BY - LAWS
Lake Country Human Resources Association (LCHRA)
First Draft 1/7/03
Second Draft 2/3/03
Third Draft 2/10/03
Fourth Draft 2/13/03
Fifth Draft 6/12/03 (final - submitted for Chapter Affiliation with SHRM)
Sixth Draft 2/10/07

Seventh Draft 06/01/2010

I. NAME AND AFFILIATION
A. The name of this organization shall be Lake Country Human Resources Association (herein referred to as LCHRA or Chapter)

B. This organization is affiliated with the Society for Human Resource Management, SHRM (herein referred to as SHRM)

C. The Chapter is a separate legal entity from SHRM. It shall not be deemed to be an agency or instrumentality of SHRM or of a State Council, and SHRM shall not be deemed to be an agency or instrumentality of the Chapter. The Chapter shall not hold itself out to the public as an agent of SHRM without express written consent of SHRM. The Chapter shall not contract in the name of SHRM without the express written consent of SHRM.

II. PURPOSE
The purpose of this organization shall be:

A. To foster and promote better methods, procedures and practices that will encourage the development of higher standards of performance in the field of human resource management.

B. To provide its members with the opportunity of networking, meeting and exchanging constructive ideas and information with others engaging in similar work and facing similar problems.

Its mission is as follows:

The Lake Country Human Resource Association's mission is to enhance the growth of the human resource profession in the lakes area through networking and learning opportunities.

III. MEMBERSHIP
A. There shall be three types of membership. Payment of dues and approval of the membership application entitles membership. Individuals expressing interest in joining may attend up to two LCHRA meetings without charge.

1. Professional Membership
Professional membership shall be limited to those practitioners who are predominantly (50% or more) engaged in a human resource (HR) capacity.

Those activities include but are not limited to: employee recruitment and selection; HR planning; training and development; compensation and benefits; health, safety, and security; employee and labor relations, HR research, and EEO and Affirmative Action. 

Professional members may vote and may hold office.

2. Associate Membership
Other practitioners who do not meet the requirements of the other membership categories but who perform HR functions (as listed in the professional membership above) less than 50% of their time. Associate members may vote but may not hold an officer position.

3. Student Membership
Individuals who are actively enrolled in Human Resource programs at a college or technical college level. Student members may not vote and may not hold office in the Chapter.

B. Specific Exclusion
The Chapter shall not specifically exclude any person or group of people that meet one of the above membership requirements. The Chapter reserves the right to revoke or deny membership because of solicitation for personal or business gain that becomes pestilent to other members.

C. Mailing Labels
The Chapter shall not sell nor share the membership mailing list to any business organizations or entities who wish to solicit members. The President may at his/her discretion, agree to distribute information to the membership without releasing the membership list under the following stipulations:

• A two week time frame is allowed for the mailing from the time of request
• The mailing is postage paid and delivery prepared by business organization or entity
• There is no conflict of interest with LCHRA (ie. dates of events/meetings)

D. Application
Application for membership shall be made by interested individuals via verbal or written request and must be submitted to the Secretary/Treasurer for action. The Board of Directors shall make recommendations for acceptance or declination. If no meeting of the Board of Director's is scheduled within a reasonable time so that delay in acting on the application would result, the President may obtain action by telephone or email. All accepted applicants will receive a letter from the President and other pertinent materials such as: the membership roster, a copy of the by-laws and web-site information. The President will notify applicants not meeting the requirements by letter. Upon their approval, all new members will be listed on the Chapter web-site.

Memberships belong to the payer of the dues, either an individual or organization. Organization-paid memberships denoting an individual as a member may transfer membership to another individual from within that organization. Individual-paid memberships may not be transferred. If more than one individual from the same company are members, a maximum of two membership dues will be payable.

E. SHRM Membership
1. Membership in SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, shall be left to the discretion of the individual members; however, membership in SHRM will assist with meeting some of the eligibility requirements for LCHRA affiliation with SHRM.

