PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN DETACHMENT 597

OF THE MARINE CORPS LEAGUE BY-LAWS

(Revised October 5, 2017)

ARTICLE I

NAME, PURPOSE AND RESOLVE

Section 1. The name of this Association shall be the President Ronald Reagan Detachment 597 of the Marine Corps League. The Detachment is affiliated with the national Marine Corps League.

Section 2. The purpose of this Detachment shall be:

a.       To preserve the traditions and promote the interests of the United Sates Marine Corps.

b.      To band those who are now serving in the United States Marine Corps and those who have been honorable discharged from that service together in fellowship that they may effectively promote the ideals of American freedom and democracy.

c.       To fit its members for duties of citizenship and to encourage them to serve as ably as citizens as they have served the Nation under arms.

d.      To hold sacred, the history and memory of the men and women who have given their lives to the Nation.

e.       To foster love for the principles which they have supported by blood and valor since the founding of the Republic.

f.       To maintain true allegiance to American institutions.

g.      To create a bond of comradeship between those in the service and those who have returned to civilian life.

h.      To aid voluntarily and to render assistance to all Marines and former Marines as well as to their families, their widows and their orphans.

i.        To perpetuate the history of the United States Marine Corps, and by fitting acts, to observe the anniversaries of historical occasions of particular interest to Marines.

j.        To promote and support the United States Marine Corps, the United States Marine Corps Reserve and local charitable and community service activities such as “Toys for Tots.”

Section 3. This Detachment is organized for non-profit purposes.

a.       Individual members may not derive profit from any Detachment activity or program. However, this does not prohibit the Detachment from hiring a member or other person on a commercial basis to provide services to the Detachment when the best interests of the Detachment or its programs will be best served thereby.

b.      The property of the Detachment is dedicated to the purposes of this organization and no part of the net income or assets of this Detachment shall ever inure to the benefit of any director, officer, or member thereof or to the benefit of any private persons.

c.       Upon dissolution of the Detachment, its assets remaining after payment or provision for payment, of all its debts and liabilities shall be distributed to the jurisdictional Department.  The Detachment Charter will be returned to National Headquarters.

ARTICLE II

MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. It is the expressed policy of this Detachment that membership may not be denied to any applicant on the basis of race, religion, sex, creed or national origin.

a.       REGULAR MEMBERSHIP: Only persons who are serving or who have served honorably in the United States Marine Corps for not less than ninety days and persons who are serving or who have served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and have earned no less than ninety Reserve Retirement Credit Points and U.S. Navy Corpsmen who have trained with Marine Corps FMF Units in excess of ninety days and earned the Marine Corps Device (clasp) worn on the service ribbon and those who earned the Warfare Device authorized for FMF Corpsmen shall be eligible for regular membership in the Marine Corps League.

b.      ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP: Those individuals not qualified for regular membership in the Marine Corps League or the Marine Corps League Auxiliary who espouse the principles and purposes of the Marine Corps League as contained in its Congressional Charter may, upon application to a Detachment or to the Nation Headquarters, be accepted for associate membership in the Marine Corps League. Associate members, upon acceptance, will pay dues in the same amounts as prescribed for regular members, including initiation fees.  National Headquarters will issue a membership pin and membership card indicating “Associate Member.” The National Uniform Committee will establish uniforms and cover, including ornamental device and lettering. An associate member shall be entitled to all the rights, privileges and benefits of a regular member, unless otherwise prohibited.  Associate members shall not vote on any regular or associate membership applications; cannot participate in the nomination process and/or elections of officers; or hold an elective office.  Associate members are allowed to vote on all internal affairs of the Detachment except for those items noted above and votes that affect a policy of the Marine Corps League, such as By-laws and By-laws changes.

c.       HONORARY MEMBERHIP: Detachments, Departments and the National Headquarters may, at the discretion of the respective Commandant, issue honorary membership to those persons who have provided extraordinary service to the nation, the community, the United States Marine Corps, or the Marine Corps League. The honorary member will not be entitled to the rights, privileges, and benefits available to regular or associate members. A suitable certificate will be issued to honor the occasion. Payment of dues or initiation fees is not required and honorary members will not be entitled to the official publication of the Marine Corps League except as directed by the National Board of Trustees, or paid by subscription. Membership cards and certificates are available from National Headquarters.

