Bylaws - Joplin Area DSA

Article I (Name and Territory)

Article II (Purpose)

The Joplin-Area chapter of Democratic Socialists of America seeks to facilitate the transition to a truly democratic and socialist society, one in which the means and resources of production are democratically and socially controlled. The Chapter is organized primarily to promote social welfare.

DSA rejects an economic order based solely on private profit, alienated labor, gross inequalities of wealth and power, discrimination based on race, ability, gender, or sexual orientation, and brutality and violence in defense of the status quo.

DSA envisions a humane social order based on popular control of resources, production, and economic planning; economic and environmental sustainability; equitable distribution; gender, racial, and ethnic equality; and non-oppressive relationships.

Our conception of socialism is a profoundly democratic one. It is rooted in the belief that human beings should be free to develop to their fullest potential, that public policies should be determined not by wealth but by popular participation, and that individual liberties should be carefully safeguarded. It is committed to a freedom of speech that does not recoil from dissent, to a freedom to organize independent trade unions, women’s groups, political parties, and other formations—recognizing these as essential bulwarks against the dangers of an intrusive state. It is committed to a freedom of religion that acknowledges the rights of those for whom spiritual concerns are central.

We are socialists because we are developing a concrete strategy for achieving that vision. In the present, we are building a visible socialist presence within the broad democratic Left. In the long run, we hope to build a majority movement capable of making democratic socialism a reality in the United States. Our strategy acknowledges the class structure of U.S. society. This class structure means that there is a basic conflict of interest between those sectors with enormous economic power and the vast majority of the population.

Article III (Membership)

Any person who pays dues to Democratic Socialists of America and who lives in, works in, or is otherwise able to attend meetings in the jurisdiction of JPA-DSA as defined by the national organization, is not a member of any other chapter of DSA, and who supports the mission and values of the chapter shall be a member of the chapter. Members are entitled to participate in any campaigns, committees, and groups organized within the JPA-DSA, except as otherwise set forth herein (see Article 3 § 8). Furthermore, any member in good standing may hold an elected or appointed position within JPA-DSA.
Members shall be responsible for proposing and deliberating questions of Chapter business at Chapter Meetings, electing Chapter officers, electing delegates to the National Convention, volunteering for Chapter activities and duties, and participating in any committee affairs in which they are elected, involved, or otherwise affiliated with.
A member may resign from the chapter to become an at-large member of DSA by written notice to the chapter secretary and National DSA. A member may resign from DSA by notifying the national office of DSA.
If a member in good standing is found to be in substantial disagreement with the principles or policies of National DSA, found to have multiple violations of the Code of Conduct, found to have a very serious violation of the Code of Conduct, or found to be consistently engaging in undemocratic, disruptive behavior, the Chapter may vote to expel them from DSA. In order for such a finding to be made, another DSA member shall formally submit written charges against the member in question to the Chapter Steering Committee, which will set the date of a Chapter meeting for deliberations on the charges. The member in question must receive a copy of the written charges and notice of the meeting a minimum of two (2) weeks before that meeting takes place. Expulsion of a member requires a two-thirds (⅔) vote of the chapter meeting. Expulsion from a chapter is treated as a suspension by DSA National and must be forwarded up to the National Grievance Panel to begin the national expulsion process. Decisions on expulsion by either the chapter or national organization may be appealed to the National Political Committee or to the National Convention.
As mandated by the National Constitution and bylaws, the chapter may establish a Chapter pledge system of voluntary donations for its members. The payment of a chapter donation shall not be a requirement for voting or for holding Chapter office.
The Steering Committee and any member delegated by the Steering Committee shall create and maintain policy and procedures to secure all member data, including but not limited to contact and billing information. Any documentation regarding data security shall be generally available to all members and must be reviewed yearly to ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and best practice standards determined by members of JPA-DSA.
Members must act in accordance with the beliefs of the organization whilst in public, either in person or online. Serious moral, ethical, or legal violations of DSA beliefs, local or national law, and/or transgressions towards members of the DSA or community can be responded to accordingly by members of JPA-DSA.
Members of JPA-DSA will keep, hold, and update yearly a set Code of Conduct that is designed to: (1) Uphold the beliefs of the organization, (2) Uphold community reputation, and (3) Promote unity within the organization. The code of conduct must be reviewed during the annual Chapter Convention; However, it may be changed or reviewed at any meeting.
If an individual is believed to be in violation, any member of the organization may submit a formal, written complaint against the person in question to the Steering Committee. If a single member of the Steering Committee believes the complaint to be serious enough to warrant formal reprimand, they must deliver a formal copy of the complaint, with all information regarding the person who delivered the complaint anonymized, to the individual in question, and a meeting to discuss their behavior be scheduled not less than two weeks, but not more than six months from the date which the copy of complaint is sent.
Any changes to the Code of Conduct must be approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the general membership.
This section does not supersede any part of Section IV. If any member is to be removed due to Code of Conduct violations, all procedures in Section IV must still be followed.
The Steering Committee may vote by two-thirds majority to admit a new member on a year-to-year anonymous basis, provided that individual has specific security concerns precluding them from safely enrolling as a member through the standard means. Anonymous
Members will pay dues directly to the Local Council by whatever means available to them, and Local Council will allocate one-third of total Anonymous Member dues to the national organization through direct contributions to national.
Anonymous Members will enjoy all rights, privileges, and responsibilities in the chapter as afforded to typical members in good standing, but will not be listed by name in any chapter records.
The Membership Chair will maintain an anonymous tally of Anonymous Members, and, together with the Steering Committee, will work to maintain Anonymous Members’ good standing across terms.

