NORTH DAKOTA FFA ASSOCIATION, INC. CONSTITUTION AND BY - LAWS (Revised 7/2017) CONSTITUTION ARTICLE I. Name and Purposes Th e n am e of th e association sh all be "North Dakota FFA Association, In c." a n on -stock, n on -profit corporation organ ized u n der Ch apter 10-40, North Dakota Cen tu ry Code. Th e prin cipal place of bu sin ess sh all be th e State Capitol, 15th Floor, Bism arck, ND. Mem bers are h erein after referred to as "FFA m em bers" an d th e letters "FFA" m ay be officially u sed to design ate th e organ ization, its u n its or m em bers, th ereof. ARTICLE II. Objectives of the Organization Th e objectives of th e organ ization sh all be con sisten t with Section 3 of th e organ ization s federal ch arter, pu blic law 105-225 (formerly pl 81-740). Th e organ ization sh all cooperate with Nation al an d State govern m en t agen cies an d officials for agricu ltu ral edu cation in accom plish in g th e followin g objectives: 1. To be an in tegral part of th e organ ized in stru ction al program s in agricu ltu ral edu cation wh ich prepare stu den ts for a wide ran ge of careers in agricu ltu re, agribu sin ess, an d oth er agricu ltu re related occu pation s. 2. To stren gth en th e con fiden ce of stu den ts in th em selves an d in th eir work by developin g desirable work h abits an d th e effective u se of th eir tim e; by learn in g to assu m e respon sibility; an d by developin g com peten cies in com m u n ication s, h u m an relation s, an d oth er social abilities leadin g to th e in telligen t ch oice of a career an d su ccessfu l em ploym en t or en trepren eu rsh ip in th e agricu ltu re in du stry. 3. To provide agricu ltu re related program s an d activities wh ich will develop pride, respon sibility, leadersh ip, ch aracter, sch olarsh ip, citizen sh ip, patriotism, th rift, an d wh ich will im prove th e econ om ic, en viron m en tal, recreation al an d h u m an resou rces of th e com m u n ity. 4. To en cou rage an d recogn ize ach ievem en t in su pervised agricu ltu ral experien ce program s, sch olarsh ip, leadersh ip, an d oth er in dividu al an d grou p activities by providin g awards to deservin g m em bers an d ch apters. ARTICLE III. Organization Th e North Dakota FFA Association, In c., is a state association, of, by, an d for stu den ts en rolled in agricu ltu ral edu cation program s. It sh all con sist of ch artered local ch apters in secon dary sch ools h avin g system atic in stru ction in agricu ltu ral edu cation offered u n der th e provision s of th e Federal Vocation al Edu cation Legislation. Su ch ch apter sh all operate as an in tegral part of th e in stru ction al program of agricu ltu ral edu cation.
Collegiate ch apters m ay be ch artered by th e State FFA Association in two or fou r year post-secon dary in stitu tion s wh ere agricu ltu ral cou rses are tau gh t. Each ch artered collegiate ch apter m ay adopt a con stitu tion wh ich sh all n ot con flict with th at of th e n ation al organ ization or th e respective state association, elect officers an d establish a program of activities. Collegiate ch apter m em bers sh all pay Nation al FFA Organ ization du es. Section C. Section D. ARTICLE IV. Local FFA ch apters m ay be organ ized in s econ dary sch ools wh ere system atic in stru ction in agricu ltu ral edu cation is given u n der th e provision s of th e Federal Vocation al Edu cation Legislation. Mem bers of local ch apters sh all m eet, organ ize, an d adopt a con stitu tion an d by-laws wh ich sh all n ot con flict with th at of th e State an d Nation al Con stitu tion s, elect officers, develop a program of activities, an d th en apply to th e State Advisor for m em bersh ip in th e State Association. Upon approval of th e application by th e State Execu tive C om m ittee, th e m em bers of th e local ch apters m ay th en be recogn ized as a part of th e State FFA Organ ization. Procedure for Determining Standing of Local Chapters A local ch apter sh all be con sidered to be in good stan din g wit h th e State Association wh en th e followin g gen eral con dition s are m et: 1. All an n u al State an d Nation al du es h ave been paid by a date determ in ed by th e State Association. 2. All reports h ave been su bm itted as requ ired by th e State Association. 