AMERICAN LEGION DEPARTMENT OF
AMERICAN LEGION RIDERS SUB-COMMITTEE
Rules and Procedures for the Administration, Operations and Safetyof the American Legion Riders, Department of Virginia
Article I
Name and Affiliation
Section 1.1: Name of the committee shall be The American Legion Riders Sub Committee. The committee is a sub-committee of the Internal Affairs Committee and reports to the Chairman, Internal Affairs.
Article II
Officers
Section 2.1: The following shall be the officers of the committee appointed by the Department Executive Committee with the consent of the Chairman, Internal Affairs: Chairman, Vice Chairmen, Regional Directors. The Chairman may appoint a Secretarynd Sgt-At-Arms as appropriate.
Article III
Duties
Section 3.1 Chairman: the Chairman is charged with the overall supervision of the sub-committee and the American Legion Riders program in the Department of
Section 3.2 Vice Chairmen: the Vice Chairman perform duties as directed by the sub-
committee Chairman.
Section 3.3 Regional Directors; Regional Directors are responsible for the administration, operation and safety of the Chapters assigned them by the Chairman. They are to ensure the proper functioning of the Chapters assigned to them. They shall make reports to the Chairman prior to the Fall Conference, (October), Spring Conference (March) and the Department Convention (July). Reports should cover all aspects of Chapter membership, recruitment, social events, milage,hours and funds expended in support of community events and programs, training and any other information for the good of the Legion Riders.
Article IV
Members
Section 4.1: The committee shall consist of the following members; Chairman (1), ice Chairman (3) [1 from each region, East, North, West], Regional Directors (3),General Members (6), Advisor (without vote) (Assigned by the Chairman, Internal ffairs). All members of the committee will be nominated annually in May by the Chairman and submitted to the Chairman, Internal Affairs for further action.
Section 4.2: Committee members must be members of the American Legion with a minimum of three (3) years membership and five (5) years of motorcycle riding experience.
Article V
Meetings
Section 5.1: There shall be three (3) official Sub-Committee meetings as scheduled by the Department Adjutant. These meetings are at the Department Fall Conference, the Department Spring Conference and at the Department Convention. Additional meetings may be called by the sub-committee Chairman at his discretion. Minutes of additional meetings must also be submitted to the Department Adjutant.
Section 5.2: The Chairman wil appoint a Vice Chairman to act on his behalf if he will be
unable to attend any meetings. The appointed Vice Chairman will assume all duties and responsibilities of the Chairman in his absence.
Section 5.3 Only sub-committee members can vote on matters brought before them. The Chairman can allow non members a vote with the consent of all sub-committee members.
Section 5.4 Support to facilitate meetings of the sub-committee at Department Conferences and Convention will be coordinated by the Department Headquarters. Support to facilitate meetings, programs, activities and events held at other locations will be provided by the host Chapter.
Section 5.5 All meetings of all committees will be conducted in accordance with procedures established by the National Organization and any additional requirements established by the Department of Virginia. All protocols will be followed and meetings conducted in an orderly fashion.
Article VI
Committees
Section 6.1: Sub-Committees. The following sub-committees of the sub-committee areestablished; Training & Safety Sub-Committee, Operations Sub-Committee, Retention & Recruitment Sub-Committee and Public Relations Sub-Committee.
The Chairman American Legion Riders Sub-Committee shall assign all members to these committees and will designate their Chairman. The duties of these sub-committees are described by their title. These sub-committee Chairmen will call meetings as necessary to carry out their duties.
Section 6.2 Ad-Hoc Committees: The Chairman, American Legion Riders Sub-Committee may appoint ad-hoc committees as needed for a special purpose. These committees will expire when the special need is met or no later than the end of the Legion Year in which appointed.
Article VII
Chapters
Section 7.1 Establishment of Chapters: All Chapters shall be approved by a chartered Post and shall take the name and number of that Post, i.e., George F. Dashiell Chapter 49, Guyer-Dynell Chapter 180 etc. Names such as Central Virginia Chapter, Southern Virginia Chapter etc. are not acceptable and shall not be used. There shall be only one Chapter per Post. If it is a veteran that is considering joining the Legion he/she may ride a couple of times with a Post in order to make up their mind on joining the Legion. However, if an individual is currently a Legion member and there is no charter at his/her post he/she may ride two to three times with an organized chapter. This should provide an incentive to start a new chapter within their post.
