CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE FLORIDA CHAPTER OF THE SYSTEM SAFETY SOCIETY
ARTICLE I - GENERAL
Section 1.1. The objective of the Chapter as stated in the Charter shall be accomplished through meetings, publications, lectures and such other means as are approved by the Chapter Executive Committee. Every member is encouraged to pursue these objectives; however, no member shall do so in the name of the Chapter without prior approval of the Executive Committee.
Section 1.2. Every member and affiliate of the System Safety Society whose residence is located within the geographical jurisdiction of the Chapter is automatically a member of the Chapter.
ARTICLE II - OFFICERS
Section 2.1. The officers of the Chapter shall be a president, president-elect, a secretary, and a treasurer. Officers must be professional grade members of the System Safety Society.
Section 2.2. The president shall guide the Chapter in the formulation of constructive activities and shall preside over the meetings of the Chapter. He shall appoint directors and necessary committees.
Section 2.3. The president shall submit a written report to the president of the System Safety Society by July 1st summarizing the accomplishments during the Chapter year. At the Annual Meeting ending his term of office, he shall submit the same report to the membership.
Section 2.4. The president-elect shall perform duties delegated to him by the president and in the absence of the president shall assume the duties of the president. Unless a program chairperson is appointed by the president, the president-elect shall function as the program chairperson.
Section 2.5. The secretary shall prepare and appropriately distribute minutes of all Chapter and Executive Committee meetings and shall maintain all the records of the Chapter. Within 120 days after the Annual Meeting, he shall distribute to all Chapter members a membership roster containing such information as name, address, affiliation, and telephone number of individual members. He shall prepare and distribute other correspondence as in a manner directed by the president. He shall be an ex-officio member of the Membership Committee.
Section 2.6. The treasurer shall maintain custody of all monies of the Chapter in a manner approved by the Executive Committee and shall pay all authorized bills against the Chapter. At the Annual Meeting ending his term of office, he shall submit a brief report on the financial status of the Chapter and, within 15 days after that meeting, shall submit a written financial report and his books for audit. Upon final audit, he will then turn over all funds, financial records and other properties of the Chapter to his successor. He shall be an ex-officio member of the Finance Committee.
Section 2.7. The Executive Committee is the governing body of the Chapter. Officers serving a term of office shall remain in office until their elected or appointed successors take office at the Chapter Annual Meeting.
Section 2.8. The Executive Committee shall consist of the president, president-elect, secretary, treasurer, the most recent past president, directors and standing committee chairpersons. Three members of the regular Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.
Section 2.9. An elective office shall be declared vacant by the Executive Committee in the event that an officer or director resigns or ceases to be a member of the Chapter or the System Safety Society.
Section 2.10. The office of president, if vacated, shall not be filled. Instead, the president-elect shall assume the duties of the president for the remainder of the Chapter year.
Section 2.11. The office of president-elect, if vacated, shall be filled as quickly as possible by special election performed in a manner specified in Article VI.
Section 2.12. The office of secretary, if vacated, shall be filled by appointment by the president with approval by the Executive Committee.
Section 2.13. The office of treasurer, if vacated, shall be filled by appointment by the president with approval by the Executive Committee.
Section 2.14. Up to three additional Chapter members may be appointed by the president to serve as directors during his term of office.
ARTICLE III - ELECTIONS
Section 3.1. Elections, both Annual and Special, of officers shall be performed in the manner specified by the Charter of the Chapter and by this Article.
Section 3.2. Nominations for the elective offices for the initial Chapter term shall be made and voted on by attending members at the first Chapter meeting. Thereafter, nominations for elective offices shall be made by the Nominating Committee or vote of the membership and the ballot shall provide for write-in candidates. Section 3.3. The Nominating Committee shall select at least one nominee for each elective position with an opportunity given to the membership to nominate additional members at a Chapter meeting prior to the Annual Meeting. In no case shall a person's name be placed in nomination for more than one elective position during any one election. No person shall be elected without his prior consent.