d.      LIFE MEMBERSHIP: Any member of the Marine Corps League in good standing may become a life member upon proper payment of the required fee as set forth in the National By-Laws and by following the procedures and application process set forth therein.

e.       DUAL MEMBERSHIP: (Membership in more than one Detachment by the same individual).  When a member of the Marine Corps League becomes a Regular Member in good standing in more than one Detachment, such membership in the subsequent Detachment shall be counted for voting strength at Department and National Conventions only as an Associate Member. Such Regular Member shall be a regular voting ember in the Detachment of such member’s greatest tenure unless he/she makes a signed written request for transfer of voting rights to the receiving Detachment, which upon acceptance shall forward the copies of the transfer of voting rights to Nation Headquarters via the Department Paymaster or Adjutant/Paymaster. The Transfer Form, Enclosure 7, of the National By-laws and Administrative Procedures will be utilized for the purpose of transfer of voting rights to another Detachment.

Delete the following paragraph which is how our By-laws currently address the dual membership issue.

f.        Any applicant who, at the time of application to this Detachment is also a member of another Detachment, is eligible for Associate Member status only in this Detachment and must make the existence of membership in another Detachment known at the time of application. Such member shall be a regular member in their Detachment of greatest tenure unless he/she makes a signed, written, request for transfer, in triplicate, to the receiving Detachment; which upon acceptance, shall forward the original to Nation Headquarters, Marine Corps League, and copy to the jurisdictional Department Paymaster, if a Department exists.

Section 2. MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION:  Any person eligible for membership in the Marine Corps League under the provisions of the National By-Laws and Administrative Procedures of the Marine Corps League may initiate an application for membership by completing a standard application form to include the signature and, presenting the application to a sponsoring member of the League with all required dues and fees. As an alternative, the applicant may mail a completed and signed standard application form to National Headquarters with the required dues and fees.

a.       The Standard Application form published by National Headquarters shall include the requirement for completion of standard identifying data, date, such administrative data as may be considered appropriate, a signature and the following printed certification: “I hereby certify that I have served on active duty as a Marine, a Reserve Marine having earned a minimum of ninety reserve credit points, or an FMF Corpsman, and if discharged, I am in receipt of an honorable discharge or DD-214. By signature on this application, I hereby agree to provide proof of honorable discharge/service upon request.” General discharge upon honorable conditions is acceptable.

b.      The Standard Application form received by the member-sponsor shall be turned in to the Detachment official designated to receive such applications, along with all dues/fees, as soon as practicable, but no later than the next regularly scheduled general membership meeting of the member sponsor’s Detachment.

c.       The Detachment Adjutant shall read in and record the application at the proper time, stating all pertinent data including name of sponsor, and clearly state that the required dues and fees have been verified and are in possession of the Detachment staff. No applicant shall be present for that portion of the meeting in which the application is being considered.

d.      The acceptance of applicant to membership in a Detachment is the sole province of the Detachment as set forth in Article 5, Section 540 of the National By-Laws, except as therein provided.

e.       In cases where an applicant is rejected for membership, the sponsoring member shall return all monies received from the affected applicant to the applicant.

f.       By accepting membership in the Detachment, to subscribe to and be bound by the provisions of National By-Laws and the By-Laws of this Detachment.

Section 3.  Membership dues and fees will be as set by National Headquarters, California Department and by such additional fees as set by this Detachment.  All such fees of this Detachment shall be subject to vote of the membership at a general membership meeting before taking effect.

a.       All members shall be considered in good standing in the Marine Corps League except when:

1)      Required dues are not paid and transmitted, on or before the membership expiration date shown on the membership card.

