TASC: Constitution

The Constitution of
The Association for Somali Cats

(version 3.03.01, revised 11/08/2000)

Table of Contents

  1. Preamble
  2. Purpose and Goals
    1. Somali Breed Goals
    2. Membership Goals

  3. Membership
  4. Affiliation
  5. Internationalization
  6. TASC Documents
    1. CONSTITUTION
    2. BY-LAWS
    3. STANDING RULES
    4. STANDARD OF CONDUCT
    5. Undocumented Operating Authority

  7. Regions
  8. Club Authority
  9. Breeders' Forum
  10. Executive Officers
  11. Board of Directors
  12. Elections
  13. Committees
  14. Communication
  15. TASC Meetings
    1. Electronic General Membership Meetings
    2. In-Person General Membership Meetings
    3. Board of Directors and Executive Officer Meetings
    4. TASC Committee meetings

  16. Awards and Recognition
  17. Dissolution
  18. Sanctions and Discipline
  19. Amendments to the Constitution

  1. Preamble
  2. We hereby establish the constitution for The Association for Somali Cats (hereafter referred to as TASC). TASC is an unaffiliated international organization dedicated to promoting the welfare of Somali cats, and to fostering interaction and cooperation among all Somali cat fanciers. 

    Membership in TASC is open to Somali fanciers, owners, breeders, exhibitors, and other interested parties who agree with the purpose and goals of the organization. 

    TASC is [will be] incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in the state of New York in the United States of America.

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  3. Purpose and Goals
  4. In addition to the purpose of TASC presented in the preamble, TASC seeks to accomplish the following goals: 

    1. Somali Breed Goals: TASC is committed to the following goals for the welfare of the Somali Breed as a whole and of individual Somali cats: 
      1. Maintain the genetic diversity of the Somali breed. 
      2. Encourage sufficient compatibility of Somali breed standards throughout the world to avoid the genetic "walling-off" of Somalis within a given registry's regional or jurisdictional boundaries.
      3. Support research into feline health issues.
      4. Disseminate health and genetic information, especially Somali-specific information.
      5. Encourage the selective breeding of the Somali, with the intent of improving and maintaining high standards of conformation, temperament, and health.
      6. Seek to be recognized by all cat registry organizations as a leading advocate for the welfare of Somali cats and an excellent source of information on Somalis and issues affecting Somalis.
    2. Membership Goals: TASC is committed to the following membership goals: 
      1. Unite Somali owners, exhibitors, breeders, and fanciers of all associations/registries worldwide in an effort to ensure the viability of the Somali breed.
      2. Encourage positive ethical principles and behaviors among its members, especially as they affect the breeding, raising, showing, and selling of Somalis.
      3. Foster a spirit of camaraderie, cooperation, and friendship among its members.
      4. Provide guidance, support and mentoring for novice breeders and exhibitors.
      5. Provide consumer education on what to look for in a Somali, how to find good breeders, what to look for in a good cattery, what questions to ask, etc.
      6. Encourage participation in club activities, governance, and procedures through fair and democratic processes.
      7. Recognize the accomplishments of Somali owners, exhibitors, and breeders and their cats who succeed in shows and in furthering the welfare of the Somali breed.
      8. Promote communication among Somali fanciers, owners, breeders and exhibitors, by various media, especially on the internet with a web site and through publications of TASC.


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  5. Membership 
  6. TASC encourages universal membership. Any person, living anywhere in the world, who is interested in, owns, breeds, and/or exhibits Somali cats, and agrees to the purpose and goals of TASC may become a member of TASC. The process for applying for membership in TASC and the required membership dues is specified in TASC's by-laws. 

    New members become Associate Members of TASC upon receipt of their completed membership application and payment of the membership dues. 

    Associate Members are advanced to Full Membership after six months as an associate member. Associate Members have all of the rights and privileges of Full Members except that they may not vote in TASC elections or on TASC resolutions, initiatives, or referendums, and they may not hold an executive office or position on the board of directors. (Note: Associate Members may run for and be elected to the board of directors or an executive office provided that they will have advanced to Full Member prior to their term of office.) 