2. The Chapter President is required to be a member of the national organization, per SHRM bylaws.

IV. DUES
The fiscal year for LCHRA shall be from January 1 through December 31. Dues shall be payable within 30 days after receipt of the billing statement from LCHRA. An individual billing statement will be sent to each member via e-mail where possible. Dues are based on the following schedule:

A. SHRM Membership
1. The annual dues for membership for an individual in the Society for Human Resource Management will be established by the national organization.

B. LCHRA Membership
Annual dues for professional, associate and student memberships with LCHRA will be reviewed each year by the Board of Directors who will submit a recommendation for approval by the general membership on or before the May general meeting. If a new member joins with more than six months remaining in the fiscal year, the full amount of annual dues are payable. If a member joins with less than six months remaining in the fiscal year, half the usual annual dues will be payable.

V. Voting.
Each member with the exception of student members, shall have the right to cast one vote on each matter brought before a vote of the members. Votes shall be tallied by an ad hoc committee appointed by the board.

A simple majority vote shall be sufficient to carry all motions requiring a vote at any meeting.

VI. OFFICERS - ELECTION - TERM OF OFFICE
The following table depicts the officers who serve on the board of LCHRA and their respective term lengths.

A. Election of officers shall be conducted as follows:

By October 1 each year, the President shall appoint from among the professional membership a Nominating Committee who shall make a careful study of the membership and select at least one candidate for each office.

Candidates for officer positions are to be actively engaged in the human resource profession a minimum of 75% of professional time. After obtaining consent of each candidate to serve if elected, this slate shall be presented to the members for election in November with tenure of office to begin January 1.

The names of persons nominated and accepting nominations from the floor or nominating committee will be added to the ballot. If there is only one candidate for an office after nominations have been officially closed, such candidate will be considered elected to that office by acclamation.

B. Vacancies:

Any vacancy in the board may be filled for the unexpired term by a member chosen by the President with consent by the board. In the event of the resignation of the President, the President-Elect shall succeed the President.

C. Removal of Board Member:

Any board member may be removed from office, with cause, upon affirmation vote of 2/3 of the entire board.

VII. DUTIES OF OFFICERS
A. President
The President shall preside at all general meetings and Board meetings; s/he shall be authorized to countersign checks issued by LCHRA in the absence of the Secretary/Treasurer; s/he shall have general charge and supervision of all the affairs of the Chapter and shall perform such duties as are usually associated with that office; s/he shall appoint all standing committee chairpersons and special committees. S/he shall with assist with the programming of bi-monthly Chapter meetings with assistance from board members as delegated. S/he shall serve as the Board liaison to (various) Committees. S/he shall act as the liaison between the Chapter and SHRM as well as other professional groups and ensure that the Chapter is properly represented at official functions. All historical data relating to the Society shall be retained by the President. S/he shall be a current member in good standing with SHRM.

B. President-Elect (membership)
The President-Elect aids the President in overall Chapter management to prepare for his/her role as President and shall perform the duties of the President in his/her absence or at his/her request. S/he shall be responsible for: public relations and Chapter membership recruitment and retention. S/he shall serve as the Board liaison to committees as assigned.

C. Secretary/Treasurer
The Secretary/Treasurer shall record the proceedings at all Board meetings and distribute them to the membership. S/he shall serve as the Board liaison to committees as assigned. S/he shall be responsible for sending out all annual dues statements to the members and collecting and depositing all funds due to or collected by the Chapter. S/he shall keep accurate and complete records of all receipts and disbursements and render quarterly and annual financial reports to the Board and submit them annually for publication for general membership. S/he shall have other such powers or duties as the President may determine.

D. Past President
The Past President shall serve on the Board and assist in the transition of new officers. S/he will serve as the Board liaison to Committees as assigned.

E. At-Large Members
At-large board members shall perform such duties as the president or board determines.

VIII. COMMITTEES
Appointments of interested members to serve as chairpersons to committees is the responsibility of the President. The chairperson and president will seek interested members to participate in committee activities. Special Committees may be organized by the president to meet Chapter needs.

