BYLAWS OF
THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
SCOUT/SNIPER ASSOCIATION

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ARTICLE I  Name

Section 1. The name of this corporation shall be the United States Marine Corps Scout/Sniper Association, hereinafter referred to as the Association.

ARTICLE II  Purpose

Section 1.  The purpose of the Association shall be:

 

a.   To foster increasing levels of professionalism among the Marine Corps Scout/Sniper Community through collective action by the membership;

 

b.   To foster fraternal relations among active, reserve, retired and former members of the uniformed services and civilian personnel of the United States who have served in Marine Corps Scout/Sniper organizations;

c.   To provide useful services for members, their dependents and survivors.

 

d.   To serve the Marine Corps Scout/Sniper community and the Nation.

ARTICLE III  Status

Section 1.  The Association shall be a nonprofit corporation, operated exclusively for the purposes specified in Article II above.

 

Section 2.  Officers, directors, and appointed officials shall not receive any stated compensation for their services, but the Board of Directors may authorize reimbursement of expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.

 

Section 3.  The Association shall use its funds only to accomplish the purposes specified in Article II above, and no part of said funds shall incur or be distributed to members.

 

Section 4.  In the event of dissolution of the Association, and after the discharge of all its liabilities, the remaining assets shall be given to a nonprofit organization whose purposes and objectives are similar to those of the Association, such organization will be designated by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE IV  Membership

Section 1.

 

a.   Combat membership shall be open to United States Marine Corps Marines on active duty, members of the United States Marine Corps Reserve, those on any of the official United States Marine Corps retired lists, and honorably discharged former Marines and personnel who have honorably served in a United States Marine Corps Scout/Sniper Platoon, STA Platoon, Recon/Sniper Platoon holding a primary Sniper billet AND/OR carried the MOS 8541 in a combat zone.


 

b.   Regular and Charter membership shall be open to United States Marine Corps Marines on active duty, members of the United States Marine Corps Reserve, those on any of the official United States Marine Corps retired lists, and honorably discharged former Marines and personnel who have honorably served at least one year in a United States Marine Corps Scout/Sniper Platoon, STA Platoon, Recon/Sniper Platoon holding a primary Sniper billet AND/OR carried the MOS 8541.

 

c.   Associate membership shall be open to other United States Armed Forces military or civilian personnel who are or have been honorably affiliated with United States Marine Corps Scout/Sniper units. 

 

d.   Auxiliary membership shall be open to spouses of regular, charter, and associate members, and to widows and widowers of any deceased individuals who, if living would be eligible for regular, charter, or associate membership.

 

e.   Corporate membership shall be open to any United States owned corporation which supports the purpose of the Association as established by these bylaws.

 

Section 2.  Any eligible person may apply for membership.  Applications shall be in writing, on forms provided by the Association for that purpose, and signed by the applicant.  The Membership Committee shall review all applications and submit them to the Board of Directors with its recommendation.  Any applicant so elected shall become a member upon payment of dues.  Any member may resign from the Association upon written request to the Board of Directors.

 

a.   Charter membership is composed of members whose applications and first year’s dues are received before January 1, 2000.

 

b.   Combat membership is composed of: active duty and Reserve Marines who are honorably serving, or have honorably served in United States Marine Corps Scout/Sniper positions and/or billets OR who held United States Marine Corps Scout/Sniper Military Occupational Specialty 8541 in a combat zone.

 

c.   Regular membership is composed of: active duty and Reserve Marines who are honorably serving, or have honorably served at least one year in United States Marine Corps Scout/Sniper positions and/or billets OR who held United States Marine Corps Scout/Sniper Military Occupational Specialty 8541.

 

d.   Associate membership is composed of other United States Armed Forces military or civilian personnel who are or who have been honorably affiliated with United States Marine Corps Scout/Snipers or support to Marine Corps Scout/Snipers.

 

e.   Auxiliary membership is composed of spouses of regular, charter, and associate members, and widows and widowers of any deceased individual who would, if living, be eligible for Regular, Charter, or Associate membership.

 

f.    Corporate membership is composed of United States owned corporations which support the purposes of the Association.

 

Section 3.  The Board of Directors may grant honorary membership to certain individuals in recognition of their services to the Nation, the Marine Corps Scout/Sniper Community, or the Association.  Normally, an individual eligible for regular or auxiliary membership is not eligible for honorary membership. However, if he holds an elective or appointive office at the national, state, or local level, he or she may be granted honorary membership during his tenure of office.  The Board of Directors may also grant honorary membership to certain foreign individuals.  Honorary membership shall not convey any voting rights and shall not entail any requirement for the payment of dues.

 

Section 4.  Recommendations for honorary membership shall be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors by regular. charter, or auxiliary members.  The Board of Directors shall be empowered to accept or reject any application or recommendation for honorary membership.  If the written application for honorary membership is rejected, the Board of Directors must provide written notification.

 

Section 5.  All members will be provided a certificate of membership, which shall bear the members membership number.  The certificate shall also declare that the member is either a charter, combat, regular, associate, auxiliary, corporate or honorary member.

 

Section 6.  The Board of Directors may drop any member for good and sufficient cause by a two-thirds vote.

ARTICLE V  Voting

Section 1.  Except as otherwise provided in these bylaws all questions coming before the membership shall be decided by a majority vote.

 

Section 2.  Only regular, associate, and combat members in good standing, actually present at a meeting of the Association, shall be entitled to vote.

 

Section 3.  Proxy voting by regular or combat members shall be permitted at any meeting of the Association.

ARTICLE VI  Dues

Section 1.  The annual dues for the next calendar year shall be determined by the membership at the annual meeting, after receiving the Board of Directors’ recommendation in the matter.

