BYLAWS

THE KANSAS SILVER-HAIRED LEGISLATURE INCORPORATED

Article I – Name

The name of the organization is the Kansas Silver-Haired Legislature, Inc., hereafter referred to as KSHL and/or the Corporation.

Article Il – Authority

The Kansas Silver-Haired Legislature was created under the authority of Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 1649, adopted by the Kansas Legislature in 1982.

Article Ill – Mission and Vision Statements

A. Mission

The Mission of the KSHL is to empower older Kansans through education, information, and inspiration with solutions that enrich their lives.

The Mission will be achieved by

1 . educating Silver Haired Legislators about their advocacy role in local, state and Federal issues;

  • helping older Kansans to become a viable political force who are informed and knowledgeable about issues facing their community, state and nation and communicating with our constituents;
  • providing a forum for senior citizens to discuss and debate issues of concern to them and others;
  • providing a legislative body in which there is opportunity for Silver Haired Legislators to introduce, discuss and pass legislative measures dealing with major concerns to Kansans; and
  • motivating seniors to understand that a primary responsibility of citizenship is to be involved in legislative matters.

B. Vision

The KSHL envisions every older Kansan having the opportunity to achieve his/her fullest potential and to participate in all aspects of life.

Article IV – Members and Elections

Membership in the Corporation shall be comprised of delegates to the Silver Haired Legislature. A person may not be denied membership because of his/her race, color, national origin, creed, religion or gender.

A registered voter who has attained the age of 60 years may file as a candidate for the KSHL from the county or district of the candidate’s residence. Legislators shall be elected for a two (2)-year term and shall serve until a successor has been elected and qualified. In the event no candidate files in the county or district, or the one elected cannot finish the current term, a replacement to fill the vacancy for that term may be appointed by the Planning and Service Area, hereinafter referred to as PSA, governing the county after consultation with that PSA KSHL Chairperson.

Election procedures, ballots, filing dates, voting sites, advanced balloting and other matters related to the election of members and officers shall be published in the Elections and Credentials Manual. These published procedures must be approved by the Executive Board Committee and the Corporation in regular session and shall be a part of the Corporation Bylaws.

Article V – Officers

A The KSHL shall have officers of two categories:

1 . General Officers

  1. Speaker
  2. Speaker Pro Tem
  3. Floor Leader

2. Executive Board Committee Officers

  1. President
  2. First Vice-President
  3. Second Vice-President
  4. The General Officers of the KSHL
    1. . Terms of Office

The terms of office for the General Officers shall be two (2) years. Persons elected as a General Officer shall be limited to three (3) consecutive two (2)-year terms.

  • Election of the General Officers
    • The three General Officers will be elected by the KSHL membership during the KSHL Corporation meeting as provided for in subsection d below.
    • Each KSHL member shall have one vote for each of the three officers.
    • Duly elected Officers will assume office for the biennium on the date of election and upon taking the oath/affirmation of the office.
    • To maintain continuity of leadership in the KSHL, the three elected officers (Speaker, Speaker Pro Tem and Floor Leader) shall not hold any other elected office. In addition the terms of the General Officers shall be staggered.
      • The Speaker and the Floor Leader shall be elected in odd numbered years, beginning in the year 2019.
      • The Speaker Pro Tem shall be elected in even-numbered years. Notwithstanding the term limit of two (2) years, the person holding the office of Speaker Pro Tem in the year 2019 shall have that term of office extended for one (1) additional year so that the election for that office will occur in an even-numbered year. The regular office term of two (2) years shall automatically take effect following the assumption of office following the election.
  • The Executive Board Committee Officers

1. The Executive Board Committee Officers may be of two categories— elected and appointed.

  1. The elected Executive Board Committee Officers are elected by the voting members of the Executive Board Committee in the manner prescribed by the Executive Board Committee. The election process should be defined in the Policies and Procedures Manual. The elected officers are

i. President ii. First Vice-President iii. Second Vice-President

  • The appointed officers are appointed by the Executive Board Committee President and are

i. Treasurer

The President may reappoint the incumbent treasurer or appoint a new treasurer with every effort made to keep within the KSHL membership. The treasurer should be bonded. ii. Secretary

The President may reappoint the incumbent secretary or appoint a new secretary with every effort made to keep within the KSHL membership.

