DUTIES OF THE LODGE OFFICERS

General Laws

PRESIDENT

ART. 22. The President is the highest ranking officer and the leader of the Local Lodge and as such:

  (a)  Calls and presides over all the meetings of the    Council and of the assembly.

  (b)  Sees that the laws of the Local Lodge are observed and the deliberations of the Council and of the assembly are

carried out.

  (c)  Sees that the laws of the Order are respected and observed, and the orders of the Supreme Lodge and of the

Grand Lodge are obeyed.

  (d)  Controls the affairs of the Local Lodge and supervises the performance of duties by the other officers of the

Council.

  (e)  Signs the minutes of the meetings of the assembly and all orders of payment, checks, correspondence and all

documents which invest the responsibility of the Local Lodge.

  (f)  Unless the laws of the Local Lodge provide otherwise, the President appoints all committees of the Local Lodge,

of which the President is an ex-officio member.

  (g) Refrains from making proposals at the meetings of the assembly; participates in discussions only to clarify the

issues presented, and votes only in case of a tie.

  (h)  After hearing the opinion of the Orator, the President rules upon controversies involving the application of the

laws, The member who disagrees with the ruling and the interpretation of the President shall appeal within 10

days to the State President, in case the Local Lodge is under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge, and to the

National President in case the Local Lodge is under the direct jurisdiction of the Supreme Lodge.

  (i)  When disorder arises in the meeting of the assembly or of the Council, the President may silence or censure the

member or members causing such disorder. If such member or members persist in causing disorder, the

President may fine, silence or expel the member or members from the hall or suspend the meeting.

  (j)  May appoint a Chaplain whose primary duties shall be to conduct, whenever practicable, all religious exercises of

the Local Lodge. The Chaplain shall also perform such other duties relating to the office, as shall be assigned to

the office from time to time by the President.

VICE PRESIDENT

ART. 23 The Vice President is the second ranking officer of the Local Lodge. As such the Vice President assists the President and takes the President’s place when the President is absent or unable to act. In the absence of the President, the Vice President performs the duties and exercises the prerogatives of the President to the same extent and with like power which the President would have, if present.

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

ART. 24. The office of Immediate Past President shall be given to the member who has served one complete term, as President of the Local Lodge immediately preceding the incumbent. If, on account of death, disqualification, resignation or removal, the office of Immediate Past President becomes vacant, the office shall be filled from the preceding former Presidents in the inverted order of their tenure of office.

In case there are no preceding former Presidents, the office of the Immediate Past President shall be filled by electing such officer from among the members of the Local Lodge who have served a full term as officers of such Local Lodge. The Immediate Past President assumes the office of President whenever the President and the Vice President are unable to act or are absent from the meeting of the Council or of the assembly, and performs the duties and exercises the prerogatives of the President to the same extent and with like powers as the President, if present.

ORATOR

ART. 25. The Orator gives opinions concerning the application and interpretation of the laws of the Order and sees that the laws of the Order are observed and properly applied. In matters which relate to the administration of the affairs of the Local Lodge, the Orator is subordinate to the President. In matters relating to the exercise of Judicial Power the Orator is subordinate to the State or National Orator,

The Orator, either on the Orator’s own initiative or upon complaint being made to the Orator, shall have power to prefer written charges against a member who has violated the laws of the Order.

RECORDING SECRETARY

ART, 26, The Recording Secretary is the custodian of the archives and the keeper of the seal of the Local Lodge. The Recording Secretary’s duties are:

  (a) To take and record the minutes of the meetings of the Council and of the assembly, which minutes are to be read

at the successive meeting.

  (b) To make up and keep up to date the membership roll of the Local Lodge.

  (c) To care for correspondence and write letters which the Recording Secretary is directed to do by the President or

other higher officer in the ranking units of the Order.

  (d) To be the sole officer through whom a member may communicate with the Grand Council.

  (e) To write and send notices for meetings.

  (f)  To act as the clerk of the Local Lodge Arbitration Commission when such Commission is in session, except in

case the Recording Secretary is an interested party.

  (g)  Within ten days after receipt, to forward to the State Recording Secretary all appeals referred or presented to the

Recording Secretary by members because of administrative irregularities. The appeals, when forwarded, shall

be accompanied by a report of the views expressed by the Council.

  (h)  To carry out all orders which the Recording Secretary may receive, in matters pertaining to the office, from the

President or from the higher ranking officers of the Order.

FINANCIAL SECRETARY

ART. 27. The Financial Secretary is the collector and accountant of the Local Lodge. The Financial Secretary’s duties

are:

  (a) To collect dues and assessments, giving proper receipt therefore.

  (b) To write orders of payment, affixing the Financial Secretary’s signature thereon, together with that of the

President.

  (c) To present orders of payment to the Treasurer, who issues checks thereon, which checks the Financial

Secretary presents to the parties to whom they are payable, exacting at the same time money due from such

parties to the Local Lodge.