3. Provision s of th e local con stitu tion do n ot con flict with th e State an d Nation al FFA Con stitu tion s, an d ch apter activities are in h arm on y with th e ideals an d pu rposes of th e Nation al Organ ization. 4. Th e govern in g body of th e State Association s h all h ave th e power to su spen d local ch apter ch arters u pon receipt of eviden ce of in frin gem en ts on th e provision s of th e State or th e Nation al FFA Con stitu tion s. In th e even t an y local ch apter is n ot in good stan din g with th e State Association at th e tim e of th e open in g of th e State Con ven tion, th e delegates in session at th at con ven tion sh all h ave th e power, u pon th e recom m en dation of th e State govern in g body, to with draw th e ch arter an d refu se su ch ch apter official represen tation at th e State Con ven tion. Wh en su ch action is taken, th e ch apter in qu estion an d th e m em bers th ereof sh all be den ied th e regu lar privileges of m em bersh ip in th e organ ization. Upon m eetin g th e requ irem en ts for stan din g, a ch apter m ay be rein stated by action of th e State govern in g body. 5. In th e even t a local departm en t of agricu ltu ral edu cation in wh ich a ch artered ch apter of FFA is located is bein g discon tin u ed or h as an absen ce of a certified agricu ltu ral edu cation in stru ctor, th e ch apter so in volved m ay be perm itted to operate officially for a period of 12 m on th s from date of discon tin u an ce of th e departm en t or loss of teach er. After th e 12-m on th period th e sch ool district m u st su bm it an n u ally a ND FFA Ch a pter Con tin u ation form to th e ND FFA Board of Directors. Th e board will review th e su bm itted form an d provide a ru lin g on th e eligibly of th e FFA Ch apter. Local ch apter ch arters m u st be su rren dered to th e State Advisor at th e en d of a 36-m on th period if a local departm en t of agricu ltu ral edu cation is n ot again in operation in th e sch ool at th at tim e.
ARTICLE V. Membership 6. Ch apters with ou t seated delegates at th e an n u al State FFA Con ven tion will be deem ed in eligible for participation in an y State Con ven tion activities. Th ose ch apters will th en go u n der review by th e execu tive com m ittee to determ in e ch apter eligibility for fu tu re FFA even ts. Mem bersh ip in th e State FFA Organ ization sh all be of fou r kin d: (1) Active; (2) Alu m n i; (3) Collegiate; an d (4) Hon orary. Section B. "Active Mem bers" - To be eligible for active m em bersh ip in a ch artered FFA Ch apter, a stu den t m u st be en rolled in a m iddle sch ool or secon dary agricu ltu ral edu cation program. In North Dakota th is m ay in clu de grades 7-12. To becom e an active m em ber an d retain m em bersh ip, a stu den t m u st: 1. Wh ile in sch ool, be en rolled in at least on e agricu ltu ral edu cation cou rse du rin g th e sch ool year an d/ or follow a plan n ed cou rse of stu dy; eith er cou rse m u st in clu de a su pervised agricu ltu ral experien ce program, th e objective of wh ich is preparation for an agricu ltu ral career. 2. Sh ow an in terest in th e affairs of th e organ ization by atten din g m eetin gs, strivin g for degrees of m em bersh ip an d participatin g in oth er organ ized activities of th e ch apter. 3. Pay all cu rren t local, state an d n at ion al du es by th e date determ in ed by th e ch apter. 4. Display con du ct con sisten t with th e ideals an d pu rposes of th e Nation al FFA Organ ization. A m em ber m ay retain active m em bersh ip u n til Novem ber 30, followin g th e fou rth Nation al FFA Con ven tion a fter gradu ation from h igh sch ool. A m em ber wh o is in good stan din g at th e tim e h e/ sh e is in du cted in to th e arm ed forces of th e Un ited States of Am erica sh all be in good stan din g du rin g th e period of active service with ou t fu rth er paym en t of du es or atten da n ce at m eetin gs. Tim e spen t in th e arm ed forces sh all n ot be con sidered as elapsed tim e in determ in in g th e m axim u m period of fou r con ven tion s followin g gradu ation from h igh sch ool or leavin g h igh sch ool. Mem bers u sin g of th is waiver of service tim e for th e pu rpose of m ain tain in g active m em bersh ip for application for