The Bylaws of ProSpace America, Inc.
Article I NAME
The name of the corporation is ProSpace America, Inc., hereinafter the "Corporation."
Article II NON-PROFIT STATUS
The Corporation shall be organized and operated as a non-profit
corporation under the laws of the State of Georgia. Exemption under
Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as a civic
organization shall be sought and the Corporation shall be operated at
all times so as to preserve its tax exempt status under Section
501(c)(4).
Article III — PURPOSE
The Corporation is organized for the following purposes:
(A) To act as a grassroots organization of American citizens dedicated
to the improvement of this society by enabling those actions by
government and industry which will open the space frontier to human
exploration and settlement as rapidly as possible;
(B) To
ensure that this nation unleashes the energy and imagination of the
free enterprise system to lead a united humanity into the solar system;
(C) To inform the discussion of public policy issues surrounding space exploration consistent with these purposes;
(D) To conduct any lawful business or activities related to the above purposes; and
(E) To engage in any lawful activity for which corporations may be organized under the Georgia Nonprofit Corporation Code.
Article IV PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES
SECTION 1: No part of the net earnings of the Corporation shall inure
to the benefit of, or be distributable to, the members, directors or
officers of the Corporation except that the Corporation shall have the
authority to reimburse such persons for authorized expenses incurred on
behalf of the Corporation.
SECTION 2: Notwithstanding any
other provisions of these Bylaws, the Corporation shall not carry on
any activities not permitted by a corporation exempt from Federal
Income Tax under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
(or the corresponding provisions of any future United States Internal
Revenue Code).
Article V BOARD OF DIRECTORS
SECTION 1: The Board of Directors shall consist of not less than three
(3) and not more than nine (9) members. The initial Board of Directors
shall be elected at an organizational meeting called by the
incorporator. Thereafter, the directors shall be elected at the Annual
General Meeting of the Corporation by a majority vote, consistent with
the provisions hereinafter regarding the terms of directors.
SECTION 2: Vacancies on the Board (including unfilled positions) may be
filled by the Board of Directors prior to the expiration of a
director's term. Such appointment shall continue until the conclusion
of the next Annual General Meeting of the Corporation, at which meeting
the appointed director shall stand for election.
SECTION 3:
The Board may delegate the authority to address matters which arise on
a daily basis that require Board action but which cannot be delayed
until a meeting (including a special meeting) of the Board to an
Executive Committee, which shall be composed of those members of the
Board selected by a majority vote of the Board.
SECTION 4: Any
action required or permitted to be taken at a Board of Directors
meeting may be taken without a meeting if one or more written consents,
setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by all the
directors. Any such action taken shall be effective when all consents
have been delivered to the Corporation, unless the consent specifies a
later effective date.
SECTION 5: The Board of Directors shall
elect a Chairman who shall preside over the meetings of the Board and
the Annual General Meeting. The Chairman shall prepare an agenda in
advance of each meeting of the Board of Directors and of the Annual
General Meeting. The agenda shall be distributed to the officers, Board
members or Voting Members, as applicable.
Article VI MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1: The voting members of the Corporation shall be limited to
those individuals: (a) who have participated in a "March Storm" or in a
similar congressional briefing effort that is managed by the
Corporation; or (b) who have undertaken and fulfilled a major
commitment to the Corporation so as to merit an invitation to be a
Voting Member of the Corporation, as determined by a unanimous vote of
the Board of Directors; and (c) who have paid the annual membership
dues of $25.00.
SECTION 2: Persons who desire membership in
the Corporation may apply in writing to the Board of Directors. Subject
to the foregoing, these applications shall be voted on by the Board of
Directors or its designees.
SECTION 3: Any member of the
Corporation may resign at any time by delivering a written letter of
resignation to the Secretary of the Corporation. Such a resignation is
effective upon receipt by the Secretary, unless otherwise voted by the
Board of Directors. Any member may be removed for cause from the
Corporation by a vote of two-thirds of the whole Board of Directors.
SECTION 4: Definition: The term "participated" as referenced in Section
1(a) above is defined to mean at least one full day of activity on
Capitol Hill and completion of all participation requirements as
defined before the briefing effort.
Article VII OFFICERS
The officers of the Corporation shall be as follows:
SECTION 1: President. In the absence of the Chairman of the Board he
shall preside at meetings of the Board of Directors and at the Annual
General Meeting. The President may create and staff such committees as
may be deemed necessary, subject to the approval of the Board. He shall
supervise and coordinate the public activities of the Corporation. He
shall conduct such contract negotiations for the Corporation as may be
necessary from time to time.
SECTION 2: Vice President. This
person is responsible to the President for the performance of any
duties that may be delegated to him by the Board of Directors or the
President. The Board of Directors may elect more than one Vice
President to perform different functional or geographic
responsibilities for the Corporation as designated by the Board.
SECTION 3: Executive Director. This person is responsible to the
President and the Board of Directors for the completion of projects of
the Corporation which require day to day attention of an executive of
the Corporation until their completion.
SECTION 4: Secretary.
