• 1. General

    1.1 Name

    The name of this organization shall be "Beer Judge Certification Program, Inc.," which, in these bylaws, shall be referred to as "BJCP".

    1.2 Purpose

    The purpose of the BJCP is stated, as required by law, in the Articles of Incorporation filed with the state of New York.

    1.3 Publication Of The Organization

    The official publication of the BJCP shall be the BJCP website and an annual letter to members.

    1.4 Remuneration

    No Officer or Director, may receive remuneration of any kind for his or her services to the BJCP.

    1.5 Reimbursement

    Officers, Directors, employees, and other individuals directed by the Board of Directors to serve the BJCP in any capacity that requires out-of-pocket expenses may be reimbursed these expenses.

    2. Members

    2.1 Regular Membership

    Any individual maintaining active status in the BJCP shall be considered a Regular Member upon payment of an annual dues assessment, at a rate established by the Board of Directors. "Active status" is attained by having met criteria established by the Board of Directors.

    2.2 Privileges

    Regular Members have the right to vote in all BJCP elections, participate in the referendum process as laid out in section 6.3, and hold office. All persons maintaining "active status" are entitled at least one status update per year.

    2.3 Other Memberships

    Memberships other than Regular, such as Honorary, Contributing, Emeritus, In Memoriam, etc. may be established, along with priviliges, terms and dues (if any), by the Board of Directors. Members in these other membership classes who have not met the minimum requirements of Regular Membership will not be permitted to vote in BJCP elections and business matters.

    2.4 Voting Rights

    All active members who meet all of the requirements of Regular Members shall be eligible to vote in BJCP business matters and elections. Each Regular member shall be entitled to one vote.

    2.5 Termination Of Membership

    A Regular Member's membership will be terminated if he or she fails to maintain "Active Status" as currently defined by the BJCP Board of Directors. A Regular member, otherwise in good standing, who fails to pay the required annual dues assessment by the dues renewal deadline set by the Board of Directors, shall revert to "Active Status". A Regular Member who loses "Active Status" and wishes to reinstate it may be required to pay an assessment as determined by the Board. Any membership may also be terminated by a unanimous vote of the Board of Directors.

    2.6 Refusal Of Membership

    Any individual whose membership in the BJCP would, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, be undesirable may be refused membership by a unanimous vote of the Board of Directors.

    3. Board Of Directors

    3.1 Membership

    The Board of Directors shall consist of seven members of the BJCP elected by the members.

    3.2 Term of Office

    Each Director is elected to a three year term which runs from June 1st of the year they are elected until May 31st three years hence.

    3.3 Regions

    Each Director represents, and is elected by, the membership of a geographical region. Regional boundaries shall be examined every fifth year or sooner, if felt by the Board to be advisable, to maintain a reasonable balance in the number of represented judges between the regions, while preserving natural regional affinities to the greatest degree possible. The seven geographical regions shall be defined by the Board.

    Website Editor's Note:
    The currently defined regions, with the Director responsible for each, are shown on our website here. A link to a map showing the current regions is also available at that page.

    3.4 Powers and Duties

    The Board of Directors shall be the governing body of the BJCP and, as such, shall exercise all powers and perform all duties not vested by laws, by the Articles of Incorporation, or by these bylaws in the Officers or Members. The duties of the Board of Directors shall include (but not be limited to) the creation and amendment of the operating rules and policies of the BJCP. The Board shall be responsible for determination of staff positions and duties, including but not limited to the Program Administrator, and shall be responsible for filling them. Each staff position shall terminate annually on July 31st, subject to the Board's renewal of the position and selection of a qualified candidate to fill it.

    3.5 Meetings of the Board

    The Board of Directors will meet on a continuing basis via electronic means in order to conduct the business of the BJCP. Special meetings of the Board may be called and conducted via telephone or face to face as deemed necessary by the Board.

    3.6 Quorum

    Four Directors shall constitute a quorum of the board for the transaction of business requiring any vote.

    3.7 Voting

    Except as otherwise stated in these bylaws, each motion brought before the Board of Directors shall require a simple majority of all the Directors to vote for it before it is accepted.

    3.8 Voting By Mail Or Telephone

    Any Director may vote on any or all business at a meeting of the board by mail, e-mail, or telephone, except that such telephone call must be placed during such meeting. Any Director intending to vote under this provision shall notify at least two other Directors in writing of his intent to telephone in during the meeting or with such Directors written ballots. Should a Director wish to vote by telephone, the President shall provide such Director with a phone number of a telephone which shall be available at the subject meeting.

    3.9 Proxy Vote

    Any member of the Board of Directors may, if unable to attend any Board of Directors meeting, give his or her proxy vote to another Director who will be present. This proxy privilege may be exercised one time per term of office and any attending Director may hold only one proxy per meeting. An absent Director will exercise his or her proxy privilege by signed written notice to the President and a signed proxy statement to the attending proxy holder prior to the board meeting.

