ARTICLE I
Duties of the President
Section 1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the club, shall act as chairman of the Board of Directors, appoint all committees not otherwise provided for, and fill all vacancies in offices occurring between annual elections. He shall sign all documents requiring his signature, certify election results, and perform all other duties pertaining to his office.
ARTICLE II
Immediate Past President
Section 2. The Immediate Past President shall have all the rights and privileges of directorship and of equal vote with the other members of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE III
Vice President
Section 3. In the absence of the President from a meeting, or in case of inability to act at any time, the Vice President shall perform the duties of the President. Should the President be unable to continue in his duties, the Vice President will succeed him. In addition to his position on the Board of Directors, the Vice President is also responsible for assisting the President in the selection of judges for ALC sponsored national shows.
ARTICLE IV
Publicity Director
Section 4. The Publicity Director shall be responsible for publicizing the Club in all pigeon publications and for furnishing the Secretary with material for the bulletins issued by him.
ARTICLE V
Secretary-Treasurer
Section 5. The Secretary-Treasurer is responsible for all club correspondence, minutes of all meetings, recording of all club expenditures, and keeping of all other club records and materials.
Section 6. The primary vehicle for club correspondence shall be the American Lahore Club bulletin. The frequency and format of bulletin publication is at the discretion of the Secretary, but it is to be no less than 1 issue per quarter. If for any reason the Secretary-Treasurer cannot complete this requirement, a new Secretary-Treasurer may be appointed by the President.
Section 7. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep records of all club expenditures. Only the Secretary-Treasurer and the President are authorized to spend club funds. The Secretary-Treasurer will provide an itemized account of all receipts and expenditures for the completed year at the annual club meeting.
Section 8. In an election year the Secretary-Treasurer will prepare and send appropriate election materials to all members in good standing as outlined under voting procedures in Article IX.
ARTICLE VI
Duties of the Directors
Section 9. The District Director shall coordinate club activities in his or her district. Such activities are left to the discretion of the District Director but shall include at a minimum the holding of an annual district meet. Organization of the district meet will include the selection of venue, judge, and if desired, any additional awards beyond those mandated by the American Lahore Club. The District Director will report on district activities to the President and Secretary.
ARTICLE VII
Duties of the Standard Revision Committee
Section 10. The Standard Revision Committee shall be charged with updating and interpreting the American Lahore Club Standard of Perfection. The committee shall be appointed by the President, who serves as its chairman. The committee has the sole responsibility for any editing of the text and illustrations of the ALC standard. The committee will also rule on any disagreement regarding interpretation of the standard. Members are encouraged to submit their recommendations for standard revisions to the committee for consideration and approval. Any alteration of the ALC standard approved by the committee will be presented to the full membership of the ALC for discussion and a vote before the alteration can be included in the ALC standard. See Article IX on voting procedures.
ARTICLE VIII
Liability
Section 11. No officer, individual, or committee shall render the club liable to an amount exceeding its appropriation, which appropriation shall be approved by the Board of Directors. No officer or member of the club shall be personally liable for any official debt of the club.
ARTICLE IX
Voting Procedures
Section 12. All voting on matters pertaining to club welfare shall be voted on by the entire club membership. Only those members whose dues have been paid for the current year are eligible to vote.
Section 13. Elections: In an election year the Secretary shall send all eligible members a nomination ballot in September. Members are requested to nominate a fellow member in good standing for the offices of the American Lahore Club. Nominations for District Director are to be limited to a member’s given district. Nominations shall be returned to the President by October 15th. The President shall record all nominations and send the results to the Secretary for publication. Candidates for office shall be those two members receiving the greatest amount of nominations for any given position (Three in the case of a tie).
The Secretary shall send all eligible club members an election ballot in November. The ballot shall be returned to the club President by December 15th. Winners shall be determined by a simple majority. The President shall record all ballots and send the results to the Secretary for publication. New officers shall take office on January 1.
Section 14. Changes to the Constitution or By-Laws: Any eligible member can submit proposed changes to the Constitution and By-Laws. Proposed changes must be debated and approved by a simple majority of the Board of Directors by July of any given year. A proposal approved by the Board of Directors is then published in the club bulletin for review and discussion by the general membership. The Secretary will distribute plebiscite ballots showing the affected changes by November 15th. Members will vote “yes” or ”no” to accept the proposed changes and send their ballots to the President by December 15th. Proposed changes must be accepted by the general membership by a two-thirds (2/3) majority. The President will send the results of the plebiscite to the Secretary for publication. Any approved changes will take effect on January 1.
Section 15. Changes to the Standard: Any proposed changes to the ALC Standard of Perfection must first be approved by the Standard Revision Committee by July of any given year. A change approved by the committee is then to be presented to the entire club membership for debate and a vote. The Secretary will distribute plebiscite ballots showing the affected section of the standard and the proposed alteration by November 15th. Members will vote “yes” or “no” to accept the proposed changes and send their ballots to the President by December 15th. Proposed changes must be accepted by a two-thirds (2/3) majority. The President will send the results of the plebiscite to the Secretary for publication. Any proposed changes will take effect on January 1.
Section 16. Other matters: Any matter involving changes in club procedures which are not already outlined in the Constitution or By-Laws must be submitted to the entire club membership for a simple majority vote.
ARTICLE X
Master Breeder Awards
Section 17. The American Lahore Club may issue Master Breeders Certificates to no more than one member per year. Master Breeders shall be those members of the club who have produced Lahores of outstanding quality over a number of years and have helped improve and advance the quality and popularity of the Lahore pigeon.
Section 18. Qualifications: Only those members who fulfill the following conditions shall be eligible for the ALC Master Breeder Award: 1) Membership in the American Lahore Club for ten (10) years cumulatively; 2) Experience in breeding Lahores for at least ten (10) consecutive years: 3) The breeder of at least three (3) National Champions at the National Pigeon Association Grand National Show or the National Young Bird Show. These must be three different birds – multiple wins by the same bird do not fulfill this requirement, however multiple wins by the same bird can fulfill the point requirement; 4) have collected a total of 1000 points toward the Master Breeder Award.
Section 19. Point System: Points will be awarded to breeders for show awards based on the following system:
1) NPA Grand National or National Young Bird Show
Champion – 100 points
Reserve Champion – 50 points
Color Class Winner – 10 points
2) District Meets
Champion – 50 points
Reserve Champion – 25 points
Color Class Winner – 5 points
There must be at least two exhibitors in the class for a bird to qualify for points toward the Master Breeder Award. Points are only awarded to the breeder of the bird. Absolutely no points can be counted for wins by birds not bred by the nominee.
Section 20. Procedure: Any member may nominate a member in good standing who meets the above qualifications to become a master breeder. Members may nominate themselves. Members must keep track of their own point totals and submit them with the necessary documentation (show reports, copies of the certificates given by the NPA, ALC, etc…) to the club Secretary for verification by the club officers (President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer).