ArAMFT
Amended Bylaws
ARTICLE 1
NAME, ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE AND
RELATIONSHIP
Section 1
The name of this organization shall be the Arkansas Association for Marriage
and Family Therapy - A Division of the Arnerican Association for Marriage and
Family Therapy (which, hereinafter will be referred to as the AAMFT).
Section 2
The Division is responsible to the duly elected officers and Board of
Directors of the AAMFT and all rules and orders lawfully made thereunder.
Section 3
The Bylaws of this Division shall be consistent with those of the AAMFT and
shall be approved by the AAMFT before formal adoption by the Division.
ARTICLE
II
PURPOSES
Section 1
The purposes for which this Division is formed are as follows:
a) To promote the common professional interests of
those who are marital
and family therapists.
b) To fulfill other purposes stated in the AAMFT Bylaws
as whose
purposes may be pursued appropriately at the Division level.
Section 2
To further the objectives of the Division by meetings, clinical sessions,
publications, research in the fields, and other relevant activities.
ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1
The Membership of this Division shall consist of two (2) categories:
a) Voting members - The voting Membership shall be
composed of Clinical
members and Fellows. Clinical Members
and Fellows shall be considered
Clinical Members.
b) Non-voting Members - The non-voting Membership shall
be composed of
Student Members and Associate
Members. Student and Associate Members
shall be considered non-clinical
Members.
Section 2
All Members of the Division shall be in good standing of the AAMFT, and all
AAMFT Members maintaining an address of record in Arkansas with the AAMFT's
office
are Members of the Arkansas Division.
Section 3
Members shall be governed by and abide by the Bylaws of the AAMFT and by the
Bylaws of the Division and all rules and orders lawfully made thereunder.
Section 4
All Members shall pay both their AAMFT and Divisional dues.
a) Dues for the Division shall be determined by
majority vote of the
voting Members of the Division conducted by mail vote.
b) All dues, billings, collections, and disbursements
will be performed
by AAMFT.
ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS
Section 1
Officers of the Association elected by Clinical Members shall be a
President,
a President-Elect, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.
Section 2
The term of the President shall be two (2) years following a term of two (2)
years as President-Elect. The President shall be Chief officer of the
Division and of the Board and shall perform such duties as are customary for
the presiding officers, including making all required appointments with the
approval of the Board. The President shall also serve as a Member
ex-officio
with right to vote on all Division committees except the Elections Committee.
Section 3
The President-Elect shall serve a term of two (2) years, proceeding to the
office of President upon completion of that term. The President-Elect
shall
serve as Presiding officer of the Division and Board during the absence of
the President.
Section 4
The Secretary shall serve a term of three (3) years. Records of all
business
meetings of the Division and meetings of the Board shall be kept by the
Secretary and distribution of minutes and reports as authorized by these
Bylaws and by the Board shall be directed by the Secretary. All of
the
official correspondence of the Division shall be the responsibility of the
Secretary.
Section 5
The Treasurer shall serve a term of three (3) years and shall be Chairperson
of the Finance Committee, shall oversee the management of funds for duly
authorized purposes of the Division, shall prepare the annual budget, and
shall present periodic financial reports to the Board and annual report to
the Membership. The fiscal year of the Division shall begin on January 1.
Section 6
The Past President shall serve a term of two (2) years immediately following
completion of a term of office as President.
Section 7
Divisional officers shall be assumed to have resigned from office at such
time as they move outside the Divisional geographic boundaries. If any
officer ceases to be in good standing by reason of nonpayment of dues, the
Board shall declare the office to be vacant.
Section 8
If an office other than President or President-Elect becomes vacant, a
successor to fill the office may be appointed by the Board. In the event
the
President is unable to complete the current term of office, the
President-Elect shall assume the presidential duties and office and a special
election shall be called to elect a new President-Elect through a mail ballot
by the voting Membership. In the event that the President-Elect is
unable
to complete the current term of office, a special election shall be called to
elect a successor through a mail ballot by the voting Membership. In any
event, the term of the Presidency shall not be for less than two (2) years,
or more than three (3) years.
ARTICLE V
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1
The Board of Directors shall consist of the officers, the Past President,
three (3) Members-at-Large (Directors), and a Student/Associate
Representative, all of whom must be Members in good standing The Directors
shall serve a term of three (3) years, staggered so that one shall be
replaces each year. The Student Associate Representative shall serve a
terrn
of two (2) years.
Section 2
The Board shall exercise all powers of the Division except as specifically
prohibited by these Bylaws and the AAMFT Bylaws. The Board shall be
authorized to adopt and publish such policies, procedures, and rules as may
be necessary and consistent with these Bylaws and AAMFT Bylaws and to
exercise authority over all Divisional business and funds.
Section 3
The Board shall meet at the call of the President and at least once each
year, or at the written request of at least three (3) Members of the Board
directed to the Secretary. A quorum shall consist of no less than one-half
(1/2) of the Membership of the Board at any given time. Each Member
shall
be entitled to one (1) vote and may take part and vote in person only. The
meeting shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts'Rules of order, Revised.
Section 4
If a position becomes vacant, the position may remain vacant or the Board may
appoint a successor to serve the remainder of the unexpired term except that
vacancies in the offices of President and President-Elect shall be filled in
accordance to the provisions stated in Article IV, Section 8.