  • The duties and responsibilities of these officers are published in the

Policies and Procedures Manual, approved by the Executive Board

Committee and the Corporation in a regular session and are a part of the Corporation Bylaws.

  • The terms of the Executive Board Committee Officers shall be two

(2) years to coincide with the terms of KSHL members.

i. Officers shall assume office upon election and performing a written or oral oath/affirmation of office.

ll. Executive Board Committee Officers may serve an unlimited number of terms while holding membership in the KSHL.

Article VI – Executive Board Committee

  1. Executive Board Committee

The Executive Board Committee will be composed of

  1. The three KSHL General Officers: Speaker, Speaker Pro Tem, and Floor Leader
    1. The chairperson of each of the eleven (11) PSA delegations
    1. The Executive Board Committee’s immediate past president
      1. The immediate past president shall serve in an advisory capacity only and shall have no voting rights on the Executive Board Committee.
      1. The immediate past president shall not chair any Executive Board Committee administrative committee.
    1. The secretary who has been appointed by the President
    1. The treasurer who has been appointed by the President
  2. Authority
    1. . The Executive Board Committee will have administrative oversight and general supervision of the affairs of the KSHL between Corporation meetings, make recommendations to the KSHL regarding changes in Bylaws, Polices and Procedures Manual, Election and Credentials Manual and perform other duties specified in the Bylaws.
    1. All actions of the Executive Board Committee shall be in accord with the mission and vision statements of the KSHL.
    1. The duties and responsibilities of the officers and the administrative committees are delineated in the Policy and Procedures Manual.
    1. The Executive Board Committee will meet a minimum of two (2) times annually at the call of the President or at the written request of at least five (5) members of the Executive Board Committee.
    1. Committees
      1. There will be five (5) administrative committees of the Executive Board Committee:

i. Elections and Credentials ii. FinanceÆudget/Fundraising iii. Public Relations iv. Legislative

v. Bylaws Policies and Procedures

  • The chairperson and vice chairperson of each administrative committee will be appointed by the Executive Board Committee Officers from its membership.
    • There shall be a minimum of three (3) members to a maximum of eleven (11) members, including the chair, on each committee selected (from the Corporate membership) by the chairperson.
    • Ad hoc or special committees may be created when/if needed and shall be appointed by the President of the Executive Board Committee.

Article Vll — Delegates

A total of one hundred twenty-five (125) delegates will be eligible to serve in the

Kansas Silver Haired Legislature. One legislator will be selected from each county in

Kansas with the exception that five (5) additional representatives will be elected from Wyandotte, Shawnee, Sedgwick, and Johnson Counties. All delegates need to make attendance at the Legislative Session a top priority.

Elections will be conducted by the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) of each PSA and provide the official results of the election to the KSHL Executive Board Committee. Details are covered in the Credentials and Procedures Manual.

Should a delegate have a viable reason, approved by the PSA, for not attending the Legislative Session, an alternate may be selected to attend the KSHL session in the absence of the delegate. The name will be submitted to the KSHL Executive Board Committee.

Article VIII – Documents

All legal documents shall be signed by the President of the Executive Board Committee or an agent designated by the Executive Board Committee. Proper care and safekeeping of documents of interest to the KSHL are delineated in the Policies and Procedures Manuals.

Article IX – Quorum

At a meeting of the Corporation (total membership of the KSHL) or the Executive Board Committee or any committee, a quorum for conducting business shall be a simple majority of eligible voters (except as provided in Article X when amending these Bylaws).

Article X – Amendments

The Bylaws may be amended by either a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the quorum present or by the majority of KSHL membership. Thirty (30) days notice must be given to the membership.

Article Xl – Governance Authority

The KSHL Corporation shall be governed by the rules contained in the latest version of Roberts Rules of Order in all cases where they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws or special rules of the KSHL; e.g., House rules while in legislative session.

These Bylaws shall take effect immediately after ratification by the KSHL Corporation membership.

Article Xll – Legislative Session

A legislative session of the Kansas Silver Haired Legislature shall be held annually at a time and place designated by the Speaker. Session will include, but not be limited to, Committee’s hearings on bills/resolutions selected by a procedure specified in the Policies and Procedures Manual, debate and vote for passage or rejection of the KSHL resolution according to the priority and calendar chosen by the Speaker.

Article XIII – Conflicts

If there is any conflict between the Bylaws and Polices and Procedures, the Bylaws will supersede the Policies and Procedures Manual.

Revised October 2019