NATIONAL ACTIVE AND RETIRED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES
Louisiana Federation of Chapters
2009 Revision
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLEI
NAME
This organization shall be known as the Louisiana Federation of Chapters, National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association.
ARTICLEII
OBJECTNES
The purposes of the Federation shall be
(A) to aid and support the National Association and to promote the objectives set forth in its Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws;
(B) to unite fraternally for mutual benefit all chapters in Louisiana;
(C) to support legislation, rules and regulations beneficial to Federal employees and retirees and their survivors and to oppose any legislation inimical to the interest of said employees and retirees;
(D) to cooperate in creating new chapters, reactivating inactive or closed chapters and in stimulating greater chapter activity;
(E) to initiate and carryon campaigns for securing new members and retaining existing members;
(F) to work with state and local governments in seeking laws and ordinances favorable to retirees and their dependents and survivors;
(G) to promote the general welfare of all older persons; and
(H) to support civic and patriotic activities upholding American institutions and ideals.
ARTICLEIII
MEMBERSHIP
All chapters in Louisiana shall be eligible for membership in the Federation, contingent upon their compliance with the provisions of the Federation Bylaws
ARTICLEVI
OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1.The officers of the Louisiana Federation of Chapters shall be a President, a First Vice President, a Second Vice President a District Vice President for each district, a Secretary, a Treasurer and any other officers provided for by the Federation Bylaws. All officers shall be elected at a biennial convention for a term of two years. Should an officer be unable to complete a two-year term, a successor shall be selected to complete that term as is provided in the Bylaws. Federation officers and members of the Executive Board elected at a Convention shall be installed at the convention and shall assume office immediately.
Section 2. The Executive Board shall be composed of the elected officers, Immediate Past Federation President and such other members as may be provided by the bylaws.
Section 3. All persons elected to office or appointed to responsible positions in the Federation, including convention delegates, must be members in good standing in the National Association and members of a chapter affiliated with this Federation.
ARTICLEV
CONVENTIONS
Conventions of this Federation shall be held biennially at a time and place adopted by a previous convention. The dates selected shall not conflict with any national holiday. In the absence of a previous designation or in an emergency, the Executive Board may select a time and place.
The purpose of the convention shall be to transact business, to receive reports of officers and committees, to discuss chapter problems, to provide social, fraternal and educational programs and to elect officers for the ensuing term. Each member chapter shall be entitled to representation at the convention by one or more delegates on such basis as the Federation Bylaws may prescribe.
ARTICLEVI
AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Amendments may be proposed by any chapter or by the Executive Board.
Section 2. This Constitution may be amended by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the delegates voting at any Convention of the Federation provided that resolutions proposing such amendments are in the hands of the Federation Secretary not later than
sixty days prior to the next convention for transmittal to the Federation President and each member chapter and are presented to the convention in session by a member of the Constitution & Bylaws Committee with the Committee's recommendation. Any resolution presented directly to the convention without prior distribution may be considered with the approval of a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the delegates, provided the resolution has been distributed to the delegates in session at least twenty-four (24) hours before the resolution is to be considered by the delegates, and presented to the convention in session by a member of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee, with the Committee's recommendation. Amendments adopted by the convention shall become effective upon approval by the National Secretary.
Section 3. The Federation Secretary shall furnish a copy of the amended Constitution to each chapter and all Federation Officers within six months. A copy of the amended Constitution shall be maintained in the office of the Secretary and
available at all times.
ARTICLEVII
PARLIAMENTARYAUTHORITY
The parliamentary authority for all Federation business will be with the Federation Executive Board, using the Federation Convention Standing Rules (revised) and any manual approved by the American Institute of Parliamentarians as guides. The authority shall not be inconsistent with this Federation Constitution and the National Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws.

Approved by National Headquarters:

National Secretary signed Nat Brown Federation Secretary Signed Ted Holmes

Date: August 18, 2009 Date: August 12, 2009


BYLAWS
LOUISIANA FEDERATION OF CHAPTERS
The Bylaws of this Federation, as distinct from its Constitution, shall relate to operational policies and procedures of the Federation. These bylaws shall not conflict with the Constitution of the Louisiana Federation of Chapters or the Bylaws of the National Association. A copy of the Bylaws, including all revisions currently in effect, shall be maintained in the office of the Secretary and available at all times.
ARTICLEI
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1.--Duly chartered chapters in Louisiana may become members of the Louisiana Federation upon payment of the per capita dues with a letter of application.
Section 2. -- Per capita dues shall be levied by the Federation on each chapter upon its admission and annually thereafter based on the number of its voting members. Payment of these dues shall be a prerequisite of the voting rights of delegates to the Federation convention.
ARTICLEII
DISTRICTS
Section 1.--The Federation shall be divided into districts, the number and extent to be determined by the Executive Board. The area and chapters, once assigned, may not be changed except by the Executive Board.
Section 2.--Each district shall be administered by a District Vice President elected by the chapters within the district. Elections will be held at the biennial convention. Chapters shall have one vote each.
ARTICLEIII
OFFICERSAND THEIR DUTIES
Section I.--The elected officers of the Louisiana Federation of Chapters, shall be a President, a First Vice President, a Second Vice President, a Secretary and a Treasurer, each elected for a two-year term.
Section 2.--The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer and the director of all Federation activities. He/she shall appoint the Chaplain and Sergeant-at-Arms, all Federation committees and chairpersons of committees except the Nomination Committee and shall perform such other duties as are normally required by this office.
The President shall be designated Delegate-at-Large to the National Convention. In the absence of the President the next highest officer attending shall be designated. In addition to the National Convention, the President is authorized to attend up to three conventions of other Region VI Federations per two year term, and to attend Training Seminars, Legislative and other conferences sponsored by the National Office. Reimbursements of expenses are authorized in accordance with Article IV. The President may authorize a Board member to represent himself/herself at any convention, seminar or conference. The President may not be elected for more than two consecutive terms.
Section 3.--The First Vice President shall perform such duties as may be assigned to him/her by the President and shall perform the duties of the President in the President's temporary absence or in case of the temporary disability of the President as determined by the Executive Board, and shall immediately succeed to the office of President in the event of the death, resignation or incapacity of the President. The First Vice President shall be an ex officio member of the Finance and Budget Committee.
Section 4.--The Second Vice President, in the absence of both the President and First Vice President, shall perform the duties of the President. He/ she shall perform such other duties as assigned by the President.
Section 5. - District Vice Presidents shall be elected for a term of two years by their Districts on the same date the President is elected. A District Vice President must reside in and be a member in good standing of a chapter in his/her respective district. Each District Vice President shall work to maintain contact with and support of chapters; to properly plan and conduct district conventions; to arrange or conduct chapter officer seminars, campaigns for the recruiting and retention of members, revitalization of dormant chapters and the closing of inactive chapters. In case of a vacancy in the office of a District Vice President, the chapter Presidents in the district concerned shall, under the direction of the Federation President within 30 days at a time and place to be determined by the President, elect a successor to serve the remainder of the unexpired term. A District Vice President who is unable to attend an Executive Board meeting may select a temporary replacement, who shall have the authority to represent the district at that meeting and may receive reimbursement for expenses.
Section 6.--The Secretary shall keep a true record of all proceedings of Federation conventions and the Executive Board meetings, incorporating these records in a biennial report not later than thirty (30) days after the Federation convention. A copy of this report shall be mailed to each member chapter and two copies to the Federation President. The Secretary shall maintain a record of member chapters and their officers with name and address of each officer. He/she shall submit a biennial report to the Federation convention and perform such other duties as are normally required by his/her office.
Section 7.--The Treasurer shall receive and have custody of all Federation funds and shall deposit all funds in a bank approved by the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall keep a full and accurate account of all receipts and disbursement and issue checks against such deposits when warranted by documentation of expenses authorized in the biennial budget for carrying out the work of the Federation and the duties of the officers and committees. The Treasurer shall prepare a per capita dues report showing the amount of dues paid by each chapter and thereby determine the number of convention
delegates to which each chapter is entitled and submit a report of delegate entitlement to the Credentials Committee Chairperson ten (10) days before each convention. Upon receipt of the per capita dues, the Treasurer shall forward to the Chapter Presidents the appropriate number of delegate credential forms for completion in triplicate by the Chapter Secretaries and to the Federation Secretary the necessary forms for her/him to prepare delegate credentials for all Federation officers and past Presidents. The Treasurer shall submit a biennial report to the convention covering official acts to the