advan ced degrees of m em bersh ip, m u st resu m e active participation with in six m on th s after h avin g been h on orably disch arged from m ilitary service, in dicatin g su ch a desire by payin g of du es an d atten din g m eetin gs. Mem bers participatin g in th e six m on th s' Arm ed Service Program sh all be eligible for on e fu ll year of exten ded m em bersh ip. No in dividu al, h owever, m ay retain active m em bersh ip beyon d h is/ h er 23rd birth day. Section C. Section D. "Alu m n i Mem bersh ip" - Mem bersh ip sh all be open to form er active m em bers, collegiate, an d h on orary FFA m em bers, presen t an d form er profession al agricu ltu ral edu cators, paren ts of FFA m em bers, an d oth ers in terested in, an d in su pport of th e FFA. "Collegiate Mem bersh ip" - Collegiate m em bersh ip sh all be open to stu den ts wh o are en rolled in agricu ltu ral cou rses or wh o are pu rsu in g career objectives in th e in du stry of agricu ltu re at a two or fou r year postsecon dary in stitu tion h avin g a collegiate FFA ch apter. 3
Section E. "Hon orary Mem bersh ip" - Farm ers, sch ool su perin ten den ts, prin cipals, m em bers of boards of edu cation, ch apter advisors, teach ers, staff m em bers in agricu ltu ral edu cation, bu sin ess people, an d oth ers wh o are h elpin g to advan ce agricu ltu re edu cation / agribu sin ess an d th e FFA, an d wh o h ave ren dered ou tstan din g service, m ay be elected to h on orary m em bersh ip by a m ajority vote of th e m em bers presen t at an y regu lar m eetin g or con ven tion. Hon orary m em bersh ip sh all be lim ited to th e Hon ora ry Ch apter FFA Degree in th e local ch apter, Hon orary State FFA Degree in th e State Association, an d th e Hon orary Am erican FFA Degree in th e Nation al Organ ization. ARTICLE VI. Degrees and Privileges of Active Membership Th ere sh all be five degrees of active m em bersh ip based u pon in dividu al ach ievem en t. Th ese are: (1) th e Discovery FFA Degree (2) th e Green h an d FFA Degree (3) th e Ch apter FFA Degree; (4) th e State FFA Degree; an d (5) th e Am erican FFA Degree. Th e Nation al Organ ization sh all set th e m in im u m qu alification s for each degree. Discovery FFA Degree -- To be eligible to receive th e Discovery FFA Degree from a ch apter, th e m em ber m u st m eet th e followin g m in im u m requ irem en ts: 1. Be en rolled in agricu ltu ral edu cation class for at least a portion of th e sch ool year wh ile in grades 7-8. 2. Have becom e a du es payin g m em ber of th e FFA at local, state an d n ation al levels. 3. Participate in at least on e local FFA ch apter activity ou tside of sch edu led class tim e. 4. Have a kn owledge of agricu ltu rally related career, own ersh ip an d en trepren eu rial opportu n ities. 5. Be fam iliar with th e local ch apter program of activities. 6. Su bm it written application for th e degree. Section C. "Green h an d Degree" - To be eligible to receive th e Green h an d FFA Degree from th e ch apter, th e m em ber m u st m eet th e followin g m in im u m qu alification s: 1. Be en rolled in agricu ltu ral edu cation an d h ave satisfactory plan s for a su pervised agricu ltu ral experien ce program. 2. Learn an d explain th e FFA Creed, Motto, an d Salu te. 3. Describe an d explain th e m ean in g of th e FFA em blem an d colors. 4. Dem on strate a kn owledge of th e FFA Code of Eth ics an d th e proper u se of th e FFA jacket. 5. Dem on strate a kn owledge of th e h istory of th e organ ization, th e ch apter con stitu tion an d bylaws, an d th e ch apter program of activities. 4
6. Person ally own or h ave access to th e official FFA m an u al an d th e FFA stu den t h an dbook. 7. Su bm it a written application for th e Green h an d FFA Degree. Section D. "Ch apter FFA Degree" - To be eligible to receive th e Ch apter FFA Degree from th e ch apter, th e m em ber m u st m eet th e followin g m in im u m qu alification s: 1. Mu st h ave received th e Green h an d FFA Degree. 2. Mu st h ave satisfactorily com pleted th e equ ivalen t of at least 180 h ou rs of system atic sch ool in stru ction in agricu ltu ral edu cation at or above th e n in th grade level, h ave in operation an approved su pervised agricu ltu ral experien ce program, an d be en rolled in an agricu lt u ral edu cation cou rse. 3. Have participated in th e plan n in g an d con du ctin g of at least th ree official fu n ction s in th e ch apter program of activities. 