Our By-Laws

YLRL By-Laws

As amended May 2021

ARTICLE I – MEMBERSHIP

Section 1         Pursuant to ARTICLE III of the Constitution, the following membership requirements are established:

  1. FULL MEMBERSHIP shall be open to all women who possess a valid renewable Amateur Radio license issued by the U.S. A. or Canada.
  2. FAMILY MEMBERSHIP shall be open to Full Members residing at the same address.
  3. ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP shall be open to all women who meet the general membership qualifications but who reside outside the U.S.A. and its possessions or Canada.
  4. LIFE MEMBERSHIP shall be granted to licensed women Amateur Radio operators who may be elected thereto by formal action of the League.
  5. HONORARY MEMBERSHIP shall be granted to those individuals who may be elected thereto by formal action of the League.

Section 2         Application for membership shall be submitted in writing to a Receiving Treasurer. Each applicant must express her willingness to abide by the Constitution and By-Laws and such rules as may from time to time be promulgated.

Section 3         Expiration of amateur license shall automatically disqualify a person from membership.

Section 4          Expulsion from membership shall be in accordance with the provisions of Roberts’ Rules of Order. Such action may be taken if a member fails to renew her license.

ARTICLE II – DUES

Section 1          The annual dues shall be as follows:

  1. FULL MEMBER $15.00
  2. FAMILY MEMBER 3.00
  3. ASSOCIATE MEMBER 15.00
  4. LIFE MEMBER 0.00
  5. HONORARY MEMBER 0.00

All dues are payable in U.S.A. funds or their equivalent amount based on the current rate of exchange.

Section 2         Members and subscribers wishing to receive YLH by mail may be charged an additional amount to cover first class or air mail postage. This additional amount shall be determined by the Board of Directors upon recommendation of the Disbursing Treasurer, Budget & Finance Committee, and the Publications Committee. Majority of the votes cast shall be required.

Section 3         Dues for renewal of continuous membership shall be paid in advance, shall be due and payable on January 1st of each year and shall become delinquent if not paid by March 31st of that year.

Section 4         Members who fail to pay their dues by March 31st shall be considered delinquent, and shall be dropped from the rolls. The Receiving Treasurers shall notify said delinquent member of this action by first class mail or email sent to the delinquent member’s last address of record or current callbook listing.

Section 5         A former member whose name has been dropped from the rolls for a period of less than one membership year shall have the balance of that membership year as a grace period. If, before the end of her grace period, the lapsed member pays dues for that full year, her name shall be restored to the rolls, there shall be no break in her membership continuity, and she shall regain her good standing.

Section 6         A former member who has been dropped from the rolls for a period exceeding one membership year may rejoin on the same basis as a new member. Her membership continuity shall be considered broken for the year(s) or portions thereof in which her dues were unpaid and she was not a member. She shall be called a reinstated member.

Section 7         Dues may be paid either for one year or for three years.

ARTICLE III – OFFICERS

Section 1          The officers of the League shall be elected for a term of two years. They shall assume office on January 1st of the year following their election.

Section 2          The President and Vice-President shall not be eligible to succeed themselves. (This does not mean that they cannot run for ANOTHER office -only that they cannot hold the office of President or Vice-President for more than two consecutive years.)

Section 3          No member shall hold more than one elective office at any one time.

Section 4          A vacancy in the President’s office before the expiration of term shall be filled by the Vice-President. Should both the President and Vice-President be unable to act, the Secretary shall notify the Board of Directors who shall then designate an Acting President. Vacancies other than that of President occurring between elections shall be filled by appointment of the President under whom that officer shall serve.

Section 5         All officers shall serve without compensation in any form. This shall not preclude reimbursement of necessary expenses incurred in the conduct of their respective offices and approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 6          Should an officer or District Chairwoman fail to carry out their duties adequately, the person holding that position may be removed from that position by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE IV – DISTRICT CHAIRWOMEN

Section 1          Election of District Chairwomen shall be made at the same time and on the same ballot as the election of primary officers.

Section 2          All regulations regarding eligibility (ARTICLE VI, Sec. 3 of Constitution) and election of officers shall apply, except that members shall vote for only one District Chairwoman to represent the district in which the member resides, and except that Receiving Treasurer DX shall be elected by all members except Honorary Members.

ARTICLE V – BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Receiving Treasurers, Disbursing Treasurer, District Chairwomen, Chairwomen of each of the Standing Committees, all appointed positions, and the immediate Past President of YLRL.

ARTICLE VI – EXECUTIVE BOARD

The Executive Board shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Receiving Treasurers, and Disbursing Treasurer, who shall have all the powers of the Board of Directors between the “meetings” of that Board. The Board of Directors shall define in broad terms the duties and authority of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VII – DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1         The President shall preside at all official meetings and/or conventions of the League and shall act as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors. She shall be an ex-officio member of all Standing Committees. She shall call meetings of the Board by mail, email, or other electronic means at least twice a year. The President shall appoint one of the District Chairwomen to serve as Chairwoman of the Nominating Committee during her first year in office and no later than July of that year. She shall make all appointments whenever vacancies occur in offices.  She shall retain the corporate seal and shall affix it to all Certificates and/or Awards she signs.