2)      A member is indebted and in arrears to the Detachment, Department or National Headquarters.

b.      In all cases involving transfer of a member of a Detachment, the losing Detachment approving of the transfer shall also certify in writing that the transferring member is in good standing and provide verification of proof of honorable service.

c.       A member shall be identified as delinquent whenever his or her dues are not paid and transmitted on or before the expiration date listed on the membership card.

1)      Such member shall be retained in a delinquent status for a maximum of one year, during which time the member may erase this status by making payment of all dues in arrears and all dues current, and provided that the member is not indebted to their Detachment, Department or National Headquarters.

2)      Should the affected member remain a delinquent status in excess of one year, such member shall be dropped from all membership rolls. The good standing status of such member shall be restored only through the processing of a Standard Application from as a new member, which shall include the initiation fees as prescribed in Article 6, Section 600 of the National By-Laws and Chapter 7, Section 700 in the Administrative Procedures.

3)      No member shall be transferred to any other Marine Corps League Detachment while in a delinquent status.

d.      No member shall be deprived of any rights and privileges in the Marine Corps League or this Detachment except for non-payment of dues or other indebtedness, unless the member shall first be charged, tried, and found guilty in accordance with the provisions of the National By-Laws and Administrative Procedures dealing with offenses and penalties.

e.       The right of appeal under the provisions of the National By-Laws and Administrative Procedures shall not be denied.

ARTICLE III

OFFICERS

Section 1. The elected officers of this Detachment shall be: Commandant, Senior Vice Commandant, Junior Vice Commandant and Judge Advocate. The Commandant shall appoint a Chaplain, Sergeant-at-Arms, Adjutant, Paymaster and other such officers as needed to effectively administer the business of the Detachment.Section 2. The duties and responsibilities of the officers shall be as follows:

a.       Commandant: Direction and planning; administration of meetings; liaison, contacts, and community relations; swearing-in and installations.

b.      Sr. Vice Commandant: Parades and events; fund raising: Marine Corps Ball.

c.       Jr. Vice Commandant: Sales; finance; dinners.

d.      Judge Advocate: By-Laws; counsel and audit; membership qualification verification; new member services.

e.       Chaplain: Invocation, member services; Toys for Tots; Richard Gross Memorial Assistance Fund Coordinator.

f.       Sergeant-at-Arms: Order of meetings; training and officer assistance; awards; officer-at-large.

g.      Adjutant: Meeting minutes; newsletter; media contacts; photography; recruiting; awards.

h.      Paymaster: Filing the R.O. Is with the Secretary of State and the applicable IRS Form 990 and 199N; inventory maintenance; accounting (accounts payable and accounts receivable); taxes; licenses.

The Board of Directors may temporarily change the designated responsibilities of the elected and appointed officers, as the needs of the Detachment require.

Section 3. The elected officers are the Board of Directors of the Detachment.

ARTICLE IV

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Section 1. Nomination of proposed officers shall be made between January 1 and the February general membership meeting of each calendar year.

Section 2. Election of officers shall be held at the February general membership meeting.

Section 3. Election of officers shall be by a secret ballot of regular members in good standing, present at the February general membership meeting. Proxy voting is not permitted.  A simple majority of the regular members in good standing, present at the meeting and voting shall be sufficient to elect.

Section 4. Elected and appointed officers shall be installed at the March general membership meeting, but in no event, more than thirty days from their election.

ARTICLE V

RESIGNATION, DEATH, OR RECALL OF OFFICERS

Section 1. In the event of the resignation or death of an elected or appointed officer during his or her term, the following procedure will be followed:

a.       If an officer tenders a resignation from office, the resignation will be accepted by the Commandant after a discussion to determine the nature/cause(s) of the resignation.

b.      The replacement of an elected officer who has resigned or died in office shall be at the initiation of the Commandant and the elected officers remaining. After discussion and review of appropriate candidates to complete the vacated term, the Board of Directors shall appoint a replacement by vote, with such appointment being based upon a minimum of three votes. The recommended officer designate shall then be voted on by the members at the next general membership meeting. A simple majority of those regular members in good standing present and voting shall be sufficient to confirm the appointment.

