(As amended October 1, 2011)
Section I – Name:
The name of this state affiliate of the National Organization for Women, Inc. (NOW) is “Pennsylvania NOW”.
Section 2 – Purpose:
The purpose of Pennsylvania NOW, congruent with that of the National Organization for Women, is to eliminate sexism and create a society in which each individual can live with dignity, security, and pleasure.
Section 3 – Function:
Pennsylvania NOW will serve five specific functions:
A. Pennsylvania NOW will plan, organize and effect programs to combat Sexism within the State of Pennsylvania.
B. Pennsylvania NOW as a state organization will actively support the efforts of the National Organization for Women to eliminate sexism from the nation as a whole.
C. Pennsylvania NOW will attempt to facilitate communication between the National Organization for Women and local chapters of NOW within the State of Pennsylvania.
D. Pennsylvania NOW will attempt to provide for local Chapters of NOW within the State of Pennsylvania those services local Chapters consider appropriate and helpful.
E. Pennsylvania NOW will attempt to increase the number of member and the number of chapters of NOW within the State of Pennsylvania. All new members not belonging to local chapters will be informed of existence of local chapters and encourage to join one.
Section 4 – Structure:
A. The structure of Pennsylvania NOW shall be as follows:
- The State Executive Committee
- The State Board
- The State Board Committees
- The State Committees
- The State Convention
- The State Conference
- The Member
- The Chapter
B. The State Executive Committee:
- Composition:
The Executive Committee shall be composed of seven persons, who shall be:
a) The President of Pennsylvania NOW, whose responsibility will be to administer the day-to-day operations of Pennsylvania NOW between Executive Committee meetings
b) Vice President
c) Secretary
d) Treasurer
e) Three Executive Committee members whose portfolios will be determined by the Executive Committee - Functions and Duties:
The Executive Committee shall manage the affairs and control the funds and property of Pennsylvania NOW, and adopt necessary rules and regulations, provided none of the Executive Committee’s actions conflict with the action or directives of the State Board, the State Convention or are inconsistent with the purposes of the organization.
The Executive Committee shall submit an annual budget for approval of the State Board, shall submit two and five year developmental plans for approval of the State Board.
The Executive Committee shall meet at least five (5) times each calendar year at the call of the President or upon the request of four (4) Executive Committee members.
The Members of the Executive Committee shall be paid a salary of at least one dollar ($1.00) per year and their expenses shall be reimbursed if possible. - Election:
Candidates for President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall run together as a “slate”. Candidates for the three at large seats may run as individuals. Pennsylvania NOW will encourage more than one slate to run and no limit will be placed on the number of slates running in anyone election.
Only individuals, who have been members of the National Organization for Women for a period of at least six months, and members of Pennsylvania NOW for a period of at least three months at the time of the election, shall be eligible to run for Executive Committee seats. The Pennsylvania NOW requirement is waived for the 1973 Elections only.
C. The State Board:
- Composition:
The State Board shall be composed of one (1) representative for chapters with 10-50 members, two (2) representatives for chapters with 51-150 members, three (3) representatives for chapters with 151-250 members, four (4) representatives for chapters with 251-400 members, and five (5) representatives for chapters with over 400 members. - Functions and Duties:
Between State Conventions, the State Board is a general policy-making body. The State Board shall meet at least three times each year at the call of the President or upon request of twenty per cent (20%) of its members.
The State Board shall approve budgets and fix dues for Pennsylvania NOW.
Meetings of the State Board shall be open to the membership.
- Election:
The method of selecting chapter representatives to the State Board shall be left to the discretion of the chapters. Each chapter, however, will select its proper number of representatives and one alternate for each representative in the last quarter of each year. Each representative and alternate will serve a one year term.
D. State Board Committees:
The State Board shall appoint from its own members an election committee and a tallying committee whose duties are outlined in Section 8.
The State Board shall also have the power to appoint from among its members all other committees it considers essential to the performance of its duties and to appoint chairones of said committees.
All money raised by the State Board, its committees and any part thereof is the property of Pennsylvania NOW and must be deposited into Pennsylvania NOW accounts administered by the State Treasurer.
All materials prepared in the name of the State Board, its committees or any part thereof must be approved by the State Board before distribution.
E. The State Committees:
- Formation
In order to fulfill the commitments outlined in its platform, the mandates of the State Convention and its executive responsibilities, the Executive Committee shall have the power to create State Committees of limited duration and to appoint, with the consent of the State Board, the chairones of these committees.