4. Have earn ed an d produ ctively in vested at least $150 by th e m em bers own efforts or worked at least forty-five h ou rs in excess of sch edu led class tim e, or a com bin ation th ereof, an d h ave developed plan s for con tin u ed growth an d im provem en t in a su pervised agricu ltu ral experien ce program. 5. Have effectively led a grou p discu ssion for fifteen m in u tes. 6. Have dem on strated five procedu res of parliam en tary law. 7. Sh ow progress toward in dividu al ach ievem en t in th e FFA awards program. 8. Have a satisfactory sch olastic record. 9. Su bm it a written application for th e Ch apter FFA Degree. 10. Meet oth er requ irem en ts as establish ed by th e ch apter an d/ or State Association. Section E. "State FFA Degree" - To be eligible to receive th e State FFA Degree from th e State Association, th e m em ber m u st m eet th e followin g m in im u m qu alification s: 1. Have received th e Ch apter FFA Degree 2. Have been an active m em ber for at least two years (24 m on th s) at th e tim e of receivin g th e State FFA Degree. 3. Wh ile in sch ool, h ave com pleted th e equ ivalen t of at least two years (360 h ou rs) of system atic sch ool in stru ction in agricu ltu ral edu cation at or above th e n in th grade level, wh ich in clu des a su pervised agricu ltu ral experien ce program. 4. Have earn ed an d produ ctively in vested at least $1000 or worked at least 300 h ou rs in excess of sch edu led class tim e, or a com bin ation th ereof, in a su pervised agricu ltu ral program. 5
5. Dem on strate leadersh ip ability by: a. Perform in g ten procedu res of parliam en ta ry law b. Givin g a six-m in u te speech on a topic relatin g to agricu ltu re or th e FFA. c. Servin g as an officer, com m ittee ch airperson, or participatin g m em ber of a ch apter com m ittee. 6. Have satisfactory sch olastic record as certified by th e local agricu ltu ral edu cation in stru ctor an d th e prin cipal or su perin ten den t. 7. Have participated in th e plan n in g an d com pletion of th e ch apter program of activities. 8. Have participated in at least five FFA activities above th e ch apter level. 9. Mem bers will h ave com pleted a m in im u m of 25* h ou rs of volu n tary service as part of th eir FFA program. Th e percen tage of th e total state m em bersh ip wh ich m ay receive th e State FFA Degree an d oth er requ irem en ts m ay be establish ed by th e State FFA Association. Written records of ach ievem en t of a ll requ irem en ts, verified by th e Ch apter FFA Advisor, sh all be su bm itted to th e State Association at least on e m on th prior to th e State FFA Con ven tion at wh ich th e State FFA Degree is to be received. Th e State Advisor sh all provide for review of th e recor ds an d su bm it a recom m en dation to th e State Association govern in g body, wh ich sh all n om in ate at th e state FFA con ven tion th e can didates wh o h ave been fou n d worth y to receive th e h on or. Th e State FFA Degree will be con ferred u pon th e can didates su bject to approval by th e delegates at th e state con ven tion. Section F. "Am erican FFA Degree" To be eligible to receive th e Am erican FFA Degree from th e Nation al FFA Organ ization, th e m em ber m u st m eet th e followin g m in im u m qu alification s: 1. Mu st h ave received th e State FFA Degree, h ave been an active m em ber for th e past th ree years (36 m on th s) an d h ave a record of satisfactory participation in th e activities on th e ch apter an d state level. 2. Have satisfactorily com pleted th e equ ivalen t of at leas t th ree years (540 h ou rs) of system atic secon dary sch ool in stru ction in an agricu ltu ral edu cation program or h ave com pleted th e program of agricu ltu ral edu cation offered at th e sch ool last atten ded. 3. Have gradu ated from h igh sch ool at least twelve m on th s prior to th e n ation al con ven tion at wh ich th e degree is to be gran ted. 4. Have in operation an d h ave m ain tain ed records to su bstan tiate an ou tstan din g su pervised agricu ltu ral experien ce program th rou gh wh ich a m em ber h as exh ibited com preh en sive plan n in g, m an agerial an d fin an cial expertise. 5. Have earn ed an d produ ctively in vested at least $7500 or worked at least 300 h ou rs in excess of sch edu led class tim e, or com bin ation th ereof, in a su pervised agricu ltu ral experien ce program. 6
