Lewis & Clark Abate was Established in 1989

Lewis & Clark Abate Chapter By-Laws

ARTICLE I. ORGANIZATION

· The Name of the Organization shall be Lewis & Clark Chapter Abate of South Dakota Inc.

· “ABATE” shall stand for A BROTHERHOOD for AWARENESS TRAINING and EDUCATION. (05/22/89).

· The Organization may at its pleasure by vote of membership body change its name.

ARTICLE II. PURPOSES

THE FOLLOWING ARE PURPOSES FOR WHICH THIS ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN ORGANIZED.

· The business and purpose of this organization shall be to act as a legislative watchdog on the Federal, State & Local Levels. To warn our Membership against adverse motorcycle legislation, foster brotherhood & mutual benefits for its members. To improve road conditions, thus making roads safer for members. To help prevent accidents through education. To discourage motorcycle thefts. To promote political involvement of motorcyclists. To act as a liaison between motorcyclists & Government Authorities, Police Departments, Government Agencies, Insurance Companies & other Organizations. To counter report & discourage biased news reporting of motorcyclists. To present & promote a better public image of motorcyclists.

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· To purchase, lease or otherwise acquire by bequest, devise, gift or other means & to hold, own, manage or develop & to mortgage, hypothecate, deed in trust, sell, convey, exchange, option, subdivide or otherwise dispose of real & personal property of every class & description of property or 

business & any estate or interest therein as may be necessary or convenient for the proper conduct of the affairs of the organization, without limitation as to amount or value in any of the State, Districts or Territories of the United States & any & all Foreign Countries subject to the laws of such States, Districts, Territories or Countries.

· To hire employ Agents, Servants & Employees & to enter into agreements of employment & collective bargaining agreements & to act as Agent, Contractor, Trustee, Factor & otherwise, either alone or in company with others.

· To promote or aid in any manner, financially or otherwise, any person, Firm, Association, Agency of Government, or organize & guarantee contracts & other obligations.

· To let concessions to others do any of the things that the Organizations empowered to do & to enter in to, make, perform & carry out contracts & arrangements of every kind & character with any person, Firm Association, Organization, any Government, Authority, Subdivision, or Agency thereof.

· To carry on any business whatsoever that this organization may deem proper or convenient in connection with any of the foregoing purposes or otherwise may be deem calculated, directly, or indirectly to improve the interests of this Organization. To have & to exercise all powers conferred by the laws of the State of South Dakota on non-profit Organizations formed under the laws pursuant to which & under which this Organization is formed, as such laws are now in effect or may at any time hereafter be amended & to do any & all things here-in-above set forth to the same extent & as fully as natural persons might or could do, either alone or in connection with other persons, Firms, Associations or Organizations & in any part of the world. 

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ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

· Membership in the Organization shall be open to all that are interested in motorcycle legislation &/or related community services & activities.

· Any age can be a paid member of this Organization.

· There will be no Club affiliation on the state level. There shall be no Club affiliation on the Chapter level, but individuals may join this Chapter on their own.

ARTICLE IV. MEETINGS

· The annual Membership meeting of this Organization shall be on an annual basis to be decided on by the Board of Directors at the beginning of each year. The newsletter shall be mailed to Members in good standing at their address as it appears in the Membership roll book. (The State sends out one newsletter per household).

· Chapter Meetings shall be held at a specified time & location decided by the Members of this Organization.

· There shall be no illegal drugs or activities during any Lewis & Clark Abate Meetings.

· At the request of any two Officers a special meeting shall be called in which telephone messages will be attempted to each member of the Organization.

· No other business but that specified in the notice may be transacted at such special meetings without the unanimous consent of all present at such meeting.

ARTICLE V. VOTING

· At all Meetings, except for the election of Officers & Board of Directors, all voters shall be via voice. In the event there’s more than one person nominated for the same Officer position, ballots shall be provided & there shall not appear any place on such ballot any mark or markings that might tend to indicate the person who casts such ballot.

