Adopted December 3, 2005—As Amended December 6, 2008

ARTICLE I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

• SECTION 1. The name of this organization shall be Minnesota Pet Breeders Association.
• SECTION 2. The MINNESOTA PET BREEDERS ASSOCIATION is a "not for profit" corporation, for the purpose set forth in its Articles of Incorporation and reiterated in Article II, Objectives, of these By-Laws.
• SECTION 3. The Association's primary source of income shall consist of fees, dues, assessment, grants, and contributions, which shall be collected, received, and expended exclusively for its aforementioned purposes. The association may engage in fund-raising for the benefit of the membership including the marketing and selling of products and services related to and furthering the purpose of the association. All proceeds collected and received there from shall be used solely for the purpose set forth in the article of in-corporation.
• SECTION 4. There shall be an annual meeting of the Association for the purpose of electing officers, conducting the business of the Association, and to provide a forum for the transfer of the educational and/or business information relating to the pet industry.
  • The Board of Directors shall determine the time and location of the annual meeting.
  • Special meetings of the Association may be called at any time by the majority of the Board of Directors or by petition of 25% of the membership.
  • A written notification of the time and place of any meeting of the Association shall be mailed to the membership by Corre-spondence 15 days prior to the meeting, including the purpose of the meeting.
  • ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER shall be used for conducting associational meetings, unless suspended for practical pur-poses, as defined in ROBERT'S RULE OF ORDER.
• SECTION 5. Other activities consistent with the objectives of the MNPA will be determined by the Board of Directors and/or by the majority of the voting membership.
• SECTION 6. The By-Laws may be amended by a two/thirds majority vote of the voting members present and voting at a regular or specially called meeting of membership, provided a copy of the proposed amendment has been submitted in writing to the entire membership at least 30 days prior to the meeting.

ARTICLE II. OBJECTIVES

• SECTION 1. It is the purpose of the MINNESOTA PET BREEDERS ASSOCIATION (MNPBA) to develop a viable industry within the state of MN for the production and marketing of quality MN bred and raised pets.
• SECTION 2. MNPBA proposes to advance Minnesota pet production and marketing by way of conducting educational meetings, disseminating informational material, promoting quality, healthy pets, and cooperating with other organizations to support the pet industry in Minnesota.
• SECTION 3. MNPBA will strive to promote awareness of legislation pertinent to the Minnesota pet industry.
  • MNPBA will encourage passage of legislation favorable to the industry.
  • MNPBA will make every effort to defeat the passage of legislation unfavorable to the industry.
• SECTION 4. MNPBA will strive to set forth to the public a positive image of the MINNESOTA PET BREEDERS ASSOCIATION members.
• SECTION 5. MNPBA will maintain and distribute a directory of member pet breeders.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

• SECTION 1. The MINNESOTA PET BREEDERS Association's membership shall be limited to those individuals, firms, and organizations who are engaged in the production and marketing of pets, or who are involved in industries, function within the confines of Federal and State laws and regulations concerning licensing, and who confirm to the MNPBA Code of Ethic, which us a part of this document. The Board of Directors may, at its discretion, remove any member at its discretion. Any person may be excluded from membership in the organization if it is found that said member has failed to generally meet the qualifications of membership, has failed to observe and follow the purpose of the association; or for any other reason the organization deems may be contrary to the best interest of the organization. No members shall be excluded on the basis of race, gender, national origin, age, or disability.
  • Associate member shall be defined as those persons qualifying for membership in Section 1 whom live outside the state of Minnesota. Associate members may not hold office.
  • Junior members shall be defined, as those persons of less than 18 years of age whom are involved in a pet breeding industry. Junior members may not hold office or vote.
  • Honorary members shall be defined as those persons selected by the Association for special honor or recognition. Honorary members may not hold office or vote.
• SECTION 2. The voting power of the voting members shall be equal, and each voting member shall have one vote. Voting members in good standing must be present to vote. SECTION 3. The rate of annual dues for members and associate members shall be $35.00 per year. Dues for junior members shall be set at $5.00 per year. Yearly membership dues are payable at or before the annual associational business meeting, and shall apply for the fiscal year, January 1 through December 31.

