CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION FFA
PROPOSED CONSTITUTION/BY-LAWS AMENDMENTS
2017
Amendment Proposal 1 – Middle School Students
State Staff Recommends: DO PASS
State FFA Advisor Committee: DO PASS
State Executive Committee: DO PASS
Amendment Proposal to the California FFA Constitution & Bylaws
Submitted by: State Staff
Motion:
To amend the California State Constitution to allow local chapters the option to offer
membership to 7th & 8th grade students enrolled in approved programs. The Discovery
FFA degree will be available only in those programs that choose to offer an approved
agriculture education program to 7th and/or 8th grade students.
Rationale:
There are currently about 7,000 Middle School students enrolled in agriculture classes
taught by a teacher who holds an agriculture credential.
The California Agricultural Teachers Association polled their membership (430 teachers
responded to the survey) through the AgEd 2030 committee and found the following.


77% support Discovery FFA membership in California with some limits.
75% support Agricultural Education at the Middle School level be based on the
three circle model.
Limits supported by a significant number of teachers.


67% recommend that Discovery FFA members not be allowed to participate
in CDE events at Field Days.
73% want to involve Discovery FFA members in section activities as
determined appropriate and may include opening and closing and knowledge
based contests.
There will be no official FFA Contest at the State Level for Discovery FFA members
unless the CATA creates one.

When there is sufficient interest the State FFA will likely develop a Leadership
conference for Discovery FFA members.
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

No FFA member will be eligible to earn the Greenhand FFA Degree before
the ninth grade.
No FFA member will be eligible to earn the State FFA Degree before their
Junior Year of High School.
If the constitutional proposal is approved:
Schools will have the option to offer approved agriculture education programs to 7th
and 8th grade students. This could be accomplished by creating a new Middle School
FFA Chapter or including 7th and 8th grade students in the high school chapter. Local
programs can choose to limit membership to high school students only.
If the constitutional proposal fails:
FFA membership will continue as it is now with membership at the high school level
only.
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CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION FFA
PROPOSED CONSTITUTION/BY-LAWS AMENDMENTS
2017
Amendment Proposal 2 – Combine Collegiate Membership with Alumni Membership
State Staff Recommends: DO PASS
State FFA Advisor Committee: DO PASS
State Executive Committee: DO PASS
Motion:
To amend the California State FFA Constitution to combine collegiate membership with
alumni membership.
Rationale:
The National FFA Organization is planning to present an amendment to the National
Constitution to combine these 2 membership types. Collegiate membership is redundant,
because alumni membership includes collegiate students.
If the constitutional proposal is approved:
The constitution will be corrected to reflect alumni membership, and collegiate
membership as a specific membership type will be removed from the constitution.
If the constitutional proposal fails:
Collegiate membership will continue to be a stand-alone membership type.
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CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION FFA
PROPOSED CONSTITUTION/BY-LAWS AMENDMENTS
2017
Amendment Proposal 3 – State Degree Parliamentary Procedure Requirement
State Staff Recommends: DO PASS
State FFA Advisor Committee: NEUTRAL STANCE
State Executive Committee: DO PASS
Motion
To amend the California State FFA Constitution to require students to complete an
online general parliamentary procedure exam and receive a certificate of success.
Rationale
An online parliamentary procedure exam will insure that students have learned
consistent parliamentary procedure information statewide. The online exam will award a
parliamentary procedure certificate, which students could utilize in building their resume.
If the constitutional proposal is approved:
The state degree requirements will be edited, and a general parliamentary procedure
test bank will be developed. This test bank will be utilized for an online exam students
will access from their chapter.
If the constitutional proposal fails:
The parliamentary procedure requirements to receive the state FFA degree will remain
unchanged.
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CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION FFA
PROPOSED CONSTITUTION/BY-LAWS AMENDMENTS
2017
Amendment Proposal 4 – Regional Alignment
State Staff Recommends: DO NOT PASS
State FFA Advisor Committee: DO NOT PASS
State Executive Committee: NEUTRAL STANCE
Motion
To amend the California State FFA Constitution to develop a system of maintaining a
balance in the number of agriculture education programs and FFA chapters in each region
every ten years.
Rationale
As the statewide program grows and the association charters more chapters, the disparity
between regions continue to grow. This amendment would maintain balance in the
regions.
If the constitutional proposal is approved:
The State Supervisor of Agriculture Education (State FFA Advisor) will evaluate the
number of programs in each region and balance the regions based on geography and
the number of programs. This evaluation will take place every ten years.
If the constitutional proposal fails:
The regions will remain the same, and there will be a difference of 40 chapters between
the largest region and the smallest region.
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CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION FFA
PROPOSED CONSTITUTION/BY-LAWS AMENDMENTS
2017
Amendment Proposal 5 – Nominating Committee Requirements
State Staff Recommends: DO PASS
State FFA Advisor Committee: DO PASS
State Executive Committee: DO PASS
Motion
To amend the California State FFA Constitution to require state nominating committee
members to have their state FFA degree
Rationale
The State FFA Degree is required for a student who chooses to run for state office. The
members of the nominating committee who interview and help elect the state officer team
should be held to the same standard.
If the constitutional proposal is approved:
The nominating committee requirements will be edited to reflect that students must have
a State FFA degree to apply for the State Officer Nominating Committee instead of a
chapter degree which is currently required.
If the constitutional proposal fails:
The requirements to serve on the State Officer Nominating Committee will remain the
unchanged.
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CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION FFA
PROPOSED CONSTITUTION/BY-LAWS AMENDMENTS
2017
Amendment Proposal 6 – Nominating Committee Voting Eligibility
State Staff Recommends: Didn’t Take a Stance
State FFA Advisor Committee: Didn’t Take a Stance
State Executive Committee: DO PASS
Amendment Proposal to the California FFA Constitution & Bylaws Submitted by:
North Coast Region FFA
Motion:
To amend the California State Bylaws to allow members of the California FFA State
Nominating Committee to vote as a State Delegate.
Rationale:
The State Nominating Committee works with the prospective candidates of State Office
throughout the week of State Convention and therefore is most knowledgeable on the
candidate's qualities to serve as a State Officer. With this knowledge, they should be
given one vote per member of the Nominating Committee to vote on State Officers.
If the constitutional proposal is approved:
Each member of the State Nominating Committee will have the opportunity to vote as a
State Delegate at State Conference.
If the constitutional proposal fails:
The process will remain as it is now, Nominating Committee members will not have the
opportunity to vote on matters at State Conference.
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