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· At any regular or special meeting if a majority so requires, any questions may be voted upon in the manner & style provided for election of Officers & Board of Directors.

· At all votes by ballot the chairman of such meeting shall immediately prior to the commencement of balloting appoint a committee of three (3) who shall act as “Inspectors of Election” & who shall at the conclusion of such balloting certify in writing to the President the results & the certified copy shall be affixed in the minute book to the minutes of that meeting.

· No “Inspector of Election” shall be a candidate for Office or shall be personally interested in the question voted upon.

ARTICLE VI. ORDER OF BUSINESS

1. Reading of the minutes of the proceeding meeting.

2. Reports of Committee

3. Reports of Officers

4. Old & Unfinished Business

5. New Business

6. Announcements

7. Adjournment

ARTICLE VII. OFFICERS

THE OFFICERS OF THIS ORGANIZATION WILL BE AS FOLLOWS:

PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

STATE REPRESENTATIVE

TREASURER

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· Officers can be elected from members that have been in the organization for at least one (1) year.

· Officers (President, Vice President, State Representative) shall be elected annually each November.

· If three (3) or more meetings are missed by an elected Officer, he/she shall turn in a resignation terminating his/her Office. A new election of Officers will be held after termination following election rules. Emergency situations will be taken into consideration when meetings are missed.

· Secretary, Road Captain, Sponsor Coordinator, Membership Coordinator & Poker Run Coordinator & Sgt of Arms shall be appointed by the Officer that is elected President each November.

The PRESIDENT shall preside at all Membership Meetings of the Board of Directors.

· They shall appoint all Committees, temporary or permanent.

· They shall confirm all books, reports & certificates, as required by law, are properly kept &/or filed.

· They shall be one of the Officers who may sign the checks or drafts of the Organization.

· They shall give such powers, as may be reasonably construed, as belonging to the Chief Executive of any Organization.

The VICE PRESIDENT shall, in the event of the absence or inability of the President to exercise their Office, the Vice President will become acting President of the Organization with all rights, privileges & powers as if they had been the duly elected Official.

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The STATE REPRESENTATIVE shall be responsible for attending Board of Director Meetings on the State level.

· They shall give a report on each State Meeting attended to Members present at Chapter Meetings.

· They shall be a correspondent between the Chapter & the State Coordinator.

· They shall turn in fuel receipts when attending the State Meetings & be reimbursed by the Lewis & Clark Abate Chapter. The President can request a Membership vote to change this if the funds in the account require the change.

The TREASURER shall have the care & custody of all monies belonging to the Organization & shall be solely responsible for such monies & securities of the Organization.

· They shall cause to be deposited in a regular business Bank or Trust Company a sum not to exceed (fifteen thousand) $15,000.00 & the balance of the funds of the Organization shall be deposited in a Savings Bank except that the Board of Directors may cause such funds to be invested in such investments as shall be legal for a Savings Bank in the State of South Dakota.

· They must be one of the Officers who shall sign checks or drafts of the Organization.

· It shall be their duty to file any certificate required by any statue, Federal or State.

· No special fund may be set aside that shall make it unnecessary for the Treasurer to sign the checks issued upon it.

· They render at stated periods, as the Board of Directors shall determine, a written account of the finances of the Organization & such report shall be physically affixed to the minutes of the Board of Directors of such Meeting.

· They shall exercise all duties incident to the Office of Treasurer.

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Appointed positions that are appointed by the PRESIDENT are as follows:

· SECRETARY

· SPONSOR COORDINATOR

· MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR

· POKER RUN COORDINATOR

· ROAD CAPTAIN

· SGT OF ARMS

The SECRETARY shall keep the Minutes & Records of the Organization in the appropriate books.

· They shall present to the Membership at any Meeting & to the Board of Directors of the Organization any communication addressed to them as Secretary of the Organization.

