BYLAWS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF TARRANT COUNTY

ARTICLE I

NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Tarrant County, hereinafter referred to as the Executive Committee.

Section 2. The Executive Committee shall exercise those powers conferred upon it by the Election Code of the State of Texas, the rules of the Republican Party of Texas, and by these Bylaws; and shall promote the best interests of the Republican Party and its candidates in Tarrant County.

ARTICLE II

DEFINITIONS

Section 1. A quorum for the purpose of conducting business shall be defined by these Bylaws and by the Texas Election Code as follows:

Party business – to conduct ordinary business, a quorum shall consist of twenty-five percent (25%) of the duly elected or ratified precinct chairman in the county.

Statutory business – for purposes of certain requirements of the Texas Election Code that require a meeting to be held and certain election-related tasks be performed (e.g., canvassing of the Primary ballot), a quorum consists of those members present, which is to say that a single member of the Executive Committee can constitute a quorum for this purpose.

Other statutory business – for purposes of permissive matters under the Texas Election Code (e.g., filling a vacancy in the position of county chairman or precinct chairman), a quorum consists of fifty percent (50%) of the duly elected or ratified precinct chairman in the county.

ARTICLE III

MEMBERSHIP AND PRIVILEGES

Section 1. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the County Chairman, who shall be the Committee’s presiding officer, and the Precinct Chairman from each election precinct of Tarrant County. Each member shall be entitled to one vote by personal attendance at Executive Committee meetings. There shall be no voting by proxy.

Section 2. The County Chairman and Precinct Chairman shall be elected biennially as provided for in the Texas Election Code.

Section 3. The Executive Committee shall elect a Secretary, who may be either a member of the Committee or such other person as the Committee may elect.

Section 4. Vacancies in the office of County Chairman and/or Secretary shall be filled promptly by the Executive Committee by a majority vote of those present and voting, provided a majority of the full committee membership is present, due notice of purpose having been given in the call to the meeting. These Bylaws incorporate by reference Sec. 171.024 and Sec. 171.025 of the Texas Election Code, which stipulate procedures for filling vacancies in the office of county chairman and precinct chairman.

ARTICLE IV

DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1. The County Chairman shall be the Chairman of the Executive Committee and shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Republican Party of Tarrant County. The County Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and coordinate the political activities of the Republican Party in Tarrant County, including appointing all committee chairmen.

The County Chairman shall be a member of all committees, shall represent the Executive Committee in its official capacity, shall employ such persons and make such appointments as deemed appropriate, and shall have such usual powers of supervision and management as may pertain to the office of County Chairman.

Section 2. The County Chairman shall appoint such officers as set forth in Article VI, who shall serve until their successors are appointed and shall perform such duties as may be directed by the County Chairman

In the County Chairman’s absence the Vice-Chairman, shall perform the duties of County Chairman. In the absence of both the County Chairman and the Vice Chairman interim duties of office will devolve upon the other Officers in the order of their appointment.

In the event of the County Chairman’s resignation, disqualification, or death, an election to fill the vacancy shall be held promptly in accordance with Article II, Section 4 of these Bylaws. There shall be no “acting chairman.”

Section 3. The Secretary shall be elected by the Executive Committee as provided in the Texas Election Code, and shall keep minutes and attendance records for all meetings of the Executive Committee. Such minutes shall be retained at the County Headquarters office and shall be open to public inspection. The Secretary shall be elected at the first statutory meeting of each newly-elected Executive Committee and shall serve for the same term as the Executive Committee.

Section 4. The Precinct Chairmen shall be responsible for the carrying out of the directions and resolutions of the Executive Committee, county conventions, and precinct committees, if there be such, in accordance with these Bylaws. The Precinct Chairmen shall assist Republican Party candidates and shall have general responsibility for all Republican Party activities, functions, and campaigns within their respective precincts.

ARTICLE V

MEETINGS

Section 1. The Executive Committee shall meet at such times as required by the Election Code of the State of Texas and shall adopt a schedule of additional meetings. There shall be a regular (non-statutory) meeting held at least once each calendar quarter.

Section 2. Special meetings may be called as needed by the County Chairman. Special meetings may also be called by a petition of 25% of the members of the Executive Committee submitted to the County Chairman.

If the County Chairman does not act on such petition within 7 days of receipt, any member of the Executive Committee may call the meeting directly by mailing notice to the last known address of the members of the Executive Committee, pursuant to the terms of Section 3.

Section 3. No less than Fourteen (14) days’ notice shall be required for all meetings, except in the event of a stated emergency, in which case two (2) days’ notice shall be required. (All designation of times shall be considered as the postmark date).

Section 4. If a meeting is called, and the Chairman and Vice Chairman fail to attend, the Secretary shall call the meeting to order and preside while the members (a quorum being present) elect a temporary chairman to preside at that particular meeting. If the Chairman and Vice Chairman and Secretary fail to attend, any Executive Committeeman may call the meeting to order at the appointed hour and preside while the members (a quorum being present) elect a temporary chairman to preside at that particular meeting. The temporary chairman shall have the same authority as the regular chairman has at any meeting.

Section 5. At meetings of the Executive Committee, all incumbent elected officials of the Republican Party of Texas, including statewide, district, and county Republican officeholders, the County Vice Chairmen, Legal Counsel, and Secretary, together with such other persons as may be designated by the County Chairman, shall have the privileges of the floor, but without voting rights

ARTICLE VI

APPOINTIVE OFFICERS

Section 1. The appointive officers shall be the Vice-Chairmen, Treasurer, Legal Counsel, Parliamentarian, Chaplain, and Sergeant-at-Arms.

