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The Constitution of HOUSTON AMATEUR MOBILE SOCIETY (H.A.M.S.)
Preamble WHEREAS
the organization of a group
of Amateur Radio Operators
can create additional
aspects to the hobby of
Amateur Radio that otherwise
cannot be created; AND
WHEREAS
there exists a group of
Amateur Radio Operators with
diverse interests that when
combined could fulfill a
need; AND
WHEREAS
there is no repeater or
network of repeaters that
consistently couple the
Houston area with the
Houston Gulf Coast; NOW
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED
that we, a group of Amateur
Radio Operators, have come
together to create an
association of people with
interest in Amateur Radio
and the operation of amateur
radio repeaters along the
Houston Gulf Coast; AND HEREBY constitute ourselves as the HOUSTON AMATEUR MOBILE SOCIETY also known as H.A.M.S. (hereafter referred to as “The Society”) and enact this constitution as the official governing law of The Society.
Purpose It shall be the purpose of The Society to operate various radio repeaters along the Houston Gulf Coast to be used by licensed Amateur Radio Operators, to aid in emergency communications, to promote fraternalism and friendship among members and to advance the goodwill, the general interests and the welfare of Amateur Radio in the community.
ARTICLE I MEMBERSHIP 1.01 Eligibility. All persons that are in agreement with the purpose of The Society shall be eligible for membership. Membership shall be by application. Upon completion of the application and payment of required fees, membership may be extended by a favorable vote of two-thirds of the Full membership present. If membership is denied, The Society Treasurer will promptly refund any fee and the applicant shall be notified. 1.02 Levels. To provide membership to the widest possible group of applicants, the following division in membership levels will be provided to those eligible: Full: Licensed Amateur, $40.00 Annual Fee. General: Licensed Amateur, $20.00 Annual Fee. Family: Licensed Amateur Living with a Full Member, No Fee. Honorary: Elected by Proclamation, No Fee. Life Elected by Proclamation, No Fee. Anyone who has paid a total amount of $1000.00 or more to The Society, in any form such as dues, contributions or Equipment will be given life membership status, with full voting privileges. Anyone who has paid a total amount of $400 or more to The Society, in any form such as dues or contributions, will be given a 50% discount on the membership level of their choice. Senior citizens (individuals age 65 and over) will receive a 10% discount on the membership level of their choice. The fees levied in this Constitution may be changed by a simple majority vote of the Full members present as deemed necessary to fulfill the purpose of The Society. The annual membership year of The Society begins on July 1st of each year and continues through June 30th of the following year. All membership fees become due and payable on July 1st of each year. 1.03 Charter Status. Any member or non-member may have Charter Status. This special status may not be awarded or removed. Charter Status was issued one time in an official meeting in 1984. Individuals with this status may be granted special rights by a vote of three-fourths of the Full members present. 1.04 Removal. A member may be removed from membership by his/her own request or by proclamation. A member’s own request for removal shall be approved by a simple vote of the Full members present. A removal proclamation is in order when a member is inactive in The Society, has had his Amateur license revoked, or is convicted of a felony. Other proclamations for removal may also be in order. Any member whose membership fees are more than 90 days past due shall have his/her membership revoked automatically without further notice.
ARTICLE II PROCEEDING RULES 2.01 Meetings. Official meetings shall be held at least semi-annually around January-February and July-August. Reasonable advance written notice containing exact dates, times, and major agenda items shall be forwarded to all Full members. 2.02 Voting. Only Full members may vote. A Full member may give a written proxy for specific issues if unable to attend the meeting. A blanket proxy may not be assigned to another individual. Voting shall be considered official when a quorum meets at an official meeting. A quorum exists when three (3) Full members are present at a properly announced official meeting. Changes in the Constitution may be approved by a three-fourths vote of all of the Full members in attendance. Proclamations may be approved by a three-fourths vote of the Full members present. Other motions may be approved by a simple majority of the Full members present. The Full members may poll the entire membership to request guidance, but any input from a General, Family, or Honorary member will not be binding and shall not replace official voting by Full members. 2.03 Protocol. The precedence of, and the procedure on, motions and all other procedural matters at any meeting shall be governed by the most recently published Robert’s Rules of Order. Insofar as Robert’s Rules of Order are not inconsistent with the law or this Constitution, they shall be The Society’s official meeting protocol.
