ARTICLE I:  NAME

1.        This organization shall be known as the National Harbormasters Association.

2.        It  shall  take  a  90%  vote  of  the  general  membership  to change any one of these articles.

ARTICLE II:  OBJECTIVES

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSOCIATION SHALL BE TO:

1.        Improve all career aspects of Harbormasters, Assistant Harbormasters and related marine professionals through 

         educational activities.

2.        Foster communication and professionalism between agen­cies and personnel.      

3.        Promote professional, academic, and public awareness of the duties and responsibilities of Harbormasters,                              

         Assistant Harbormasters and related marine professionals.        

4.        Encourage the establishment and expansion of higher education and professional training.

5.        Provide a unified voice for Harbormasters, Assistant Harbormasters and related marine professionals in, and  

         students of, related marine studies.      

6.        Promote high standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, training, and higher education.

ARTICLE III:  MEMBERSHIP

A.       QUALIFICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

1.        Membership in the Association shall be composed of persons who are or have been, at the time of their application for member­ship, employed as a Harbormasters, Assistant Harbormaster or related marine professional or retired from or who are in the process of obtaining an education in an associated field.

2.        No person shall be considered for membership whose occupation or activities are inconsistent with the aims  and  purposes of The National Harbormasters Association.

3.        Any person convicted of a felony may be considered five (5) years after expiration of sentence and must receive approval of two-thirds vote of the Executive Board.

B.       APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

1.        Applications for membership shall be completed and presented to the Executive Board. Applicants must be sponsored by at least one active member of the National Harbormasters Association. Upon endorsement by the Membership Committee, the application and the necessary fees shall be forwarded to the Executive Director or Executive Director along with the necessary fees.     

2.        Any member desiring to register an objection to an applicant shall do so in writing, setting forth the reasons for such objections within the ten (10) business days after application is presented to the Membership Committee.

3.        No applicant shall be denied membership in the National Harbormasters Association for reasons of race, creed, color, sex, religion, national origin, or physical disability.

4.        The Executive Director shall be authorized to accept applications for new members.

5.        If an application does not meet the qualifications for mem­bership as stated in Article III. A., the Executive Director shall notify the Executive Board either at their next meeting or by mail for their ratification or rejection.

6.        If the application is rejected by the Executive Board, the initiation fee shall be returned in full with the notice of rejection signed by the Executive Director.

C.       TIME OF MEMBERSHIP

1.         An applicant is not considered a member of the Association until such time as the application is received and approved by the Membership Committee and Executive Board.

D.       APPLICATION OF REINSTATEMENT

1.        Applicants for reinstatement must meet the qualifications for membership.

E.        WITHDRAWAL OF MEMBERSHIP

1.        A member in good standing may request in writing the withdrawal of their membership. 

F.        DUES

1.         DUES STRUCTURE:

·          The Annual Active Membership fee is $45.00 per applicant.                  

·          The Retired member dues are $25.00 per member.

·          Annual Associate Member dues are $25 per individual.

·          Corporate Membership dues are $250. 

·          For the first year the status of Plank Owner / Founding Member will be offered for a $75 fee.

2.        Annual dues shall be due and payable on or before  January 1st of each year.  Annual dues not paid by January 31st shall be considered delinquent. Annual dues for members joining the Association after September 1st will be paid through the following year.

3.        Any  member  who shall be in arrears for dues  or  shall  owe any  money  for  assessments legally  passed by  the  Association in excess of one (1) year, shall be dropped from  the Association's  roster;  however, the individual may  re-apply  for reinstatement.

4.        No member of Association will be allowed to vote at the National Harbormasters Association Annual Conference if their annual dues have not been paid.

5.        Lifetime and Retired members of the Association and  shall be exempt from the payment  

        of all dues and assessments to the Association.

G.       CLASSIFICATION OF MEMBERSHIP

ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP

HONARARY LIFETIME MEMBERS and RETIRED MEMBERS

a.        Members who have been awarded the Honorable Lifetime Membership Award or who have been deemed a retired member of the National Harbormasters Association shall not be subject to annual dues or assessments by the Association.

b.        Eligibility for Retired Membership status requires membership in The National Harbormasters Association for a period of at least fifteen (15) years.

c.        The granting of retired status shall be subject to the recommendation of the Membership Committee and the approval of the Executive Board.  

d.        Members shall apply for retired status by submitting the appropriate application to the Executive Board that included sponsorship by three (3) members of the Association in good standing.               

e.        The Executive Board shall issue an Honorable Lifetime Membership Award with the member’s name and date of issuance along with a Lifetime Membership Card.  A distinctive Lifetime Member Pin will also be issued.

        ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP

                a. Associate membership shall be recommended by the Membership Committee and granted by the Executive   

                    Board for applicants who are interested in becoming members of the Association who are not directly related 

                    to the profession of Harbormaster.          

                b. Associate Members are non-voting members of the Association

PAID LIFE MEMBERSHIP

a.        Life membership may be granted by paying twenty-four (24) times the current annual dues.  The fee may be paid by making four (4) quarterly payments within one year’s time.          

b.        Paid Life Members shall not be exempt from additional assessments.

CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP

a.        Corporate Memberships shall be determined by the Executive Board. They shall set the fee and entitle­ments. Agency members shall not have voting privileges.

I.          GENERAL PROVISIONS OF MEMBERSHIP

1.        A member of the Association shall not be denied the right to attend meetings provided he/she abides by the Bylaws enforced by such chapter.

2.        No member of the Association shall, either directly or indirectly,  advocate  in the name of The National Harbormasters Association any legislation or cause to be introduced before any legislative body or commission any legislation pertaining to any matter whatsoever unless author­ized to do so by the Executive Board.

3.        No  member  of  the  Association shall, in  the  name  of  The National Harbormasters Association either directly or indirectly, participate or intervene in any political  campaign (including the publishing or distribution  of statements) on behalf of any candidate for public office.

4.        No member of the Association shall act on behalf of the National Harbormasters Association unless authorized to do so.

5.        TRIALS AND PENALTIES OF MEMBERSHIP

a.        Any member who shall be guilty of any immoral, dishon­est, fraudulent or criminal act or who shall act in such a way as to discredit the Association or who shall offend against the Bylaws of the Association shall be fined, reprimanded, suspended and/or expelled by vote of the Executive Board.

b.        Any member disciplined by the Executive Board may appeal such action to the general membership at the next general membership meeting.  The National President will present the facts and rationale of the disciplinary action to the membership who will, by majority vote, either sustain the Executive Board's action; modify it; or reverse it.

J.        NHA AWARDS

1.        Nominations for Star Member or Service Award and Honorary   Life Member­ship Awards may be made by any member of the Association in good standing.  A written nomination must be submitted to the Execu­tive Director by December 31^st prior to the Annual Confer­ence.

2.       ANCHOR MEMBER AWARD

a.        Anchor Members are elected to Life Membership from within the mem­bership of the Association in recognition of their outstanding contri­bution to the Association.

b.        The right to issue Anchor Membership rests with the voting members of Grand Chapter.  Three quarters (3/4) vote of the voting member­ship present at the Annual Conference is required.  Voting shall be by secret ballot.

c.        The presentation of Anchor Memberships may be made at the Annual Conference of the Association.   In the absence of the recipient or a delegate, the award shall be sent to the Regional President or the subordinate chapter President for presentation to the member. The award shall be published in the Journal.   

d.        Grand Chapter shall issue a Anchor Member certificate of recognition to each Anchor member inscribed with the member’s name, date of issuance, and NHA logo; and a Anchor membership card inscribed with the member’s name and NHA logo.

e.        The Award is an earned recognition of members who have substantially contributed to the furtherance of the National Harbormasters Association. A nominee must have displayed exemplary loyalty and dedication to the NHA and shall have provided service which is substantially superior to that performed by other members. A statement of achievements and services to the NHA must be included in the nomination letter.

f.         Minimum criteria for the nomination of a member for the Anchor Award shall include: 

(1)     Service as a Association liaison and or elected officer;  and or

(2)     Outstanding service and contributions as an active member, committee member for a period of five (5) years; or

(3)     Recognition for service in the furthering of the goals and objectives of the National Harbormasters Association.    

3.        ? / NHA AWARD

a.        This award may be granted once a year.            

b.       Recipients of the ? Award are elected to Life Membership.

c.        The right to issue the ? Award rests with the voting members of the Association. Three quar­ters (3/4) vote of the voting membership present at the Annual Conference is required.  Voting shall be by ballot.

d.        A distinctive plaque will be presented to the awardee inscribed with his/her name, date of issuance, and National Harbormasters Association logo.

4.        NATIONAL HARBORMASTERS ASSOCIATION DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

a.        The   NHA Distinguished Service Award is an earned award granted to members of the Association in recognition of outstanding service to the NHA.

b.        Nominations for the Distinguished Service Award may be submitted by any member in good standing.

c.        The award is granted upon the favorable vote of a majority of the voting membership of the NHA present at the annual meeting. Voting shall be done by secret ballot.

d.        Minimum criteria for  nomination  for  the  Distin­guished Service Award shall  be  at least  five  (5)  years  active membership in the Association, and out­standing  service to  the  Association.

e.        A   distinctive plaque will be presented to the awardees inscribed with his/her name, date of issuance, and with the NHA logo.  The  award  is  not  a separate  class  of  membership and does  not  grant  Life Membership privileges.

5.        HONORARY LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP AWARD

a.        Honorary Life Members may be elected to Honorary Life Membership in the Association in recognition of out­standing service and contributions to the Association.

b.        The right to issue Honorary Life Membership rests with the voting members of the Association. A two/thirds (2/3) vote of the voting membership present at the Annual meeting is required.  Voting shall be by roll call.  The Executive Director shall call the roll and record the vote.

c.        The presentation of the Honorary Life Membership may be made at the Annual Meeting of the Association. In the absence of the recipient or a delegate, the award shall be sent to the local Harbormasters Association, immediate supervisor or associate for presentation of the award. The award shall be published in the Newsletter.

