BY-LAWS
Of The
CONTEMPORARY
HISTORICAL VEHICLE
ASSOCIATION, Inc.
FOUNDED 1967
(Revised January 2003)
ARTICLE 1 – NAME, PURPOSE AND LOCATION
SEC. 1. This club shall be known as the Contemporary Historical Vehicle Association, Incorporated, a nonprofit club.
SEC. 2. The purpose of this Association shall be to encourage preservation and restoration of vehicles manufactured in the model years 1928 through 1978, to be known as Action Era Vehicles (AEVs). Further, the preservation and study of printed material published as a result of study of the foregoing will be encouraged.
SEC. 3. Additional coverage outside the boundaries of the Action Era will be under consideration from time to time if:
- later vehicles are deemed significant to history, and/or
- the majority of the membership deem it their desire through referendum to include earlier or later vehicles.
SEC. 4. The Association shall exert leadership throughout the United States and its possessions to further the historical preservation of the aforementioned vehicles, including publication of “ACTION ERA VEHICLE”, the official CHVA magazine, hereafter referred to as “AEV.”
SEC. 5. The Association is empowered to acquire personal property only to the extent where it is necessary to the more satisfactory service of the club. There will be no speculating.
ARTICLE 2 – OFFICERS
SEC. 1. The Association shall have a total of seven Directors. Said Directors shall hereafter be called the “Board.” Term of office will be for three years.
SEC. 2. No officer shall hold office on the board for more than two consecutive terms unless he receives 60% of the membership’s votes in a special referendum. If successful, his name will be placed on the ballot only, meaning that he must yet win in the general election.
SEC. 3. At least three candidates will be elected to the Board annually in order to maintain a total of eleven members. No one region shall have a majority of members serving simultaneously on the Board.
SEC. 4. The first five officers will be: President, Vice-President, Technical Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. Other members of the Board will be listed in the Procedural Handbook, inasmuch as their titles and duties may be changed periodically. Non-voting officers may be appointed by the President to fill other positions as needed. Their titles and duties will also be listed in the Procedural Handbook.
SEC. 5. Prior to April 1 each year, the President shall appoint a nominating committee of three members. These members shall be from without the Board. Their names and addresses, together with a request for nomination, shall be printed in the April/June issue of “AEV”. The Committee is directed to provide to the President a slate of at least twice as many candidates as are required to fill vacancies on the Board.
SEC. 6. Prior to May 1 annually, the Vice-President shall appoint a Teller and two Associate Tellers, who must not be members of the Board, nor shall their families be members of the Board. The Teller will receive the ballots directly from the voters, and he and his Associates will tabulate said ballots.
SEC. 7. The President shall develop an assemblage of voting information which will comprise a list of candidates with a summary of their qualifications and a self-addressed envelope/ballot. The “AEV” editor must receive this material by August 11, for use in the October/December issue of “AEV” each year. These inserts can be affixed as either the centerfold or as a special cover. The issue will be marked sufficiently to alert the membership for the need of removing the ballot combination and voting promptly. Completed ballots must be sealed within the envelope which is pre-addressed to the Teller, then mailed sufficiently early to be received by November 15. The Teller and Associates will tabulate the ballots and mail the results of said election to the Secretary (or his representative) prior to November 30. The Teller will be advised by the Secretary as to whether the completed ballots are to be mailed also. In the case where the
number of nominees on the ballot is equal to the number of positions to be
filled, the board, by a majority vote, may declare that the nominees are
elected. Further action in the elective process will be suspended and the
election shall be deemed completed by the Secretary. (The italics show by-law change made by a vote of 10 of 11 board members voting in favor of this addition to the by-laws effective December 5, 2012)
SEC. 8. The term of each Board member shall begin on January 1 and terminate on December 31. The President shall be elected from within the Board during the month of December. Only members of the current Board will be eligible to vote. Said election shall be overseen by the Vice-President unless that person is a candidate for the Presidency, in which case the Secretary will oversee the election. The term of President shall be one year and limited to four successive years, however the officer may again hold the position after a one-year layoff from said office.