Section 2.  In the event an elected or appointed officer proves to be incompetent or otherwise unfit for office, or cannot fulfill the oath of membership or office as required by National, Department, or Detachment By-Laws, the following steps shall be taken:

a.       The Commandant and the remaining officers will meet with the elected officer in question to discuss the situation and if warranted, request that officer’s resignation based upon a majority vote of the Board of Directors.                                                                            

b.      If the situation arises where an elected officer does not wish to resign, a recall vote shall be held at a General Membership meeting.  At this meeting, the Commandant shall inform the Detachment of the issues leading to a request for the officer’s resignation.  The officer in question will have the opportunity to present matters in his/her defense.  At the conclusion of the presentations and final statements by the Commandant and the elected officer, a recall vote will be taken by secret ballot.  A majority vote of the regular members in good standing present and voting is required for the elected member to be recalled from office.

c.       The Commandant may remove any appointed officer from his/her position when deemed necessary.

ARTICLE VI

MEETINGS

Section 1.  The Detachment shall have not less than one general membership meeting per month on the first Thursday of the month.  In the event that the day of the meeting is changed, written notice of the change will be sent by e-mail or first class mail to all current members in good standing.

Section 2.  Other general or special meetings may be called by the Board of Directors, as the business of the Detachment requires.

Section 3. A meeting of the officers, both elected and appointed, shall take place at least four times per year to plan and administer the business of the Detachment.

ARTICLE VII

COMMITTEES

Section 1.  The Detachment Commandant and Board of Directors may appoint such

standing or ad hoc committees, from time to time, as deemed appropriate to assist in the performance of Detachment business.

Section 2.  The members of such committees serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VIII

FISCAL AND FINANCIAL

Section 1. The fiscal year for the Detachment is from July 1 of a current year to June 30 of the next succeeding year.

Section 2. The Board of Directors will present a budget for the succeeding year to the members for their voting approval no later than the June general membership meeting.

a.       The budget will be approved by a voice vote of all members in good standing at the June general membership meeting. A simple majority in favor of the proposed budget adopts the budget. If a majority, either for or against adopting the proposed budget cannot be determined by a voice vote, then a vote by secret ballot will immediately follow at that meeting.

b.      In the event a proposed budget is not approved by the members in good standing present and voting at the June general membership meeting, a new budget will be presented at the next general membership meeting. The voting procedure to approve the revised budget shall be as set forth in this Article, Section 2(a).

Section 3. Approval authority of non-budgeted expenses is as follows:

a.       The Commandant may approve expenditures of up to $300.00 in his good judgment.

b.      The Commandant and the Board of Directors may approve expenditures from $301.00 to $500.00 in their good judgment.

c.       Any expenditure greater than $501.00 shall require a favorable vote of members in good standing and voting at the general membership meeting.

Section 4. The Detachment will establish and maintain separate financial accounts for assistance and support of persons and organizations as outlined in the Section 2 of the Marine Corps League Act of Incorporation. 

 a.       For Detachment fiscal purposes, financial assistance is defined as funds provided to individuals in the event of a verified, financial need.

b.      For Detachment fiscal purposes, financial support is defined as funds provided to organizations that enable them to accomplish specific activities pertaining to their mission and activities in accordance with Section 2 of the Marine Corps League Act of Incorporation.

c.       The Richard Gross Memorial Assistance Fund has been established for the benefit of Marines past and present, FMF Corpsmen and their immediate families.

d.      Any request for funds from the Richard Gross Memorial Assistance Fund will be made via application (Enclosure 1) to the Detachment Chaplain. The Detachment Chaplain shall determine the extent and validity of the request for assistance and present the information to the Board of Directors with a recommended amount.

e.       If the person receiving assistance is a Detachment member/associate, he or she must be in good standing. If the person receiving assistance is an active duty Marine/FMF Corpsman or their family, the service of the military member will be honorable in nature.

