Standing Rules

This Association shall be called, " Connecticut Association of the Deaf", (CAD).

Said corporation is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law). This Association is to provide for greater effectiveness in securing and promoting the best interests of th Deaf and hard-of-hearing residents in the state of Connecticut; for mutual assistance, and encouragement in bettering their intellectual, industrial and social condition and for the enjoyment of social pleasure attendant upon periodic conventions. No substantial part of the activities of the corporation shall be carrying on of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Notwithstanding any other provision of these Articles, the corporation shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by a corporation exempt from Federal Small Income Tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law) or (b) a corporation, contributions to which are deductible under Section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).

Section 1 - Classes of membership. This Association shall have four (4) classes of membership: Active, Associate, Senior, Honorary, and Organization.

a) Active membership. Any deaf or hard-of-hearing person of good moral character living in the state of Connecticut shall become an Active member of the Association upon payment of the appropriate membership dues.

b) Associate membership. Any person of good moral character who is not a resident of Connecticut or who is non-deaf and who is actively interested in the objectives of the Association may become an Associate member upon payment of the appropriate membership dues. Such member shall not have any voting privileges and shall not hold office in the Association.

c) Senior membership. The eligibility of senior membership is 60 years.

d) Honorary membership. This lifetime membership shall be based on recognition of an individual's outstanding service to the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Such membership be conferred by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present at a general meeting. Honorary members shall not have any voting privileges and shall not hold any elective office in the Association.

e) Organization membership. Any association may become the CAD member with no voting privileges. Appropriate membership dues shall be paid.

Section 2 - Dues.

a) Annual dues for any kind of membership shall be fixed in such amounts as the Association shall determine from time to time.

b) A two-thirds (2/3) vote at a general meeting of the Association shall be required in order for the Association to change the amount of dues for any class of members.

c) The annual dues shall be divided as follows : The cost of National Association of the Deaf (N.A.D.) membership (“quota”) shall be deducted from the whole. One-half (1/2) of the remainder shall go directly to the Convention Fund; the balance to the General Fund.

d) Only those active members whose dues are paid in full shall have voting privileges.

e) The annual dues to maintain active membership in CAD are payable each year on the anniversary date any member joined CAD.  

Section 3 - Reinstatement.

a) A former member can be reinstated as a new member.  

Section 4 - Affiliations.

a) This Association shall be a member of the National Association of the Deaf (N.A.D.).

b) This Association shall be a member of the Connecticut Council of Organizations Serving the Deaf (CCOSD). Two (2) representatives shall be appointed by the Executive Board.

c) This Association shall be a member of the Connecticut Retirement Colony, Inc. (CRC). Three representatives shall be appointed by the Executive Board.

Section 1 - Body.

a) The elected officers of this Association shall be: a President, a Vice President, a Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, a Treasurer, a Law Committee Chairperson, and five (5) Members at Large. The elected officers, as members of the Executive Board shall appoint the following officers: A Conference Chairperson and a Miss Deaf Connecticut State Director. If Co-Chairpersons are appointed, they shall have one vote.

b) The President elect and Vice President elect must be a member in good standing of this Association at least one year immediately prior to nomination for office.

Section 2 - Elections.

a) The officers of this Association shall be elected by a majority vote by the members of this Association at the Biennial Convention.

Section 3 - Term of office.

a) The officers shall serve for a term of two (2) years. Official materials and reports relating to any office shall be turned over to the newly elected officers within thirty (30) days, or by the first day of the new term, whichever comes first.

b) The newly elected officers shall assume the responsibilities of their offices immediately after taking the oath of office.

c) The members of the newly elected Executive Board and members of the outgoing Executive Board shall meet within thirty (30) days to work out a smooth transfer of responsibilities. The new and immediate past Presidents shall determine the date of the meeting.

d) Any elected officer shall not hold the same office for more than three (3) consecutive terms.

Section 4 - Members At Large.