Article IV (Chapter Meetings)

Chapter meetings, for the purposes of this article, are defined as any regularly scheduled or emergency convention of a minimum of ten percent of the membership, not less than six individuals.
Chapter conventions, for the purposes of this article, are defined as a yearly meeting whose date and location are determined by the membership.
Special or emergency meetings, for the purposes of this article, are defined as any meeting that has been called in which the notice of convention has been given less than the allocated time given to meetings called generally. Calls for emergency meetings may be made by agreement of the two highest democratically elected positions within the chapter or the agreement of ten percent of the membership, not less than six individuals. Notice of a special or emergency meeting must be given out without negligence or malice at the nearest appropriate time after the time, place, and topic have been deliberated by the party or parties involved in calling the special meeting.
Chapter Conventions, General Meetings, and Special Meetings shall represent the general will of the membership and shall have the highest authority of decision-making power over all matters within the Chapter. Any decision made during a chapter convention may only be overturned or reversed by another convention or meeting deciding by the same rules as the decision was made to overturn a previous decision.
Emergency is to mean a situation in which the normal rules are no longer possible to be followed, or a situation in which urgency is required. Urgency is to mean: not doing as such would cause distinct, measurable, and significant harm to the organization and the action must be taken at the earliest possible point.
The Chapter shall hold a Chapter Convention each calendar year to accept reports, consider questions of Chapter business, elect Chapter Officers, and may adopt an annual budget.
The Steering Committee shall electronically or physically send written notice of the convention to all members no less than thirty (30) days prior to the convention. The Steering Committee shall publish the agenda to the membership no less than fourteen (14) days prior to the convention. If the time, place, or agenda is to be amended after the notice of convention or agenda has been released to the membership, corrections are to be sent out without negligence or malice at the nearest appropriate time after corrections have been deliberated by parties involved in such matters.
If the Chapter Convention elects to consider special standing rules, the question of their adoption will be the first order of business, and upon adoption will apply to that convention only.
The Chapter Convention may coincide with a General Meeting. Any rules that apply to a general meeting also apply to any chapter convention unless specifically changed by the membership.
The chapter shall hold a minimum of six (6) general meetings each calendar year to address any chapter business within the guidelines set by the chapter convention. Meetings must be held at a maximum of two months apart.
The Steering Committee shall publish the time and date to the membership no less than thirty (30) days prior to the meeting. The Steering Committee shall publish the location of the meeting no less than fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting. The Steering Committee shall set and publish the agenda to the membership no less than five (5) days prior to the meeting. If the time, place, or agenda is to be amended after the notice of convention or agenda has been released to the membership, corrections are to be sent out without negligence or malice at the nearest appropriate time after corrections have been deliberated by parties involved in such matters. Changes to the time or location are only to be made on an absolute necessity basis. The Steering Committee, where appropriate and without malice or negligence, may revise the agenda up to and until twenty-four (24) hours before the meeting is set to convene but should do so only when issues or points of order have significantly changed or been created within the period between notice of agenda and the notice of correction.
By decision of the general membership, a special set of rules regarding the order or decorum of meetings may be adopted to facilitate meeting efficiency.
The Steering Committee may call a Special Meeting of the Chapter on five (5) days’ notice when an urgent and important matter requires deliberation.
On matters of particular urgency, the Steering Committee may call an emergency meeting, which must be given notice in a manner that is neither negligent nor done with malice regarding inclusion or other chapter beliefs. If 80% of the Steering Committee is present, the committee may choose to take actions that are urgent and necessary, and a decision must be made within five (5) calendar days. Any decision made during an emergency meeting must be first on the agenda of the next general meeting and be voted on by the membership.
The Chapter may elect to adopt standing rules, which shall not be inconsistent with these bylaws, to administer the process and procedures of Chapter Meetings. All standing rules must be written, reviewed, and passed by majority vote yearly at the Chapter Convention. Each standing rule may be reviewed separately or as a whole.
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern all Chapter Meetings to which they apply. If Robert’s Rules are inconsistent with these bylaws or standing rules, then these bylaws or standing rules will apply.
Any action taken by a chapter meeting in contravention of these bylaws is null and void.
A quorum of ten (10) percent of the members (but not fewer than six (6) persons) is required for a general or special meeting to transact business. For chapter conventions, a quorum of thirty (30) percent of the members (but not fewer than ten (10) persons) is required for a chapter convention to transact business.
There are two ways that a resolution can be pushed forward: via any member of the Steering Committee or ten percent co-sponsorship among the voting membership. Resolutions must be submitted at least seven (7) days before the agenda for the meeting the resolution is intended for is set to be released. If the agenda has been published and the meeting has not happened, the resolution will be pushed to the next scheduled meeting, unless the resolution is decided to be of most importance without negligence or malice.
In cases of emergency, inclement weather, or other situations which physical convention could cause harm to those attempting to commute or otherwise participate in the convention, by majority vote of the steering committee, notwithstanding in regards to circumvention of the other sections of this article in regards to place, timing, and release of notice for convention and agenda, convention may be held virtually. If a convention is to be held virtually, the notice of convention must come not less than six (6) hours before the convention is set to occur. The Steering Committee, if prior knowledge to the conventions need to be held virtually exists, must release notice without malice or negligence at the soonest possible opportunity to do so.
For all meetings it shall be the responsibility of the Steering Committee, a representative of the Steering Committee, or a willing member of the membership as delegated by the Steering Committee, unless impossible to do so or in case of emergency, to ensure a method of accessing meetings virtually exists and is accessible to those with disabilities to expand community outreach and opportunities. The method(s) for which this online access is to be enabled is to be set by the Steering Committee in the standing rules and reviewed annually at the chapter convention. Any notice of convention must include the method of online access and the prerequisite material to access virtual attendance.

Article V (Chapter Officers)

The officers of the chapter shall be the co-chairs, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the two Membership Coordinators. Each officer must be a member of the Chapter and be current in their dues by 30 days before the election and throughout the duration of their term. The term of office shall be one year or until their successors are elected. Not more than half of the members of the Steering Committee shall be cisgender white men. No member shall hold more than one office on the Steering Committee at any given time.
Elections for officers shall be held at the Chapter Convention unless otherwise stated in these bylaws. The Steering Committee shall open nominations no less than thirty (30) days prior to the election and call for nominations to the membership. No candidate may run their own election. Members must be in good standing for 30 days to vote in elections for chapter-wide leadership.
To be put upon the ballot for an election a member must: (1) Be in good standing for at least thirty (30) days prior, (2) Be willing to accept the position in the case of an election victory, (3) Must have another Member who is otherwise able to vote in Steering Committee elections put in writing that they support this member being on the ballot, (4) Must not have met the term limits for the position in which they are running, and (5) Must be at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time in which they would assume the position.
For all positions of the Steering Committee, members may only serve two (2) consecutive years before having to wait two (2) consecutive years before serving the same position. Term limits are determined by position only. Members may serve in other positions than the ones that they are term-limited from while waiting for their term limit to expire.
In situations where in conditions set out above no such candidate exists, the following happens: First, should the former position holder, even if they are ineligible due to term limits alone, be willing to continue in that position they will become the de-facto winner. Should the previous position holder not be eligible due to any reason other than term limits, an offer to take the position will be extended to other former officers of the position first, then to other officers generally. If, yet, the position remains vacant, it will be available to be claimed by any member who is eligible to take the position without the need to have the support of another member.
Uncontested elections may be decided by acclamation without objection; otherwise, elections will be determined by instant-runoff voting. Elections shall be governed by any rules and procedures under Article IV, Section 5.
The Co-Chairs are responsible for ensuring the will, orders, and resolutions of the Membership are carried out. The Co-Chairs shall be responsible for coordinating the day-to-day operations and political work of the Chapter’s Branches, Committees, and other formations. The Co-Chairs shall report to chapter meetings on the business of the Steering Committee.
The Secretary shall be responsible for answering all correspondence and queries of the Chapter and for maintaining an up-to-date membership list of the Chapter. They shall ensure effective communication with the National DSA. They shall temporarily assume the responsibilities of the Co-Chair if neither the Co-Chair is able to do so.
The Secretary shall be responsible for the taking of minutes of all Chapter and Steering Committee meetings and shall have custody of these minutes and the resolutions, reports, and other official records of the Chapter. Minutes will include attendance of officers. The Secretary shall be responsible for providing chapter meeting minutes to National DSA.
The Secretary shall transfer official records, such as meeting minutes and membership lists, in good condition to their successor. The Secretary is responsible for storing and ensuring members access to the latest versions of these bylaws, meeting minutes, agendas, resolutions, standing rules, and all other materials in the interest of the membership.