This person shall serve as the repositor and archivist of all
non-financial records of the Corporation. He shall prepare and report
minutes of all meetings of the Board and handle all correspondence not
prepared by another Officer and shall receive for filing any
correspondence prepared by another officer, or person, for the
Corporation. In coordination with the President he shall transmit
meeting notices, agendas and minutes to members of the Board. The
Secretary is also responsible for the preparation and filing with the
Georgia Secretary of State, or any other state authority, of any annual
reports of the Corporation that are required by law.
SECTION
5: Treasurer. This person shall serve as the repositor of all financial
records of the Corporation, shall keep and report timely books of
account for the Corporation as a whole and shall maintain accounts of
deposit (both time and demand) in the name of the Corporation in
financial institutions designated by the Board of Directors, shall
prepare and file with state or federal authorities any financial
statements or tax returns required by law and in general be responsible
for all financial transactions of the Corporation. This responsibility
shall include any reports required by Congress or other federal
agencies regarding activities of the Corporation.
SECTION 6:
Other officers. The Board of Directors may appoint other officers to
assist the Secretary and Treasurer in the performance of their
responsibilities. The Board may also appoint an Executive Director to
perform day-to-day management and ministerial tasks at the direction of
the Board and under the supervision of the President.
Article VIII BOARD OF DIRECTORS VOTING
SECTION 1: Each Director shall have one vote at meetings of the Board.
Each vote shall be cast in the form required for that item of business.
Proxies, with or without specific instructions, shall be allowed
provided that they are in writing and approved by a vote of the
majority of the Directors present. Proxies must be voted as directed by
any written instructions. Otherwise, the presiding officer shall record
the vote as if the instructions had been followed. No person shall be
allowed to vote more than one proxy.
SECTION 2: Unless
otherwise specified in these Bylaws, a simple majority of the voting
Directors shall be required for passage of any matter submitted to a
vote.
SECTION 3: In all matters where there are more than two
alternatives submitted for a vote (including elections of officers) the
"Australian Ballot" shall be utilized. Each voter will rank the
alternatives in his order of preference. Alternatives shall be
successively eliminated and the votes redistributed until only two
competing alternatives remain. At that point the alternative with the
greater preference of the voters prevails.
Article IX NON-DISCRIMINATION
The Corporation shall not discriminate on the basis of Race, Sex, Age,
Religion, Creed, or National Origin. The masculine pronoun has been
used in this document for the sake of ease and clarity of expression
and is not intended to indicate a preference or prejudice in favor of
the male gender.
Article X ELECTIONS; TERMS OF OFFICE
SECTION 1: After the initial election of Directors of the Corporation
described in Article V, a person's term of office shall start at the
beginning of the Corporation's fiscal year, July 1, following the
annual meeting of shareholders described in Article XII. The term of
office shall be for two years, except for the initial members of the
Board of Directors, the term of office shall be as follows: for a three
member board, one of the directors shall have an initial one year term
and the other shall have an initial two year term; for a five member
board, two directors shall have an initial one year term and three
directors shall have an initial two year term; for a seven member
board, three directors shall have an initial one year term and four
directors shall have an initial two year term; and for a nine member
board, four directors shall have an initial one year term and five
directors shall have an initial two year term. This will provide for a
staggered board so that approximately half of the Board of Directors is
elected to office each year. After the initial terms, each member of
the Board will be elected to two year terms.
SECTION 2: The
Chairman of the Board of Directors shall appoint a nominating committee
which shall submit to the voting members of the Corporation a slate of
nominees for the open seats on the Board of Directors no less than
twenty-one (21) days in advance of the Annual Meeting.
SECTION
3: The election of the Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting shall
be by written ballot (whether in person or by mail), unless otherwise
agreed by unanimous consent of all those present and voting. A simple
majority of the voting members of the Corporation present (in person or
through proxy) and voting is necessary to elect a person to office.
Article IX, Section 3 is applicable whenever there are more than two
candidates for the same office. A person does not have to be a member
of the Corporation before his election to the Board of Directors.
SECTION 4: The officers of the Corporation shall be elected by the
Board of Directors and may be removed by a majority vote of the Board.
Article XI REMOVAL OF A DIRECTOR
Physical or mental disability, death, repeated absences from meetings
of the Board, impeachment for malfeasance, or other evidence of an
inability to serve as a Director shall be cause for removal from the
Board. Proceedings for removal must be commenced at a meeting of the
Board occurring at least one month in advance of a vote on such
proposed removal. Removal can only be accomplished by a two-thirds
majority of the Board present and voting.
Article XII MEETINGS
SECTION 1: There shall be one Annual General Meeting of the Corporation
held during the months of February, March, September, October or
November, at a time and place to be fixed by the Board. At that
meeting, and before the election of a new Board of Directors, an annual
financial report shall be made by the Treasurer with written copies of
same submitted to each Voting Member during the meeting. The principle
business of the Annual General Meeting is the election of the Board of
Directors. The Secretary shall record the minutes of the meeting and
shall make draft minutes available in electronic format to the Voting
Members within thirty (30) days of the meeting. After a thirty-day
comment period, the minutes may be approved and accepted by the Board
of Directors. The minutes as approved shall be made available to the
Voting Members in an electronic format by the Secretary. At the Annual
General Meeting the Secretary shall make printed copies of these Bylaws
(as amended) available to the Voting Members.