    3.10 Polling By Mail

    Any lawful action may be taken by the Board of Directors by written or electronic mail balloting of a majority of the directors. Any Director may initiate any such action.

    3.11 Normal Business

    Any Director may at any time propose a motion. Such a motion must be forwarded in written form to every Director. The President shall ensure that the motion and the vote are recorded and distributed to the membership in accordance with section 3.12.

    3.12 Open Meeting Rules

    The decisions of the board and all board business, with the exception of personnel matters, shall be available for inspection by any Regular Member.The President shall cause them to be posted on the BJCP web site in a timely manner.

    3.13 Vacancies

    In the event of a vacancy in the position of any member of the Board of Directors, the President shall appoint, subject to approval of the Board of Directors, a Regular Member from the vacant position's region to fill the vacancy until the next election.

    4. Officers

    4.1 Officers, Election, Terms

    The officers of the BJCP shall be a President, a Vice-President and a Treasurer. All officers shall be Regular Members of the BJCP and shall be elected by the Board of Directors from among its Directors. All shall serve one year or until their elected or appointed term to the Board of Directors expires, or until removed from office. Elections shall be held annually after June 1 of each calendar year.

    4.2 President

    The President shall be the chair of the Board of Directors and shall appoint all committees, with the sole exception of the Election Committee, and perform such other duties as specified in these bylaws and as the Board of Directors shall assign from time to time.

    4.3 Vice-President

    The Vice-President shall be responsible for those duties and responsibilities as the Board of Directors or the President may assign. The Vice-President shall succeed to the office of President in the event of resignation or incapacitation of the incumbent President for the duration of that term or until the Board of Directors shall elect a new President.

    4.4 Treasurer

    The Treasurer has, with the approval of the Board of Directors, custody and control over all monies, funds, negotiable assets, and all corporate property, assets and equipment. The Treasurer shall cause the maintenance of annual reports summarizing assets, treasury money, net worth and supplies and equipment on hand, and shall cause the reports to be distributed to the Board of Directors in a timely manner. All checks, inventory documents and receipts, and all BJCP financial and asset transactions shall be supervised by the Treasurer.

    All BJCP checks and negotiable instruments shall be signed by any of the following: Treasurer or the President should the Treasurer be unable to fulfill this duty.

    The Treasurer shall cause the preparation and presentation of annual reports to the Board of Directors in conjunction with the informational tax and asset reports, and will cause such reports to be appropriately published , shall prepare annually for adoption by the Board of Directors a budget that covers all program areas of the BJCP, and shall assure that BJCP funds and assets are not used to endanger the nonprofit tax exempt status of the BJCP or to violate any law, the Articles of Incorporation, or these bylaws. The Treasurer shall supervise the receipt of all revenues and shall cause the notification of delinquent Regular Members, apprising them of their status and the possibility of their dismissal from the BJCP upon continued non-payment of the dues and assessed fees. The Treasurer shall monitor the adopted BJCP budget during the year, shall recommend to the Board of Directors in a timely fashion budget amendments, and shall report at each board meeting the status of the BJCP's operations with repect to its current adopted budget.

    The Treasurer shall supervise the membership process and shall assure that the word "nonprofit" is affixed or stamped on each membership card permanent ly and clearly. The Treasurer shall perform such other functions the Board of Directors or the Articles of Incorporation direct. The Treasurer shall cause the disbursement of funds as approved by the Board of Directors and shall assure the timely satisfaction of BJCP obligations and debts.

    4.5 Removal From Office

    Whenever the interests of the BJCP best shall be served by the removal of an Officer or member of the Board of Directors, such Officer or Director may be removed by a unanimous vote of all other members of the Board of Directors.

    5. Elections

    5.1 General

    The Regular Members shall elect the Board of Directors by mail balloting in the manner prescribed by these bylaws.

    5.2 Nominations

    A current Regular Member of the BJCP may be nominated to represent the region in which he or she resides upon the receipt by the Program Administrator of petition(s) bearing the signatures of five or more current Regular Members of the BJCP residing in the same region, in accordance with the bylaws.

    The Program Administrator shall, at any time, advise any current Regular Member of the BJCP, who requests to be so advised, what individuals have been nominated for any or all positions.

    The Program Administrator shall ascertain that all duly nominated candidates for office would be willing to serve if elected, and shall request each candidate to submit a brief biography and position statement. Each candidate's biography and position statement shall be limited to a combined total of no more than 500 words. The Program Administrator shall cut off after the 500th word any biography and position statement exceeding that length. The Program Administrator shall hold all submitted biography or position statements in strict confidence until all are released in accordance with the Elections Timetable.

    No candidate may change his or her biography or position statement after February 15 of the election year.

    In the event only one member is nominated to stand for election in a given region, no vote need be taken for that region, thus electing the nominated candidate by default.

    In the event that no member chooses to stand for election in a given region, the post of Director for that region shall be considered Vacant as of the date that the incumbent's term ends. Such vacancies shall be filled according to Section 3.13 of these bylaws.