Section 2. The County Chairman shall make these appointments, subject to ratification by the Executive Committee by a majority vote of those present and voting, a quorum being present. Each of these officers may be removed from office by the County Chairman, subject to the reinstatement by the Executive Committee by a majority vote of those present and voting, a quorum being present.

Section 3. The terms of office of the appointive officers shall be concurrent with that of the Executive Committee. If a vacancy occurs in the office of County Chairman, the appointive officers shall serve only until the election of a new County Chairman.

Section 4. The County Vice-Chairmen shall be the assistant executive officers of the Republican Party of Tarrant County. They shall aid and assist the County Chairman in all of said duties.

Section 5. The Legal Counsel shall be the chief legal advisor to the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Tarrant County, and to all other Committees and officers on legal matters pertaining to the Republican Party of Tarrant County. He shall attend all meetings of the Executive Committee.

Section 6. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all funds of the Executive Committee and the Republican Party of Tarrant County, and shall disburse the same in accordance with the budgets established by the Finance Committee. The Treasurer shall keep a strict account of all receipts and disbursements, with the dates thereof, from whom received and to whom disbursed, and the purpose thereof and shall make a copy of said report available to the Executive Committee quarterly.

Section 7. The County Chairman may appoint assistants to the Appointive Officers as needed, who shall be subject to the same ratification and removal procedures as the Appointive Officers as outlined in Section 2 of this Article.

ARTICLE VII

SUCCESSION

In the event of a vacancy in the office of county Chairman, the elected Secretary of the Executive Committee shall call a meeting of the Executive Committee to be held within twenty (20) days of the occurrence of the vacancy for the purpose of electing a new County Chairman, in accordance with Sec. 171.025 of the Texas Election Code. (See Article II, Sec. 4.) No vice-chairman or other Party officer shall assume the position of “acting chairman.”

If a quorum is not achieved at a meeting to elect a new County Chairman, then subsequent meetings shall be held as soon as practical, but in no event later than twenty (20) days from the date of the failed meeting.

ARTICLE VIII

AREA LEADERS

Section 1. The County Chairman shall organize Tarrant County into not less than ten (10) areas, and the County Chairman shall appoint an area leader, a resident of that area, to hold office at the pleasure of the County Chairman, subject to ratification by the Executive Committee. A sitting precinct chairman may serve as an Area Leader; but current or prior service as a precinct chairman, while desirable, is not necessary for service as an Area Leader.

Section 2. The Area Leader shall serve his area and act as liaison and advisor between the Precinct Chairmen in his area and the County Chairman.

Section 3. The Area leaders shall assist in keeping the County Chairman and the Precinct Chairmen currently advised and informed and shall participate in Republican Party activities in his area and shall recruit prospects to fill vacancies in his area.

ARTICLE IX

STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 1. There shall be the following Standing Committees: Judicial Candidate Screening, Education and Training, Campaign, Voter Services, Bylaws, and Finance.

Section 2. The County Chairman shall appoint the chairman of each Standing Committee subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. When so approved, the committee chairmen shall then submit the names of the committee members they recommend to the County Chairman for approval. Additional members may be added and vacancies filled from time to time in similar manner.

Section 3. Each Standing Committee shall have at least five (5) and not more than fifteen (15) members, at the discretion of the County Chairman.

Section 4. The first meeting of each newly constituted Standing Committees shall be called by the County Chairman, or his duly designated representative, within forty five (45) days after the County Chairman takes office.

Section 5. A majority of a Standing Committee’s members shall constitute a quorum. Each Standing Committee’s chairman shall appoint a secretary to record the minutes of the committee’s activities. If the secretary is not a member of the Standing Committee, he or she shall not have the right to vote in the Committee.

Section 6. The term of office for Standing Committee members shall run concurrently with that of the Executive Committee, except that in the event of a vacancy in the office of County Chairman, the appointive members shall serve only until the election of a new County Chairman.

Section 7. It is not necessary for any person to be a member of the Executive Committee to serve on any Standing Committee.

ARTICLE X

SPECIAL COMMITTEES

The County Chairman may appoint such Ad Hoc Committees, as he or she deems necessary to assist in carrying out duties not specifically assigned to a Standing Committee.

ARTICLE XI

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

There shall be an Advisory Council for the Republican Party of Tarrant County, composed of the Area Chairman, the County Vice-Chairmen, the Party Secretary, the Treasurer, the Legal Counsel, the State Republican Executive Committeemen and Committeewomen (SREC), past County Chairmen, and all elected governmental Republican officeholders residing in the County. In addition, the County Chairman may designate outstanding Republicans residing in the County who, because of their years of service and loyalty to the Party, are deemed entitled to a position of trust and confidence in the Party. The function of the Advisory Committee will be to render advice and assistance on all matters pertaining to the Republican Party of Tarrant County.

The Advisory Committee shall meet at least once in each election cycle, not later than June 30 of each election year (i.e., not later than 60 days after the County Chairman takes office). The initial meeting shall focus on planning, direction, and objectives of local GOP activity, but shall be advisory only and not binding on the County Chairman.

ARTICLE XII

PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the Robert’s Rules of Order Revised, as specified by the State, shall govern the Executive Committee and Officers in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws.

ARTICLE XIII

AMENDMENTS

These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members of the Executive Committee present and voting at a meeting of the Executive Committee, a quorum being present, and by mailing written notice to each Precinct Chairmen at least fourteen (14) days in advance of a regular or special meeting called for that purpose.
ADOPTED : 5/12/2008
SECRETARY: Patti Schade
CHAIRMAN: Stephanie Klick