Maine State Beekeepers Association

MAINE STATE BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION, INC. BYLAWS

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As Amended October 18, 2025

ARTICLE I – Name

Section 3: Membership shall consist of eight classes: 

1 Individual 

2 Family/Household 

3 Family/Household Life 

4 Individual Life 

5 Honorary Life 

6 Chapter 

7 Friends of MSBA 

8 School Based Apiaries

Memberships shall be offered for 1, 3, or 5 years for the Individual, Family/Household, Chapter, and Friends classes. 3 and 5-year term discounts shall be at the discretion of the board of directors.

Family/Household Membership shall consist of one or both parents and any children under 18 with only two votes per family. Family/Household Membership dues are 1.5 times the annual dues for an individual. 

Lifetime Membership shall be offered for the Individual Life and Family/Household Life classes with a one-time payment of 12 times the annual dues for the class. 

Chapter or Association Membership dues shall be assessed at the Individual rate. 

Honorary Life Membership, without dues, may be given to any individual who has kept bees in the State of Maine (with an Apiary License from the Maine Department of Agriculture), or elsewhere, for a minimum of 35 years and is currently a resident of the State of Maine. In addition to all other requirements, an Honorary Life member must have been a member of this Association for five years. Names of such persons are to be presented to the Board of Directors for approval, such approval requiring a majority vote by the Directors. 

Friends of MSBA Membership dues shall be two times the annual amount for an individual. This category is defined as any individual, organization, or entity interested in supporting the mission of the Maine State Beekeepers Association. 

School Based Apiaries Membership shall have no dues assessed. Each school will receive the benefit of a digital copy of the Bee Line. Each individual participating in school-based apiaries shall be assessed the current registration fee to attend the Annual Meeting. 

Section 4: Dues assessed for all categories of membership shall be recommended by written notice to members by the board not less than 30 days in advance of the annual meeting, using their preferred communications method specifying the time, place, agenda. Proposed changes must be approved by the membership at its annual meeting by a simple majority vote of those members present.

ARTICLE IV – Officers

Section 1: The officers of this Association shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Terms of office shall be for one year or for the period between annual meetings. The President may serve not more than three consecutive terms of office. 

Section 2: The President shall preside at meetings of the Board of Directors and other officers of the Association. The President shall provide leadership and generally guide

the Association in its activities, and at the same time keep the Board of Directors informed on all significant matters. The President will act on matters considered of vital interest to the Association only with Board approval. 

Section 3: The Vice President shall act for and on behalf of the President in the President’s absence. The Vice President may be given specific responsibilities by either the President or the Board and be charged with managing and performing such duties while remaining dependent on the Board for approval on review. 

Section 4: The Treasurer will manage the financial affairs of the Association and provide detailed reports of financial transactions at each Board meeting. The treasurer will provide a financial report at the annual meeting to inform the general membership of the Association’s financial condition. 

Section 5: The Secretary will be the custodian of the Association’s records, communicate for specific purposes with persons or organizations as asked by the Board or President, record and report minutes for the record of Board meetings, and send out meeting notices in a timely fashion as stipulated in the By-Laws and requested by the President or Board. The Secretary will also, in cooperation with the President, prepare an order of business (agenda) for Board and Annual Meetings, and maintain a file of standing, special committees, and the members thereof. The Secretary shall file the State of Maine Annual Report for Nonprofit Corporations yearly with the filing deadline June 1. 

Section 6: The officers shall be elected at the annual meeting by a majority vote of those members present.

ARTICLE V – Board of Directors

Section 1: The Board of Directors shall consist of the following: 

1. President
2. Vice President
3. Secretary
4. Treasurer
5. Membership Director
6. President of each Chapter or Affiliate (or his delegate)
7. Most recent Past President of MSBA
8. Seven At Large members from the general membership
9. Ex Officio members
10. MSBA’s Eastern Apicultural Society Director.
11. The Editor(s) of the Bee Line (non-voting)
12. The State Apiarist (non-voting).

Section 2: A quorum for the Board of Directors meeting shall consist of five members. If only five are present then three votes are required for passing and approval of items

brought to vote, otherwise a simple majority is required unless otherwise stated in the by-laws. 

Section 3: The term of membership for At Large members of the board shall be for three years unless a vacancy is being filled, in which case the replacement director’s term will be for the balance of the term. 

Section 4: Voting members of the MSBA Board must be members of MSBA in good standing.

ARTICLE VI – Committees

Section 1: At the annual meeting, or within two months thereafter, the President may nominate for Board approval the following standing committees: 

1. Legislative
2. Annual Program
3. Membership
4. Information and Education

Section 2: The President shall appoint a nominating committee not less than 60 days before the annual meeting. 