 

Section 2.  The annual dues for a calendar year shall become due on 1 January of that year.

 

Section 3.  Any member who fails to pay his or her dues shall hereupon forfeit all rights and privileges of membership.

 

Section 4.  Any member who has been dropped for nonpayment of dues may be reinstated upon reapplication for membership and payment of the annual dues for the current year.

ARTICLE VII  Meetings

Section 1.  An annual business meeting of the Association will be held, as well as an annual convention, for the receipt of annual reports, the determination of annual dues for the next calendar year, the election of the Board of Directors, and the conduct of other business as needed.  Notice of the meeting shall be mailed to each member at his or her last recorded address.

 

Section 2.  The chairman or a majority of the Board of Directors may call special meetings of the Association.  Notice of any special meeting shall be mailed to each member at his or her last recorded address with information as to the subject or subjects to be considered.

 

Section 3.  Two percent of the entire membership and a minimum of two board members possessing voting rights shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Association.

 

 

 

ARTICLE VIII  Directors

Section 1.  The Board of Directors shall be composed of the elected officers (president, vice president, secretary and treasurer), the immediate past president and the national directors.

 

Section 2.  The Board of Directors shall have supervision, control, and direction of the affairs of the Association, shall determine its policies or changes therein within the limits of the bylaws, shall actively prosecute its purposes, and shall have discretion in the disbursement of its funds. It may adopt such rules and regulations for the conduct of its business as may be deemed advisable and may, in the execution of the powers granted, appoint such agents, as it may consider necessary.

 

Section 3.  The Board of Directors shall be authorized to adopt resolutions or to establish positions in the name of the Association.

 

Section 4.  The Board shall meet upon call of the chairman at such times and places as he may designate and shall be called to meet upon demand of a majority of its members. Notice of each meeting of the Board of Directors shall be mailed to each member of the Board at his or her last recorded address.

 

Section 5.  A majority of the entire Board shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Board.

 

Section 6.  All questions coming before the Board shall be decided by a majority vote, with each member of the Board actually present entitled to one vote. Proxy voting shall not be permitted at meetings of the Board of Directors.

 

Section 7.  In the event of a tie vote, the President shall cast a vote as a tiebreaker.

ARTICLE IX  Officers Terms of Office

Section 1.  The elective officers shall be a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, each of whom shall be a regular or combat member of the Association.

 

Section 2.  The elected officers shall be elected every other year in years ending in even numbers, by a vote of the membership at the annual meeting.  Each elected officer shall take office following his election and shall serve for a term of two years or until his successor is duly elected.

 

Section 3.  No member shall be eligible to serve more than five consecutive two-year terms as President.

 

Section 4.  A vacancy in the office of President shall be filled automatically by the Vice President.  A vacancy in the office of Vice President and other offices shall be filled as the Board of Directors may decide.

 

Section 5.  The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Association, shall preside at meetings of the Association and of the Board of Directors, and shall be a member ex officio, with right to vote, on all committees except the nominating committee.  He shall also, at the annual meeting and at such other times as he may deem proper, communicate to the Association or to the Board of Directors information or proposals, which in his opinion would help in achieving the purposes of the Association.  Further, he shall perform such other duties as are necessarily incident to the office of the President.

 

Section 6.  In the event of the President’s temporary disability or absence, the Vice President shall perform the duties of President.  In the event of the temporary disability or absence of both the President and the Vice President, the Secretary shall perform the duties of President.  The Vice President shall perform other duties as the President may assign.

 

Section 7.  The Secretary shall provide timely written notification of all meetings of the Association and of the Board of Directors and shall maintain a record of all proceedings. He shall prepare such correspondence as may be required and shall maintain the Association’s correspondence files.  He shall safeguard all important records and documents and valuable equipment belonging to the Association.  Further, he shall perform such other duties as are commensurate with his office or as may be assigned to him by the Board of Directors or the President.

 

Section 8.  The Treasurer shall maintain a record of all sums received and expended by the Association and shall make such disbursements as are authorized by the Association or the Board of Directors.  He shall deposit all sums received in a financial institution approved by the Board of Directors, and funds may be drawn from there only upon the signature of the Treasurer or the President.  He shall make a financial report at the annual meeting or when called upon by the President. The funds, books, and vouchers in his hands shall at all times be subject to inspection and verification by the President or any member of the Board of Directors.

 

Section 9.  The President, upon consultation with the Board of Directors, shall appoint, from among volunteer members such other officers as necessary to perform the functions of the Association.  These officers of the Association include, but would not be limited to, Director of Membership, Director of Administration, Director of Publications, Director of Awards, Director of Scholarships and Legal Counsel.

ARTICLE X Committees

Section 1.  The President, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, shall annually appoint such standing and special committees as may be required by the bylaws or as he may find advisable.

 

Section 2.  The standing committees of the Association shall include, but are not limited to, membership committee, newsletter committee, and personal affairs or awards committee.

 

Section 3.  At least 60 days before the annual meeting, on years ending in even numbers in accordance with Article IX, Section 2 of these bylaws, the President shall appoint a nominating committee of five regular members not currently holding elective or appointive office, to nominate candidates for the elective offices.  The committee shall notify the Secretary, in writing, before the annual meeting, of its proposed slate of elective officers for the next two calendar years, and the Secretary shall mail a copy thereof to each member at his or her last recorded address before the annual meeting.

ARTICLE XI Amendments

Section 1.  These bylaws may be amended, repealed, or altered, in whole or in part, by a two thirds vote at any duly organized meeting of the Association provided that a copy of any amendment proposed for consideration has been mailed to each member at his or her last recorded address at least 15 days before the meeting.

ARTICLE XII Flags

Section 1.  The United States and United States Marine Corps flags shall be displayed and honored at all meetings of the Association.