ARTICLE 1: OFFICERS, ELECTIONS, TERMS OF OFFICE, PROCEDURES AND REMOVAL
Section 1: Board of Directors

The Nation shall be governed by a Board of Directors (hereinafter referred to as The Board), one of whom will be elected as President of The Nation and Chairman of The Board in secret balloting by the general membership of The Nation.  The Board shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Conservation Director, Youth Director, and Tournament Director.  With the exception of secretary and treasurer, no board person may hold more than one board position at one time.  All members of The Board must be current members of affiliated chapters, The Nation, and B.A.S.S.  Each member of The Board shall be entitled to one vote on all matters before The Board.  The Board shall be responsible for the orderly conduct of all business of The Nation, including but not limited to, the appointment of standing committees, established procedures and qualifications for the affiliation of B.A.S.S. chapters with The Nation; procedures and standards for severance of B.A.S.S. chapters from The Nation; and adherence to such goals as may be established by The Nation and the goals of the B.A.S.S.

(A) Qualification for Board Office - any candidate for office to The Board must be a current member of The Nation, and a member of B.A.S.S.  To be considered for nomination to The Board the nominated member must be present at that meeting (waived for 10/22/06 meeting).
(B) The President, Secretary, and Conservation Director shall be elected in the even numbered years.  Their term of office shall be for two (2) years.
(C) The Vice President, Treasurer, Tournament Director, and Youth Director shall be elected in the odd numbered years.  Their term of office shall be for two (2) years.
(D) No member of The Board shall serve more than two consecutive full terms in a given position. 

The Nation will hold scheduled meetings quarterly: January Board and Reps meetings; April: Board and Reps meeting; State tournament; Board meeting only; October: Board and Reps meetings.  Special meetings may be called by the President when considered necessary.  Each chapter club affiliated with The Nation is responsible for reporting their membership to The Nation through one Club Representative at all Representatives meetings.  Each club is required to attend a minimum of 2 reps meetings per year to remain eligible for state level tournaments.  These three meetings are the October meeting of the previous year and the January and April reps meetings of the current year.  Clubs will be personally notified that have the potential of not attending the required number of meetings. 

The Nation will conduct elections in the following manner for the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Conservation Director, Youth Director, and Tournament Director.  All nominations for these offices will be made at the October Representatives meeting.  Ballots will be printed and sent by the Secretary through the mail within two weeks following the October meeting.  All ballots will be kept SECRET and put into a furnished self-addressed stamped envelope, to be returned to the Secretary by January 1st of each year.  Ballots will be opened by The Board prior to the January Representatives meeting.  The Board shall determine in advance a commonly accepted method of breaking ties, and shall have the sole responsibility for doing so.  Results of the election will be made public via the minutes of the January Representatives meeting.  New officers will be introduced to the public at the January Representatives meeting.  Term of office shall begin immediately following the January Representatives meeting.

The Board has explicit authority to remove and relieve of duty any member of The Board or committee member where, in the opinion of The Board, such action is deemed necessary for the good of The Nation.  A minimum of 2/3 of the entire Board must vote for such removal.  Should a vacancy occur within The Board, due to removal or resignation, the remaining Board members shall appoint a replacement to fill the unexpired term of office.  Such replacement shall meet the qualifications for board membership as stipulated in Section 2(a).

The President shall be the executive of the corporation and subject to the control of The Board, he/she shall have general supervision, direction and control of the affairs of the corporation; be the official representative of The Nation; delegate such duties as may be appropriate to better serve The Nation; and maintain liaison with the National B.A.S.S. Federation Nation.  The President shall preside over all meetings of The Board and all Representative meetings of The Nation.  He/ She shall make a report of the general business of the corporation during the year.  The President shall nominate all standing committees in accordance with the by-laws of the corporation, subject to the approval of The Board.  He/She shall co-sign all contracts, deeds, leases and other instruments approved by The Board; and may call special meetings of The Board and the members in the manner as provided in the by-laws of the corporation when considered necessary.  The President shall provide a written statement of current issues or status for inclusion in The Nation newsletter or other publication.

The Vice President shall assist the President upon request, preside in the absence of the President, and when so acting shall have all the powers of, and the restrictions of the President.  Should the office of President become vacated, the Vice President shall assume the responsibilities of the office of President, serving until The Board appoints a replacement to fill the unexpired term.  It shall further be the responsibility of the Vice President to lead The Nation’s efforts to obtain sponsor support for The Nation.  He / She shall seek out and develop relationships with businesses and organizations that are mutually beneficial to those businesses and organizations and The Nation.  The Vice President shall provide a written statement of current issues or status for inclusion in The Nation newsletter or other publication.

The Secretary shall record all minutes of all meetings of the Representatives and The Board and any other special meetings.  The Secretary shall countersign all deeds, leases, contracts and conveyances executed by the corporation, when approved by The Board; and safely keep all books, papers, records and documents pertaining to the corporation or the business thereof; and conduct the official correspondence of the corporation and perform such duties as may be designated by The Board.  The Secretary shall provide a written statement of current issues or status for inclusion in The Nation newsletter or other publication.

The Treasurer shall directly receive andkeep account of all moneys, credits and property of any kind and nature of the corporation; maintain accurate financial records as prescribed by The Board; and submit a report to The Board and the membership at each scheduled Representatives meeting.  Further he/she shall present to the President or Board, statements of the financial condition of the corporation on request.  He/She shall also maintain a membership book for the corporation showing the name and address of each club and its individual members.  The Treasurer shall provide a written statement of current issues or status for inclusion in The Nation newsletter or other publication.