    Past members (full members who have allowed their membership to lapse) may rejoin TASC as Full Members upon submitting a new membership application and paying their membership dues. 

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  7. Affiliation 
  8. TASC is not affiliated with any other cat club, cat-registering association, cat showing organization, or any other organization of any kind. This article does not preclude TASC from supporting the efforts of members of TASC in associating or working within other organizations to promote the purpose or goals of TASC. 


  9. Internationalization 
  10. TASC encourages international participation in all business and communications including the TASC newsletter, web site, and e-mail list. TASC will promote fair representation within the association for regional issues worldwide. While TASC may establish a common language or unit of currency for the sake of expediency in business and communications of the association, this shall not preclude the association from making available parallel services in local languages such as a localized edition of the newsletter or localized web pages, nor shall it preclude the club from making accommodations for other currencies.

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  11. TASC Documents 
    1. CONSTITUTION: 

    2. This document comprises the constitution of TASC. The constitution is the foundation document of the association, and all processes, procedures, and other documentation of TASC are subject to the provisions of this constitution. The constitution may be amended as described within the appropriate article of the constitution.
    3. BY-LAWS: 

    4. TASC shall have a set of by-laws that document the general processes and procedures of the association. The by-laws may be amended by a resolution of TASC's membership subject to the provisions of the constitution.
    5. STANDING RULES 

    6. TASC shall have a set of standing rules that document the specific details of TASC operating processes and procedures. The process for amending the standing rules shall be the same as for the TASC by-laws subject to the provisions of the constitution and by-laws.
    7. STANDARD OF CONDUCT 

    8. TASC may create a code of ethics that is intended to serve as a guide to members of TASC and as a statement of the ethical position of the association as a whole. The process for amending the code of ethics shall be the same as for the by-laws.
    9. Undocumented Operating Authority 

    10. In the absence of any specific process or procedure being defined in the TASC constitution, by-laws, or standing rules, a process or procedure may be defined by a majority vote of TASC's board of directors subject to the existing provisions of TASC's documents.

      The TASC constitution, by-laws, standing rules, and code of ethics shall be available to the TASC membership and to the general public through the TASC web site and through request to TASC's secretary (subject to reasonable provisions to cover mailing costs).

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  12. Regions 
  13. TASC may establish geographical regions for the purpose of ensuring a geographically diverse representation of the membership in a global association. The sole purpose for geographical regions in TASC shall be to provide a director on the TASC Board of Directors elected by the members of each region. Each member of TASC shall belong to exactly one region based upon their primary place of residence. 

    TASC by-laws shall define procedures for redrawing region boundaries to accommodate changes in membership demographics. These procedures shall be consistent with the goal of maintaining regions with comparably sized memberships representing diverse geographical areas. Regions shall not be redrawn more frequently than once per term of regional officers and shall take effect at the start of a new term of office. Officers of newly defined or modified regions shall be elected by the members of that region as newly defined or modified. 

    In the absence of any defined regions, the association shall have no regional director and all directors on the board of directors will be directors at large.

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  14. Club Authority
  15. The ultimate authority of the association lies with the collective membership. Except for explicitly stated exceptions, all TASC business activity and actions of any TASC member, committee, director, board, officer, chair, or other entity or sub-entity of TASC must be fully disclosed to the membership of the association.

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  16. Breeders' Forum 
  17. TASC shall include a forum of qualified Somali breeders called the TASC Breeders' Forum. The purpose of the Breeders' Forum will be to provide a check on resolutions and policies that may be passed by the TASC membership which might be deemed detrimental to the Somali breeders of TASC. The sole function of the Breeders' Forum is to veto, by a two-thirds majority vote of the Breeders' Forum members, any resolution or policy brought before the TASC membership which the TASC Breeders' Forum deems detrimental to the interests of the Somali breeders. Discussions of the TASC Breeders' Forum are to be carried in an open forum accessible to the TASC general membership. The TASC by-laws shall establish procedures for calling and conducting a vote of the TASC Breeders' Forum. 