The Treasurer shall be responsible for the funds and financial records of the Chapter. All funds collected by the Chapter shall be turned over to the Treasurer, who will hold these funds in a secure place until it is possible to deposit the funds in a credit union or bank account under the name of the Chapter. The Treasurer shall prepare budgets and financial reports for consideration at Chapter Meetings and as requested by the Steering Committee, and ensure the Chapter’s regulatory compliance. In cooperation with the Membership Coordinator, the Treasurer shall be responsible for ensuring that membership dues are current.
The Treasurer shall create and document policies and procedures for carrying out their duties and for maintaining healthy Chapter finances. The Treasurer shall transfer to their successor the documented policies and procedures, financial records and reports, and access to financial accounts securely.
The co-Membership Coordinators shall be responsible for the overall health and growth of the Chapter membership by coordinating the outreach, recruitment, and engagement activities of the Chapter. The Membership Coordinator shall oversee initiatives concerning membership growth, retention, engagement, participation, and leadership development. The Membership Coordinators will also act as mediators for disputes between members.
The Membership Coordinators shall organize their activities to be inclusive, culturally competent, and non-oppressive to marginalized groups. Special attention shall be devoted to the recruitment of members from marginalized groups.
The chapter Steering Committee may assign additional temporary duties to an officer of the Chapter, so long as such assignments do not conflict with the designation of responsibilities outlined in these bylaws.
Any action taken by an officer in contravention of these bylaws is null and void.
Any officer of the chapter may electronically or physically submit their resignation to either the Steering Committee or Chapter Meeting. Upon resignation, the Steering Committee shall fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term either by scheduling an election no less than thirty (30) days away from a Chapter General Meeting or by appointment via simple majority vote of the Steering Committee.
Any officer of the Chapter may be temporarily suspended for thirty (30) days at a chapter meeting as defined in Article IV. Any member may motion to suspend and shall state with particularity the acts of malfeasance, nonfeasance, gross negligence, or undemocratic or uncomradely behavior comprising the grounds for removal and must have the co-sponsorship of ten percent of the voting membership. The chapter meeting may adopt such a motion by a two-thirds (⅔) vote.
Any officer of the chapter may be recalled for malfeasance or failure to fulfill their duties or obligations as an officer.
1. Recall by Vote of the Membership.
  In order to recall or remove an officer, a member must introduce a resolution, which, when introduced, the Steering Committee must set a date for a Chapter Meeting for deliberations on the accused officer’s removal in accordance with Article III § 7. Any resolution to recall an officer must have a two-thirds (⅔) vote to pass.
2. Recall by Vote of the Steering Committee.
  An officer may be recalled by vote of the Steering Committee only under narrow circumstances for failure to do their duty. If an officer misses three consecutive Steering Committee meetings without excuse and fails to respond to attempts by Steering Committee members to communicate, that officer may be removed from office by a two-thirds (⅔) vote of the Steering Committee. This action must be reported at the next chapter meeting, at which time members in good standing may overturn the vote.
Committee Chairs, as defined by Article IX § 4, are automatically granted officer status on the Steering Committee as an at-large member. Certain committee chairs may be given special roles in the Steering Committee as outlined by the bylaws.