Section 3: The President may appoint committees or individuals for special purposes. These special purposes are likely to include such activities as managing special affairs, editing the Association’s newsletter, or helping affiliate organizations, but the purposes are not limited. 

Section 4: The President, with approval of the Board, may appoint a special committee having expertise in a special subject and without regard to membership in MSBA. Said advisory committee shall make reports to the Board and shall be dissolved when its mission is completed. 

Section 5: The Executive Committee is to be composed of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and the Past President. The Executive Committee is to act for the Board between Board meetings at the Board’s direction. The Executive Committee is to be given instructions by the Board on its responsibilities and may be authorized by the Board to act with full authority of the Board. The Executive Committee is authorized, in perpetuity, to act between meetings of the Board of Directors with the full authority of the BOD, except that any one expenditure is limited to $1,000, and that the MSBA commitments are for one year or less. All Executive Committee actions are subject to review at the next board meeting for approval. 

Section 6: All committees shall file yearly written reports with the Board of Directors 30 days before the annual meeting.

ARTICLE VII – Rules and Regulations

Section 1: The Board of Directors may at any time by a simple majority vote, demand and/or receive and accept the resignation of any officer of this Association and declare the office vacant. 

Section 2: The Board of Directors by majority vote may fill any office vacant in the Association for the period remaining until the next annual meeting. 

Section 3: The Board of Directors shall meet on a regular basis, with a minimum of six meetings per year. The President (or his/her designee) shall set the time and place, and the Secretary shall notify the other members of the Board at least two weeks prior to the meeting date. 

Section 4: The Executive Committee shall meet before the annual meeting each year for the purpose of examining the accounts of the treasurer. 

Section 5: The Annual Meeting shall be held as directed by the Board of Directors but shall be held not later than 13 months after the previous meeting. 

Section 6: At the Annual Meeting a quorum shall consist of a majority of those members present and voting. 

Section 7: The Board and officers shall serve without pay but may be reimbursed actual expenses within the budget constraints set by the Board. Required expenditures such as Officers and Directors’ insurance shall be paid by MSBA.

ARTICLE VIII – Parliamentary Authority

All procedural questions not resolved by formal Articles herein shall be determined in accordance with the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order (Revised).

ARTICLE IX – Amendments

Section 1: Amendments to these By-Laws may be proposed by the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, a Chapter in good standing, or by a petition signed by at least 25 members in good standing. 

Section 2: These bylaws may be amended by a simple majority vote of those attending any annual meeting only after the membership has received a 30-day written notice by either their preferred communications method or regular mail specifying the time, place, agenda, and the proposed changes. 

Section 3: Any amendment to the Association’s By-Laws will take effect immediately upon passage at the annual meeting unless otherwise provided for in that amendment.

ARTICLE X – Dissolution

Dissolution: Dissolution of the Maine State Beekeepers Association, Inc. could be accomplished by a simple majority vote of those members present at the annual meeting or a special meeting called for that purpose only after the membership has received a 30-day written notice by either their preferred communications method or regular mail specifying the time, place, agenda, and the purpose of the meeting. Upon dissolution of the Maine State Beekeepers Association, Inc. any assets remaining after payment of liabilities shall be given to a non-profit organization of similar goals, as directed by a majority of the Board of Directors as outlined in the charter on file with the Maine, Secretary of State, Charter Number 19760116ND filed on July 23, 1976 and recorded in the Kennebec Registry of Deeds on JULY 23, 1976; Vol. 47 page 102 as follows: 

Upon dissolution of the corporation, the Board of Directors shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all of the liabilities of the Corporation, dispose of all the assets of the corporation exclusively for the purposes of the corporation in such manner or to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for purposes identical to the purposes of this corporation as shall at the time qualify as an organization or organizations under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as the same may be amended from time to time, or any corresponding provision of any subsequent Federal Tax Laws, as the Board of Directors shall determine. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Superior Court of the County of Kennebec, State of Maine, or other Court having general jurisdiction, exclusively for the purposes or to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for purposes substantially the same as the purposes of this corporation on as shall at the time qualify as an organization or Organizations under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, or any corresponding provision of subsequent Federal Tax Laws, as said Court shall determine.

By-Laws Adopted
January 13, 1977

Amended
January 12, 1978
January 16, 1982
March 19, 1994
March 11, 1995
March 16, 1996
April 3, 2004
April 9, 2005
April 8, 2006
October 16, 2010
October 18, 2014
October 21, 2023
October 18, 2025