36 U.S.C. § 70904: Governing body

Summary

A board of directors must run the FFA and use the powers given to the organization. The board must include the Secretary of Education or the Secretary’s designee who has experience in agricultural education, the FFA, or career and technical education, plus other people who represent education, agriculture, food, and natural resources or who have worked closely with the FFA. The board cannot include anyone who is a current employee of the National FFA Organization. How many directors there are, how long they serve, and how they are chosen are set by the FFA’s constitution or bylaws. The board must meet at least once a year at the time and place in the constitution or bylaws, present an annual report then, and the chair can call special meetings. Officers and their terms are set by the constitution or bylaws, but must include a national advisor, an executive secretary, and a treasurer. The board may create a governing committee made up only of board members. The committee must have at least 3 people and follow terms in the constitution or bylaws. When the board is not meeting, the committee can act for the board under the board’s direction and can authorize the FFA seal. The board must put the chair, the executive secretary, and the treasurer on that committee.

Title 36, §70904

Patriotic and National Observances, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Board of Directors.—

(1)The board of directors is the governing body of the FFA. The board shall exercise the powers granted to the FFA.

(2)The board—

(A)shall consist of—

(i)the Secretary of Education, or the Secretary of Education’s designee who has experience in agricultural education, the FFA, or career and technical education; and

(ii)other individuals—

(I)representing the fields of education, agriculture, food, and natural resources; or

(II)with experience working closely with the FFA; and

(B)shall not include any individual who is a current employee of the National FFA Organization.

(3)The number of directors, terms of office of the directors, and the method of selecting the directors, are as provided in the constitution or bylaws of the FFA.

(4)The board shall meet at least annually at the time and place provided in the constitution or bylaws of the FFA. The annual report of the board shall be presented at that meeting. Special meetings of the board may be called at any time by the chair.

(b)Officers.—

The officers of the FFA, the terms of officers, and the election of officers, are as provided in the constitution or bylaws of the FFA, except that such officers shall include—

(1)a national advisor;

(2)an executive secretary; and

(3)a treasurer.

(c)Governing Committee.—

(1)The board may designate a governing committee. The terms and method of selecting the governing committee members are as provided in the constitution or bylaws of the FFA, except that all members of the governing committee shall be members of the board of directors and at all times the governing committee shall be comprised of not less than 3 individuals.

(2)When the board is not in session, the governing committee has the powers of the board subject to the board’s direction and may authorize the seal of the FFA to be affixed to all papers that require it.

(3)The board shall designate to such committee—

(A)the chair of the board;

(B)the executive secretary of the board; and

(C)the treasurer of the board.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 70904(a)36:278(a)–(c), (e).Aug. 30, 1950, ch. 823, § 8, 64 Stat. 565. 70904(b)36:278(d). In subsection (a), the text of 36:278(e) is omitted as obsolete. In paragraph (2), the words “Secretary of Education” and “Department of Education” are substituted for “Chief of the Agricultural Education Service, Office of Education, Federal Security Agency” and “Agricultural Education Service, Office of Education, Federal Security Agency”, respectively, in section 8(a) of the Act of August 30, 1950 (ch. 823, 64 Stat. 565), because of section 5 and 8 of Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1953 (5 App. U.S.C.) and 20:3441 and 3507.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2019—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 116–7, § 5(1)(A), substituted “FFA” for “corporation” in two places. Subsec. (a)(2), (3). Pub. L. 116–7, § 5(1)(B), added pars. (2) and (3) and struck out former pars. (2) and (3) which read as follows: “(2) The board consists of the Secretary of Education, four staff members in the Department of Education, and four State supervisors of agriculture education. The Secretary is chairman of the board. “(3) The term of office of the directors and the method of selecting the directors (except ex officio directors) are as provided in the bylaws.” Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 116–7, § 5(1)(C), substituted “constitution or bylaws of the FFA” for “bylaws” and “chair” for “chairman”. Subsecs. (b), (c). Pub. L. 116–7, § 5(2), (3), added subsecs. (b) and (c) and struck out former subsec. (b) which read as follows: “Governing Committee.—The board may designate the chairman of the board and two members of the chairman’s staff as a governing committee. When the board is not in session, the governing committee has the powers of the board subject to the board’s direction and may authorize the seal of the corporation to be affixed to all papers that require it.”

§70904 Governing Body