MAHSHL BYLAWS

Article 1 - Name

Section 1 
The name of this organization shall be the Mid America Amateur Hockey dba  Mid America High School Hockey League (MAHSHL), and a Not-For-Profit Corporation of the State of Missouri.

Section 2 
Office : The Corporation May have offices at such places as the Board of Directors may from time to time determine.

Article 2 - Purpose

Section 1 - The purposes for which the Corporation is organized include, but are not limited to, the following....

A.   To organize and maintain an ongoing program for high school youth in the sport of ice hockey.

B.  To encourage and improve the standards of play and the conduct of ice hockey competition at the high school age level.

C.  To develop and encourage sportsmanship and playing proficiency among high school age players in the sport of ice hockey.

D.  To pursue its objectives in such a way as to make competition in the sport of ice hockey enjoyable, to make such competition a continual learning opportunity, and to encourage the expansion of wholesome competition within the sport of ice hockey at the high school age level.

E.  To provide a league structure for varsity and junior varsity competition between scholastic institutions at the high school level whereby a league champion in the play of the sport of ice hockey shall be declared.

F.  To establish a competitive program within the sport of ice hockey which is consistent with the goals and ideals of MIssouri High School Athletic Association and to work toward future recognition and sanction of the program as a varsity sport within the framework of the Missouri High School Athletic Association.

G.  To do any and all other acts necessary or desirable in the furtherance of the foregoing purposes and the expansion and development of the play of ice hockey.

ARTICLE 3 - MEMBERSHlP

Membership in the organization shall consist of those institutions who meet the following qualifications:

Section 1

Membership shall be open to any high school, or combination of high schools, who shall make application for such membership to the Board of Directors of the League and shall be thereafter approved for membership by the Board of Directors.

Section 2

Members shall be required to pay an annual fee, as established by the Board of Directors, and to abide by the by-laws of the league and the decisions of the Board of Directors of the league in order to remain in good standing.         

Section 3

Members who shall maintain themselves in good standing shall be eligible for competition within the sport of ice hockey within the league structure, and also for the tournament competition, which shall determine a champion, as such league and tournament shall be established and operated by the Board of Directors.
 

ARTICLE 4 - BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The property and affairs of the MAHSHL shall be managed by the board of directors (referred to as the “Board of Directors") of the MAHSHL.  The Board of Directors shall have and is vested with all and unlimited powers and authorities, except as may be expressly limited by law, the Articles or these Bylaws, to supervise, control, direct and manage the property, affairs and activities of the MAHSHL, to determine the policies of the MAHSHL, to do or cause to be done any and all lawful things for and on behalf of the MAHSHL, to exercise or cause to be exercised any or all of its powers, privileges or franchises, and to seek the effectuation of its objects and purposes; provided, however, that (a) the Board of Directors shall not authorize or permit the corporation to engage in any activity not permitted to be transacted by the Articles or by a not-for-profit corporation organized under the laws of the State of Missouri, (b) none of the powers of the MAHSHL shall be exercised to carry on activities which are not in themselves in furtherance of the purposes of the MAHSHL, and (c) all income and property of the MAHSHL shall be applied exclusively for its not-for-profit purposes.   No substantial part of the activities of the MAHSHL shall be the carrying on of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation. The MAHSHL shall not participate in, or intervene (including the publishing or distributing of statements) in, any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. No part of the net earnings or other assets of the corporation shall inure to the benefit of any Member, director, officer, contributor or other private individual having, directly or indirectly, a personal or private interest in the activities of the corporation. (et.9/2023)

Section 1

There will be six (6) members of the Board of Directors. Each director shall serve for a term beginning on the date that such director is elected and ending at the next annual meeting of the Members. No later than thirty (30) days prior to the date of the annual meeting of the Board of Directors, the then-current members of the Board of Directors shall appoint six (6) new directors. A director must be a duly-appointed Team Representative. Three (3) directors must be Team Representatives of Members whose home rink is located within the Kansas City Metropolitan Statistical Area and three (3) directors must be Team Representatives of Members whose home rink is located outside the Kansas City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the annual meeting of the Members, the Members shall vote to approve or disapprove the directors appointed by the Board of Directors by a majority vote of the Members present at the annual meeting. If the Members disapprove of the directors appointed by the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors shall propose new directors from among the Team Representatives and the Members shall vote to approve or disapprove the directors appointed by the Board of Directors. This process shall continue until a new Board of Directors is approved by the Members. During the voting process, any Member shall have the right to designate a new Team Representative, in writing. (et.9/2023)

Section 2

The Board of Directors shall meet at least annually, immediately following the annual meeting of the Members. 

