1.0 Mission Statement - The goal of Fairbanks Men’s Hockey Association is  to promote the growth of adult competitive and recreational hockey in the Interior of Alaska and to provide the best possible experience for all participants by encouraging, developing, advancing and administering the sport. Fairbanks Men’s Hockey shall be a non-profit corporation set up to accomplish these goals.

2.0 Membership - Membership shall consist of any and all persons who are currently  registered to play hockey with our league or any person who has been registered to play in the preceding 6 months.

3.0 Non-discrimination - The members, officers, directors, committee members, and any other person served by this corporation shall be selected entirely on a non-discriminatory basis with respect to sex, race, religion, and national origin.

4.0 Board of Directors - The association shall be governed by a board of directors. Individuals shall be elected to the Board for two year terms of office which shall be staggered so as to allow continuity of operations from year to year with each election. The positions on the Board shall be; President, Secretary, Treasurer, Equipment Manager, and one Vice - President of each Tier of League play. The Board shall conduct the affairs of the association as they see necessary between scheduled association meetings. Vacancies in office due to resignation or failure to remain in good standing shall be filled by a vote of the Board. If a Board member who misses three meetings without excuse granted by the President or majority of Board members, the absences shall be considered as resignation from the board. Meetings scheduled during a Board members regularly scheduled hours of employment shall constitute an automatic excuse.

5.0 Meetings - Meetings shall consist of four varieties; General Membership Meetings, Special Membership Meetings, Board Meetings, and League Meetings. All formal meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of  Order if requested by any of the voting members present. Written minutes of all meetings shall be kept and copies provided to both the Secretary and the President.

5.1 General Membership Meetings - There shall be two regularly scheduled general membership meetings each year. One shall be scheduled in the last two weeks of April, and one shall be scheduled the last two weeks of September.  The fall meeting shall be meeting at which annual elections are held. Elected officials shall assume their offices at 12 a.m. January 1st. of the following year. Anyone wishing to be placed on the slate of candidates shall be a member in good standing and must present a Letter of Intent to one of the Board members at least two weeks prior to the date of the election. In the case of a vacancy, the outgoing board may vote to have the officer-elect assume the office immediately. Mid-term vacancies in office shall be filled by the Board. All members in good standing present shall have a vote at General membership meetings. There shall be no proxy voting. During the time between election and assumption of office, all officer-elects will be invited to attend all meetings as non-voting members to allow for a smooth transition of  Association operations.

5.2 Special Meetings - Special meetings are general membership meetings called to address a specific problem or situation. Special Meetings may be called for by; the President, a majority of  Board members , or can be called for by a written petition signed by at least 30 members in good standing and also be signed by at least one current Board member. When presented with a petition for a Special meeting the president shall have one week to decide the date, time, and location of a special meeting, then must post notice the requested meeting for at least two weeks. Special meetings can only be called to deal with specific issues. Only the specified issues may be dealt with or voted on at Special Meetings. Special meetings require two weeks notice and the Date, Time, and Place of the Meeting shall be published in the Daily News Miner, at least twice before the meetings, one such notice must be in a Sunday edition. Subject to be dealt with shall be included in the advertisement. In addition, Notices of the Special meeting shall be posted in each of the local ice arenas which have refrigeration systems and have association games are being currently played in them. Results of, and actions taken at Special meetings shall be posted at all the above mentioned locations. All members in good standing who are currently on a team roster and all Board members shall have a vote at special meetings. There shall be no proxy voting.

5.3 Board Meetings - Board meetings shall be held as necessary to ensure the effective and efficient running of the Association and it’s schedules, leagues, tournaments, and meetings. Board meetings are open to all Association members, however public notification of Board Meetings is not necessary. The Board reserves the right to meet in Executive Session to discuss personnel or legal matters. Actions and motions must be conducted in open meetings.  Actions may only be taken at Board meetings if a quorum exists. A quorum shall consist of at least four board members. Actions must be taken by majority vote. There shall be no proxy voting. Board meetings should be scheduled at least one week in advance. Meetings may be held with less notice if at least five board members agree. All Board members shall be notified in person or by phone by the President of meeting times and locations. A message left on an answering machine shall constitute notice. Any actions involving suspensions or appeals of  suspensions shall be voted on by secret ballot if so requested by a voting member.