6. Have a record of ou tstan din g leadersh ip abilities an d com m u n ity in volvem en t an d h ave ach ieved a h igh sch ool sch olastic record of "C" or better as certified by th e prin cipal or su perin ten den t. ARTICLE VII. Section C. Section D. Section E. ARTICLE VIII. Emblem Th e official em blem of th e Nation a l FFA Organ ization sh all in clu de five sym bols: n am ely, (1) th e plow, represen tin g tillage of th e soil; (2) th e owl, represen tin g wisdom ; (3) th e risin g su n, represen tin g progress; (4) a cross -section of an ear of corn, represen tin g com m on agricu ltu ral in terests; an d (5) an Am erican eagle su rm ou n tin g th e cross -section of th e ear of corn, represen tin g th e n ation al scope of th e organ ization. Th e em blem sh all also in clu de th e th ree letters, "FFA" an d th e words, "Agricu ltu ral Edu cation." Th e em blem sh all be u n iform in th e State Association an d in all ch apters. All m em bers sh all be en titled to display th e em blem. Discovery FFA Degree recipien ts are en titled to wear th e Discovery pin, Green h an d FFA Degree recipien ts are en titled to wear th e official bron ze em blem pin ; "Ch apter FFA Degree" recipien ts sh all be en titled to wear th e official silver em blem pin ; "State FFA Degree" recipien ts sh all be en titled to wear th e official gold em blem ch arm ; an d "Am erican FFA Degree" recipien ts sh all be en titled to wear th e official gold em blem key. "Hon orary Ch apter FFA Degree" recipien ts sh all be en titled to wear eith er th e official silver em blem degree pin or gold em blem pin ; "Hon orary State FFA Degree" recipien ts sh all be en titled to wear th e official gold em blem ch arm ; "Hon orary Am erican FFA Degree" recipien ts sh all be en titled to wear th e official gold em blem key. Collegiate FFA ch apter m em bers an d FFA advisors sh all be en titled to wear th e official gold owl pin. Officers State Officers - State officer can didates m u st h old th e State FFA Degree an d h ave gradu ated from High Sch ool or reach ed th eir 18 th birth day prior to election / selection to office. 1. The elected officers of the North Dakota Association shall consist of a state president, state vice president, state secretary, state treasurer, state reporter, state sentinel and state parliamentarian elected at large. Other officers may be elected as deemed appropriate by the State Advisor and/or State FFA governing body. 2. The president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, reporter, sentinel and parliamentarian shall be elected annually at the State Convention by a majority vote of the official delegates present. Vote shall be by secret ballot for the offices. The term of office shall be for the fiscal year starting July 1 following election and ending June 30 of the following year. 7
3. In the event that an office does not have a qualified candidate, the Screening Committee shall hold an immediate special meeting for the purpose of selecting a willing candidate from the pool of candidates that had completed the screening process but, had not been elected to office. This nomination must then be approved by a majority vote of the official delegates. The election shall be held in the following order: president, secretary, vice president, treasurer, reporter, sentinel, and parliamentarian. 4. A screening committee consisting of a minimum of one delegate from each district and the immediate past president and president of the North Dakota Association of Agriculture Educators (NDAAE) and when possible up to two sponsors and a FFA Foundation representative, will hold interviews and will recommend for the delegates consideration those candidates who, in their judgment, can best serve the Association. Two or more candidates will be nominated for the office of President and Secretary, one or more candidates will be nominated for the offices of vice president, treasurer, reporter, sentinel, and parliamentarian, by the screening committee, no nominations may come from the floor. If candidates were not elected for a previous office they will be considered for next office. A candidate may decline to run for an office, if they relinquish that right, they relinquish their right to all further offices. Each officer candidate will give a nomination speech that has a maximum speaking time of two minutes. 