    Membership on the TASC Breeders' Forum is open to any full member of TASC who meets the following criteria: 

    • The member must have bred a minimum of 3 litters of pedigree Somali cats including litters from a minimum of two different queens;
    • The member must have entered and shown at least 5 different pedigree Somali cats in a cat show sanctioned by a major cat registry association;
    • The cats shown must include at least one whole adult Somali, one neutered or spayed Somali, and one Somali kitten;
    • The cat shows entered must include at least one show in each of three different years;
    • The member must establish current experience by having bred a litter of Somali cats within the preceding 2 years and having shown a pedigree Somali cat in a cat show within the preceding year; or must have met an alternative current experience requirement as may be defined in the TASC by-laws;
    • In addition to the above, the TASC by-laws may define additional criteria for membership on the TASC Breeders' Forum based on success achieved by the member in showing Somali cats. This additional criteria may be specified on a per cat show association basis;
    • In addition to the above, the TASC by-laws may establish an ethics requirement for membership on the TASC Breeders' Forum.


    Membership on the TASC Breeders' Forum is open to those members who qualify based on the criteria in effect at the time. A member may choose not to belong to the TASC Breeders' Forum if they desire. The TASC by-laws shall provide a procedure for amending that portion of the membership criteria which is specified in the by-laws. This procedure shall require a two-thirds majority vote of those members of the TASC Breeders' Forum prior to enacting the new criteria.

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  18. Executive Officers 
  19. TASC will have as executive officers of the association a president, a secretary, and a treasurer who are elected by the club membership to fixed terms of two years with a limit of two consecutive terms and with no limit on nonconsecutive terms. 

    The duties, responsibilities, and authority of these executive officers shall consist only of those duties, responsibilities and authority explicitly specified by TASC's constitution, by-laws and standing rules. 

    In addition to the three elected executive offices, TASC also will recognize the position of immediate past president as an executive office of the association. This office shall be filled by the most recent past president of TASC who is available to fill the office. In the event that no past president of TASC is available to fill the office of immediate past president then the officer shall be elected by the membership. 

    • All executive officers of TASC must have an actively monitored e-mail account.
    • No person may concurrently hold more than one executive office (except temporarily in the event of a vacancy).
    • The president of TASC may not concurrently hold the office of chair of the board of directors (but may be a member of the board of directors).

    • PRESIDENT:The duties, responsibilities and authority of the president of TASC are as follows. The president:

      • is the official spokesperson and point of contact for TASC;
      • has signature authority for TASC business matters subject to authorization by the TASC board of directors;
      • moderates electronic meetings of TASC;
      • provides a regular column in TASC's newsletter and web site.


      IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT:The duties, responsibilities and authority of the immediate past president of TASC are as follows. The immediate past president:

      • assists and advises the president and other executive officers;
      • substitutes for any other executive officer in the event of a vacancy in that office until a new officer can be elected;
      • substitutes for the chair of the board of directors in the event of a vacancy in that office until a new chair can be elected;


      SECRETARY:The duties, responsibilities and authority of the secretary of TASC are as follows. The secretary:

      • processes membership applications and keeps the TASC membership list;
      • maintains the TASC e-mail list (possibly in conjunction with a list administrator if appropriate);
      • handles TASC mailing requirements;
      • keeps any required association documents;
      • handles TASC correspondence;
      • records (and posts) minutes from TASC meetings;
      • provides backup signature authority for both the President and the Treasurer;


      TREASURER:The duties, responsibilities and authority of the treasurer of TASC are as follows. The treasurer:

      • has signature authority for the association bank account;
      • keeps association financial records;
      • collects membership dues and other association receivables;
      • pays association debts from the association bank account;
      • issues regular treasurer's reports to the board of directors and membership.

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  20. Board of Directors
  21. The centralized authority of TASC shall reside with a board of directors (referred to as BoD in the remainder of this article). The BoD will oversee all other activity of TASC, and all TASC officers, committees and other TASC entities (except for the TASC Breeders' Forum) shall report into the BoD. The decisions and actions of the BoD are only subject to review and overrule by TASC's membership (except for the veto power granted to the TASC Breeders' Forum). 