Section 7.2: Membership Eligibility: Any member in good standing of any Post, Squadron or Unit of the American Legion, Sons of the American Legion or the American Legion Auxiliary who possess a valid operator license with a motorcycle endorsement and is the registered owner or family member is eligible.
Section 7.3: Prior to becoming a member in a Legion Riders Chapter, attendance to twoPost, Squadron or Unit meetings is required. The Chapter Director may waive this requirement with the approval of the Post Commander.
Section 7.4: Chapters must have a minimum of six {6} members including officers.
Section 7.5: Each Chapter may require monthly or annual dues to support Rider programs if approved by the Post Commander and Finance Officer. All financial reportsmust be submitted to the Post Finance Officer in accordance with Post requirements and federal by law.
Section: 7.6 If a Chapter is revoked for any reason all property and monies of that Chapter shall revert to the supporting Post.
Article VIII
Chapter Officers
Section 8.1: Each Chapter shall have the following officers: Director, Assistant Director, Adjutant, Finance Officer, Road Captain, Training & Safety Officer, Sgt-at-Arms. Other officers may be appointed as needed by the Chapter Director.
Section 8.2: The Director shall preside at all meetings of the Chapter (minimum of six meetings per Legion year). He/She shall have management, leadership and responsibility over all business, activities and affairs of the Chapter.
.
Section 8.3: The Assistant Director shall perform such duties as directed by the Chapter Director. He/She shall execute the duties of the Chapter Director during his/her absence or disability.
Section 8.4: The Adjutant shall maintain all Chapter records, keep Chapter membership meeting minutes, maintain all correspondence, process membership, keep all membership records and perform any other administrative duties as directed.
Section 8.5: The Finance Officer shall receive and disperse all funds in support of Chapter operations, maintain accurate records of all transactions, co-sign all checks with The Chapter Director, deposit funds in assigned bank and provide financial reports at scheduled meetings. He shall provide a financial report as directed to the Post Finance Officer. He shall submit all financial records to the Post Finance Officer for audit as directed. The Finance Officer shall maintain the Chapter’s storeroom and serve as Chapter Purchasing Officer.
Section 8.6: The Road Captain is the officer in charge of all rides and shall be the lead rider on all organized group rides. Differences of opinion will be settled by the Road Captain. His/Her decisions are final. If there is any question of safety it should be immediately reported to the most senior officer present. The Road Captain shall inspect all motorcycles and operators prior to starting any group rides to ensure all are in compliance with National, State and local laws. The Road Captain shall report any matters of concern to the Chapter Safety Officer.
Section 8.7: The Training and Safety Officers primary duties are to ensure the training and qualifications of all riders are in accordance with all applicable Federal, State and Local laws. He/She shall establish Chapter safety rules and procedures. He/She shall ensure all members read and sign a safety rules and procedures sheet prior to their first ride with the Chapter. He/She shall recommend disciplinary action to the Chapter Director for any member who flagrantly violates safety rules and procedures.
Article IX
Patches & Apparel
Section: 9.1 The American Legion Riders Back Patch is copyrighted by The American Legion. It is the only patch authorized. No alterations to the patch shall be made as it is protected by federal law. The patch is sold through The American Legion Flag & Emblem Sales. Other authorized patches are; U.S. Flag patch, POW/MIA patch American Legion patch,
Section: 9.2 A black vest is the proper garment authorized to be worn by Legion Riders. Patches shall be attached to the black vest as follows; the back patch shall be attached to the back of the vest in the center, the American flag patch shall be attached to the upper right front of the vest, the POW/MIA patch shall be attached to the lower left of the vest above the vest pocket, the Commonwealth of
Section: 9.3 The American Legion cap shall be worn by all members of The American Legion Riders at all official meetings, functions and ceremonies of The American Legion. The cap shall also be worn at all civil functions where a member may attend as a representative of The American Legion or as a guest.
Section: 9.4 Ball caps, Berets and Do-Rags are not part of any American Legion uniform. They shall not be worn at conferences, conventions, District/Post meetings or National events. Ball caps, Berets and Do-Rags may be authorized by the Chapter Director for group rides, chapter training sessions or socializing with other motorcycling groups.