Section 2

  1. The Vice-President shall assume all duties of the President in the absence or disability of the latter. She will work with the Receiving Treasurer US to receive electronic funds and forward the money to the Disbursing Treasurer and Scholarship Chairwoman as appropriate. She shall have charge of all League station activities, contests, rules of same, nets, etc. with the exception of the League callsign K4LMB. In this work she will be assisted by a committee of at least three members, preferably Past Vice Presidents, of her choice, each from a different district. She shall appoint a custodian for awards such as WAS/YL, YLCC, WAC/YL, DX/YL, and DX/YLCC and Continuous Membership Certificate. She may appoint committees or assistants to aid her in specific branches of activities under her jurisdiction. She shall serve as a member of the Board of Directors.
  2. Rules governing the issuance of YLCC, WAS/YL, WAC/YL, DX/YL and the DX/YLCC certificates may only be changed or amended by following the procedures for Constitution and By-Laws changes set forth in ARTICLE XV, Section 1 of the By-Laws.
  3. Major changes relating to YLRL contests shall be handled as follows: The proposed change shall be first sent to the current Vice-President of YLRL and the current Vice-President’s Advisory Committee for discussion and opinion. If their approval is forthcoming, the proposal shall be sent to the Board of Directors for vote. A majority vote by this Board shall make the change effective immediately.

Section 3          The Secretary shall keep a record of all proceedings of the League. She shall keep a complete and accurate record of amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws. She shall maintain a file of all new applications for membership for one year and shall handle all matters pertaining to membership and voting in accordance with the provisions of the By-Laws and Procedure Policy. She shall mail or email to each new member a letter of welcome. She shall serve as a member of the Board of Directors.

Section 4

  1. The Receiving Treasurers shall receive all money for dues and forward this money to the Disbursing Treasurer. They shall send a dues receipt to each member. They shall forward all new applications for membership to the Secretary for her files and shall keep the Secretary, Continuous Membership Chairwoman, Database Manager and Editor advised of dues payment and of all changes in the membership records. The Receiving Treasurer US will work with the Vice-President to receive electronic funds and forward this money to the Disbursing Treasurer and Scholarship Chairwoman as appropriate. They shall serve as members of the Board of Directors.
  2. The Disbursing Treasurer shall receive and receipt all money sent to her by the Receiving Treasurers and all other money paid to the League, and shall make payment of all obligations known to her to be proper and authorized. She shall submit an itemized financial statement annually for auditing. She shall be responsible for the filing of all reports required by the Federal, State and local governments. She shall serve as a member of the Board of Directors and shall be an ex-officio member of the Budget and Finance Committee.

Section 5          Each District Chairwoman, the Youth Chairwoman and Receiving Treasurer DX shall be responsible for gathering news for YL Harmonics and forwarding same to the Editor at appropriate intervals. She shall assist the Vice-President in organizing contests, traffic schedules, nets, and all League activities. She shall serve as a member of the Board of Directors.

Section 6          The Board of Directors shall be responsible for all matters of League policy. The Board shall be called to meet at least twice a year, one meeting being near the close of the club year. Additional meetings may be called by the President at her discretion or by a written request of three or more members of the Board. All business of the Board will normally be handled by mail or email.

Section 7         The Executive Board shall act for the Board of Directors when necessary between meetings of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VIII – STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 1         The Standing Committees of the League shall consist of the following: PUBLICATIONS, PUBLICITY, BUDGET & FINANCE, AFFILIATED CLUBS, and SUPPLIES.

Section 2         The Publications Committee shall edit a publication to be known as YL Harmonics. The policy of the publication shall be determined by the board of Directors and the Editor. The general management of this publication shall be in the hands of the Editor who shall be Chairwoman of this Committee.

Section 3         The Publicity Committee shall be responsible for publicizing the League in every way possible. It shall provide news items concerning the League and/or its members to newspapers, magazines, and social media. The Publicity Committee shall maintain the accounts for the various YLRL social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. It shall cooperate with the District Chairwomen in all publicity work and aid them whenever requested. The Publicity Committee shall maintain a League Scrapbook and a Photo Album which shall be sent upon request to Affiliated Clubs or conventions.

Section 4         The Budget & Finance Committee shall act as advisor to the Board of Directors. It shall advise the Board in regard to investing League funds. It shall act as advisor to the Disbursing Treasurer. The Budget & Finance Committee shall appoint two members who shall be approved by the Executive Board to serve as auditors for an annual audit. These members should have some experience with finances.

Section 5         The Affiliated Clubs Committee shall act as liaison between YLRL and affiliated YL radio clubs. See ARTICLE XIII Affiliated Clubs.

Section 6         The Supplies Chairwoman will work closely with the Disbursing Treasurer since she will handle funds from the sale of YLRL merchandise.