    The BoD is comprised of a chair, one regional director for each region and a number of directors at large as specified in the TASC by-laws. Regional directors are elected by vote of the members of the corresponding geographical region. Directors at large and the chair of the BoD are elected by vote of the full voting membership of TASC. Except for the special provisions that apply to the chair of the BoD, all members of the BoD are equal. All members of the BoD must have an actively monitored e-mail account. For purposes of conducting business, the BoD must have a quorum of the BoD members participating. The BoD quorum is defined in the TASC by-laws. 

    The chair of the BoD moderates all meetings of the BoD. The chair of the BoD may receive reports from TASC committees and officers on behalf of the BoD and post them to the BoD membership. The chair of the BoD does not vote in BoD decisions except in the event of a tie vote in which case the chair will cast the tiebreaker vote. The chair of the BoD may not concurrently be the chair of any standing committee of TASC nor may the chair of the BoD concurrently hold the office of president of TASC.

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  22. Elections
  23. A vote of the membership shall be the principal means by which TASC: 

    • elects club officers, 
    • ratifies amendments to the TASC constitution or bylaws, and 
    • enacts resolutions, initiatives, or referendums from the members.
    Each full member of TASC is entitled to one vote in the election of TASC officers and the ratification of amendments. In general, resolutions, initiatives, or referendums will be decided by a vote of the full members; however, the TASC by-laws may make provision for a class of resolution, initiative or referendum in which all members (including associate members) may vote. Amendments to the TASC constitution shall be by a 2/3 majority of the votes cast, all other votes shall pass by a simple majority. All votes to amend the TASC constitution require a minimum of 50% of the eligible votes to be cast. All resolutions, initiatives and referendums of TASC and all amendments to the TASC constitution are subject to the special veto power granted to the TASC Breeders' Forum by this constitution. 

    TASC by-laws shall establish procedures for conducting elections, nominations and other balloting. E-mail shall be the preferred means for submitting nominations and conducting votes. Provision must be made to allow members without an e-mail account to participate in the nomination and voting process. The ability of a member to designate a proxy to cast an e-mail vote or submit a nomination shall be deemed a minimally adequate provision. 

    It is furthermore a requirement of the balloting procedures that provision be made for tallying of votes by at least two independent parties, and in the case of an election that no candidate for an office being elected may be a party to the vote counting. Except as required of those tallying the votes, the contents of all ballots shall be confidential, though the roster of who has voted need not be confidential. 

    It is also a constitutional requirement of the balloting procedures in the TASC by-laws that provisions be made for resolving voting irregularities, re-counts and protests.

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  24. Committees
  25. With the exception of those functions specifically delegated to the officers or board of directors of TASC by this constitution or TASC by-laws, all TASC functions shall be assigned to a committee within TASC. Membership on committees will consist exclusively of members of TASC and may be further restricted as appropriate to the purpose of the committee. Every committee must have one member who is designated the chair for that committee and represents the committee to the board of directors. The chair of any standing committee may not concurrently be the chair of the board of directors. There are two types of committees in TASC, ad-hoc committees and standing committees. 

    Ad-hoc committees are impaneled by, report to, and serve at the discretion of the board of directors. In general these committees are targeted at specific issues of limited duration. Ad-hoc committees are created, modified, and disbanded by the board of directors through its regular business procedures and documented in the business minutes of the board of directors. The board of directors shall decide and document for all ad-hoc committees at least the following information: (1) the purpose of the committee, (2) the duration of the committee, and (3) the procedure for selecting and replacing the committee chair (including whether the chair is elected or appointed). The board of directors may additionally decide and document any additional items relating to committee membership, structure, reporting requirements or operating authority. The board of directors may not grant to any ad-hoc committee any operating authority which they (the board of directors) do not themselves possess. Except as specifically authorized by the board of directors, an ad-hoc committee has no operating authority other than reporting to the board of directors. 