There shall be five (5) elected Members at large of this Association with terms of two (2) years each. There shall be one (1) Member At Large from each of the five (5) demographic regions as defined by the Connecticut state government.

Section 5 - Delegates to the N.A.D.

a) The Delegate(s) and Alternate Delegate (s) shall be appointed by the Executive Board.

b) If the Delegate(s) is not one of the elected or appointed members of the Executive Board, then he/she shall be a non-voting member of the Executive Board.

c) The appointed Delegate(s) must maintain state residence up to and through the time of the N.A.D. Conference. If he/she moves out of state before the N.A.D. Conference, he/she shall forfeit the position and be replaced by the appointed Alternate Delegate(s).

Section 6 - Executive Board.

a) The seven (7) elected officers and five (5) elected members At Large and two appointed officers (Convention Chairperson and Miss Deaf Connecticut State Director) shall constitute the Executive Board.

b) The immediate Past President shall be a voting member of the Executive Board. If the President is re-elected, the position shall be left vacant.

Section 7 – Vacancy.

a) All vacancies in office shall be filled by action of the Executive Board. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the full Executive Board shall be required to fill such a vacancy.

Section 8 - Removal of Officers or members at large.

a) An Officer or member At large may be removed from office by the action of the members of this Association, by a petition of no less than ten (10) signatures of members, whenever in their judgment, the best interests of this Association shall be served thereby, but such removals shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the officers so removed. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present shall be required to remove an Officer or Member At Large from such office.

Section 1 - President. The President:

a) Shall preside at all meetings of this Association and the Executive Board.

b) Shall appoint chairpersons of the Standing Committees and all other committees not otherwise provided for by this Association with the approval of the Executive Board.

c) Shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.

d) Shall call for special meetings whenever such meetings become necessary.

e) Shall assign specific duties to each member of the Executive Board.

f) In case of a tie vote, of the Executive Board members, the President may use his/her vote to break the tie.

g) Shall appoint two (2) auditors with the approval of the Executive Board, who live near the treasurer's home. The auditors shall not be members of the Executive Board.

Section 2 - Vice President. The First Vice President:

a) Shall serve as President during the absence of the President.

b) Shall fill the office of the president when the President is, for any reason, unable to perform his/her duties.

c) Shall perform such duties as assigned to him/her by the members of this Association or the Executive Board.

d) Shall be responsible for special awards, including the Golden Hand Award.

e) Shall oversee the Convention Chairperson.

f) Shall assist the treasurer with collection of membership dues during membership drives.

g) Shall be responsible for managing “Deaf Awareness Week” (DAW).

h) Shall assist with this Association's public relations.

i) Shall perform such duties as assigned to him/her by the members of this Association or the Executive Board.

Section 4 - Recording Secretary. The Recording Secretary:

a) Shall keep accurate records of any meetings of this Association and the Executive Board.

b) Shall become the custodian of the Association's historical records and the minutes of all meetings.

c) Shall perform other duties as directed by the Executive Board.

d) Shall conduct the general correspondence of this Association.

e) Shall send notice of meetings to members of this Association or the Executive board, whichever is appropriate.

f) Shall perform other duties as directed by the Executive Board.  

Section 6 - Treasurer. The Treasurer:

a) Shall be bonded if required by the Executive Board at the expense of this Association.

b) Shall receive all monies belonging to this Association.

c) Shall deposit all monies belonging to this Association in a bank.

d) Shall keep an account of all properties, investments, and funds of this Association, which shall at all times be open for inspection.

e) Shall present reports on all funds of this Association at each regular Executive Board meeting and at the Biennial and General meetings. At the time new Officers begin their terms, if not re-elected, the retiring Treasurer shall turn over all funds, records, and a full report audited by the Auditors.

f) Shall keep a file showing the names of members, their addresses and dates of membership.

g) Shall provide the Secretary and Vice President with an up-to-date list of all members in good standing at the time of each Association meeting. Complete with any changes of addresses.

h) Shall be present at the Auditors' meetings.