end of the month prior to the convention. This report shall be incorporated into the convention minutes.
Section 8.--The Chaplain shall pronounce the invocation and the benediction and shall perform all other duties incident to the office.
Section 9.--The Sergeant-at-Arms shall preserve order at all conventions and assure that only duly registered persons identified by badges and official guests are admitted to any session of the convention. He/ she shall have authority to select other members to assist him when necessary.
Section 10.--The Executive Board shall consist of the elected officers, the District Vice Presidents, the Immediate Past President, and the Presidents of all Federation Chapters. In the event a Chapter President does not wish to be a member of the Executive Board, he/ she may appoint a member of his/her chapter to serve as the chapter's representative on the Board. The Executive Board shall carry out the mandates of the convention delegates and carryon the business of the Federation between conventions. A quorum shall consist of representatives of 50 percent of the chapters. For purposes of determining a quorum, each elected officer may be considered as a representative of his/her chapter if no other representative of that chapter is present. The Executive Board shall meet on the day after each biennial convention and shall hold at least two additional meetings each year. At the discretion of the President, any meetings between conventions may be held by telephone or video conference. The quorum for meetings held through electronic media shall be the same as for assembled
meeting, and actions taken in a teleconference shall have the same effect as if the Board were assembled. In case of vacancy caused by death, resignation or incapacity in any elected Federation office, the Executive Board shall have the power to fill such vacancy for the unexpired term except that a vacancy for President and/ or First Vice President shall be
filled as provided in Section 3 and for District Vice President as provided in Section 5 of this article. In case of a temporary absence from office, the President may appoint a person to fill the office until the incumbent returns. The Executive Board shall have the authority to declare any elected Federation office vacant because of justifiable cause as determined by such Board by a vote of not less than two-thirds (2/3) of the whole Board membership, but the officer shall be given reasonable opportunity to show cause why such action should not be taken.
ARTICLEIV
EXPENSEREIMBURSEMENT
Section 1. -- Itemized expense vouchers shall be submitted to the Treasurer for payment. Receipts shall be submitted for all expenses claimed.
Section 2.--Federation officers (and members authorized to travel) shall be reimbursed by the Federation for travel by personal automobile at a rate approved by the Executive Board not to exceed the Internal Revenue Service approved rate. The actual lowest cost tourist class will be reimbursed for air travel. A member who chooses to travel by his/her own personal automobile to an authorized destination outside of Louisiana shall receive mileage reimbursement or an amount equal to the cost of round trip tourist class air fare to the airport nearest the destination, whichever is lower. Reimbursement
for meals, lodging and registration shall be made at cost unless a limit is established by the Executive Board.
Section 3.--The President's expenses shall be paid for Region VI Federation Conventions outside of Louisiana not to exceed three per two-year term, National Conventions, Region VI Training Seminars, Legislative and other conferences sponsored by the national association, and all expenditures incurred in carrying out the duties of the President's office. A member authorized to attend a conference or convention in place of the President shall be reimbursed for expenses.
Section 4. - Expenses of the Federation's National Legislative Committee Chair or an alternate member shall be paid for attending conferences sponsored by NARFE National Office.
Section 5.--For Executive Board meetings, round trip mileage at the approved rate, lodging and meals shall be paid for a period of time designated by the President. The Board may establish a maximum reimbursable amount for meals, and the cost of alcoholic beverages will not be reimbursed.
Section 6.--Expenses incurred by Board members and budgeted Chairpersons shall be reimbursed upon submission of proper supporting documentation provided sufficient budgeted funds are available. Members requested to attend Board meetings for specific purposes will be reimbursed from the Board budget.
ARTICLEV
CONVENTIONS
Section 1-Conventions of this Federation shall be held biennially and so far as practicable during the month of April or May. A quorum shall consist of delegates representing the majority of Chapters.
Section 2 - The Rules Committee shall make a copy of the Standing Rules available to each delegate at the beginning of each convention. Amendments to the rules may be adopted by a majority vote in the opening session of each convention and shall become effective immediately.
Section 3.--Any discussion of race, creed, or partisan politics shall be prohibited and ruled out of order by the presiding officer.
Section 4.-The President shall appoint a parliamentarian for the business sessions of the convention and shall conduct the sessions under the parliamentary authority mandated by Article VII of the Constitution.
Section 5. -- Each officer and committee chairman shall give a report in writing to the Federation Secretary after it is presented to the convention.
ARTICLEVI
CONVENTION DELEGATES
Section 1.--Each member chapter of this Federation shall be represented at biennial conventions by one delegate for each twenty-five active chapter members or fraction thereof. In addition, all chapter Presidents and Secretaries, all elected Federation officers induding District Vice Presidents, and all Past Presidents of the Federation shall be designated as voting delegates with one vote each.