Committees of the Chapter may be established to provide the Chapter with on-going services. These committees may include, but not be limited to: Membership Committee, Program Committee, compensation Committee, Newsletter/Website Committee, Professional Certification, Seminar Committee, Social Committee, Nominating Committee, Legislative Committee, Workforce Development Committee, Student Chapter Committee. Additional committees and/or adhoc committees will be created as designated by the Board.

IX. MEETINGS
A. A general meeting of all members shall be held on the second Wednesday the months of January, February, March, April, May, June, July, September, October & November. The place for the meeting shall be announced by the President. Changes in the meeting location will be announced via e-mail.

B. Annual meetings. The annual meeting of the members for electing officers and conducting other appropriate business shall be held in May or such other time as determined by the Board.

C. Special Meetings: Notice of all special meetings shall be given to all members at least 10 days in advance of the date of the meeting.

D. Quorum: Members holding one-tenth of the votes entitled to be cast, represented in person or by conference call, shall constitute a quorum. .

E. Board of Director Meetings: The Board shall meet at the call of the President or any two members of the board. The Board shall conduct, at a minimum, quarterly meetings. The place shall be determined by the person or persons calling the meeting.

X. AMENDMENTS TO BY- LAWS
These By-laws may be amended if such amendments are approved by the Board and subsequently by a majority vote of the members of LCHRA at any general meeting, following proper notification of such action to be taken. Proper notice shall be notification of each individual member of the Chapter by e-mail of the amendment(s) of the By-laws under consideration. This notice shall be sent at least 15 days prior to the meeting at which action is to be taken. If e-mail is not available, By-laws will be sent in hard-copy format via regular U.S. mail.

No such amendment shall be effective unless and until approved by the SHRM President/CEO or his/her designee as being in furtherance of the purposes of the SHRM and not in conflict with SHRM bylaws. Any motion to amend the bylaws shall clearly state that it is not effective unless and until approved by the SHRM President/CEO or his/her designee.

XI. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
This Chapter adheres to the principle that all persons shall have equal opportunity and access to membership and to all Chapter activities, including the holding of office without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, age, handicap, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, family or public assistance status or any other legally protected category.

XII. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
The financial records of the Chapter shall be open to inspection by any member at a mutually agreeable time and location, upon request to the Secretary/Treasurer.

XIII. CHAPTER DISSOLUTION
In the event the Chapter dissolves, the remaining monies in the treasury, after Chapter expenses have been paid, will be contributed to the SHRM Foundation.

XIV, WITHDRAWAL OF AFFILIATED CHAPTER STATUS
Affiliated chapter status may be withdrawn by the President/CEO of SHRM or his/her designee as a representative of the SHRM Board of Directors upon finding that the activities of the Chapter are inconsistent with or contrary to the best interests of SHRM. Prior to withdrawal of such status, the Chapter shall have an opportunity to review a written statement of the reasons for such proposed withdrawal and an opportunity to provide the SHRM Board of Directors with a written response to such a proposal within a thirty (30) day period. In addition, when the Chapter fails to maintain the required affiliation standards as set forth by the SHRM Board of Directors, it is subject to immediate disaffiliation by SHRM. After withdrawal of Chapter status, the SHRM Board of Directors may cause a new Chapter to be created, or, with the consent of the President/CEO of SHRM and the consent of the body which has had Chapter status withdrawn, may re-confer Chapter status upon such body.

XV. Statement of Ethics
LCHRA adopts SHRM's Code of Ethics for members of the Chapter in order to promote and maintain the highest standards among its members. Each member shall honor, respect and support the purpose of this Chapter and SHRM.

• The Chapter shall not be represented as advocating or endorsing any issue unless approved by the Board of Directors.
• No member shall actively solicit business from any other member at Chapter meetings or through the use of information provided to her/him as a member of the Chapter without approval from the Board of Directors.