2017 Season
Pensacola Hawg Hunters
Bass Club



Constitution
Revised 11/1/2016

2017 Season

Constitution & By-Laws

ARTICLE I

Section 1. Name:

This Chapter shall be called the Pensacola Hawg Hunters Bass Club.

Section 2. Purpose:

To stimulate public awareness of bass fishing as a major sport; to offer our state conservation department our organized and political support and encouragement, to promote full adherence to all conservation codes and to demand adequate water standards, to detect and report the polluter and to call attention to his crime; to improve our skills as bass anglers through fellowship of friendly exchange of bass catching techniques and ideas, and to promote and encourage youth fishing and a love for this great recreation.

Section 3: Insurance:

All members who declare themselves as a boater shall be required to maintain and have on file with the Assistant Tournament Director Insurance on the boat they will be operating in a tournament. If coverage is not on file prior to a tournament pairing said boater will not be able to use his boat in tournament. Minimum coverage's will be required as follows:
1. Bodily Injury & Property Damage Liability100,000.00 each person/300,000.00 each accident
2. Property Damage $ 1,000.00 each accident

ARTICLE II Membership:

Section 1. Membership Requirements.

Requirements for active membership, to become an active member, a person shall:
a. Be at least 21 years of age.
b. Express an interest in membership.
c. Fish one club tournament as a guest with a club member other than his sponsor. The tournament director will have the authority to make adjustments to the tournament pairings as he sees fit to insure that the guest and sponsor are not paired together.
d. Be voted on by the membership at the next meeting with guest not present. New member wil be allowed to fish the current monthly tournament so long as his annual dues and tournaments fees are paid.
e. Shirt and hat must be paid for at or before the next monthly meeting. Once dues and shirt and hat are paid, the new member will receive a copy of the club by-laws and tournament rules.
f. The official khaki shirt with club logs and teal coloured hat with logs will be ordered through the club Secretary. The shirt will have the club logo on the left chest area and also the member's name. Any other club logos or additions will be optional add-ons at the individual's expense.
g. Potential members must be nominated by a member in good standing and complete a member information sheet prior to fishing his guest tournament.

Section 2. Removal from Membership:

a. A member may be removed from membership for failure to meet membership requirements.

Section 3. Inactive Membership:

a. Inactive membership shall be awarded to any active member in good standing who expresses interest in becoming an inactive member. If the members dues are paid through October the inactive dues will be waived until that time. Otherwise inactive dues are payable in October.

Section 4. Dues:

a. Dues are due and payable at the October meeting for the following year. Any member that hasn't paid his dues by the November meeting will be removed from membership and must re-apply and fish a guest tournament.
b. Active Member Dues: $40.00 per year.
c. Inactive Membership: $20.00 per year.
d. Dues are prorated on a quarterly basis for joining members.
e. Dues for Angler of the Year will be paid by the club.

Section 5. Lifetime/Honorary Membership:

Lifetime/Honorary membership shall be awarded to anyone who has been an active/non member of the Pensacola Hawg Hunters Bass Club and who has performed meritorious services above and beyond those normally expected. Once nominated, one must be elected to lifetime membership by unanimous secret ballot. If approved, he shall be awarded lifetime membership credentials in the Pensacola Hawg Hunters Bass Club, shall receive free annual dues for the remainder of his life, and shall be accorded all rights and privileges granted active members. Once a member/non member are given life time membership, this honor cannot be removed. Non members receiving this honor do not have voting rights nor are they granted the same rights as an active member. It is simply an honorary appointment.
Procedure for Nomination:
1. The nomination must be submitted in writing and presented to the E-board.
2. Nomination must list reasons why this member/non member should be considered for lifetime membership.
3. E-Board will review the nomination and make a recommendation to the members.
4. This will be a 2 month procedure submitted 1 month and voted on the next month at the meeting.
This is simply for procedural purposes.

Life Members

Jim May - Rocky Grosjean - Jack Mahre,
Wally Cassiano - Pete Potter - John Buck
Jim Bailey Sr.