Section 3.4. The Nominating Committee shall deliver, in writing, its nominations and a brief resume of each candidate's background to the secretary no less than two weeks prior to the Chapter meeting preceding the Annual Meeting.
Section 3.5. The secretary shall prepare the final ballot, nominee resumes, voting instructions, and suitable return envelopes no less than three weeks (21 days) prior to the Annual Meeting and shall mail the ballot package to all members eligible to vote.
Section 3.6. Ballots shall be counted by at least three Chapter members, no more than two of whom are members of the Executive Committee. All ballots received by the opening of the Annual Meeting shall be counted. In the event of a Special Election, only those ballots received within 30 days after ballot mail-out by the secretary shall be counted. Election shall be accomplished by a plurality vote of the membership voting. Ties Shall be settled by lottery.
ARTICLE IV - MEETINGS
Section 4.1. Chapter meetings shall be held at least two times each Chapter year, or more often as determined by the Executive Committee. The nature, time and place of each meeting shall be determined or approved by the Executive Committee, except that Special Meetings can be required by written petition signed by 25% or more of the members.
Section 4.2. The Annual Meeting shall be the last meeting of the Chapter year and held during the month of June each year. The Chapter year shall be from July 1st through June 30th of the following year to coincide with the Society year.
Section 4.3. Members shall be notified of all Chapter meetings by written announcement mailed by the secretary at least 7 days prior to each meeting.
Section 4.4. Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern Chapter meeting conduct when not in conflict with the Constitution or By-Laws of the System Safety Society or the Charter or By-Laws of the Chapter.
ARTICLE V - COMMITTEES
Section 5.1. The president shall appoint the chairpersons and committee members of the committees listed in this Article and any others necessary to accomplish the objective of the Chapter, and shall notify the membership of such appointments.
Section 5.2. Each committee shall maintain records of the activities of the committee and shall submit these records to the president on his request. The committee records will be bound over to the successor chairperson.
Section 5.3. The following committees shall be standing committees:
Section 5.3.1. Membership & Awards Committee.
This committee shall be made up of at least three persons, each of whom is a member of the System Safety Society. This committee will solicit new members and recommend member upgrades and Society awards. This committee will also maintain an active file of members seeking employment and part-time consultant positions within the Chapter.
Section 5.3.2. Program Committee.
This committee shall be chaired by the president-elect unless another member is appointed chairperson by the president. There shall be at least two other members to help develop a program for the Chapter year for presentation to the membership at the first meeting following the Chapter Annual Meeting. Upon approval of the membership, this committee will make all arrangements for the programs.
Section 5.4. The following committees shall be ad hoc committees:
Section 5.4.1. Nominating Committee.
This committee, whose function is described in Article VI, shall be comprised of a chairperson and at least two other persons, each of whom is a member of the Society. No member of this committee shall be an officer or a member of the Executive Committee. This committee shall be appointed by the president no later than three months prior to the end of his term year (April 1st).
Section 5.4.2. Finance Committee.
This committee shall be comprised of the prior term treasurer as an ex-officio member, the new treasurer-elect as chairperson, and two other members of the Chapter appointed by the president. This committee will perform the following acts:
- Audit the treasurer's books and prepare a formal Statement of Accounting for the Chapter president and the membership body to be presented at the Annual Meeting.
- Prepare a projected budget for the incoming president for use as guidance for his term year.
Section 5.5. The membership of all committees appointed by the president shall terminate at the next Annual Meeting.
ARTICLE VI - AMENDMENTS
Section 6.1. Amendments to these By-Laws may be presented by any member in good standing at any regular meeting of the Chapter or at an Special meeting called for that specific purpose. They shall be presented in writing to the president for inclusion on the program agenda and shall be offered to the membership present at that meeting on motion for consideration and circulation to the membership. A simple majority of those present shall be necessary to pass the motion. Amendments accepted for further consideration and circulation shall be circulated with a ballot to all members in good standing. A two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of all ballots returned within 30 days of the mailing shall be necessary for adoption of any amendment.
Date: 8 April 94
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