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AMERICAN FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT SCOUTING
BYLAWS
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Article I - Name, Headquarters, Insignia.
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a. The name of this Association shall be American Federation of
Independent Scouts.
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b. The name shall be abbreviated as A.F.I.S., or AFIS.
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c. The Association shall have its Headquarters in the home city of
record of the presiding President.
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d. The Association is part of the World Federation of Independent
Scouts (W.F.I.S.) - North America Regional Council, and the world
wide W.F.I.S. family.
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e. This Association, and all affiliated associations, shall wear the
W.F.I.S. Zulu shield badge.
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Article II - Membership.
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a. Membership is open to all independent traditional Scouting
associations, branches, and individuals that follow the original
programs, principles, and ethics as outlined in "Scouting for
Boys"
by Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell (B-P).
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b. Member Association's programs must meet Traditional Scouting
Standards, as approved by the Federation Council. B-P’s original
program may be modernized for health, safety, first-aid, and
environmental reasons only.
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c. Member Associations must provide the Federation Council with a
copy of their program handbooks and P.O.& R., before their
membership can be approved by the Council.
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Article III - Aims and Purpose.
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a. To unify and strengthen Independent Scouting in the United States
of America, it's territories and possessions, and elsewhere.
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b. To enable members of A.F.I.S. to speak with a common voice on
matters pertaining to Scouting, and to present their individual and
common interests or concerns before the Federation Council.
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c. To provide support and resources for all Scouts, regardless of
world association membership, as requested.
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Article IV - Meetings.
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Section 1 Federation Council.
The Federation Council shall meet annually at the call of the
president, or at the call of two member associations of the
Federation Council.
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Section 2 Special Meetings.
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a. Special meetings of the Federation Council may be held at the
call of the President or upon written request to the Federation
Council from two federation association representatives.
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b. Business to come before special meetings must be stated in the
call, which shall be sent to each Federation Council member.
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Section 3 Minutes.
Written minutes shall be kept of all Association meetings.
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Article V - Voting.
| a. The Association has a quorum if at least 50% of its members
entitled to vote are present, either in person or electronically.
If there is no quorum a new meeting must be set up within a two (2)
week period.
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b. The Association shall adopt its resolutions with a simple
majority of votes cast.
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c. Only those members on the membership list, as of the date an
election is called, will be eligible to vote in that election.
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d. Each member association will have only one vote on the Federation
Council.
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| e. Federation Council Officers such as Vice-President, Secretary,
Treasurer, Qurtermaster, etc., shall have no vote on the Federation
Council, they will cast their vote through their parent associations.
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f. The President of the Federation Council may only cast a vote in
the case of a tie. The President must vote for the good of the
Federation, not their parent association.
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Article VI - Powers of the Federation Council.
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The Federation Council shall be responsible for the management of
the A.F.I.S., approve all expenditures, carry out policies
established by the Federation Council, report its transactions to
the entire membership, and make decisions binding the A.F.I.S. in
these matters The Federation Council may delegate its power to
negotiate to another committee or representative.
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Article VII - Federation Council Membership.
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Each member association shall appoint two representatives to the
Federation Council.
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Article VIII - Standing Committees.
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Section 1 Structure.
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a. There shall be five standing committees (Leave No Trace Camping
Standards, Wood Beads Training Standards, Program Development,
Quartermaster (QM) Supplies and Resources, and Youth and Risk
Protection), carrying out the specific function outlined below. Each
committee may, with the approval of the Federation Council, organize
special sub-committees and task forces for special activities from
the membership of the A.F.I.S.
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b. Establishment of new standing committees, and dissolution of
existing committees, constitutes a modification to the bylaws as
outlined in Article XI.
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Section 2 Meetings.
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Each standing committee shall meet regularly according to a calendar
developed by the Federation Council and may hold special meetings at
the call of the chairman.
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Section 3 Reports.
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Each committee Chairmen shall report as necessary to the Federation
Council and shall prepare an annual written report summarizing
objectives, actions taken, gains, and unreached goals, which the
Federation Council shall distribute to the membership and which
shall become a part of the continuing committee record in the
A.F.I.S. files.
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Section 4 Titles and Duties.
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a. Committee on Leave No Trace Camping Standards shall explore and
prepare programs as necessary in all areas of education in this
field, and shall as a group, or if desired, as sub-committees,
negotiate with other like minded associations in preparing training
packages.
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b. Committee on Wood Beads Training Standards shall explore, prepare
and maintain programs for training leaders for all sections to both
Wood Beads I & II standard. This committee shall also develop
training packages for training trainers.
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c. Committee on Program Development shall be responsible for
ensuring there is no deviation from the Founders original programs.
The Committee shall allow for modernization of First Aid standards,
health standards, and monitor developments in modern environmental
and camping concerns. This committee shall also organize and run
state and national jamborees, and camporees.