Honorary Life Member

Donnie Paul

ARTICLE III

Section 1. Officers and Elections:

a. President:

Presides over all meetings and directs all official business; appoints and directs all committee functions, serves as the head of E-Board, supervise all club functions (including the Annual Awards Banquet), initiates any changes to the constitution and by-laws or new rules. Signs checks as an alternate with the Treasurer.

b. Vice President/Treasurer:

Maintains accurate financial records and reports at each meeting, collects all dues and tournament fees, provides pay out for tournaments to the Tournament Director.

c. Tournament Director:

Serves as chairman of the Tournament Committee, performs duties as Tournament Director in accordance with Tournament Rules.

d. Secretary:

Maintains accurate minutes of all meetings and reads those minutes to the membership at the beginning of each meeting, publishes monthly newsletter, maintains record of point standings, publishes a membership roster and maintains attendance records.

e. Assistant Tournament Director:

Assists the Tournament Director in fulfilling the Tournament Directors duties in accordance with Tournament Rules. Acts as Tournament Director in his absence, and assists the Tournament Director and Secretary during tournament weigh-ins. Serves as a voting member of the E-Board. Maintains and keeps an up to date file on each boater on their insurance coverage and date of expiration. Insures that the minimum coverage as set forth by the club. 100,000/300,000 is maintained by each boater.

f. Incoming Officers:

Incoming officers will perform an audit of the previous years club treasury prior to taking office.

Section 2. E-Board:

The E-Board will consist of the President, Vice President/Treasurer, Tournament Director, Assistant Tournament Director, and Secretary.

Section 3. Negligence, Removal of Office:

Any Officer or Board member found negligent in the performance of assigned duties, by the E-Board, shall be removed from office and suspended from club membership for a period of time agreed upon by the board.

Section 4. Elections:

a. A nominating committee chaired by the President and two active members, shall seek out members that would be willing to serve as an officer in the upcoming fishing year. The committee will provide the list of members willing to serve in each office to the membership at the September meeting. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor at the September and October meetings.
b. The election of officers shall be held annually at the regular monthly meeting in October. Election shall be by a simple majority vote of members present.

Section 5. Term of Office:

a. The term of office is one year, beginning the first day of November and ending the last day of October.

Section 6. Vacancy of Office:

a. In the event of an office vacancy, nominations shall be asked for and election held at the next meeting to fill the vacancy for the balance of the term.

Section 7. Eligibility for Office:

a. All active club members are eligible to hold office after they have been a member one full year.

ARTICLE. IV

Section 1. Amending the Constitution and by-laws:

a. The Constitution and By-laws, Tournament Rules and Fish-off may be amended at the regular October meeting by a 2/3 vote of those members present. Deadline to submit rule changes will be the August meeting and must be posted in the August newsletter prior to the discussion meeting in September. Rule changes will be voted on at the October meeting. Members that have participated in less than six tournaments will be barred from voting in said year and will not be counted as part of the 2/3 vote.
b. By special request of any active member in good standing, any proposed change which is reviewed by the E-Board and receives a 100% affirmative vote can be presented at the next scheduled meeting to introduce as a change to our constitution and/or by-laws and tournament rules. This would be a special circumstance or emergency measure which would be in the clubs best interest.

ARTICLE V.

Section 1. Meeting, Parliamentary Procedure:

a. Meetings will be held the third Wednesday of each month.
b. Meetings will be conducted according to parliamentary procedure.

ARTICLE VI.

Section 1. Tournaments:

a. Club tournaments will be conducted in accordance to Tournament Rules.
b. Tournaments will be held the weekend following the monthly meeting.
c. The competitive fishing year will run from November through October with the Fish-off being the last tournament of the competitive year.

ARTICLE VII. Treasury

Section 1.

All dues will be designated to the general treasury.

Section 2.

One fourth of a members monthly tournament fee will be designated to a funding line to be used exclusively for the annual fish-off pot.

Section 3.

After the September tournament, the E-Board will meet to review the club treasury. They will set aside the special function funding line (not to exceed $400) and enough money from the general fund to pay all existing expenses, and anticipated expenses for the remainder of the year to include banquet and awards for the year end. To those anticipated expenses, they will add a $250.00 budget allowance to maintain in the club treasury. All remaining moneys will then be added to the "Fish-off pot".

Section 4.

Unless otherwise specifically designated for the general treasury or annual fish-off pot, all profits generated through special fund raising efforts (e.g. 50/50 draws, raffle ticket sales and auctions) will be designated to a funding line to be used exclusively for club functions, bereavement and congratulatory gifts. If the funding line exceeds $400 at the end of the fishing year, the excess funds will be applied to the general fund; otherwise, the funding line balance will be carried to the next fishing year treasury and not included in the normal end of year purge.