Section 2.--All voting delegates, alternate delegates and NARFE members and their family members attending as guests at the Federation convention will be issued identifying badges upon payment of the registration fee. Display of an official badge will be required for admission to any session of the convention, except that the President may exempt guest speakers, meal sponsors and other official guests. Badges of voting delegates will bear a distinctive symbol or label.
Section 3 --Registration shall begin not later than the afternoon preceding the date of the first day's session of the convention and continuing until the day of the election of officers.
Section 4 -Prior to the beginning of the registration period, the Secretary shall provide the chair of the Credentials Committee copies of the credentials forms submitted by the chapters and a list of the delegates designated on the forms. In order to receive a delegate badge, each delegate must present a copy of his/her credentials form or a driver's license or other official identification card bearing the delegate's photograph.
ARTICLEVII
CONVENTION VOTING
Section 1.--Actions in convention business sessions shall be determined by voice vote except under the following circumstances:
(A) A vote by standing or show of hands shall be taken if ordered by the President or requested by any delegate
(B) A vote by ballot shall be taken as provided in Article VIII Section 3, or by order of the President or upon a motion for a vote by ballot approved by a majority of the votes cast
(C) A caucus of the chapters may be ordered by the President or called for by a motion approved by a majority of the votes cast.
Section 2.--Each delegate shall cast his/her own vote except that in case of a chapter caucus, one delegate shall report his/her chapter's votes, which shall be recorded and tallied by the Federation Secretary. Each chapter's votes shall be reported in whole numbers and the total number shall not exceed the number of registered voting delegates present in the chapter caucus.
Section 3.--Prior to the first business session of each convention, the Federation President shall appoint a teller committee of three members who are not officers or candidates for office. For each ballot vote, the committee shall distribute one ballot to each voting delegate, collect all ballots after the delegates have voted, tabulate the votes and report to the convention. When requested by the President, the committee shall assist with the tabulation of standing or show-of-hands votes.
ARTICLEVIII
NOMINATION AND ELECTION
Section 1. -- The Nominating Committee shall consist of one member from each District in the Federation elected by the Chapters at a District meeting held at the convention. The Chairman shall be elected by the Federation Convention from among the committee members. The Nominating Committee shall present one or more persons for each elected Federation office except District Vice Presidents and shall check the national membership data base to certify that every nominee is a member in good standing, having paid current national and chapter membership dues.
Section 2. -- Only duly accredited delegates shall vote in Federation elections.
Section 3. -- If there is more than one candidate for any office, the election shall be by secret ballot and a majority shall elect. When there is only one candidate for an office, the President shall instruct the Secretary to cast a unanimous ballot for each such candidate.
Section 4. - Nominations shall be presented and, if required, votes shall be taken for the offices in the following order: (1) President, (2) First Vice President, (3) Second Vice President, (4) Secretary, and (5) Treasurer. A candidate not elected for one office may be nominated for an office later in the sequence.
Section 5.--No provision of these Bylaws or of the Constitution of this Federation shall be interpreted to indicate that a succession of the "officer line" is intended, inferred, or is prerequisite.
ARTICLEIX
REVENUES
Section 1.--Each member Chapter shall pay annual per capita dues based on the Chapter's membership as of September 30 of each year. Payment shall be made to the Federation Treasurer. New Chapters shall send the Treasurer a list of members with a letter of application.
Section 2.--Additional revenue may be derived from social activities and donations.
ARTICLEX
COMMITTEES
Section 1.--The Federation President shall appoint the following standing committees: Audit, Credentials, Constitution and Bylaws, Finance and Budget, Legislative, Membership, and Public Relations.
Section 2. - The Finance and Budget Committee shall be composed of the First Vice President, the Treasurer and one member appointed by the President. Based on a conservative estimate of expected revenue, the Finance and Budget Committee will recommend to the Executive Board an appropriation for each of the various expenses of the Federation and the recommended biennial budget shall be presented to the convention for approval. In the interim between conventions, adjustments among budget categories may be recommended by the committee and approved by the Executive Board.
Section 3.--Not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the opening of the biennial convention, the President shall announce the appointment of the Resolutions and the Time and Place committees. The President shall appoint any other committees necessary to the convention or to the Federation.
ARTICLEXI
AMENDMENTS
Section 1. -- These Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of any biennial convention provided the resolutions proposing such amendments are in the hands of the Federation Secretary not later than sixty days prior to the next convention for transmittal to the Federation President and each member chapter and are presented to the convention in session by a member of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee with the committee's recommendation. Any resolution presented directly to the convention without prior distribution may be considered with the approval of a two-thirds vote,
provided that it has been distributed to the delegates in session at least 24 hours before the resolution is to be considered. Amendments may be proposed by any chapter or by the Executive Board. Amendments adopted by the convention shall become effective upon approval by the National Secretary.

APPROVED BYNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS

National Secretary signed Nat Brown Federation Secretary Signed Ted Holmes

Date: August 18, 2009 Date: August 12, 2009