Note: Effective January 2012, membership options will consist of an annual membership at $25 or a five-year membership at $100. Junior members applying for adult membership may do so at the annual membership fee of $10 if they apply before December 31st of the year of their 22nd birthday (21" in 2012) or they may apply for the five-year membership at the full price. Fees for memberships will be determined by the board of directors.
Recent Bylaw Amendments
2021
Bylaw 1 Membership
1.05 Ballots and Proxies
f. The President shall appoint a Tally Committee of three members of the Association in attendance at the annual meeting, which Committee shall receive in bulk all ballots and proxies in their mailed form and such Tally Committee shall at the specific direction of the President or Executive Secretary check each sealed mailing envelope and deposit enclosed sealed ballot envelope in the ballot box of its respective district, and shall segregate by designated proxy all proxies designated and all others by respective Directors.
After all proxies have been so segregated, they shall be turned over to the President or Executive Secretary for safe keeping until the annual meeting at which time they shall be turned over to the respective proxies. After all mailing envelopes have been so opened and ballot envelopes deposited, such ballot boxes shall be sealed and turned over to the President or Executive Secretary who shall safely keep them until such time as the Chairman of the Tally Committee shall request same for tallying, and on such request, the President or Executive Secretary shall turn over to such Committee such sealed ballot boxes and the Tally Committee shall forthwith proceed to such ballots in secret. Upon completion of tally, such ballots shall be returned to the President or Executive Secretary for safe keeping and for producing same at the annual meeting. The results of the tally shall be kept secret until called for by the President at the annual meeting.
1.06 Organization
The President, and in his absence the Vice President, and in their absence a member chosen by the members present, shall call meetings of the members to order and shall act as a chairman of such meetings, and the Executive Secretary shall act as secretary of all meetings of the members, but in the absence of the Executive Secretary, the presiding officer may appoint any member or employee to act as secretary of the meeting.
1.09 Group Memberships
a. Corporations. Applications for memberships of corporations shall state the corporate name, place of business, names of officers, and the state under which incorporated.
The corporation secretary shall upon request furnish the Secretary of the Association a complete list of their officers and directors.
b. Partnerships, Estates, Trusts and Other Organized Groups. In all applications from prospective members of this type, a complete list of members, officers, or other authorized representatives must be given. Such memberships shall be only for persons jointly engaged in the breeding of registered Brown Swiss cattle and will not be granted to groups of this character formed for the purpose of securing members' fees to persons separately engaged in the breeding of Brown Swiss cattle.
c. Review of Memberships. The Board of Directors may review the memberships of corporations, partnerships, estates, trusts, and all other legal entities when in their opinion organizational changes have taken place in these various groups and their decision shall be final. Members of Corporations, Partnerships, Estates, Trusts and Other Organized groups that are not considered the voting member of said entity are considered active national members provided they have paid for an additional voting member membership and are active within the group.
1.11: Junior Members
"Junior" member shall refer to an individual 8 through 21 years of age who owns at least one registered Brown Swiss animal (or participates in the National Brown Swiss Association Youth Lease Program) in his or her individual name or joint ownership with another Junior member and who has had the membership processed and issued. An individual must be a National Junior Member in order to participate in any National Youth Contest. Juniors agree to comply with a Youth Code of Conduct as approved and updated by the National Board of Directors. Junior membership is free of charge fee is determined by the board of directors. Junior members do not receive voting privileges.
Young Juniors who are not yet 8 years old by January 1 of the current year may apply for a "Junior Associate" membership. Such membership will allow those youth to register cattle at membership rates. This would be the only benefit for this type of membership.
Except for section 1.07, any reference in these Bylaws to a member shall refer to an adult active national member of the Association.