The Conservation Director shall maintain liaison with the B.A.S.S. National Conservation Director; coordinate all state-level conservation activities; be responsible for verifying that chapters satisfy their conservation activity requirements; and keep all chapters apprised of pertinent conservation issues.  The Conservation Director shall provide a written statement of current issues or status for inclusion in The Nation newsletter or other publication.

The Youth Director shall maintain liaison with the B.A.S.S. National Youth Director; coordinate all state-level youth activities; be responsible for verifying that chapters satisfy their activity requirements; and keep all chapters apprised of pertinent youth programs.  The Youth Director shall provide a written statement of current issues or status for inclusion in The Nation newsletter or other publication.

The Tournament Director shall be responsible for operations of tournaments within the organization, at the direction of The Board.  It will be his/her responsibility to rule on the proper conduct, procedures, and other matters relating to the orderly conduct of all The Nation tournaments.  While given this authority, the Tournament Director is, nonetheless, accountable to The Board for his/her decisions.  The Tournament Director shall provide a written statement of current issues or status for inclusion in The Nation newsletter or other publication.

The President will appoint any such special committees as may become necessary, with approval of majority vote of The Board.  Special committees may be comprised of one or more members as determined by the President, with majority approval of The Board.  Terms of appointment to special committees shall be two years or less, expiring at the adjournment of the April Representatives meeting of the second year.  Committee members may be appointed for unlimited consecutive terms.  A Committee member does not inherently serve on The Board and does not inherently have voting privileges upon The Board.  A Committee member may concurrently serve in a Board position or Club Representative, and as such may hold voting privilege in that capacity.  To be eligible for appointment a committee candidate must be a member in good standing of B.A.S.S. and a local chapter affiliated with The Nation. 
There shall be the following standing committees:
Sponsorship/Fundraising Committee
State Youth Committee
Conservation Committee
State Convention Committee
Document Committee
State Tournament Committee
Newsletter Committee
Political Committee

Clubs must hold at least the minimum qualifying club tournaments annually as required by B.A.S.S.  A member must have participated in at least one club-qualifying tournament of the qualifying year to be eligible to compete beyond the club level.  Clubs will NOT be allowed to hold official club tournaments on waters designated for The Nation tournaments for that year, 15 days prior to that tournament.  Clubs will not be allowed to have any club tournaments or club sponsored open tournaments on the dates designated for The Nation tournaments.  The club may hold events on the dates of Regional or National B.A.S.S. tournaments, provided no member of the club has the opportunity to compete in that tournament.  Each club is responsible for submitting a schedule of club tournaments to The Nation Secretary annually by the January reps meeting as specified in article 5e.  The Board is responsible for regulating club tournaments to insure that there is only one club affiliated with The Nation on a specific body of water on a specific day.  If more than one club has conflicting schedules, the "home club" will get preference.  “Home club” is defined as the closest one geographically to that body of water.  If in the event that there are two clubs that have equal distance the “home club” is further defined as the club that has been existence the longest.

The purpose of this tournament is to determine the qualifiers from our state to compete as outlined by the B.A.S.S. National Federation Nation each year.  The Wisconsin State Tournament is to be conducted each year as determined by The Board.  The participants and fees for this tournament are to be determined annually by The Board. 

Each club is allowed to send six-member teams to the Wisconsin Bass Federation Nation Six Man Team State Qualifier Tournament, as outlined by the B.A.S.S. National Federation Nation.  Each team must be equipped with three boats, and standings will be awarded based on the team's total weight.  The team Classic tournament is to be conducted each year as determined by the Board.  The participants and fees for this tournament are to be determined annually by the Board.

(A) Have a minimum of six (6) members paid by the January Representatives meeting.
(B) Be a chapter in good standing of the National B.A.S.S. Federation Nation.
(C) Submit to The Nation Treasurer updated copies of the club's roster with officers and a $50 per member annual nonrefundable state Nation dues.
(D) Submit to The Nation Youth Director an annual report of club participation in a qualifying youth project, as determined by The Board.
OR
(E) Submit to The Nation Conservation Director and annual report of club participation in a qualifying conservation project, as determined by The Board.
(F) Submit to The Nation Secretary updated copies of the club’s bylaws, roster with officers, and club tournament schedule.  Clubs not turning in tournament schedules by the January Reps Meeting will lose preference.

(A) Under no circumstances may The Nation accept monetary assistance from individuals, businesses, corporations or governmental agencies, if there is prima facie evidence that the goals of these entities are contrary to the primary purpose of The Nation.
(B) Final authority for the interpretation of these by-laws and standing rules shall rest with The Board.
(C) A quorum of The Board and/or Club Representatives shall be no less than 51% of the current roster, to conduct The Nation business.
(D) Expenditures:  Reasonable expenses, as determined by the board, will be reimbursed to individuals as they are incurred.  Any single expense exceeding $500 will require prior board approval.   
(E) Amendments: These bylaws may be amended by resolution setting forth such amendment or amendments adopted at any meeting duly called for that purpose or at any regularly scheduled Representatives meeting.  A statement of the nature of the proposed amendment should be included in the notice of the meeting when possible, but is not necessary.  An amendment shall be adopted upon receiving at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by Club Representatives, present, or represented by proxy, at such meeting.