active practice of court
reporting may become, upon application to the Secretary, an
Associate Member of the Association.
2. A videographer who provides legal
video services.
3. Anyone professionally associated
with or employed by a member of the Association whose
application is endorsed by an Active Member in good standing.
4. A teacher of shorthand reporting,
or anyone connected in an official capacity with a school or
college conducting a shorthand reporting course may become an
Associate Member. Such persons need not meet the requirements
for skill in the art of verbatim reporting of proceedings by
the use of shorthand symbols.
D. Honorary Members. The
following persons shall be eligible for Honorary Membership
in the Association:
1. Any person who has attained a
high rank in the reporting profession as a practitioner of
the art of court reporting or as a benefactor of the
profession, but who is not in the active practice of court
reporting, upon recommendation of the Executive Board, may be
elected an Honorary Member, provided two-thirds (2/3) of the
members present and voting at an annual meeting shall vote to
confirm such recommendation.
E. Student Members. The
following persons shall be eligible for Student Membership in
the Association:
1. Any person who is currently
enrolled in an approved court reporting educational program;
or
2. Any person who is currently
serving an internship in court reporting; or
3. Any person who has graduated from
an NCRA approved court reporting school, but has not been
engaged in the practice of court reporting for a period of
one (1) year.
F. Vendor Members. Any firm
or corporation engaged in selling products or services to
Association members.
G. Privileges. All classes of
Members shall enjoy the privileges of the Association except
where certain privileges are specifically restricted to a
specific class of member in these Bylaws.
H. Voting Rights. Only Active
members shall be eligible to vote. Only Active Members shall
be eligible to hold an elective office.
I. Membership Application
Procedure. Applications for membership shall be in
writing, stating the name and residence of the applicant, and
shall be signed by the applicant. All applications for
membership, with payment of one (1) year's dues for that
current calendar year, shall be filed with the Membership
Chairman.
The Executive Board shall pass on
all applications for membership; shall receive, consider and
keep confidential all communications in reference to such
applications, and shall pass separately upon each name
submitted. All proceedings of the Executive Board relative to
applicants for membership shall be secret and confidential,
and the minutes of the meeting relating to membership shall
be sealed and kept confidential. A person shall become a
Member of the Association only upon the favorable vote of
two-thirds (2/3) or more of the Executive Board voting at a
regular or special meeting of the board.
No person whose name has been
proposed for membership and who has been rejected by the
Executive Board shall be renominated within a period of
twelve (12) months from the date of such rejection.
ARTICLE
VII. Dues.
A. Annual Dues. Each Active
Member of the Association shall pay annual dues not to exceed
$100.00 per year, said annual dues to be determined by the
Executive Board. Such dues shall become due and payable to
the Treasurer on January 1 of each year.
Each Associate Member and Student
Member shall pay annual dues in an amount not to exceed
one-half (1/2) the annual dues of an Active Member, said
annual dues to be determined by the Executive Board. Such
dues shall become due and payable to the Treasurer on January
1 of each year.
Honorary Members shall pay no dues.
Vendor Members shall pay annual dues
in the amount of $500.00. Such dues shall become due and
payable to the Treasurer on January 1 of each year.
B. Other Charges. Assessments
may be levied upon the Members of the Association by a
majority vote of the Executive Board.
C. Delinquent Members. The
names of all delinquent members failing to pay their dues
within sixty (60) days of January 1 of each year shall be
reported to the Executive Board by the Treasurer as
delinquent and subject to suspension. The Executive Board may
at any regular or special meeting thereafter, take such
action as prescribed in Article VIII relating to discipline,
including suspension.
D. Funds Collected. All funds
collected by the Treasurer of the Association shall be
deposited in a bank to be designated by the Treasurer to the
credit of the Association. Payment of all bills shall be by
check, to be signed by either the President or Treasurer of
the Association.
ARTICLE
VIII. Discipline.
A. Suspension and Expulsion. Suspension
shall apply only to those committing nonpayment of dues and
their reinstatement shall be governed by the Bylaws relating
to nonpayment of dues. Expulsion shall apply to those whose
membership is terminated for cause other than nonpayment of
dues, and their reinstatement shall be governed only by the
Bylaws relating to Reconsideration by the Executive Board or
by reapplication for membership.
B. Termination for Nonpayment of
Dues. If any member shall be in default for the payment
of dues or indebtedness to the Association as provided in
Article VII thereof for sixty (60) days or more, said Member
shall be suspended and all privileges of membership shall be
terminated. Said Members suspended for nonpayment of dues may
be reinstated at any time prior to the close of that
membership year upon payment of a reinstatement fee of $10.00
plus the full current year's dues.
The membership of those Members who
are under suspension for nonpayment of dues at the close of a
membership year shall be terminated and they shall be
readmitted only by application for membership as provided for
in the Bylaws in relation to Membership.
C. Termination for Cause. If
the conduct of any Member shall appear to be in willful
violation of the Bylaws or other regulations of the
Association, the Executive Board may by the affirmative vote
of two-thirds (2/3) of the entire board suspend or expel such
Member.
Before taking such action, a written
copy of the charges must be served upon the Member by mailing
by first class mail to the address listed on the membership
list and an opportunity given to be heard before the
Executive Board in defense. All proceedings before the
Executive Board relating to termination shall be private and
confidential. A motion to reconsider the suspension or
expulsion of a Member may be made at the next regular meeting
of the Executive Board, but not thereafter. Any Member so
expelled shall be refused admittance unless readmitted
pursuant to the Bylaws regarding admission of Members.
ARTICLE
IX. Amendments.
A. Proposals. Amendments to
the Bylaws shall be proposed in writing to the Executive
Board by three (3) or more members of the Executive Board, or
by a request signed by five (5) or more voting members of the
Association.
B. The Executive Board shall
authorize the Secretary to submit proposed amendments in
writing to the entire membership at least two (2) weeks prior
to a meeting at which the amendments are to be voted upon.
C. Voting. An affirmative
vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members voting shall be
required for the adoption of an amendment to the Bylaws.
D. Adoption. After adoption
by the members, the Secretary shall attach a certificate as
to the date of adoption.
ARTICLE
X. Indemnification.
A. The Corporation shall
indemnify any current or former member of the Executive Board
who necessarily incurs expenses in the defense of any
proceedings to which he is made a party by reason of holding
or having held a position on the Executive Board, unless in
such proceeding he shall have been adjudged liable for
negligence or misconduct in the performance of duty
KRS 273.170). Said indemnification
shall extend also to former members of the Executive Board.
These Bylaws are adopted this, the
4th day of April 2003, and hereby repeal all other
Constitutions and Bylaws which may have been adopted
heretofore.
__________________________________________
Jolinda S. Todd, Secretary