ARTICLE IX – VOTING

Section 1         On questions involving the entire membership, the Secretary shall provide each member with a ballot and information concerning the question or candidate to be voted on. This may be done through publication in YL Harmonics, provided each Family Member shall also receive a copy of the ballot. A closing date for voting shall be stated in the notice and shall be not less than six weeks from the date the notice is mailed.

Section 2         Ballots shall be signed by the voting member and returned to the Secretary by mail, email, or other electronic means. The Secretary shall verify the eligibility of each voter, shall count and tabulate the votes, and submit them to an auditor designated by the Board of Directors. After auditing, if there are no discrepancies, the votes shall be returned to the Secretary for retention. If there is a discrepancy between the count of the Secretary and that of the auditor, the ballots shall be forwarded to the President for final decision. The Board of Directors shall direct the Secretary to send written notice of election results to all candidates and shall cause the results of the balloting to be published in the next regular issue of YL Harmonics.

Section 3         On ballots involving the entire membership, a simple plurality of votes cast shall govern in all matters except amendment of the Constitution and By-Laws, which shall require a two-thirds majority of the votes cast.

Section 4         On ballots of the Board of Directors, a majority of the votes cast shall govern in all matters.

ARTICLE X – ELECTIONS

Section 1         During her first year in office, and no later than July of that year, the President shall appoint one of the District Chairwomen to serve as Chairwoman of the Nominating Committee. The Chairwoman shall then appoint two more District Chairwomen to assist her in selecting qualified candidates for each of the offices stipulated in ARTICLE VI of the Constitution.

Section 2           In addition to the candidates selected by the Nominating Committee, any qualified member may be nominated for office by written petition of five members in good standing.

Section 3         No member may be nominated to office without her written consent. Write-in votes will not be allowed.

Section 4         The Nominating Committee shall check on the eligibility of each candidate and shall cause to be published in YL Harmonics, or in a special bulletin, a slate of candidates for office together with a brief review of each candidate’s qualifications.

Section 5         If there is any office for which there is no candidate, the President under whom she is to serve will appoint a member who qualifies under ARTICLE VI, Sec. 3 of the Constitution.

Section 6         Prior to July 15, ballots for the general election shall be provided for each member. Ballots may be included in YL Harmonics if desired, provided each family member shall also receive a copy of the ballot.

Section 7         Voting shall be conducted in accordance with ARTICLE IX of the By-Laws.

 

ARTICLE XI – QUORUM

The members participating in any meetings of voting shall be considered a quorum, providing all members have been notified of the activity by mail sent to the last address of record. Such notice shall be mailed at least six weeks prior to the closing date of the ballot.

ARTICLE XII – LEAGUE PAPER

Section 1         There shall be an official publication of the YLRL to be known as YL Harmonics which shall be published by the Publications Committee in accordance with the provisions of ARTICLE VIII, Sec. 2. A copy of YL Harmonics shall be supplied to every member of the League in good standing with the exception of Family Members.

Section 2         The expenses of YL Harmonics shall be governed by the Board of Directors.

Section 3         Subscription to YL Harmonics may be obtained by any interested persons upon payment of a subscription fee of $15.00 per year, plus any additional postage required. Subscriptions shall run from January 1st to.December 31st.

ARTICLE XIII – AFFILIATED CLUBS

Section 1         Local clubs of women radio amateurs shall be eligible for YLRL Affiliated Club Membership when 50% of the licensed members of such club are YLRL members in good standing. Written application for affiliation shall be made to the Affiliated Clubs Chairwoman, accompanied by a designation of the geographical area covered. A certificate of affiliation shall be issued by the YLRL Secretary.

Section 2         Affiliation of the YLRL Affiliated Clubs shall be renewable at the beginning of the YLRL membership year and shall require submission of an affirmation of eligibility.

Section 3         YLRL Affiliated Clubs shall be independent organizations and shall pursue no course of action in the name of YLRL without first obtaining written permission of the Executive Board. If the name “Young Ladies’ Radio League” or “YLRL” is incorporated in the name of the club, it shall be qualified as to the location or territory served by the local club.

Section 4         Any action or policy pursued by an Affiliated Club which is in opposition to the Constitution or policy of YLRL shall be cause for cancellation of affiliation within the discretion of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE XIV – SCHOLARSHIP FUND

The young Ladies’ Radio League, Inc. shall establish a scholarship fund to provide scholarships or other grants to worthy Young Ladies for continuing their education, with preference given to those in the academic study of communications and electronics or related arts and sciences.

ARTICLE XV – AMENDMENTS

Section 1         An amendment to the Constitution or By-Laws may be proposed at any time by written request of five or more members. Such proposal shall be submitted to the Board of Directors who shall give it consideration, and if approved, shall cause the proposed amendment together with appropriate ballot and reasons for the proposal to be published in the next regular issue of YL Harmonics, or by special bulletin. Voting shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of ARTICLE IX of the By-Laws. Approved amendments shall be recorded by the Secretary.

Section 2         On questions of order and procedure not otherwise determined by these By-Laws, the provision of the current editions of Roberts’ Rules of Order shall prevail.

Section 3         The present By-Laws shall become effective May 2021.

You can download a pdf copy of the Constitution and by-laws here.