ARTICLE III OFFICERS 3.01 Rules. The officers shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Each officer shall be elected for a term of one year at the first official meeting of each year. The officers shall be elected by a simple majority of the Full members present. Officers must maintain “Full” membership status. Any vacancy of an office shall be filled immediately during the next official meeting by an election conducted in the same manner as the regular annual election. Officers may be removed by a three-fourths vote of the Full members. 3.02 Duties. Officers will be responsible for the following duties: President:
Vice President:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
ARTICLE IV POLICIES 4.01 Newsletter. The official newsletter of The Society shall be named “The Repeater”. The editor of “The Repeater” shall make every effort to represent The Society’s official stand on any issue and shall clearly note any opinion appearing in “The Repeater” that is not The Society’s official stand and specifically state who’s opinion it is. 4.02 A.R.R.L. The Society shall support the American Radio Relay League (hereafter referred to as “the League”). The Society’s members and The Society reserve the right to voice opinions other than the official opinion of the League. 4.03 Frequency Coordinator. The Society shall support the Official Frequency Coordinator (hereafter referred to as “the Coordinator”). The Society’s members and The Society reserve the right to voice opinions other than the official opinion and rules of the Coordinator. 4.04 F.C.C. The Society shall support the Federal Communication Commission (hereafter referred to as “the Commission”) and shall participate when possible to aid the Commission. No policy, rule, or purpose shall be approved by The Society that is in conflict with the Commission’s rules and regulations. 4.05 Expenditures. Only monies approved for expenditures will be released by the Treasurer. This will be only in the form of The Society’s official checks. Two officer’s signatures shall be required on every check. No cash withdrawal, wire transfer, or any other means of removal shall be used to release monies from The Society’s accounts. Monies approved for expenditures may be used only for the pursuit of the constitutionally stated purposes of The Society. 4.06 Support. The Society will make reasonable efforts to provide technical support to other Amateur Radio Operators in conformity with the League’s guidelines. 4.07 Logo. The Road Car Logo (exhibited in the heading on page 1) shall be the official logo of The Society. The logo used for “The Repeater” may deviate in format, but reasonable effort should be used to incorporate and blend this logo into the newsletter. The Road Car Logo was adopted in memory of W5VIN, H. L. “Chris” Crist, a founding and charter member of The Society who favored the logo and is now a silent key.
ARTICLE V REPEATER OPERATIONS 5.01 Administration. A Technical Officer shall be appointed annually by the elected officers of The Society and shall accept responsible charge of repeater operations. The Technical Officer shall designate members as control operators. 5.02 Repeater Control. Only the Technical Officer and designated control operators may control The Society’s repeaters. 5.03 Phone Patches. Phone patches to The Society’s repeaters shall be operated whenever appropriate to an emergency. Routine phone patches may be made by Full, General, or Family members for their own non-commercial use or any person under control of a Full, General, or a Family member. No “open patch” policy may be adopted.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT The original Constitution of the Houston Amateur Mobile Society was adopted by The Society on February 24, 1987. Amendments to the original Constitution were presented and properly approved in the required manner in official meetings on August 18, 1987; July 25, 1989; January 26, 1995 and February 9, 2000. This document which now serves as the official Constitution of The Society accurately recites the articles of the original Constitution as amended. Acknowledged and executed this ______ day of July, 2000.
HOUSTON AMATEUR MOBILE SOCIETY A Texas Non-Profit Association
By: _____________________________________ Larry Linzer President |