(Edit: typo fixes for rhabdo)
Whereas
The SRA national budget is in a critical state, and measures must be taken to address the shortfall.
Whereas
A significant contributor to the shortfall is internal debt of dues share owed by the organization to local chapters.
Whereas
While the intention of the dues share system to provide resources to chapters is sound, it has in practice created an unnecessary bureaucracy that consumes the time of local chapters and does not efficiently support the ability of general membership to build and maintain projects to fulfill the organization’s mission, be sustainable as autonomous entities, and organize with other regional chapters.
Whereas
Chapters pooling resources to collaborate on projects to meet their members needs and further the goals of the organization can serve to better allocate those resources and encourage cross chapter solidarity.
Whereas
Finding ourselves hobbled by debt we owe ourselves requiring money we don’t have should lead us to consider the utility and validity of this debt.
Whereas
The organization and its chapters, as represented by their Assembly representatives, are within their right to re-negotiate dues share debt or cancel it outright.
Let it therefore be resolved as an omnibus motion, with the approval of a 3/4 vote of the Assembly:
For the purpose of this resolution “general” members shall be taken to mean full SRA members, who are not officers or workers of national, nor members of the Assembly.
1) All dues share debt is hereby forgiven by the chapters, and any funds currently earmarked to dues share, including those held in chapter bento accounts, are placed into the national general budget.
2) The cash in the budget be allocated, by resolutions of the Assembly, to pay for the expenses of projects run by general members for the furtherance of the SRA’s mission.
a) This includes the allocation for existing projects, or ongoing chapter expenses currently operating with funds from the annual dues share ( to be compiled and submitted with this resolution chapter reps, please check for any recurring costs your chapter has been charging to the bento – with total cost to be listed here on date of vote) listed in the attached Active Project List
b) That future projects funding requests be heard in a dedicated agenda item for this purpose to appear on all future regular Assembly meeting and may be brought by either
i) As single projects or omnibus packages of projects proposed by Chapter Affairs.
ii) Directly by the Assembly Representative of a chapter that runs the project.
c) That the chapters direct their Representatives to keep their project status up to date on the Active Projects list, to be included in the annual budget going forward.
3) That the Bylaws be amended to remove the dues share system as follows
diff --git a/bylaws/content.md b/bylaws/content.md
index 76690f9..baf619c 100755
--- a/bylaws/content.md
+++ b/bylaws/content.md
@@ -1019,8 +1019,7 @@ Chapters shall be granted wide lenience and autonomy in the manner by which they
1. The right to determine in a democratic fashion how the chapter wishes to organize itself.
2. The right to organize all actions and events within the mission scope and capacity of the Organization within its jurisdiction.
3. The right to cooperate and coordinate with other chapters of the Organization without the express approval of the Organization.
-4. The right to receive a dues share of thirty percent (30%) of annual dues and seventy (70%) of monthly dues paid by members within their jurisdiction to the Organization.
-5. The right to petition for general referendum of the Organization on any resolution or Bylaws amendment. The contents of Article Thirteen Section Three shall apply.
+4. The right to petition for general referendum of the Organization on any resolution or Bylaws amendment. The contents of Article Thirteen Section Three shall apply.
## SECTION FOUR: DISCIPLINE
@@ -1096,7 +1095,7 @@ Should a chapter consistently fail to hold meetings, virtual or physical, consis
Should the chapter be unable to resolve the inactivity, the Chapters Director shall send a report of their efforts and the state of the chapter to the Organizing Committee and recommend the suspension of the chapter’s ratification. The Organizing Committee shall review the Chapters Director’s report on the chapter, and shall vote on whether to present the report to the Assembly.
-If the report is presented to the Assembly, the Assembly shall consider the report and may suspend the chapter’s ratification by majority vote. A suspended chapter shall not be entitled to seats in the Assembly, dues shares, nor any other privileges afforded to ratified chapters. The chapter may break its suspension upon the petition of five full members of the chapter to the Chapters Director to resume the chapter’s operations.
+If the report is presented to the Assembly, the Assembly shall consider the report and may suspend the chapter’s ratification by majority vote. A suspended chapter shall not be entitled to seats in the Assembly, or any other privileges afforded to ratified chapters. The chapter may break its suspension upon the petition of five full members of the chapter to the Chapters Director to resume the chapter’s operations.
No member shall lose their ascension by virtue of inactivity of their chapter.
@@ -1135,90 +1134,6 @@ In accordance with the chapter’s right to self-determine its mechanism of gove
As an expectation, it will be preferred that all mandated roles within this Section are filled by separate members. In the event that a chapter is unable to maintain separate occupancy in these roles, chapters may set forth provisions in their bylaws to allow for the same member to hold multiple roles under this Section.
-## SECTION SEVEN: DUES SHARES
-
-
-### Subsection One: Calculation
-
-The share of national dues to a chapter from annual dues shall be calculated in the following manner:
-
-
-
-1. The initial dues to be shared shall be determined by the amount of annual dues charged to a member, minus the transaction fees of the processing agent.