ARTICLE IV. ORGANIZATION

• SECTION 1.
• Chapter members must maintain membership in MNPBA.
• Chapters will be responsible for establishing Chapter by-laws and dues. These by-laws cannot conflict with MNPBA By-Laws. Copies of this By-Laws must be sent to the MNPBA Correspondence Secretary to be kept on file.
• Chapters may collect MNPBA dues and forward them to the MNPBA membership secretary by or before the MNPBA Annual meeting.
• Chapters will elect a representative who is a voting member of MNPBA to serve on the board of Directors

ARTICLE V. OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

• SECTION 1. The business and affairs of the Association shall be managed and conducted by the Board of Directors which shall be composed of the following, all of whom shall be current active voting members of the Association, residing within the state of Minnesota, and who meet the requirements for representative from the chapter/region as stated in ARTICLE IV, SECTION 1D.
  • Immediate past President
  • All presiding State Officers
  • Directors as elected by the Chapters or Regions
• SECTION 2. All officers shall be elected at Association's annual meeting for a term of two years. There are no term limits.
  • A simple majority is required for election.
  • The President, Correspondence Secretary, and Publicity Director shall be elected at the same Annual meeting, on alternate years from the Vice-President, Membership Secretary, and Treasurer, who shall be elected the following year.
  • If a presiding officer desires to run and is elected to a vacated office, he/she shall resign one of the two offices, as he/she shall not hold two offices at any one time. That vacated office would then be filled by election.

ARTICLE VI. DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

• SECTION 1. The President shall preside at all official meetings of the Association.
  • He/She shall appoint a member to fill out the unexpired term of any officer should such a vacancy occur between elections.
  • He/She shall appoint all committees and shall have the privilege of sitting on all committees.
  • He/She shall keep a record of all transactions and shall answer directly to the board.
• SECTION 2. The Vice-President shall preside in the absence of the President and shall fill out the unexpired term of the President, should that event occur between elections.
  • He/She shall keep record of all transactions and shall answer directly to the President, and the Board.
• SECTION 3. The Correspondence Secretary shall take care of all correspondence.
  • He/She takes minutes at all meetings of the Association and Board, and shall keep copies of all minutes and correspondence.
  • He/She answers directly to the President and the Board.
• SECTION 4. The Membership Secretary shall be responsible for handling all membership.
  • He/She shall receive all membership dues and shall be responsible for mailing membership packets to all new members.
  • He/She shall keep accurate, complete, up-to-date files of each member, including name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and a list of current breeds. He/She shall provide the Publicity Director a copy of all membership records.
  • He/She shall be responsible for forwarding all membership dues to the Treasurer, giving proper accounting of the same to the Board.
• SECTION 5. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the handling of all monies of the MNPBA, including receiving, accounting and forwarding the information to the appropriated person.
  • All checks above $125 shall require a second signature, either that of the President or a Board member appointed by the President.
  • All payments will be authorized by the Board, either in advance or by approval of the expenditure at the time the check is writ-ten.
  • Records of the account will be available for auditing as required by the Board, at least once a year.
  • Copies of the account activities will be furnished to the officers and directors of the Board at each Board meeting.
  • The Treasurer shall keep copies of all transactions and shall answer directly to the President and the Board. F. He/She shall be registered as the Responsible Agent for the purposes relative to the non-profit status of the Association.
• SECTION 6. The Publicity Director shall handle all publicity at the discretion of the President and the Board.
  • He/She shall be responsible for the organization and publication of the yearly Directory, with advice from the Board.
  • He/She takes care of getting the printing done at the lowest cost for a quality product.
  • He/She keeps copies of all publications and transactions and answers directly to the President and the Board.
• SECTION 7. The Board of Directors shall meet as often as necessary to conduct the business of the Association.
  • They shall advise the treasurer in the expenditure of monies on behalf of the Association.
    • (1) They shall propose an annual budget to be presented to the voting membership at the Annual meeting.
    • (2) They shall vote to approve all checks written on the account.
  • They shall determine the dates and locations of the meetings, seminars and events of the association and work toward making them a success by encouraging the participation of persons interested in Minnesota pet production.
  • They shall make rules and regulations for the management of the affairs of the Association in order to promote a workable environment that will promote a healthy growth of the Association, and will seek to hold the Association to the objectives set forth in this document.
  • It will be the aim of the Board of Directors to do the will of the membership, striving to hold true to the purpose for which it was originally created, that being the advancement of the Minnesota–bred and raised pet and the promotion of a positive image of Minnesota Pet Breeders Association members.
• SECTION 8. In the event that it becomes necessary to dissolve the MINNESOTA PET BREEDERS ASSOCIATION, it will be the function of the Board to see that all remaining monies are distributed to one or more non-profit organizations.