    Standing committees are incorporated in the by-laws of TASC. In general, these committees carry out the ongoing functions of TASC and are of indefinite duration. The TASC by-laws shall provide at least the following information for each standing committee: (1) the purpose of the committee and (2) the procedure for selecting and replacing the committee chair (including whether the chair is elected or appointed and any term of office and term limits for the committee chair). The TASC by-laws may additionally provide additional items relating to committee membership, structure, duration, reporting requirements or operating authority. Standing committees may be created, modified, or disbanded only by amendment to TASC's by-laws. Except as specifically authorized by TASC's by-laws, a standing committee has no operating authority other than reporting to the board of directors.

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  26. Communication
  27. Facilitating communication between Somali Cat fanciers, owners, breeders, and exhibitors is a fundamental goal of TASC. All applicable media should be utilized to promote the international scope of TASC. 

    TASC communications shall consist of: 

    • a TASC newsletter,
    • a TASC web site, and
    • a TASC e-mail list.

    The TASC newsletter and TASC web site shall be the responsibility of standing committees of TASC as defined in TASC's by-laws. TASC's by-laws shall establish procedures for the maintenance and use of the club e-mail list.

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  28. TASC Meetings
    1. Electronic General Membership Meetings
    2. Due to the global nature of TASC and the logistical difficulties in physically bringing together members of TASC, the preferred method of conducting meetings shall be by e-mail discussion posted to the TASC e-mail list. The TASC by-laws shall establish the procedures for announcing, conducting, and reporting the minutes of these meetings. While participation in e-mail meetings may be limited for members of TASC who do not have e-mail accounts, and while members without e-mail accounts are encouraged to make arrangements for a proxy to pass on information and post submissions on their behalf, the TASC by-laws shall make provisions to enable members without e-mail accounts to receive at least meeting notices and minutes via regular mail or other non-electronic means.
    3. In-Person General Membership Meetings

    4. The preference for meetings conducted via the TASC's e-mail list shall not preclude members of TASC from taking advantage of events within the cat fancy to conduct an informal in-person meeting for social or business purposes. No business conducted at such an in-person meeting shall be binding upon TASC until the minutes of such a meeting have been posted to the TASC e-mail list and the membership of TASC has voted upon the results of any business that was conducted at that meeting. The TASC by-laws shall establish procedures for announcing, conducting, and posting the minutes of in-person membership meetings. For the purposes of timing discussions and voting on the results of in-person meetings, the effective date of the meeting shall be the date on which the minutes of the meeting are posted to the TASC e-mail list. The intent to have an in-person meeting of TASC (along with a proposed agenda) should be posted to the TASC e-mail list at least two weeks prior to the meeting.
    5. Board of Directors and Executive Officer Meetings

    6. Business meetings of the TASC Board of Directors and business meetings of the TASC Executive Officers shall be conducted via an e-mail discussion unless there is unanimous agreement within the Board of Directors or Executive Officers respectively to utilize some other forum. Business meetings of the TASC Board of Directors or business meetings of the TASC Executive Officers shall be announced via a posting to the TASC e-mail list at least 7 days prior to the commencement of the meeting. The Board of Directors or Executive Officers are encouraged to conduct business meetings in the open on the TASC e-mail list; however, they may choose to use another forum or a restricted e-mail list provided (1) the use of a restricted e-mail list is agreed to by a majority of the Board of Directors or Executive Officers as appropriate, (2) any regular member of the club may request and be granted inclusion in the meeting communications as an observer only, and (3) a complete and accurate record of all meeting communications is recorded and posted to the TASC e-mail list within 7 days of the meeting's adjournment.

      There shall be at least one business meeting of the TASC Board of Directors every 3 months.

      Notwithstanding the preceding provisions, the TASC Board of Directors must utilize a restricted e-mail list that is not open to the general membership and maintain the confidentiality of meetings or portions of meetings dealing with (1) the registration of or investigation of complaints of misconduct against a TASC member, and (2) issues of a legal or financial nature where public disclosure of the information would be illegal or detrimental to the welfare of TASC. This shall not preclude the posting of general descriptions of business conducted provided that the necessary confidentiality is maintained.