- Functions and Duties
State Committees execute programs and policies of the State Executive Committee within areas delegated to them. They may also plan, develop and carry our programs and polices within these areas.
Specific State Committee programs and actions, however, must have the approval of the State Executive Committee before being undertaken or executed.
All money raised by the state organization, its committees of any part thereof is the property of Pennsylvania NOW and must be deposited into Pennsylvania NOW accounts administered by the State Treasurer.
All materials prepared in the name of Pennsylvania NOW, its State Committees or any part thereof must be approved by the State Executive Committee before distribution.
Likewise, all calls for action or action projects developed by the State Committees must be approved by the State Executive Committee before they can be undertaken in the name of Pennsylvania NOW or any of its committees or any part thereof.
F. The State Convention:
The State Convention shall be the general membership assembly of Pennsylvania NOW. The Convention shall elect the State Executive Committee, formulate general policy and adopt program priorities. Every Pennsylvania NOW member in good standing shall be entitled to attend the State Convention and to participate in all of its activities. Voting at the State Convention will take place on a per capita basis, with each Pennsylvania NOW member in good standing at the Convention having one vote. The~ State Convention shall be held every odd-numbered year between September 1st and December 31st.
The Pennsylvania NOW State Board will fix the exact date and place of the State Convention and give each member of Pennsylvania NOW at least sixty (60) days advance notice of the State Convention. The State Executive Committee shall make arrangements for hotel and meeting place accommodations and determine the Convention agenda for presentation at the Convention.
G. The State Conference:
The State Conference may be convened in each even-numbered year. The Pennsylvania NOW State Board shall fix the exact date and place of the State Conference and give each member of Pennsylvania NOW at least sixty (60) days advance notice of the State Conference. The State Executive Committee shall make arrangements for hotel and meeting place accommodations. As in State Convention, only Pennsylvania NOW members in good standing will have the right to vote.
The State Conference will have no policy-making power. The State Conference will be assembled so that members of Pennsylvania NOW may hear an interim report from the State Executive Committee, attend workshops, and gain valuable information from an exchange of chapter experience. Each State Conference shall have at least one workshop for heads of local chapters and conveners in which strictly organizational problems are discussed. Each workshop at the State Conference must be structured in such a way as to contain adequate time for an exchange of chapter experience with regard to the topic under consideration. Provision must also be made for chapters to display or sell materials at State Conference.
H. The Member:
Any person who is a member in good standing with the National Organization for Women and has paid dues to Pennsylvania NOW shall be a member of Pennsylvania NOW.
Only members in good standing of Pennsylvania NOW may serve on the Executive Committee, the State Board or State Committees.
I. The Chapter:
Upon application, a group will be chartered as a chapter of Pennsylvania NOW if it contains a minimum of ten (10) Pennsylvania NOW members, meets minimum bylaws requirements as set down in Guidelines for Chapter Structural Plans (adopted by the NOW National Board, October 1972) and satisfies the State Board that it is in the best interest of the state organization to charter said group. Chapters of Pennsylvania NOW shall maintain the right to adopt their program of study, activity and action as long as said program is consistent with the policy and purpose of Pennsylvania NOW.
Section 5 – Presiding at State Meetings:
The President of Pennsylvania NOW shall preside at all State Board Meetings, at the State Convention and the State Conference. In the absence of the President, the Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer will preside in that order. Chairones shall preside at meetings of State Committees. In the absence of Chairones, the Committee shall elect temporary Chairones to preside.
Section 6 -Vacancies:
In the event that the office of President shall fall vacant, the Vice President shall become President and the Executive Committee shall appoint from its own members a Vice President. In the event other officers or positions on the Executive Committee become vacant, the Executive Committee shall fill the vacancies by appointment. All appointees must be members in good standing of Pennsylvania NOW for at least three months and of the National Organization for Women for at least six months.
Section 7 -Finances:
Exact dues for Pennsylvania NOW will be recommended by the Executive Committee and determined by the State Board. The fiscal year shall begin January 1 and end December 31.
Section 8 -Elections:
At the first meeting of the State Board in each odd-numbered year, the State Board will appoint from among its own members an Election Committee consisting of three (3) State Board members and a Tally Committee consisting of three (3) different State Board Members.
The duty of the Election Committee is to oversee the campaign for the election of the State Executive Committee.
A. Six (6) months prior to the election, the Election Committee shall solicit from the membership names of individuals willing to serve in specific capacities on the State Executive Committee. Four (4) months prior to the Convention the names of all those willing to serve shall be made available to any member interested in forming a slate. Notice of the availability of this list, plus rules and regulations regarding the election shall be sent to each chapter within four (4) months of the election.