5.4 League Meetings - League meetings are meetings called to deal with league or Tier group play issues. Usual topics for League meetings will be adding or dropping players either to replace lost or injured players, or to even out the level of competition in a Tier. League Meetings will include the Board and representatives from each team in the League. Only board members and Team Reps from the effected Tier may vote on a motion. If a motion effects more then one tier, Reps from all the effected Tiers can vote. League meetings can be called by; the president, a majority of board members, the Tier Vice - President (If only one Tier is effected, and has approval from the President), or by a written petition by 30 association members and one Board Member. Meetings shall be scheduled one week in advance. Notice of Meeting shall be in person or by phone by the Board member who will be presiding over the meeting.

6.0 Disciplinary Board and Process - Disciplinary Actions taken by the Association shall be handled initially by the Disciplinary Board. This Board shall consist of; the President, two other Board members chosen by vote of the Board, two association members at large, chosen by the Board, and one team representative from each active tier, who will be chosen be a vote of  the Team Representatives in the Tier. The Disciplinary Board shall automatically meet and review any suspension longer then one game. Suspensions required under USA Hockey Rules may not be appealed. Suspensions incurred due to violations of League Rules may be appealed. However the Disciplinary Board may only decrease the length of suspension by no more then one half (i.e. a  ten game suspension may be reduced to 5, Season suspensions may be reduced to a one half season suspension). During a review the Disciplinary Board may choose to increase the duration of a suspension if the circumstances merit. All such additional discipline shall be automatically appealed to the Association Board for confirmation. Any decision of the Disciplinary Board may be appealed to the Association Board. Once given written notice of such an appeal and having received a written report from the Disciplinary Board the President shall call a Board meeting to hear the appeal. If the appeal is denied, the individual may appeal to the Association itself. He or she must follow the procedures and timelines required under the special meetings section of the bylaws. All suspensions remain in effect and must be served during the appeals process. If after a suspension has been served, an appeal is won by the player, he/she shall be reimbursed for the games missed on a pro-rata basis, Insurance and USA Hockey fees are non-reimbursable. The President may choose to appeal a Disciplinary Board decision in favor of the suspended player through the appeals process. In such a case the suspension is placed on hold until after the appeals process is finished and any applicable suspension shall be applied then, even if it carries over to another season. Any player under suspension who steps onto the ice or is present on the bench during a Association game shall be subject to a one year suspension from all Fairbanks Men’s Hockey Association play and all USA Hockey Sanctioned events. Any team which allows a player under suspension onto the ice shall be suspended from league play for three games. Those games will be immediately rescheduled and given to other teams. Repeat offenses shall carry a year long suspension for the team, a permanent expulsion for the player, and a permanent ban on Team Sponsorship. Team members wishing to avoid a suspension must immediately leave the ice and bench and notify the score keeper of their leaving the game.
Actions or behavior by Association members in violation of published facility rules at the local ice arenas,  which could have a negative impact on the league as a whole shall be subject to discipline as determined by the Board. Such discipline may not be appealed.

7.0 Good Standing - To remain in good standing a member have all fees paid up completely at all times. Any player who has unpaid fees may not vote at any league meeting and may be removed from league play at the discretion of the President or Board. Failure of a team Sponsor to pay sponsorship fees within 30 days of the start of the season shall place the Team Representative in bad standing and put the Sponsor at the bottom of the League Waiting list for team sponsors.

8.0 Tier Assignment - The Board reserves the right to move or assign a player to a Tier appropriate to his or her playing style and ability. This shall include mid-season transfers if deemed necessary. Any player who has been moved and chooses not to play may have his or her player fees reimbursed on a pro-rata basis if the Association can replace him or her with a paying player. Insurance and USA Hockey fees are not reimbursable.

9.0 Competition and Parity - The Board reserves the right move players amongst teams to increase the parity in the league and improve the level of competition. Such moves may be made by the Board or may be referred to a League meeting by the President.

10.0 Annual Review - The board shall insure that the association books and finances are reviewed annually by a State of Alaska licensed Certified Public Accountant. This may be either a CPA paid for by the league or by one who volunteers to do the work for the league. Results of the annual review shall be published during the fall General membership meeting.