Section 3

The Board of Directors of the MAHSHL shall be empowered to do any or all of the following:

a. to elect officers, as may be necessary, to conduct the business of the MAHSHL;

b. to employ or appoint personnel, as may be necessary, to assist the Board of Directors and the officers in the conduct of the business of the MAHSHL;

c. to employ or appoint personnel, as may be necessary, to assist the Board of Directors and the officers in properly supervising the play of the sport of ice hockey within the league or tournament structure;

d. to adopt rules for play of the sport of ice hockey within the MAHSHL;

e. to conduct, coordinate, and prescribe the format for competition between the members within the league and in the league tournament;

f. to impose appropriate sanctions on players or member institution(s) for violation of rules, policies, or by-laws of the MAHSHL;

g. to handle and/or provide for the financial affairs of the MAHSHL and to assess the membership, on a pro rata basis, for any deficit which may be incurred in the operation of the MAHSHL; and

h. to determine policy for MAHSHL and to do any and all other acts necessary for the efficient administration and operation of the MAHSHL.

Section 4

If any director shall be excessively absent without permission from the president or shall commit any act prejudicial to the conduct of the affairs of the MAHSHL or the purposes for which it is formed, such person shall be notified in writing to appear personally before the Board of Directors at a designated time not less than thirty (30) days after such notification and at such time be given a hearing.  By the affirmative vote of two-thirds vote of all the directors, such director may be removed at such hearing.

ARTICLE 5 - EXECUTlVE COMMlTTEE

The Executive Committee, selected by the Board of Directors, shall consist of and function as follows:

Section 1

At the annual meeting, the Board of Directors shall elect officers of the MAHSHL and the officers so elected shall comprise the Executive Committee. Subject to Section 7 of this Article 5, each officer’s term of office shall begin upon such officer’s appointment and end at the next annual meeting of the Board of Directors. It is recognized that the geographical distribution of Executive Committee officers around the state is desirable, and therefore, no more than one officer shall come from any one Member.

 

Section 2

The officers of the Mid America High School Hockey League, are a President, Vice-Presidents in a number to be determined by the Board and a Secretary-Treasurer, who shall comprise the Executive Committee.

Section 3

The Board shall appoint a Commissioner and a Referee-in-Chief, which may be the same person, for the League if deemed necessary.

Section 4

The Executive Committee shall be empowered to act on behalf of the Mid America High School Hockey League and its Board of Directors, including all functions which are prescribed or provided for with respect to the Board of Directors, between meetings of the Board of Directors.

Section 5

In addition to membership on the Executive Committee, and function as a member thereof, the officers shall have the following responsibilities:

a. President - The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Mid America High School Hockey League, and shall, in general, supervise and control all of the business and affairs of the league. He shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. He shall serve as an official member on all committees. He may sign, with the secretary or other proper officer of the league, thereunto authorized by the Board of Directors, any bonds, contracts, or other instruments which the Board of Directors has authorized to be executed, except in cases where signing or execution thereof shall be expressly delegated by the Board of Directors or by these by-laws to some other officer or agent of the league, or shall be required by law to be otherwise signed or executed; and in general, shall perform all duties incident to the office of president, and such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee from time to time. In addition, the president shall represent the league, the Executive Committee, and the Board of Directors in its relationship with, or meetings with, other high school ice hockey organizations.

b. Vice President(s) - In the absence of the president, or in the event of the president's inability or refusal to act, a vice president shall perform the duties of president, and when so acting, shall have all of the powers of, and be subject to all of the restrictions, placed upon the president. In addition, the vice president(s) shall bear the primary responsibility for supervision of any committee structure established by the Mid America High School Hockey League.