    5.3 Balloting

    The Program Administrator shall submit the list of candidates, the biographies of each candidate, and the position statement of all candidates to the President, who shall cause them to be appropriately published, which may be deemed to include being provided with the official ballot to each member, according to the election timetable. The President shall have printed ballots prepared showing the names of all candidates nominated within the member's region, and giving the candidates' places of residence.

    The Board of Directors shall designate an Election Committee to count ballots. This committee shall be composed of Regular Members of the BJCP whose names do not appear on the ballot and who are not candidates for office. The President shall have the ballots mailed to all current members of the BJCP. Each Regular Member voting in such election shall return such ballot to the Election Committee. The Election Committee shall be instructed by the Board of Directors on how to validate each ballot without violating the anonymity of any voter. The Election Committee shall count the votes cast for each office, but shall not, in any instance, record how any member voted, nor discuss how any member voted with any person not a member of the Election Committee.

    After the election, the official ballots shall be destroyed on the first Monday in August. The Election Committee shall be responsible for destroying the ballots and for certifying the results of the election.

    5.4 Election Year Timetable

    5.4.1

    All members have until February 1 of the election year to declare their candidacy. No formal announcements of candidacy will be published prior to February of the election year.

    5.4.2

    The last official bulk communication with members preceding the election year shall contain a statement regarding the eligibility requirements to hold office, together with a request that those interested submit their names in the manner described above.

    5.4.3

    Nominations close February 1 of the election year. The Program Administrator will send names and addresses of nominees to the Board of Directors and all candidates by February 10.

    5.4.4

    The board will appoint an Election Committee of no less than two (2) Regular Members who are not residents of a region in which an election is being held to receive and count ballots.

    5.4.5

    Ballots, biographies and position statements are to be printed by March 1.

    5.4.6

    Ballots, biographies and position statements are to be mailed by March 15 to all Regular Members in good standing residing in the regions in which elections are being held.

    5.4.7

    The election closes on May 1. All ballots postmarked by May 1 are eligible to be counted.

    5.4.8

    The Election Committee will report names of all candidates and votes credited to each, to the President by May 15.

    5.4.9

    The President shall cause all candidates to be notified of the outcome of the elections, and the list of successful candidates to be posted on the BJCP website as soon as possible.

    5.4.10

    Newly elected Directors will take office and assume duties of their position on June 1 of the election year.

    6. Membership Action

    6.1 Powers

    The powers of the voting membership of the BJCP shall be the election by region of members of the Board of Directors; the voting on amendment of the Articles of Incorporation; and the expression of views on stated issues at meetings of the Board of Directors and to the members of the Board of Directors.

    6.2 Committees

    Standing and/or Special Committees may be established by the President for the purpose of study, investigation, development, or monitoring of matters of concern to the BJCP. A committee shall consist of not less than three members. Standing Committees shall be those that deal with business or issues which recur within the program (for example, Competition, Exam, Finance, etc). At least one member of the Board of Directors must be a member of every Standing Committee. Special committees shall be created to deal with unique issues or one-time events that arise that do not fall under the business of any Standing Committee. Committee Chairs shall be appointed by the President and must be approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. The President is an ex-officio member of every committee.

    Sub-committees may be established at the discretion of the parent committee chair.

    All committees, including standing committees, will be dissolved on July 1st of every year, and must be re-established, if desired, by a vote of the new Board of Directors.

    The provisions of this section do not apply to Election Committee.

    6.3 Membership Referendum

    The general membership may submit a motion and vote upon it. The passage of such a measure requires a two-thirds vote of at least fifty percent of the membership of the BJCP. In order for the membership to act, a petition must be registered with the President, sufficient signatures collected and verified by the President, and a vote conducted.

    A Regular Member may begin a petition for a motion by registering the motion with the President. Within 3 months of registration, the signatures of 5% of the Regular Members must be collected and returned to the President, who then has two weeks to count and verify the signatures as valid. If at least 5% of the membership is verified, the Program Administrator must cause the motion and a ballot to be sent to all Regular Members within 30 days. The membership must return their ballots postmarked within 15 days of the posting of the motion and ballot. The Program Administrator must tabulate the results within a further 15 days, and inform the President, at which point the motion is enacted. The President will cause the results to be published in The BJCP Reporter.

    7. Amendments

    7.1 By The Board Of Directors

    The Board of Directors may amend, with a "Yea" vote of at least five of the seven directors, these bylaws as follows: A motion to amend the bylaws may not be voted upon for a period of sixty (60) days following the date of such motion. The President shall cause such a motion to be published to the membership no less than 30 days prior to the taking of any vote.

    Board Actions In Effect

    This section contains official interpretations and clarifications to the Bylaws that have been approved by a vote of the Board.

    Petition Signatures

    When submitting a petition (this occurs, for example, in terms of Bylaw 5.2 or 6.3), the submitting member is not to be included. What this means is that if, for example, you want to run for Regional Representative, you must obtain five endorsements from other members in your region (you may not be one of the five).

    [Board vote recorded November 10, 2004.]