Article VI (Steering Committee)

The Steering Committee shall be composed of two Co-Chairs, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Membership Coordinator, and any other roles as defined by Article VI § 8, and given authority under Article V § 12.
The Steering Committee administers the affairs of the Chapter and oversees the implementation of the decisions of Chapter Meetings; it may also propose policy to Chapter Meetings. It shall have the power to receive reports of any Branch, or Committee, and advise thereon, to call Special Meetings of the Chapter, and to act on any matter that requires immediate and urgent action. The Steering Committee is the regular executive body of the Chapter, and thus subordinate to its Legislative bodies, the Chapter Convention and General Meetings. The Steering Committee may, by consensus, bestow powers granted to it upon committees. If these powers are granted, they must be granted for a specific reason and period. Resolutions may be introduced to block the process of powers delegation.
The Steering Committee shall be responsible for establishing program activities for the Chapter, for proposing guidelines and policies that shall subsequently be voted on by members in good standing, and for acting on the organization’s behalf between Chapter meetings.
The Steering Committee is responsible for ensuring that the following responsibilities are assigned to Steering Committee members or other individuals: communications, internal and external; development of any standing rules; and preparation of an annual report to be presented to the membership at the beginning of the new fiscal year or at the Chapter Convention.
The meetings of the Steering Committee shall be held at the call of one (1) of the Co-Chairs at such regular intervals as may be determined by a prior Steering Committee Meeting or by consultation with any three (3) members of the Steering Committee. All members of the Steering Committee must be given three (3) days oral, written, or electronic notice of Steering Committee Meetings unless all members of the Steering Committee accept shorter notice. The Steering Committee shall give notice of its meeting schedule to Chapter members. Meeting minutes shall be recorded and accessible to the membership.
Steering Committee meetings may be held electronically by any means acceptable to all the members of the Steering Committee.
Any member in good standing of the chapter may observe Steering Committee Meetings. The Steering Committee shall allow for a question-and-answer period and a comment period if capacity permits.
The Steering Committee may go into executive session by simple majority vote in order to discuss any sensitive matters.
A quorum of a simple majority, including at least a Co-Chair and a third of the remaining officers, is required for the transaction of Steering Committee business.
The Steering Committee may elect to adopt standing rules to administer the process and procedures of Steering Committee Meetings that are not inconsistent with these bylaws. Any standing rules must be reviewed at the Chapter Convention.
Any action taken by the Steering Committee in contravention of these bylaws is null and void.
The Steering Committee may make decisions on business by vote of a simple majority of the committee at a Steering Committee Meeting or through other means unanimously approved by all Steering Committee members at a Steering Committee Meeting. Any vote that occurs between Steering Committee Meetings shall be reported at the next meeting.
For the purposes of meeting the requirements of local and state incorporation laws, the Chapter shall have a “Board of Directors” consisting of members of the Steering Committee assigned for the purpose as logical and required by law.
Spending may be authorized only by resolution. Any situation in which funds are spent must be physically signed off by the treasurer and at-least one of the co-chairs.