B. The Election Committee shall solicit from each slate a typed platform (not to exceed five (5) pages) which the Committee will print at Pennsylvania NOW expense to be included in the Convention Packet, provided the platform is received by the Committee thirty (30) days in advance of the election. It will also solicit from each slate a one-page flyer designed by each slate to be printed at state expense, if such flyer is received by the Committee thirty (30) days in advance of the elections. Platforms (not to exceed 5 pages) and flyers submitted in the thirty (30) day period just prior to the election must be printed by slates.
C. The Election Committee will be responsible for sending to each Pennsylvania NOW chapter a minimum of two platforms and one flyer for each slate submitting a platform and flyer, provided this material is received by the Election Committee thirty (30) days in advance of the election. Additional platforms printed at Pennsylvania NOW expense must be made available at cost. All printed platforms and flyers will be available at the Convention.
D. The Election Committee shall encourage each slate to notify the Committee of its intention to run at least sixty (60) days prior to election and to submit its platform and flyer at least sixty (60) days prior to the election so that chapters will be permitted time to consider all slates, platforms and election issues in meetings held the month immediately preceding the Convention.
E. The Election Committee shall be charged with encouraging geographic representation from the entire state on each slate.
The Tally Committee will conduct the election for the State Executive Committee at the Convention, permitting each slate at least one poll watcher throughout the election. The Tally Committee will count the vote and announce the winners.
Balloting will be by preferential order, and the single transferable vote system or proportional representation will be employed in tallying.
The election for Executive Committee will be in the last quarter of every odd year at the State Convention. The elected Executive Committee will take o£f1ce January 1 of the following year.
All elections for offices and positions in Pennsylvania NOW chapters will be in the last quarter of the year (preferably November) and newly elected officers will take office January 1 of the following year. For 1973, Chapters whose officers will have served 10jger than six months as of November 1973 will hold elections in the last quarter of 1973 (preferably November) and chapters whose officers will have served less than six months as of November 1973 will hold elections the last quarter of 1974.
Section 9 -Grievance, Suspensions, and Renewals:
A. Grievance Procedure: Any grievance brought to the attention of the Pennsylvania NOW Executive Committee shall be investigated, after local grievance procedures have been exhausted, by a State Grievance Committee composed of two members of the Executive Committee and three members of the State Board drawn by lot from those members present at the first State Board Meeting following the filing of the grievance. No person who is a member of the chapter or chapters involved in the grievance shall serve on the Grievance Committee. This Grievance Committee shall investigate circumstances surrounding the grievance and shall present a report and a recommendation at the next State Board meeting.
B. The State Board may, by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of its actual membership, suspend or remove from office or membership in Pennsylvania NOW any member or officer whose actions are contrary to the purposes of Pennsylvania NOW and injurious to that organization, provided notice and an opportunity for a hearing before the State Board and the Executive Committee shall be afforded the member or officer in question. Likewise, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of its actual membership, the State Board may revoke the Pennsylvania NOW charter of the local chapter of Pennsylvania NOW should that chapter no longer satisfy chapter requirements; provide notice and an opportunity for a hearing is afforded the chapter in question. This hearing shall take place not less than thirty (30) days and not more than sixty (60) days after due notice is given.
Section 10 – Amendments:
These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the State Convention, State Conference, or a special membership meeting called for purposes of amending the bylaws, provided:
A. That the amendment has been proposed by the State Executive Committee, State Board, or by petition office (5) percent of the membership at large or by a Chapter, and
B. That written notice of the proposed amendment has been mailed to all members in good standing at least thirty (30) days before the meeting of the State Convention, State Conference, or at a special membership meeting called for the purpose of amending the bylaws.
Section 11 – Dissolution:
A. Pennsylvania NOW may be dissolved only by approval by mail ballot of not less than two-thirds (2/3) of the members in good standing.
B. Upon dissolution of Pennsylvania NOW, the State Board shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all liabilities of Pennsylvania NOW, dispose of all the assets exclusively for the purpose of Pennsylvania NOW, in such a manner or to such organization or organizations as shall at the time qualify as devoted to the purpose of Pennsylvania NOW.
Section 12 -Waiver:
For the 1973 Pennsylvania NOW elections only, Section 8 -Elections, Paragraph 1, 3, 4-time limits therein are waived and the Tally Committee and the Elections Committee are appointed by the Pennsylvania NOW State Steering Committee of 1972-73.