6.        SCHOLARSHIP AWARD 

a.        The Association shall award one (1) scholarship each year, the amount to be determined by the Scholarship Committee and approved by the Executive Board.

b.        The Scholarship Committee shall coordinate the pro­gram ensuring that all applications are complete and submit the results to the Executive Board at its Annual Meeting.

K.       NOTIFICATIONS

1.        Nominations for the Lifetime Membership Award, Star Award and the NHA Distinguished Service Award will be sent to each member of the Executive Board. Written nominations shall be sent to the Executive Board by mail  at least  thirty  (30) calendar  days prior to the first day of the Annual Meeting of the Association. Copies shall be made available to members attending the Conference.  Conference notices shall desig­nate the time, place and business to be transacted.

ARTICLE IV:  OFFICERS

A.       OFFICERS

1.        The Executive Board members of the National Harbormasters Association shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Executive Director. The Executive Director shall be a non-voting member of the Executive Board.

B.       DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

1.        Executive Board Members shall perform the duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Association.

2.        Ex-officio officers shall not have voting privileges on the Executive Board or the General Business Meeting unless they are carrying valid proxies.

C.       ELECTION OF OFFICERS

1.        The  President  and the Secretary shall be elected from the  membership on even numbered years at the Annual Meeting of  the  Association by secret  ballot  and  shall  hold office  until  their successors are elected and  qualified. The Vice-President and Treasurer shall be elected on odd numbered years. The term of office shall begin at the close of the Annual Meeting.

a.        The President, if so elected, may serve up to five (5) consecutive two-year terms of office.

b.        The immediate Past President shall serve only one (1) two-year term of office.

c.        In the event of the resignation or death of the President, the Vice-President shall ascend to the office of President for the remainder of the unexpired term.  The office of Vice-President shall remain vacant until the next Annual Conference. If the term of office assumed by the Vice-President is less than one year, the Vice-President shall be allowed to serve a full two-year term of his/her own.  If the term of office is more than one year, the Vice-President's term of office as President shall be deemed to have been fulfilled.

d.        In the event of the resignation or death of the President and the unavailability of a Vice-President to succeed to the office of President, the Executive Board member with the longest tenure on the Board shall assume the duties of Chairman of the Executive Board with all of the duties and powers of the President until an election can be held at the next Annual Conference of the Association to fill both vacancies.

2.        The Executive Director shall be hired by the Executive Board. 

a.        The Executive Director shall be hired under contract. An annual salary shall be determined by the Executive Board.

b.        The Executive Director’s contract shall expire every three years.

c.        Duties and Responsibilities of the Executive Director

1.        All Office responsibilities

2.        Website Administration

3.        Invoices and Deposits

4.        Mailings and Email Notifications  

5.        Newsletter Publication

6.        Advertisements on website

7.        Membership Renewals

8.        The Executive Director shall be responsible for the duties of Conference Director for the Association.        

3.      At the Executive Board Meeting just prior to the annual Association's meeting in which elections are to be     

         held, the Executive Board shall select a Nominations Coordinator.

a.        The Coordinator shall have the responsibility to solicit such nominations as any member in good standing shall submit for the office of the National President and the National Vice-President.

b.        All nomination letters shall be sent to the Nominations Coordinator through the Executive Director by December 31^st prior to the Association’s meeting in which elections are to be held.  The letters should include background and written criteria for each nominee.

c.        The Coordinator and the Executive Director shall verify that each nominee meets all qualifications as may be set forth in the Association’s Bylaws.  The Coordinator shall address any incomplete and/or inaccurate information.

d.        The Nominations Coordinator will give a report at the Business Meeting at the Annual Conference before the election on the nominations that were received.

e.        The Coordinator shall not be a member of the Executive Board.

6.        Nominations for officers may also be made from the floor.

7.        When there is only one candidate for an office, the election by ballot may be dispensed with.

8.        Should the presiding officer wish to nominate a member for office, he/she shall appoint an alternate presiding officer to conduct the Business Meeting until the completion of the election.

9.        In order to be nominated, a candidate for the office of President or Vice-President shall have been a member of the Association for two consecutive years at the time of his/her nomination.      

10.     Only members of the Association may nominate a candidate for office.

11.     The election of officers of the National Harbormaster Association shall be held under new business and must be completed before adjournment.

12.     A majority vote of all votes cast must be secured by one nominee to secure election to office.

13.     In the case of a tie or divided vote, the names of the members receiving the two highest numbers shall be voted upon again until one has secured a majority vote.

14.     The highest office vacant must be filled before passing on to the next office.

D.       RECALL OF OFFICERS

1.        Officers may be recalled for any violation of the Bylaws.

2.        A motion for recall may be made at any Executive Board Con­ference or Annual Meeting of the Associa­tion.

3.        Procedures found in Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised shall be followed.

ARTICLE V:  MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES

A.       EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETINGS

1.        At least one regular Meeting of the Executive Board of the Association shall be held each year with the first Meeting being held in conjunction with the annual National Harbormasters Association meeting.

2.        The President of Grand Chapter or person designated by him/her shall arrange for this Meeting of the NHA Executive Board and other Meetings as necessary.

3.        Two thirds (2/3) of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business.

4.