Article VII (Branches)

A branch is a subgroup chartered by the chapter consisting of at least five (5) members in good standing for the purpose of expanding the reach and accessibility of the chapter. Branches shall be defined by geography, identity, language, belonging to a particular institution, or sharing a common interest.
A charter application must be made by written resolution, endorsed by five (5) members in good standing of the chapter who would be members of the branch, and submitted according to the same procedure as defined in Article XIV of these bylaws.
A charter application must define the purpose of the branch, the nature of its leadership, the scope and nature of its membership, and how the branch makes decisions. Membership by geography shall not overlap with another branch defined by geography. The chapter meeting may approve a charter application under this article by a simple majority vote.
A charter application may include an amendment to these bylaws for the purpose of branch representation on the Steering Committee. The chapter meeting may approve this proposed amendment by a two-thirds (⅔) majority vote.
Branches must meet at least quarterly. The meetings shall be governed by the parliamentary procedure authorized by these bylaws. Branch meetings shall be open to all members in good standing of the given territory or defining characteristic of the branch, who may propose business in order for it to be debated and voted upon by the branch.
A motion to dissolve a branch must be made by written resolution, endorsed by five (5) members in good standing of the Chapter, and submitted according to the same procedure as defined in Article XIV of these bylaws. The chapter meeting may dissolve a branch under this article by a simple majority vote.
A motion to dissolve a branch may include an amendment to these bylaws for the purpose of removing branch representation on the Steering Committee. The chapter meeting may approve a motion to dissolve a branch with a bylaws amendment under this article by a two-thirds (⅔) majority vote.

Article VIII (Young Democratic Socialists of America)

Article IX (Committees)

A committee is a group of chapter members tasked with specific functions and authority related to the work and administration of the chapter.
A committee may be established by approval of a resolution by simple majority vote. The Steering Committee may also establish a committee solely for the purposes of carrying out responsibilities already assigned to the Steering Committee in these bylaws. The motion to establish a committee must define the purpose of the committee, the nature of its leadership, the nature of its membership, how the committee makes decisions, a deadline for either its dissolution or renewal, and any chapter resources it may need. The committee may be subject to additional rules of the chapter. Any committee not created by resolution and approved by majority vote will not gain a seat on the Steering Committee for its committee chair.
Any committee created under this article may be dissolved by a chapter meeting at any time by a simple majority vote. If a committee was established by the Steering Committee, that committee may be dissolved by the Steering Committee at any time by a simple majority vote.
Upon the approval of a resolution to create a committee, a meeting will be scheduled by one of the Co-Chairs for members of the general membership to form and elections to take place. The resolution to create a committee will outline what the structure of a committee will look like (i.e., vice chair, voting rights of members, executive power). Electing a committee head to represent the committee is required, and elections must follow Article IX § 5.
Elections in committees occur in two circumstances: upon vacancy or at regular intervals. If a position is vacant, then snap elections will occur based on the rules set in Article V § 2. Elections will occur over the next two scheduled meetings. Regular elections will occur six months after the Chapter Convention; terms last one year. The diversity requirements of Article V § 1 are applied to committee chairs.

Article X (Delegates to National, Regional, and State Organizations)

Article XI (Grievance Procedure)

Article XII (Prohibited Activity)

Article XIII (Amendments)

Article XIV (Chapter Dissolution)

Your Page Header Title

Our Bylaws