11.0 Contracts - All contracts binding on the Association shall only be entered into after a written motion is moved and adopted by either the Association Board or membership, either at a Board, General, or Special Membership Meeting authorizing the President and Secretary to sign the contract. This does not apply to standard contracts for ice time needed for normal league play and end of season tournaments.

12.0 Banking - All association funds shall be deposited in any federally insured financial institution that the Board selects. The accounts shall be kept in a manner which benefits the association as the Board deems appropriate. Two Board member signatures shall be required on all association checks and on all withdrawals. At no time shall association funds be risked in "high-risk" financial ventures of any type.

12.1 Fiscal Year - The fiscal year of the organization shall run from September 1st. through August 31st.

13.0 Dissolution - In the event of dissolution of this organization, no benefits shall inure to the officers, directors, or members hereof. After paying off all debts and obligations of the organization, any remaining assets shall be donated to a 501© (3) organization located in the Fairbanks North Star Borough of Alaska as designated by a 2/3 majority vote of the membership present at a final meeting called for the specific purpose of dissolution.

14.0 Modifications of Bylaws - The process for modification of bylaws shall be a four step process as follows; First, proposed modifications must be presented in writing to a board member at least two weeks prior to a scheduled General Membership Meeting. Second, they must be discussed and advanced to the next meeting by a simple majority vote at a General Membership Meeting. Thirdly, they must be posted in all local rinks in accordance with the procedure for Notices specified earlier in the bylaws. Finally, modifications to the bylaws must be voted on and passed with a two-thirds majority of members present at the next scheduled meeting. This process will require a lengthy process to change bylaws to reduce the possibility for inappropriate changes in the heat of the moment. Bylaw changes will require at least 6 months time to occur and should hopefully be free of personality based decisions. Any Board member who receives a proposed change in the by-laws, shall provide copies of the proposed changes to all other Board members as soon as possible.

15.0 Rules and Regulations - the Association shall set such rules on league and game play as it deems necessary to accomplish the goals of the organization as a whole. These may include but are not limited to; Discipline, Suspensions, Game Play Rules, Penalties Rosters, Substitutions, Player Eligibility, Player Movement and Assignment, Drafts, Tournaments, and Equipment Requirements. League Rules and Regulations shall be made available to all players and copies shall be posted at each hockey rink. Rules and Regulations may be changed by either the Board or the Association. However, a 30 day notice period is required prior to any change. This requirement may be accomplished by publication of a Notice of Intent to Change Rules, posted 30 days prior to the vote on the change. In this case, the change would take place immediately on written notification to the Association and it’s Employees (i.e. Referees). Rule Changes made by the Board may be overridden by the Association itself at a General or Special Meeting. All notification timelines apply.

16.0 Contractors - The Board reserves the right to contract for Scorekeepers, Referees, and Statisticians as it deems necessary for the effective running for the organization. The Board also reserves the right to not contract with those persons who choose to not follow or enforce the rules set forth by the Association. The Association shall send the individual a letter advising them that they are not following or enforcing the Association Rules. A copy will be sent to the Referee’s Association or the Head Scorekeeper as appropriate. If the person continues to fail to follow or enforce league rules, the Association shall issue a written ban on further contracting of that individual. After such notice the Association shall have no further financial obligation for any work done by that individual. The Board shall handle all personnel or contract matters, no exceptions. Any contract bans shall be reviewed annually by the Board.

17.0 Tournaments - The Board may appoint special committees to oversee and hold tournaments and special events as necessary. These committees shall have full authority over the event once appointed and the event is approved by the Board.

18.0 Committees - President or current presiding officer may appoints such committees as they deem necessary. The President is an ex-officio member of all committees.

19.0 Refunds - Members who leave the association during the season for reasons other then discipline may petition the Board for a pro-rated  refund less insurance and USA Hockey fees. Examples of  justified petitions would be; disabling injury, job transfer out of the Interior of Alaska, etc. The Board shall review each petition for approval or disapproval.

20.0 Referee’s Associations Representative - The President shall appoint one Board member to represent the Association at Referees Association meetings and be a liaison to that organization and report back to the Board.

21.0 USA Hockey Affiliate Agreement - The association shall abide by the requirements of the USA Hockey Affiliate Agreement for as long as the Association retains membership in USA Hockey