· They shall give & serve all notices of the Organization.

· They shall attend to all correspondence of the Organization & shall exercise all duties incident to the Office of Secretary.

· They shall maintain all social media outlets. 

(Ex. Facebook- LewisandClark Abate).

· They shall maintain the Website. (lewisandclarkabate.com)

· They shall maintain emails on the email account (lewisandclark@gmail.com)

· They shall coordinate the Officer Meetings & prepare a guideline of Minutes for each Member Meeting.

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The SPONSOR COORDINATOR shall keep records of Sponsors accrued by Lewis & Clark Abate. (Ex. Point of Contact, Date of contact, date of Sponsorship, ect)

· They will seek out new Sponsor’s to help Sponsor Abate of South Dakota.

· They must keep a record of points of contact, phone number(s), & dates of Communication of Sponsor’s.

· They shall reach out to Sponsors within thirty (30) days of their Sponsorship needing to be renewed.

· They shall communicate with the Secretary on Sponsorship, for Website purposes.

· They shall take pictures of the Business for the Website.

· They must give money to the Treasurer & a copy of paperwork unless the Sponsor sends it to the State themselves.

· They will announce at the monthly Members Meeting, each month Current, New & Dropped Sponsors.

The MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR shall keep records of Memberships.

· They will guide Members, answer Membership questions.

· They shall keep records of Members, as well as keep Members informed of the Current number of Members, number of New Members & number of Dropped Members at each monthly Member Meeting.

· They shall give Membership paperwork & monies to the TREASURER no later than the 7th of each month.

· They shall be responsible for a Membership table at appropriate Events.

· They may gather some help at the Membership table at appropriate Events. (They must be Members of Abate).

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The POKER RUN COORDINATOR shall be responsible for the organization of each Poker Run.

· They must communicate with the President.

· They will work with the Road Captain.

· They will research, plan & organize all Poker Run Events.

· They will communicate & coordinate with the Poker Run Sponsors.

· They must keep a record of points of contact, phone number(s), & dates of Communication.

· They will gather donations/prizes/food for the Poker Runs.

· They may set up a group to assist with Runs (They must belong to Abate).

· They will also supply the Secretary with any information required.

The ROAD CAPTAIN shall be responsible for setting up the Run layout. 

· They must keep in communication with the President.

· They will work with the Poker Run Coordinator.

· They will research, plan & organize all Runs. 

· During actual time on the road or at Intermediate stops during a run, they shall act as ranking Officer, deferring only to the President for matters involving persons outside of Abate. 

· They must keep a record of points of contact, phone number(s), & dates of Communication.

· They will also supply the Secretary with any information required.

· They will notify LEAs of proposed Runs in a timely manner. (traffic control / assist, escorts when required, etc.)

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The SGT OF ARMS shall be responsible for providing order during the Member Meetings & Events. 

· They shall be responsible for overseeing any disorderly conduct/disruption & may even ask a Member to leave that Meeting or Event.

· If necessary, they shall be responsible for removing a Member. The SGT of ARMS can request other Abate Members for assistance to this end. If there’s an altercation, they shall call LEA’s for assistance.

· They shall keep in communication with the President in all matters.

REMOVAL OF OFFICERS. An Officer of the Organization may be removed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors at a regular Meeting, or a special Meeting called for such purpose.

ARTICLE VIII. COMMITTEES

The PRESIDENT shall appoint all committees of this Organization & their terms of Office shall be for a period of twelve (12) months or less if sooner terminated by the action of the President.

ARTICLE X. DUES

The dues of this Organization shall be paid annually with the amount paid set by the State.

ARTICLE XI. AMENDMENTS

These BY-LAWS may be altered, amended, repealed, or added to by an affirmation vote not less than two thirds (2/3) of Members present of the Organization, providing one (1) month notice of meeting for purposes of changing the BY-LAWS has been made. (BY-LAWS amended on 02/03/2024).

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