SEC. 9. All other elected officers will, in early December, provide the President with at least two choices of jobs, either of which they will be willing to fill. Using this list, the President will assign positions to each Board member. Should any member prove to be incapable or unwilling to fulfill his duties in a given position, the President may re-assign or instigate proceedings for removal of that member from the Board.
SEC. 10. Non-elected officers may be appointed by the President as deemed necessary for the operation of the Association, such as: National Historian, Editor, Office Manager, Legislative Representative, Club Sales, etc. These non-elective officers do not have a vote on the Board, but their advice will be welcome. The President may re-assign or remove these officials as deemed necessary, with the exception of the Office Manager and Editor. Board approval is necessary for appointment, re-assignment or replacement of these officers.
SEC. 11. The President may fill vacancies on the Board by appointment. Such appointee shall complete the term of officer he is replacing, and shall have all the power and rights of the other ten Directors. Serving a portion of another’s term does not affect the holder’s serving two consecutive terms on his own.
SEC. 12. Any Association officer and/or any member of the Board may be removed from office for non-performance of duties or for conduct detrimental to club purpose. Such removal must be voted by the Board and approved by at least six members. This action must be preceded by a written warning to the member. If this fails, the member will be asked to resign. Should a resignation not be forthcoming, that person will be removed from the Board.
ARTICLE 3 – DUTIES OF OFFICERS
SEC.1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board or the members, appoint committees, preserve order and call meetings as required. When meetings are impractical, the President shall conduct club business through Board Letters to the Board members at least every other month.
SEC. 2. The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President, if so required, head committees, and/or carry out special projects as requested by the President. He shall oversee the annual election of Officers. In early December, the Vice-President shall mail to the Board members ballots with envelopes addressed to the Teller to be used for the annual election of the President.
SEC. 3. The Technical Vice-President shall oversee any competition. He shall be responsible for judging techniques and group breakdown of vehicles for purposes of judging. Any decision he should make concerning these subjects must be placed before the Board for approval. He may appoint committees of his choosing.
SEC. 4. The Secretary shall keep minutes of all official meetings, answer all normal mail and other related duties as requested by the President, and handle club insurance. In addition, the Secretary shall receive the results of annual Board and Presidential elections from the Teller and announce results to the President.
SEC. 5. The Treasurer shall handle all funds of the Association, keep accurate books of all income and expenditures and submit such books for audit at least once a year by the appointed representatives of the President. He shall file necessary income tax returns. The Board will require the Treasurer, at club expense to post bond, if it so desires.
SEC. 6. All officers shall attend meetings whenever possible and shall reply to all Board Letters within two weeks of receipt. Any member of the Board may initiate a Board Letter. Copies of all Board Letters shall go to all Board members.
SEC. 7. Each elective officer of the Board has one vote.
SEC. 8. A Handbook of Officer’s Duties shall be prepared which will list the specific duties of each officer in full detail. This Handbook should be revised periodically as needed. Such revisions must have the approval of the Board.
SEC. 9. Any majority vote of the Board concerning club policy, unless stated in the By-Laws, shall be valid, until such a time as a referendum on the subject is successful.
ARTICLE 4 – MEMBERS
SEC. 1. Any person expressing a related interest in Action Era Vehicles and paying the correct dues is acceptable. The Board may, at a later date, initiate standards of membership based on character reference and moral grounds, but, in no case, upon economic status of the applicant.
SEC. 2. Dues shall be set by the Board on a 12 month due basis, and may be changed by seven members of the Board. Seventy-five percent of the Association budget must be spent for the publication and distribution of “AEV”.
SEC. 3. A member not paying his dues when requested becomes a non-member until he does. Members may be expelled without restitution of dues if found to engage in fraudulent of slanderous actions toward other members. Such a member must have thirty days to refute charges brought against him.
ARTICLE 5 – TYPES OF MEMBERS
SEC. 1. The first 100 members to maintain membership until the club roster reached 2000, became life members. Known as Charter Members, their numbers bear the Prefix “CM”.
SEC. 2. Members are entitled to all benefits of the club. Each member is entitled to one vote.