    7. TASC Committee meetings
      Meetings of committees within TASC may be held as desired by the committee members consistent with any provisions established in the formation of the committee. Reports by the committee chair to the Board of Directors shall be posted to the TASC e-mail list except where confidentiality is required as described in section C of this article.

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  29. Awards and Recognition
  30. TASC recognizes that participation in cat shows is a popular hobby among its members and encourages this pursuit as a means of fostering communication and fellowship among the various breeders and owners of Somali cats. Additionally, TASC may provide a forum in which the various traits of Somali cats may be discussed and the association may take a position in favor or against the advancement of any of these traits in the Somali show standards of the various cat show organizations. Furthermore, TASC may provide a forum in which the accomplishments of individual Somali cats may be announced and individual opinions on the relative merit of specific Somali cats may be expressed. However, TASC as an association does not sanction any scoring process or offer any award that recognizes any specific Somali cat as superior to any other Somali cat. Any award or special recognition that TASC may offer as an association will be specifically for the purpose of acknowledging excellence or outstanding performance in advancing the goals and purposes of the club or in service to the breed of Somali cats.

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  31. Dissolution
  32. The procedures and requirements for dissolving TASC shall be the same as those for making amendments to the constitution. Upon dissolution of the club, the board of directors shall inventory the assets and liabilities of TASC. All liabilities shall be paid out of assets. A legal notice of dissolution should be filed pursuant to the laws under which TASC was incorporated. Any excess assets shall be donated to a recognized, reputable, charitable organization with federal tax-exempt status that is devoted to feline welfare.

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  33. Sanctions and Discipline
  34. TASC will not pursue any active monitoring of member behavior or actively seek to identify misbehavior on the part of individual members except in the case of a direct complaint. TASC recognizes the impact that the behavior of individual members can have on the reputation of the association as a whole, and reserves the right to fully or partially revoke the membership of an individual whose conduct is damaging to the reputation of the association. TASC will not levy fines or in any way seek to punish members for disreputable or unethical conduct other than the full or partial revocation of TASC membership or removal from office. This provision does not apply to criminal activities or cases where the association suffers financial loss due to member misconduct in which case the club may seek reimbursement for financial damages and pursue criminal prosecution. Complaints of member misconduct shall be handled by the board of directors who may designate a committee to deal with specific complaints. 

    Complaints shall be handled in as confidential a manner as possible for all parties in a complaint; however, not at the expense of an accurate resolution of the complaint. Any person accused of misconduct has the right to respond to a complaint before any complaint can be sustained. 

    Incompetence in office is grounds for removing club officers from office and shall be handled similarly to misconduct complaints. 

    The TASC by-laws shall provide specific procedures for handling complaints of misconduct.

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  35. Amendments to the Constitution
  36. Proposals to amend the TASC constitution may be posted to the TASC e-mail list for discussion at any time. The subject line of the proposal must identify the post as a proposal to amend the TASC constitution. A proposal must remain under discussion for a minimum of two weeks during which time the author of the proposal may modify or withdraw the proposal. 

    After the minimum two week discussion period, but in no event less than four weeks from posting the proposal, the author may (via a post to the TASC e-mail list) call for endorsements. Any member of TASC may post an endorsement of the proposal to the TASC e-mail list. A proposal must receive an endorsement from at least 10% of the TASC voting membership within two weeks from the call for endorsements in order to qualify for a vote. The secretary shall keep a tally of the endorsements and shall post a notice to the TASC e-mail list announcing the status of the proposal and announcing a vote for those proposals that qualify. A vote on the proposal shall be held within two weeks of its qualifying for the vote and shall be held according to the balloting procedures defined in the TASC by-laws. The by-laws shall make provision for members without e-mail access to be able to utilize other means to participate in the amendment process. 

    The vote to amend the constitution must have at least 50% of the eligible votes cast. A two-thirds majority of votes cast is required to pass a proposal to amend the TASC constitution. 

    Unless stated otherwise in the proposal, amendments to the TASC constitution will take effect 7 days after the ballots are counted and results announced per procedures defined in the TASC by-laws.

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This page was last updated on November 25, 2000.