5. The State Supervisor of Agricultural Education shall be the State Advisor. The Assistant State Supervisor shall be designated as the Executive Secretary of the FFA and shall also serve as Assistant State Advisor. 6. The North Dakota FFA Board of Directors is the governing body of the North Dakota FFA Association. The board shall consist of: seven state FFA officers (elected by North Dakota FFA Association general membership), State FFA Advisor (Chair of State Board of Directors), State Executive Secretary, eight local FFA advisors (one representing each FFA district and elected by each district), and a Director of the ND FFA Foundation. The board of directors shall formulate and approve all policy. The board of directors can amend the Constitution, Bylaws, and Program of Activities 7. The eight local FFA advisors shall be selected by the members of their respective FFA districts. Members will be elected to a three-year term with a maximum of six consecutive years serving on the board. A rotation will begin with the 2015-2016 school year with a one-year term for Districts 1, 3, 5, a two-year term for Districts 2, 4 and 6 and a three-year term for Districts 7 and 8. In 2016-2017 all election terms will be three year terms following this rotation. District Officers - Each FFA district recogn ized by th e State Association sh all be en titled to elect a slate of officers to con du ct district activities. 8
Section C. Ch apter Officers 1. Officers of th e local ch apter sh all con sist of presiden t, vice-presiden t, secretary, treasu rer, reporter, sen tin el, an d advisor. Local ch apters, if th ey desire, m ay also elect addition al officers su ch a ch aplain, librarian, h istorian, parliam en tarian, an d assistan t officers. Th e "officer-at-large" design ation for a local ch apter officer is n ot recom m en ded. Th e teach er of agricu ltu ral edu cation sh all serve as advisor. 2. Ch apter officers sh all be elected an n u ally at a regu lar m eetin g of th e local ch apter an d sh all serve for twelve m on th s. 3. Ch apters, if th ey so desire, m ay elect "J u n ior" officers or m ay elect officers for su bsidiary im provem en t association s with in th e fram ework of th e ch apter. 4. Officers of th e local ch apter m u st n ot ran k lower th an th e grade of Ch apter FFA Degree after th e ch apter h as been establish ed for on e year. ARTICLE XI. Section C. Section D Meetings and Conventions Th e State Con ven tion of th e ND FFA Association sh all be h eld, u n less circu m stan ces proh ibit oth erwise, an n u ally at North Dakota State Un iversity, eith er th e first or secon d week in J u n e, provided th at facilities are available. Each local ch apter sh all be en titled to sen d two official delegates from its active m em bersh ip to th e State Con ven tion, plu s on e addition al delegate for each fifty active m em bers or m ajor fraction th ereof above th e first fifty, su ch delegates to be selected as provided in th e Local Ch apter Con stitu tion or By-Laws. Local ch apters sh all h old th eir m eetin gs at least on ce m on th ly th rou gh ou t th e year an d at su ch tim e an d place as m ay be decided u pon by th e execu tive com m ittee of th e ch apter. The State Advisor shall appoint the state qualifying number of official delegates to the National FFA Convention from that year s members of the State Officer Team. ARTICLE X. Dues ARTICLE XI. An n u al m em bersh ip du es in th e State Association sh all be fixed by a two-th irds m ajority vote of th e delegates presen t at a State FFA Con ven tion. Th e du es of an y ch apter sh all be fixed by a m ajority vote of th e m em bersh ip of th at ch apter. Committees Th e Presiden t of th e North Dakota FFA Association, In c. sh all appoin t th e followin g regu lar com m ittees an n u ally: Th e Officer -Can didate Screen in g Com m ittee, th e Au ditin g Com m ittee, an d th e State Program of Activities Com m ittee. Oth er com m it tees m ay be appoin ted as deem ed n ecessary. 9