Section 7 - Members At large.

a) The Members At Large shall carry out whatever responsibilities are assigned by the President or the Executive Board.

Section 8 - By-Laws Chairperson.

The By-Laws Chairperson:

a) Shall act as Parliamentarian.

b) Shall oversee changes in the Bylaws.

Section 9 - Immediate Past President.

a) The Immediate Past President shall provide ongoing guidance and counsel to the officers and members of this Association. The Executive Board may assign special responsibilities to him/her.

Section 1 - General Meetings.

a) This Association shall have a General Meeting every six months during September and March.

Section 2 - Date of Biennial Conference.

a) The Biennial Conference of this Association, at which the Executive Board shall be elected, may be held on or before September 30th of odd numbered years at such location and time recommended by the members of the Association with the approval of the Executive Board.

Section 3 - Special Meeting.

a) Special meetings shall be called at any time by the President or by a majority of the members of this Association.

Section 4 - Notification date for General Meeting.

a) Notification of General Meetings shall be done in writing, and mailed to each member by the Corresponding Secretary at least four weeks prior to the date of the meeting.

Section 5 - Number of Executive Board Meetings.

a) The executive Board shall meet at least three (3) times a year at a place to be determined by the members of the Executive Board.

Section 6 - Quorum of the Association.

a) One-fifth (1/5) of the active members in good standing shall constitute a quorum.

Section 7 - Majority Vote.

a) With a quorum, a majority vote of the members present and entitled to vote shall be required for any action by the Association.

Section 8 - Two-thirds (2/3) Vote.

a) With a quorum, an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present and entitled to vote shall be required for any business that requires a two-thirds (2/3) vote majority.

Section 9 - Workshops.

a) Workshops are held during the Deaf Awareness Week and/or other weekend or special time.

Section 1 - Date of the Fiscal Year.

a) The Fiscal Year of this Association shall be from September 1 to August 31.

Section 1 - The business of this Association shall be taken in the following order:

a) Call the Meeting to Order
b) Roll Call
c) Reading of Minutes
d) Treasurer's Report
e) Correspondence
f) Reports of Officers
g) Reports of Committees
h) Special Orders
I) Unfinished Business
j) Elections
k) New Business
l) Adjournments

Section 1 - These Bylaws may be amended at any general meeting of the Association by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present and entitled to vote, provided that notice of such amendment (s) has been given in writing to all Association members at least thirty (30) prior to the meeting at which the proposed amendment is to be considered for adoption. All proposed amendments shall be given to a revision committee for proper wording and presentation.

Section 1 - This Association may be dissolved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present at a general meeting and entitled to vote.

Section 2 - In the event of the dissolution of this Association, all remaining assets, real and personal property of whatever nature, shall be transferred to the headquarters of the National Association of the Deaf (N.A.D.)

“Standing rules should indicate those items which may be adopted and amended or suspended or repealed without previous notice. They remain in force from the time of adoption until they are changed or repealed. Standing rules are adopted or suspended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote without notice or by a majority vote if previous notice is given. Standing rules are usually printed following the Bylaws and a copy should be filed in the minutes book.”

Section 1 - Amount of Dues.

a) Active member dues shall be $17.00 per individual or $29.00 per couple per year.

b) Associate member dues shall be $17 per year.

c) Student dues (High School and College) shall be $12.00 per year.

d) Senior Citizen dues shall be $12.00 per year.

e) Honorary members are exempt from paying dues unless they desire the privileges of Active or Associate membership.

f) Organization membership dues shall be $50.00 per year.

Section 2 - Number of signatures required on Association checks. Checks drawn on the account of this Association shall be signed by at least two (2) of the following officers (Treasurer and President or Vice-President).

Section 3 - Finance Report Signatures. Audited reports of this Association shall be signed by at least two (2) auditors.

Section 4 - Biennial Convention.

a) The convention fund shall not exceed $500.00. Any balance over that amount after the convention shall be transferred to the N.A.D. Delegate Fund.