How Are Rule Changes Made?
The CHJA has two types of rule changes, permanent and extraordinary.
The Standards Committee will write a new rule or revise an existing one in response to a perceived need or a request from the CHJA Board of Directors (who are usually responding to member suggestions or requests). This rule will be communicated to the membership through a posting on the CHJA web site at least 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting. Members can then provide feedback or comments, either by coming to the Annual or passing on their ideas to a Board member. At the Annual Meeting, the rule and any changes are discussed. If there are no changes, the rule can be voted on and if passed as proposed, becomes a permanent rule change. If there are changes, then the Board can make those changes at the Annual Meeting, and institute the change, but the rule is now an extraordinary rule change.
An extraordinary rule change is one which has not had the chance to be reviewed by the members, but which the Board believes has merit for the members, so they approve it conditionally. Such a rule can stand until the next year's Annual Meeting, at which point it is reviewed again, along with any member feedback which has occurred during the year or which members bring to the Annual. As an extraordinary change, this rule must be posted 30 days prior to the next Annual. Again, it is voted on, and if approved, only then becomes permanent.
Another way extraordinary rules can take effect is when a situation arises during the show year and the Board or Standards believes an immediate change must be made for the good of the members or the workings of the Association. Sometimes, an existing rule is simply not clearly written and word changes are made to clarify it. In these cases, again the extraordinary rule is in effect until the next Annual Meeting, when it gets posted 30 days prior to the meeting and has a chance to be discussed and then approved or changed (or reversed). Although effectively the "law of the land" for a period of time, it is not permanent until the Annual Meeting.