SEC. 3. Honorary members pay no dues, have no votes, and are accepted at the discretion of the Board.
SEC. 4. Any member may become a Life Member through the payment of a sum established by the Board.
ARTICLE 6 – CLUB POLICY
SEC. 1. Any member may start a petition concerning any matter of club policy by getting 1% of the members to sign. This petition when submitted to the Board, requires publication of the member’s desire for a referendum. Interested members will then write to him and if he gets an additional 2% of the membership to sign, a referendum will be forced. The referendum will be decided by plural vote. The foregoing does not apply to Article 4, Sec. 2 (Dues).
SEC. 2. At a club meeting a two-thirds vote can by-pass a petition.
SEC. 3. The Board shall be required to publish in the “AEV” a financial report for programs with a cost in excess of $500.00. (“Programs” defined as expenditures in lieu of normal operating expenses)
ARTICLE 7 – REGIONAL CHARTERS
SEC. 1. The National Association of CHVA, as the Parent Club, is empowered to grant Regional Charters. A group of twelve or more members of CHVA may submit a Regional Charter application to the Board accompanied by a list of members and a set of Regional By-Laws. A group of six members of CHVA may request a Provisional Regional Charter by using the same procedures as for a Regional Charter. The Provisional Regions will be encouraged by the Association to build their memberships, and when they reach a membership of twelve, the Association will present them with a Regional Charter.
SEC. 2. All members of said Regional group must, in the beginning, and in the future, remain members of the parent club.
SEC. 3. A region, as a group, may set its own dues, and is required to publish a Regional newsletter of at least one page, with a minimum of six newsletters per year. The SHOWING of street rods and modified vehicles is to be discouraged WITHIN the controls of CHVA JUDGING STANDARDS. Regions are free, however, to expand on the Action Era classifications locally as pertaining to the year of original production and equipment so long as they are not unreasonable and do not show vehicles less than fifteen years old.
SEC. 4. The Board and others as specified by the President may require receipt of local periodicals, advance notice of activities, changes of Regional By-laws and Officers, and an annual list of Regional members.
SEC. 5. The right to withdraw a Regional Charter is reserved by the Board.
ARTICLE 8 – AREAS OF COMPETITION
SEC. 1. Only vehicles from 1928 through 20 years of age 1948 will ever be considered Action Era Vehicles, with the exception of the 1927 LaSalle which was exceptional in the year of its manufacture.
SEC. 2. (Reserved) Vehicles from 1948 through 25 years of age will be known as Special Interest Vehicles.
SEC. 3. Group breakdown of vehicles will be determined by the Technical Vice-President with the approval of the Board and shall be revised periodically as additional vehicles attain acceptability.
SEC. 4. Definition of Semi-Classic Vehicles is any vehicle so determined by the Board as having above average quality, size, style, and uniqueness. Classic Vehicles are those vehicles so determined by the Board as being supreme in either quality or design and having been, therefore, in short supply and exclusiveness even in the day of their manufacture. Vehicles of the model year 1949 and later, meeting the criteria for Classic or Semi-Classic, shall be known as Special Interest Classic, or Special Interest Semi-Classic Vehicles respectively. Action Era Vehicles are defined as normal transportation vehicles of their time. Commercial vehicles, such as trucks, busses, taxi-cabs and military vehicles, are designated as Service Vehicles.
ARTICLE 9 – AMENDMENTS
SEC. 1. Any proposed change to Article 1, Article 2, Sections 1,2,3,4,8,9, or 10, Article 3, Sections 1 or 7, Article 4, Article 5, Article 6, Section 1 or 2, Article 7, Section 1 or 2, or Article 9 in the By-laws shall be submitted in writing to the President, who shall then submit to the Board. If seven Board members indicate approval, the proposed changes will be submitted to the club membership. If such proposal receives 60% of the votes cast, it will be considered carried.
SEC. 2. Any proposed change to Sections other than enumerated in Article 9, Section 1 of these Bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the President, who shall then submit it to the Board. If seven members indicate approval, the proposed changes will be considered carried.