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d. Committee for QM Supplies and Resources shall be responsible for
finding suppliers of uniforms, badges (metal & cloth), and hats.
This committee shall also seek out any resource that may be of use
to section Scouters.
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e. Committee on Youth and Risk Protection shall be responsible for
Youth Protection Guidelines, including initial screening of adult
volunteers; behavior standards to establish commonsense barriers to
abuse; and training programs, including educational materials
appropriate for adult volunteers and youth members. This committee
shall also provide specific information on how to conduct Scouting
activities in a safe and prudent manner.
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Article IX - Special Committees.
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Each year the Federation President may appoint special committees as
may be necessary or desirable and shall discharge these committees
upon completion of their duties. These committees shall operate
according to the rules approved by the Federation Council.
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Article X - Authority.
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Robert's Rules of Order shall be the parliamentary authority for the
A.F.I.S. on all questions not covered in Bylaws and such standing
rules as the Federation Council may adopt.
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Article XI - Amendment.
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These bylaws may be amended by a 75% majority at any regular meeting
of the Federation Council provided that proposed amendments have
been previously studied by the Federation Council and that copies
have been sent to all association representatives two calendar weeks
in advance of the meeting.
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Article XII - Suspension of Federation Membership.
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a. According to procedures adopted by the Federation Council,
membership in the Federation may be suspended if any association
member has violated the ethics of the Federation or the Scouting
Movement. Association members who fail to follow the original,
traditional programs of the Founder may also be suspended.
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b. An association that is suspended may contact the Federation
Council, and request that they be allowed to appeal this decision.
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Article XIII - Terms and Succession.
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a. The officers shall serve for two years beginning September 1st
and ending August 31st two years hence, and may be re-elected
without an intervening term. No officer may serve more than two
concurrent terms without a break of one term in between.
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b. Should the office of President become vacant between elections,
the V.P. will take over the office of President until the completion
of the term.
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Article XIV - Duties of Officers.
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Section 1 President.
The office of President shall not be an elected position. The Chief
Commissioners of the member associations or their appointee shall
fill this position, in turn, for a period of 12 months at a time.
The president shall be the presiding officer of the A.F.I.S. and
shall:
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a. Preside at all meetings of A.F.I.S., of the Federation Council,
and of all special/emergency meetings for which no chairperson has
been previously designated to preside.
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b. Prepare a definite agenda for each meeting.
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c. Call special meetings.
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d. Assume responsibility of leadership for the A.F.I.S.
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e. Coordinate and direct commissions and committees of A.F.I.S.
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| f. Perform such duties as may pertain to his/her office provided
elsewhere in the Constitution, Bylaws, or standing rules.
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g. Be an ex-officio member of all standing committees.
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h. Appoint a Webmaster.
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Section 2 Vice-President.
The vice-president shall assume the duties of the president during
the president's absence and shall:
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a. Assist the president in the administration of the activities of A.F.I.S.
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| b. Perform such duties as may properly pertain to the office,
carrying out administrative functions that may be assigned to the
president or that may fall to this office as a result of structural
and organizational changes within A.F.I.S.
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c. Perform such other duties as may properly pertain to this office
or as may be provided elsewhere in the Constitution, Bylaws, or
standing rules.
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d. Attend all Federation Council meetings.
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| e. The vice-president shall be next in line for the presidency of
the Federation Council.
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Section 3 Secretary.
The secretary shall:
| a. Keep the minutes of all meetings, including record of members present.
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b. Provide copies of the minutes of the previous meeting to members
of the Federation Council by the next meeting.
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c. Carry on the correspondence necessary to the organization.
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d. Perform such other duties as may properly pertain to this office
or as may be provided elsewhere in the Constitution, Bylaws, or
standing rules.
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Section 4 Treasurer.
The treasurer shall:
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a. Receive and disburse all money(s) of A.F.I.S.
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| b. Maintain permanent financial records as custodian of all funds of A.F.I.S.
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| c. Prepare financial and budget reports for each Federation Council
meeting.
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d. Perform such other duties as may properly pertain to this office
or as may be provided elsewhere in the Constitution, Bylaws, or
standing rules.
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| e. Ensure that suffient annual liability insurance coverage is purchased.
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f. Appoint an Auditor to audit the Federations accounts, which shall
be presented at the Federations Annual General Meeting (AGM).
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Article XV - Winding Up.
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In the event of winding up the Federation, after payment of all
Creditors,
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a. All assets shall be given to charitable bone fide youth organizations.
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| b. All records to be deposited with the National Archives and
Records Administration.
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c. The rights to the title of the association shall be given to the
World Federation of Independent Scouts, and that they are requested
to publicize the fact that A.F.I.S. has wound up, to prevent the use
of the title by any individual or organization.
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