SECTION 2: The
Board of Directors shall hold the Annual Budget Meeting prior to the
beginning of the fiscal year. At that time the Board shall make
decisions as to plans for the forthcoming fiscal year and shall approve
a budget. The fiscal year of the Corporation starts on the first day of
August.
SECTION 3: Other business meetings of the Board may be
called from time to time by the President or Chairman as may be deemed
appropriate. Notice of all meetings of the Board (including the Annual
General and Budget Meetings) must be given to all Directors not less
than 10 days prior to the meeting by mail, telephone, email or personal
contact. The President or Chairman may request the assistance of the
Secretary in performing this function. Attendance at a meeting by a
Director shall be deemed a waiver of any defect in notice unless a
timely objection is made by the Director during the meeting. Any
objection by a Director to the sufficiency of a notice of a Board
meeting must be immediately voted upon and sustained or overruled by a
majority of the Board present and voting.
SECTION 4: As an
exception to Section 3 hereof, the President or Chairman may call an
emergency meeting of the Board without 10 days prior notice when events
do not permit a delay until such notice may be accomplished. In such a
case all efforts humanly possible must be made to notify the Directors
of the time and place of the meeting by personal contact, telephone,
mail or electronic mail. The person who calls the meeting may request
any other Director to assist in sending notices of the meeting.
SECTION 5: With notice as provided above for regular and emergency
meetings, the Board of Directors may meet through telecommunications
utilizing either telephone or computer conference technology. This
provision shall not apply to the Annual General Meeting.
SECTION 6: All directors of the Corporation who are present at a
meeting of the Board of Directors shall be deemed to have assented to
action taken at such meeting as to any corporate action taken, unless a
director who did not vote in favor on such action goes on record in the
minutes as dissenting. In such a case, the dissenting director will not
be deemed to have assented to the action taken.
SECTION 7:
Minutes shall be recorded by the Secretary at all meetings of the
Board, copied at the expense of the Corporation, and given by the
Secretary to all Directors (by mail or electronic mail if not present
at the next meeting) at the next meeting. The minutes shall be reviewed
and any necessary amendments made at the subsequent meeting before they
are considered approved. The minutes are then to be filed by the
Secretary in the Corporation's archives.
SECTION 8: Insofar as
possible, the presiding officer shall endeavor to allow full discussion
of all issues. Whenever possible, decisions should be reached by
consensus. When a vote is necessary, unless otherwise provided in these
Bylaws, a majority vote is determinative. Debate of any question may be
terminated by a two-thirds majority of the Board present and voting.
SECTION 9: The quorum of any meeting of the Board of Directors shall be
a majority of the Board. Proxies shall not be counted towards a quorum.
Article XIII AMENDMENTS
SECTION 1: Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed at any meeting of
the Board at which a quorum is present. They must be in writing with
the printed names and signatures of the moving Director and of at least
two other Directors seconding the motion. Enough copies for
distribution to each Director must be provided, along with a file copy
to be furnished to the Secretary.
SECTION 2: Any proposed
amendment shall be debated at the Meeting at which it is proposed. It
is then to be listed verbatim in the printed agenda for the next
business meeting of the Board, at which time it will be submitted to a
vote.
SECTION 3: A two-thirds majority of the Board present
and voting is necessary to adopt an amendment to these Bylaws. An
amendment that is defeated may not be reintroduced at the meeting
during which it was defeated.
SECTION 4: All amendments become
effective at the end of the meeting at which they are adopted, unless
the amendment contains a later-implementation clause. No amendment
shall be effective retroactively.
Article XIV STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES
The President from time to time shall propose to the Board of
Directors, for the day-to-day management of the Corporation, written
Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's). These SOP's are to be submitted
to the presiding officer in writing in advance of the meeting at which
they are debated and voted upon. SOP's are to be adopted by a majority
of the Board present and voting. The Secretary is responsible for
maintaining a file of the current SOP's and from time to time (but at
least annually in time for the Annual General Meeting) publishing a
circular containing all of the current SOP's.
Article XV DISSOLUTION
The Corporation may be dissolved upon the vote of two-thirds of all
members of the Board of Directors. Upon the dissolution of the
Corporation, the assets of the Corporation shall be applied and
distributed by the Board of Directors as follows: (A) All liabilities
and obligations of the Corporation shall be paid and discharged, or
adequate provisions made therefor. (B) No part of the property of the
Corporation shall be distributed to any of its members, directors, or
officers except as provided above for the reimbursement of authorized
expenses incurred on behalf of the Corporation. No member, director,
officer or individual within the Corporation shall be entitled to share
in the distribution of the corporate assets upon dissolution of the
Corporation. (C) The remaining assets shall be distributed to an
organization that qualifies for tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3)
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provisions
of any future United States Internal Revenue Code), provided such
organization's activities promote the opening of the space frontier to
human exploration and settlement as rapidly as possible.