f.       The confidentiality of the person or family receiving assistance from the Richard Gross Memorial Assistance Fund shall be maintained by all members of the Detachment other than the Commandant, Chaplain and the Board of Directors.

g.      The Detachment Commandant, with the approval of the Board of Directors will determine the amount to be placed in the General Support Account for each annual budget.

h.      The General Support Account shall be used to provide financial donations to worthy organizations that support veterans or local community services

i.        .

j.        Requests for funding from the General Support Account will be made via application (Enclosure 2) to the Detachment Commandant and approved by the Board of Directors for donations of less than $500.00 or the General Membership for donations greater than $500.00.

k.      The Table of Maximum Award/Gift (T-MAG) for assistance or support funding shall be as follows:

            Funeral/burial Expenses                     $500.00

            Temporary Housing                            $500.00

            Food                                                 $250.00

            Youth Organization Support         $1,000.00

            USMC/USMCR Unit Support          $1,000.00

 

l.        All expenditures from the Richard Gross Memorial Assistance Fund and the General Support Account will be in the form of a donation/gift on behalf of the President Ronald Reagan Detachment 597 of the Marine Corps League.

ARTICLE IX

UNIFORMS

Section 1.  Ownership of any uniform is not required as a condition of membership in the Detachment.  The Detachment encourages all members to obtain and maintain in good repair, the approved uniforms of the Marine Corps League.

Section 2.  The dress uniform shall be dress blue trousers with the NCO red blood stripe, white aviator shirt with Marine Corps League sunburst collar cluster, skivvy shirt, standard Marine Corps League cover with gold enlisted Marine Corps cap emblem, black military dress shoes, black socks, white duty belt and gold buckle with enlisted emblem.

Section 3.  The Detachment work uniform is the red polo shirt with appropriate

emblems/designs and the standard Marine Corps League cover.  Ball caps with the Detachment emblem are also authorized.

Section 4.  With the dress uniform, service medals, ribbons and marksmanship badges earned or rated, may be worn.

Section 5. Marine Corps League ribbons, medals or badges will not be worn simultaneously with DoD medals, ribbons, wings or badges.

Section 6.  Participation in the Color Guard or other ceremonial functions requires the proper uniform designated by the Color Guard Commander.

ARTICLE X

AMENDMENTS

Section 1.  These By-Laws cannot be amended in any manner which would conflict with either the Department By-Laws or the National By-Laws. These By-Laws may be amended by a majority vote of those general members in good standing, present and voting at a general or special meeting called for that purpose, or by the written assent of a majority of the general members in good standing.

 

PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN DETACHMENT 597

OF THE MARINE CORPS LEAGUE

 

ASSISTANCE REQUEST FORM

 

Date: _______________________________________________

 

 

Type of assistance needed:  ________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

When assistance is needed: ________________________________________________

 

Point of contact for assistance: (name and phone number)

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

Best time to contact:  _____________________________________________________

 

Referred by:  ____________________________________________________________

 

Miscellaneous Notes:  _____________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

 

                                                                                                            Enclosure 1 (a)

 

Chaplain’s Verification of Assistance

 

Date: _______________________________________________

 

Reason for request is legitimate? ___________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Membership standing:  ___________________________________________________

 

Recommended course of action:  ___________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

Action required by Detachment Board of Directors?                   Yes                  No

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

Action required by General Membership?                                     Yes                  No

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

Final disposition:  ________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

___________________________                  ___________________________________

        Chaplain’s Signature                                Detachment Command’s Signature

 

                                                                                                            Enclosure 1(b)

PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN DETACHMENT 597

OF THE MARINE CORPS LEAGUE

 

GENERAL SUPPORT ACCOUNT REQUEST

 

 

Date: _______________________________________

 

 

Requested by:  ___________________________________________________________

 

 

Amount requested: ________________________________________________________

 

 

Purpose of request:  _______________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Organization and purpose: __________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Organization’s point of contact: ______________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

Board of Directors Approval:                                     Yes                  No

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

General Membership Approval:                                  Yes                  No                   N/A    

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

                                                                                                            Enclosure (2)