ARTICLE XII. Section C. Section D. Amendments to the Constitution An y proposed m em ber am en dm en t to th e State Con stitu tion m u st be prepared in writin g an d su bm itted to th e execu tive com m ittee an d th e State FFA Advisor at least sixty days prior to th e an n u al State FFA Con ven tion. An y proposed m em ber am en dm en t to th e Con stitu tion sh all be com piled by th e execu tive com m ittee an d th e State Advisor an d referred to th e local ch apters for th eir con sideration an d review at least th irty days prior to th e an n u al State Con ven tion. Mem ber am en dm en ts m ay be adopted by a two-th irds vote of th e delegates presen t at an y State Con ven tion. If it is apparen t th at a n eed exists to am en d th e State Con stitu tion with ou t waitin g u n til th e n ext an n u al con ven tion, th e followin g altern ate m eth od m ay be u sed: 1. Th e execu tive com m ittee sh all com pile th e proposed ch an ges an d sh all su bm it th em to all active ch apters in th e state togeth er with an official ballot. 2. With in 30 days, th e ballots sh all be retu rn ed to th e execu tive com m ittee properly sign ed by th e ch apter presiden t an d advisor. 3. If a two-th irds m ajority approve, th e con stitu tion will be so am en ded an d will be valid u n til th e n ext su bsequ en t con ven tion at wh ich tim e th e delegates will vote on fin al approval. Section E. Am en dm en ts to th e By-Laws m ay be proposed by a local ch apter, an official delegate or th e execu tive com m ittee an d will requ ire a m ajority vote of th e official delegates. Am en dm en ts to th e By-Laws m u st be in h arm on y with th e Nation al FFA Con stitu tion an d Federal Vocation al Edu cation Legislation. BY-LAWS OF THE NORTH DAKOTA FFA ORGANIZATION ARTICLE I. All provisions of these By-Laws shall be considered a part of the Constitution of the North Dakota FFA Association, Inc. ARTICLE II. Location of Principle Office ARTICLE III. Th e prin ciple office of th e North Dakota FFA Association, In c. sh all be in Bism arck, North Dakota at th e State Capitol. District Organization Th e district organ ization as set u p by th e State FFA Execu tive Com m ittee in clu des th e followin g ch apters: 10
District 1 (1 1 ) Alexan der Berth old Divide Cou n ty Ken m are Parsh all Powers Lake Stan ley Tioga Ray Watford City Williston District 4 (11) Fin ley/ Sh aron Grafton Hillsboro Lakota Larim ore Leeds Maddock Mu n ich New Rockford North ern Cass Park River District 7 (1 1 ) Beu lah Bism arck Cen ter Flash er Glen Ullin Hazen Hebron Man dan New Salem Wash bu rn Wilton District 2 (1 0 ) Des Lacs/ Bu rlin gton Garrison Glen bu rn Max Min ot Moh all Nedrose Sou th Prairie Tu rtle Lake/ Mercer Velva District 5 (1 0 ) Casselton En derlin North Sargen t Kin dred SERCTEC Rich lan d 44 Lidgerwood Lisbon Oakes/ Sargen t Cen tral Wah peton Wyn dm ere District 8 (1 1 ) Belfield Bowm an Cou n ty Dickin son Golden Valley Gran t Cou n ty Hettin ger Killdeer Mott/ Regen t New En glan d Scran ton Sou th Heart District 3 (1 2 ) Bottin eau Drake/ An am oose Fessen den / Bowdon Harvey McClu sky Rolette Rolla Ru gby St. J oh n TGU - Town er TGU -- Gran ville Westh ope-newbu rg District 6 (1 0 ) Carrin gton Edgeley/ Ku lm Gackle/ Streeter J am estown Kidder Cou n ty LaMou re Medin a Napoleon Win g Wish ek 11
ARTICLE IV. Dues Each chapter shall, before December 1 st of each year, pay to the North Dakota FFA Association, Inc. the total for each active member which includes National and State dues. Of the state dues $3 goes towards expenses of the North Dakota FFA Association, $1 to the North Dakota FFA Foundation for awards, grant programs and scholarships, $1 to the North Dakota FFA Foundation for National Convention travel stipends and $1 to the North Dakota FFA Association for an online SAE record book system. ARTICLE V. Duties of the Officers Section C. Section D. Section E. ARTICLE VI. Presiden t -- It sh all be th e du ty of th e Presiden t to preside over th e state con ven tion an d m eetin gs of th e state officers. Th e presiden t sh all call an official con ven tion of th e North Dakota FFA Association, In c. on ce each