ACB of Maine Bylaws

BYLAWS of the American Council of the Blind of Maine

As Amended March 4, 2021

1. Dues:

  • 1.1 Annual dues will be assessed at fifteen DOLLARS ($15.00) per year (effective as of October 1, 2020 for the 2021 membership year).
  • 1.2 Members who are delinquent for two (2) years will be dropped from the membership.

2. DUTIES of OFFICERS:

  • 2.1 President: Duties shall be to preside over the annual convention, meetings of the Board of Directors, and all other duties as outlined in Roberts’ Rules of Order, Revised.
  • 2.2 Vice-President: Duties shall be to conduct the business of this organization in the absence of the President.
  • 2.3 Chairperson of the Board: Duties shall be to conduct the business of this organization in the absence of the President and Vice-President.
  • 2.4 Secretary: The duties of the secretary of this organization, in addition to the usual duties of such an office, shall be to furnish any Member upon request a summary of all official actions taken at conventions or meetings of the Board of Directors, respond in writing to pertinent inquiries that have been received by this organization and authorized by the Board of Directors, and making written contact with individuals or organizations. The Secretary shall also maintain contact information of current and past Members. The Secretary shall post the approved minutes on the ACB of Maine website within 10 days of acceptance of such minutes.
  • 2.5 Treasurer: The duties of the treasurer of this organization, in addition to the usual duties of such an office, shall be to present a financial report at the annual convention, a current financial report to the Board of Directors upon request, and to serve on the Finance Committee. The Treasurer will post the approved Treasurer Report on the ACB of Maine website within 10 days of acceptance or approval of such reports.

3. POWERS and DUTIES of the BOARD of DIRECTORS:

The Board of Directors is empowered to conduct the ongoing business of this organization between the annual conventions as long as this does not conflict with actions taken at the annual convention.

  • 3.1 The Directors shall elect a Chairperson to preside in the absence of the President and Vice-President.
  • 3.2 Any Member of the Board of Directors who fails to attend three (3) consecutive regular board meetings without authorization by the President or Chairperson of the Board shall be notified by the President or Chairperson of the Board that absence of the Member at the next board meeting shall be deemed an indication of the absent Member’s wish or necessity to resign from the Board of Directors. If the Member fails to attend the next board meeting, that Member will be deemed conclusively to have resigned and the President shall appoint a Member to fill that position until the next annual convention.

4. COMMITTEES:

Upon the recommendation of the Board of Directors, the President will appoint a Chairperson of any committee, who in turn will recommend one or more Members to serve on such a committee. The President is ex-officio Member of all Committees.

  • 4.1 All Committees shall report at the annual convention, and to the Board of Directors upon request.
  • 4.2 Standing Committees shall be Finance Committee, Convention Planning Committee, Legislative Committee, Membership Committee, Fund Raising Committee, and the Constitution and Bylaws Committee.
  • 4.2.1 The Finance Committee shall prepare the annual budget, monitor the investments and make financial recommendations to the Board of Directors. 
  • 4.2.2 The Convention Planning Committee shall plan the annual convention. 
  • 4.2.3 The Legislative Committee shall monitor legislative activity and make recommendations of action to the Board of Directors. 
  • 4.2.4 The Membership Committee shall monitor membership levels and recruit new Members. 
  • 4.2.5 The Fundraising Committee shall present ideas for raising funds for the general use of the organization. 
  • 4.2.6 The Constitution and Bylaws Committee shall periodically review and recommend changes to the constitution and bylaws of this organization. 

5. OFFICIAL STIPENDS:

  • 5.1 Stipends for the secretary and treasurer shall be set at one hundred-fifty ($150.00) dollars per annum. This stipend is subject to change by action of the Board of Directors at the annual convention, and shall be issued annually 

6. DRAFTS on the TREASURY:

  • 6.1 Drafts on the Treasury must be authorized by two (2) out of the five (5) following officers:
  • 6.1.1 President
  • 6.1.2 Vice-President
  • 6.1.3 Secretary
  • 6.1.4 Treasurer
  • 6.1.5 Chairperson of the Board

7. INVESTMENT POLICY:

  • 7.1 The purpose of the endowment investment policy is to provide long term direction to the Board of Directors. The ACB of Maine’s endowment is used to provide an income for ACB of Maine to use for general purposes. The endowment is not to be spent. The investment policy contains provisions to ensure that the value of the endowment grows at the rate designed to maintain the endowment’s relative value over the long term, as well as provisions for continued income. A copy of the ACB of Maine’s investment policy is maintained with the organization’s secretary.

8. SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS:

  • 8.1 A line item for an academic scholarship, in the amount of one thousand five hundred dollars ($1500.00), must be included in the ACB of Maine’s annual budget. A scholarship or scholarships with a combined total not to exceed $1500.00 (one thousand five hundred) may be awarded to one or more BVI residents of the state of Maine who is/are currently enrolled in a post-secondary education program. In the event no scholarship is awarded in any particular year, the funds will not accrue for scholarships in subsequent years.
  • 8.2 The Board of Directors of the ACB of Maine shall function in lieu of a Scholarship Committee. Thus, the entire Board of Directors are responsible for recruiting prospective applicants, marketing this grant to organizations that know of potential applicants, and reviewing and/or revising written sets of guidelines concerning submissions and subsequent evaluation of applications for all scholarships to be awarded by this organization. Furthermore, the Board of Directors shall also have the responsibilities for the final screening and evaluating of scholarship grant applications and for making the selection of all scholarship grant winners. The Board of Director’s selection of scholarship grant recipients shall be final. The identity of such recipients shall be announced during each annual conference and convention, and payment of the scholarship sent to the winner within 10 (ten) days following the Annual Convention.