c. Secretary - The secretary of the Mid America High School Hockey League shall keep minutes of the Board of Directors' meetings and the Executive Committee's meetings in books provided for such purpose. Further, the Secretary shall see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of these by-laws or as required by law. The secretary shall be the custodian of the league records and all documents executed on behalf of the league in accordance with the provisions of these by-laws and shall keep a register of the post office address of each member of the league. Finally, the secretary shall, in general, perform all duties incident to the office of secretary and such other duties as, from time to time, may be assigned to that position by the president, Executive Committee, or Board of Directors.

d. Treasurer - The treasurer of the Mid America High School Hockey League shall have charge and custody of, and be responsible for, all funds and securities of the league and shall, in addition, receive and give receipt for monies due and payable to the league from any source whatsoever and deposit all such monies in the name of the league in such banks, trust companies, or other insured depositories, as shall be selected in accordance with these by-laws. In general, the treasurer shall perform all duties incident to the office of treasurer and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to the treasurer by the president, Executive Committee, or Board of Directors.

Section 6

The Executive Committee shall be empowered to hear and decide all disputes or appeals of any decision by the commissioner on all matters relating to the operation of the league or the play of the sport of ice hockey in the league structure or tournament structure, and the decision of the Executive Committee on all such appeals shall be final.  Any officer or member of the Executive Committee may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors whenever, in its judgment, the best interests of the league would be served thereby. Vacancies in any executive office, occasioned by any reason, including removal or resignation, shall be filled by the Board of Directors for the unexpired term.

Section 7

Any officer or member of the Executive Committee may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors whenever, in the judgment of the Board of Directors, the best interests of the MAHSHL would be served thereby. Vacancies in any executive office, occasioned by any reason, including removal or resignation, shall be filled by the Board of Directors for the unexpired term.(et.9/2023)

ARTICLE 6 - QUORUM

Except where these by-laws specifically provide for a qualified majority, the Mid America High School Hockey League shall take official action only by a majority of a quorum of its members. For the Board of Directors, a quorum shall consist of one more than half of the membership of the Board of Directors; and for the Executive Committee, a quorum shall consist of one more than half of the membership of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE 7 - AMENDMENT

These by-laws may be altered, amended or repealed and new by-laws may be adopted at any meeting of the Board of Directors by a two-thirds vote of the directors present and voting at said meeting, provided, however, that each proposed amendment must first be submitted, in writing, to each individual member of the Board of Directors no less than ten days in advance of the meeting at which the Board of Directors is to act upon the adoption of the amendment.

ARTICLE 8 - INDEMNIFICATION

Any person who is or was an officer, director, employee, or agent of the Mid America High School Hockey League, or is or was serving at the request of the Mid America High School Hockey League as an officer, director, employee, or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, or enterprise, shall be entitled to indemnification by the Mid America High School Hockey League for any and all liability, including the cost of defense thereof, which shall arise out of, or in the course of, that person's function on behalf of, or in the capacity set forth as a representative of, the Mid America High School Hockey League.

ARTICLE 9 - PROTESTS

A protest may be made of any matter that is ruled on by a game official concerning a league game. This may be done by the team coach or the team representative. It is made by endorsing the protest on the reverse side of the copy of the score sheet that will be sent to the Commissioner. lt shall be signed and dated by the person making the protest. The Commissioner shall reply to the protest in writing within 5 days of his receipt of the protest. The Commissioner may review and dertermine as he deems necessary and shall send the reply to the Team Representatives of the teams involved, and the league President.

The reply to the protest may be appealed. The appeal must be in writing and sent to the league President within 5 days of the receipt of the reply by the appealing party and may be made by the Team Representative of either team involved in the incident. It must state the basis of the appeal. A copy of the appeal shall be sent to the opposing Team Representative if it is not a joint appeal. Appeal(s) are tobe sent via email to the Executive Committee which is composed of the President, Vice Presidents and Secretary-Treasurer. The President may appoint a person to make a factual determination if necessary. The Executive Committee shall respond to the appeal within 10 days and the response shall be sent to the Team Representatives involved and any other persons he deems necessary and the Executive committee.