year. In addition, th e presiden t sh all call m eetin gs of th e execu tive com m ittee, appoin t all com m ittees an d serve as an ex officio m em ber of th ese com m ittees. Secretary -- It sh all be th e du ty of th e secretary to keep m in u tes of th e m eetin gs of th e state FFA officers an d state FFA con ven tion an d perform oth er du ties as directed by th e state execu tive com m ittee. Vice Presiden t, Treasu rer, Reporter, Sen tin el-- It sh all be th e du ty of th ese offices to represen t th e m em bersh ip of th e North Dakota FFA Association an d perform oth er du ties as directed by th e state execu tive com m ittee. Parliam en tarian -- It sh all be th e du ty of th e parliam en tarian to provide to th e Presiden t an d th e Execu tive Com m ittee gu idan ce in th e application of Roberts Ru les of Order at all regu lar an d special m eetin gs in volvin g th e State Association. State officers of th e North Dakota FFA Association sh all follow th e gu idelin es as ou tlin ed in th e North Dakota State FFA Officer Han dbook an d Official FFA Man u al. State officers are respon sible for atten din g all state-called activities, ch apter an d spon sor visits, leadersh ip developm en t con feren ces, ban qu ets, an d oth er activities deem ed n ecessary by th e execu tive com m ittee an d/ or State Advisor. State Officers will be requ ired to participate in a specific am ou n t of ch apter an d spon sor visits as determ in ed by th at year s execu tive com m ittee an d/ or State Advisor. Procedure for Issuing Charters to Local Chapters Th e State Association m ay issu e a ch arter to a local ch apter wh en : 1. An application h as been filed in th e office of th e State Association an d approved by th e State Advisor. 2. A list of th e n am es of m em bers an d officers h as been filed with th e State Association. 3. A copy of th e proposed local ch apter con stitu tion an d by-laws h as been filed in th e office of th e State Association. 4. A copy of th e program of activities h as been filed in th e office of th e State Association. 5. Cu rren t State an d Nation al du es an d th e activity fee h ave b een paid. 12
ARTICLE VII. Expenditure of Funds of the Association Th e State Advisor sh all review for approval all expen ditu res of Association fu n ds: 1. Bills in cu rred in th e m ain ten an ce of th e State Organ ization, th is to in clu de equ ipm en t pu rch as e. No pu rch ase m ay be m ade in th is category in excess of $2,500 with ou t approval of th e ND FFA Board of Directors. Th e followin g even ts will n ot be restricted by th is lim it; a. State FFA Con ven tion b. Nation al FFA Con ven tion c. Win ter Leadersh ip Con feren ce (WiLeCo) d. Blast Off (aggregate) e. Nation al Leadersh ip Con feren ce for State Officers (aggregate) f. ND State Fair (aggregate) g. State Presiden t s Con feren ce h. District Leadersh ip Con feren ces (aggregate) 2. Bills in cu rred in th e con du ctin g of state wide activities. 3. Bills in cu rred in th e plan n in g an d participation in of Nation al FFA Activities. 4. Expen ses in cu rred by th e State Officer Team in th e perform an ce of th eir du ties. (Rates are defin ed in th e Officer Han dbook.) 5. An n u al Du es. Im m ediate expen ses n ot in clu ded in are to be paid pen din g approval of th e ND FFA Execu tive Com m ittee. (Electron ic respon se is valid.) Section C. Th e North Dakota FFA Association sh all n ot su pport an y of th e expen ses of th e State FFA Advisor or Execu tive Secretary. Association registration s, travel an d fees are to be pre-paid. Section D. Meal expen ses m ay be reim bu rsed to th e Association. Reim bu rsem en t will n ot be n ecessary if th e m eal was design ated by in vitation or design as a team fu n ction. Section E. Expen ses of th e Adm in is trative Assistan t for Ag Edu cation with th e Departm en t of CTE in cu rred in su pport of FFA fu n ction s sh all be th e respon sibility of th e North Dakota FFA Association with th e exception of m ileage if a state fleet veh icle is u tilized. Meals are to be su bm itted for reim bu rsem en t u tilizin g an FFA expen se report form an d at cu rren t state rate. Meals already in clu ded in even t registration or as part of a team fu n ction will n ot be in clu ded. 13