  (d) To make up and keep up to date financial records, particularly those entrusted to the Financial Secretary by the

Grand Lodge or Supreme Lodge. Those financial records are: The ledger, the journal book, the financial

statements, and the orders of payments.

  (e) To notify by mail those members who are in default with the payment of dues and assessments.

  (f) To announce members in default with the payment of dues and assessments to the assembly.

  (g) To communicate, at the end of each meeting of the assembly, the total collections and disbursements made on

the day of the meeting.

  (h) To make a quarterly financial report, which report is to be audited and signed by no less than three trustees, a

copy of which is to be sent to the State Financial Secretary.

  (i)  To make payment of the Capita Tax, computed on the basis of the number of members listed on the membership

roll at the end of each quarter, which payment shall be made, without the necessity of deliberation on the part of

the assembly of the Local Lodge, not later than January 15th, April 15th, July15th, and October 15th of each

year.

  (j) To carry out all orders which the Financial Secretary may receive, in matters affecting the office, from the

President and from higher ranking officers of the Order.

TREASURER

ART. 28. The Treasurer is the custodian of the funds of the Local Lodge. The Treasurer’s duties are:

  (a) To receive at the end of each meeting all money collected by the Financial Secretary and to issue proper receipt

therefore.

  (b) To record in and keep up to date the Cash Book of the Local Lodge, in which record the Treasurer shall register

monthly income and disbursements of the Local Lodge.

  (c) Not later than three days after each meeting, to deposit in previously designated banks the funds received by the

Treasurer in accounts opened in the name of the Local Lodge.

  (d) To issue and sign checks upon the receipt of proper order of payment and consign them, to the Financial

Secretary for delivery to the payee thereof.

  (e) To withdraw funds from savings accounts opened in the name of the Local Lodge; provided the withdrawal slip

bears the signature of the President, of the Financial Secretary and of at least one Trustee, in addition to the

Treasurer’s; and provided further; that the assembly of the Local Lodge may dispense with the signature of the

Trustee when deemed advisable.

  (f) To carry out such orders which the Treasurer may receive, in matters pertaining to the office, from the President

or from the higher ranking officers of the Order.

TRUSTEES

ART. 29. The Trustees supervise the affairs of the Local Lodge and are members of the Council. Their duties are:

  (a) To examine and audit the books kept by the Financial Secretary and the Treasurer of the Local Lodge.

  (b) To examine and audit the quarterly report of the Financial Secretary, certifying as to its correctness by affixing

their signatures thereon; provided, however, that such report shall not be valid unless it bears the signature of no

less than three Trustees in addition to that of the Financial Secretary.

  (c) To perform such additional duties in matters pertaining to their office imposed upon them by the laws of the Order

or by the deliberations of the assembly of the Local Lodge. Trustees Must Elect Chairman within thirty days of

the election

MASTERS AND/OR MISTRESSES OF CEREMONIES

ART. 30. The Masters and/or Mistresses of Ceremonies are officers of the Local Lodge who participate in ceremonial activities prescribed by the laws of the Order during the course of the meetings of the assembly of the Local Lodge.

GUARD

ART. 31. The Guard is the doorkeeper of the Local Lodge. The Guard duty is to exclude strangers from the meetings of the assembly and to admit those members who have identified themselves by announcing their presence to the President, who, in turn orders the Guard to either admit or exclude such members.

HERALD

ART. 32. The Herald is a ceremonial officer of the Local Lodge appointed by the occasion by the presiding officer during the meetings of the assembly of the Local Lodge. The duties of the Herald are to assist the presiding officers in conformity to the laws of the Order and in due ritualistic form, on the occasion of the institution of the Local Lodge the installation of officers and the initiation of new members in the Local Lodge.

LOCAL LODGE ARBITRATION COMMISSION

ART. 33. The Local Lodge Arbitration Commission is the judicial Tribunal of the Local Lodge. The rules and regulations which prescribe the mode of procedure, the jurisdiction, the powers and the revenue incident to the functioning of the Local Lodge Arbitration Commission are set forth in the Judicial Code of the Order.

The Local Lodge Arbitration Commission is composed of five (5) regular members, known as Commissioners, and five alternate members, known as Alternate Commissioners. The Local Lodge Commissioners and the Local Lodge Alternate Commissioners are elected at the annual meeting for electing officers of the Local Lodge for a period of one (1) year and shall serve until their successors are elected and installed, Local Lodges holding biennial elections shall elect their Arbitration Commission members for a period of two (2) years and shall serve until their successors are elected and installed. Whenever a vacancy occurs among the Commissioners, it shall be filled by the Alternate Commissioner who received the highest number of votes during the election of the Alternate Commissioners.

STATE DELEGATES

ART 34. The State Delegates are the representatives of the Local Lodge who represent it at the Grand Convention of the Grand Lodge. The State Delegates and their alternates are to be elected by the assembly of the Local Lodge once every two years and their number shall be that which is fixed by the laws of the Grand Lodge. The Grand Lodge may permit the President of the Local Lodge to be an ex-officio member of its State Delegation.