-2. On the first business day of every month, the Records Director shall provide the Financial Director a list of new members who
- 1. Have declared a chapter preference
- 2. Are paying annual dues
- 3. Have been a member for at least one (1) month.
- 4. Have not been reported previously.
-3. The Records Director shall additionally provide the Financial Director a list of members who have renewed their annual dues.
-4. The Financial Director shall review this report, and set aside thirty percent (30%) of the adjusted dues amount into a seperate banking account designated for the purpose of holding funds meant for disbursement to the chapters.
-5. The Financial Director shall maintain records of how much revenue is owed to the chapter, and advise the chapter treasurers at the last business day of every month how much they can expect to receive from annual dues shares at the next disbursement.
-
-The share of national dues to a chapter from monthly dues shall be calculated in the following manner:
-
-
-
-1. The initial dues to be shared shall be determined by the amount of annual dues charged to a member, minus the transaction fees of the processing agent.
-2. On the first business day of every month, the Records Director shall provide the Financial Director a list of members who
- 1. Have declared a chapter preference.
- 2. Are paying monthly dues.
- 3. Have been a member for at least one (1) month.
- 4. Have successfully completed the previous month’s dues payment.
-3. The Financial Director shall review this report, and set aside seventy percent (70%) of the adjusted dues amount into a seperate banking account designated for the purpose of holding funds meant for disbursement to the chapters.
-4. The Financial Director shall maintain records of how much revenue is owed to the chapter, and advise the chapter treasurers at the last business day of every month how much they can expect to receive from monthly dues shares at the next disbursement.
-
-The share of national dues to a chapter from lifetime dues shall be calculated in the following manner:
-
-
-
-6. The initial dues to be shared shall be determined by the amount of lifetime dues charged to a member, minus the transaction fees of the processing agent.
-7. On the first business day of every month, the Records Director shall provide the Financial Director a list of new lifetime members who
- 5. Have declared a chapter preference.
- 6. Have paid lifetime dues.
- 7. Are full members.
- 8. Have not been reported previously.
-8. The Financial Director shall review this report, and set aside fifty percent (50%) of the adjusted dues amount into a seperate banking account designated for the purpose of holding funds meant for disbursement to the chapters.
-9. The Financial Director shall maintain records of how much revenue is owed to the chapter, and advise the chapter treasurers at the last business day of every month how much they can expect to receive from lifetime dues shares at the next disbursement.
-
-
-### Subsection Two: Disbursement
-
-On the last business day of January, April, July, and October, the Financial Director shall inform all chapter treasurers of the amount of money to be credited to their chapter. This shall be based upon the Financial Director’s previous accounting for the dues share of the applicable preceding months. For example, January’s disbursement would include dues shares calculated on the first business day of November, December, and January.
-
-Chapters shall only receive disbursement of their dues shares if the chapter has a current treasurer. If a chapter has no treasurer at the time of regular disbursement, the Financial Director shall credit the chapter’s ledger balance with the amount owed to the chapter. Upon the selection of a new treasurer by the chapter, the chapter treasurer shall contact the Financial Director for irregular disbursement.
-
-If a chapter has established an independent bank account, the Financial Director shall initiate a transfer to that chapter’s bank account.
-
-If a chapter has a prepaid card or cards managed by the Organization, the Financial Director shall credit the funds to that card or cards as applicable.
-
-If a chapter has no mechanism to store the funds, the Financial Director shall retain the funds in the Organization’s bank account established for dues shares, and shall notify the chapter treasurer of the amount credited to their ledger as well as a current ledger balance for their chapter.
-
-
-### Subsection Three: Record Keeping
-
-The Financial Director shall, at all times, maintain a complete account of all calculations and disbursements to chapters for not less than ten years. This account shall be backed up and archived as necessary to ensure its longevity and access to future Administrations. The Financial Director shall additionally maintain an estimated balance of the chapters of the Organization, based on what has been reported to them from the chapters.
-
-Chapter treasurers shall report all expenses to the Financial Director periodically, and remit receipts for expenses paid for with dues shares within one (1) month of those expenses being made. They shall compile and submit a report of the chapter’s revenue and expenses for the year as required in Section Six Subsection Three of this Article. The Financial Director shall preserve these reports and receipts for not less than ten years.
-
-
-### Subsection Four: Valid Uses
-
-Chapters may spend revenue received by dues share on any activity or expense that is a legal activity or expense for a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization to make under the Internal Revenue Service Code.
-
-Expenses that are explicitly forbidden from being made with dues shares are:
-
-
-
-1. Purchase of ammunition for a firearm.
-2. Purchase of a firearm.
-3. Purchase of illegal goods or substances.
-4. Purchases that do not fall under the advancement of the mission statement of this Organization.
-
-The Financial Director may issue further interpretations, guidelines, and policies on forbidden expenses to the chapter treasurers. Invalid expenses are grounds for chapter and member discipline.
-
-A chapter may, if it so determines and is financially able to do so, provide compensation to a member in the form of a wage or salary. A chapter may only do so if it has become an incorporated entity in the state that it resides, and is capable of sustaining the infrastructure necessary to make filings to all applicable local, state, and federal authorities.
-
-
# ARTICLE NINE: INDEMNIFICATION