ARTICLE Vl
COMMITTEES
Section 1
The standing cornmittees of the Arkansas Division shall include the
following: Elections, Ethics, Finance, and Membership, as well as such other
standing committees as shall be authorized by the Board. The cornrnittees
are responsible to the Board.
Section 2
All standing committees shall be appointed by the President with the approval
of the Board except the Elections Committee Terms of office ordinarily shall
be three (3) years, with at least one (1) Member being appointed and one (1)
Member retiring from the Committee each year. The term of office shall
begin
on January l of the year following appointment except when an appointment is
made to fill a vacancy. The majority of each committee shall be composed of
Clinical Members. Representatives of the public may be appointed as
needed.
Members of the committees may be removed by the President with the
approval
of the Board for malfeasance or nonperformance of duties.
Section 3
The President, with the approval of the Board, shall appoint a Chairperson
for each standing committee except as otherwise provided for in the
Bylaws.
The Chairperson shall be a Clinical Member of the Association.
Following
the annual Membership meeting, the President shall then authorize a
continuing Member of the Elections Cornmittee to convene that Committee, the
Chairperson being elected by the Committee. The Arkansas Division
Treasurer
shall be ex-officio Chairperson of the Finance Committee.
Section 4
The Members of the Elections Committee shall be elected by mail ballot by the
voting Membership of the Arkansas Division and shall serve a term of three (3)
years, staggered so that one (1) Member shall be replaced each year.
Section 5
The Elections Committee shall prepare a slate of nominees for officers,
Director, and Elections Committee positions and shall oversee the elections
of such positions as provided for in these Bylaws and in rules and procedures
adopted by the Board for elections.
Section 6
The Membership Committee shall be responsible for dispensing information as
regards to AAMET Membership requirements and application procedures to
potential Members. In addition, they shall encourage appropriate inquiry
and
application to the AAMFT.
Section 7
The Ethics Committee shall be responsible for educating the Membership and
the public regarding the AAMFT Code of Ethics. The committee shall not
conduct investigations or consider the allegations of violations of ethical
principles made against Members or issue or render advisory opinions on
ethical matters but shall refer such matters to the AAMFT Ethics
Committee.
The committee shall function according to the Procedures for Handling Ethical
Matters.
Section 8
The Finance Committee shall assist the Treasurer in preparing the annual
budget for approval of the Board and the Membership and shall be responsible
for making recommendations to the Board and Membership in all matters
involving the finances of the Division.
ARTICLE VII
LOCAL CHAPTERS
Section 1
Local chapters of the Division may be formed at the discretion of the Board,
providing such chapters conform to AAMFT and Divisional Bylaws with regard to
Membership, voting, holding office, serving on committees, and related
matters. Chapters may be formed with formal structure, including Bylaws, or
operated informally so long as the structure and function conform to the
AAMFT and Divisional Bylaw principles.
ARTICLE VIII
MEETINGS FOR THE MEMBERSHIP
Section 1
The Board shall determine the date and location of the annual meeting of the
Membership.
Section 2
Special meetings of the Membership may be called by the President, a majority
of the Board, or by a petition to the Board of ten percent (1O%) of the
Membership.
Section 3
Notice of all annual and special meetings shall be sent to all voting Members
of the Division at least forty-five (45) days in advance of the meeting by
the Board of Directors. Actions at such meetings shall be limited to those
agenda items contained in the notice of the meeting.
Section 4
A quorum at all annual and special meetings of the Division shall be ten
percent (10%) of the voting Membership of the Division present in person at
the meeting. No proxies shall be permitted.
Section 5
All meetings shall be conducted according to Roberts ' Rules of order,
Revised.
ARTICLE IX
NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
Section 1
The nomination and election of officers and Directors shall be conducted
annually. All voting Members of the Division shall have the right to vote in
the election, which shall be conducted by mail ballot. The Student and
Associate Members shall vote and elect for the Board the Student/Associate
Representative Discrimination in election and nomination procedures on the
basis of race, color, or sex is forbidden. Candidates who are elected shall
assume office on the first day of January following their election and shall
hold office for the tenure of their office, or until their successors have
been elected and qualified. Elections shall be conducted before the
fall conference.
Section 2
The Elections Committee (Nominating Committee) shall prepare a slate
consisting of at least two (2) nominees for each position and shall determine
the eligibility and willingness of each nominee to stand for election.
Write-in voting shall be allowed provided the write-in candidates are
eligible for election and have agreed to serve if elected. The candidate
who
received the majority of votes for each office shall be elected. Ballots
shall be counted by the Board or by tellers designated by the Board.
ARTICLE X
AMENDMENTS
Section 1
The Bylaws may be arnended by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting Members
present at any annual meeting of the Division duly called and regularly held,
notice of such proposed changes having been sent in writing to the voting
Members thirty (3O) days before such meeting; or, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote
of the voting Members by mail ballot returned within thirty (3O) days of the
date by which Members can reasonably be presumed to have received the ballot.
Amendments may be proposed by the Board on its own initiative or upon
petition by twenty percent (2O%) of the voting Members addressed to the
Board. All proposed amendments shall be presented by the
Board to the Division Membership with or without recommendation.
© 2000 ArAMFT
