BYLAWS OF THE PALOUSE UNIT OF THE IDAHO CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY

SECTION I. NAME AND OBJECTIVES.

1. The name of this organization shall be the Palouse Unit of the Idaho Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, hereinafter referred to as the Unit.
2. The objectives of the Unit shall be those of the Society as set forth in Article I of the Constitution. In addition, the Unit also has the following objective:

Encourage the exchange of information by members of the unit and other interested parties residing within the state of Idaho and the eastern portion of Washington.

3. All activities of this Unit shall conform to the Society’s Constitution, Rules, and Procedures.

SECTION II. MEMBERSHIP.

1. The membership of the Unit shall be composed of those Society members in good standing and paying dues (to be set annually by the Executive Committee) to the Unit who reside in the state of Idaho and Eastern portion of Washington.

SECTION III. MEETINGS AND VOTING.

1. The Unit shall hold bi-monthly meetings during the scholastic year at a time and place designated by its Executive Committee. Special meetings may be called by the President with approval of the Executive Committee.
2. A quorum is required for transaction of official business and shall be three-fifths of the Unit membership.
3. Unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws or the Constitution of the Society, meetings are conducted according to the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
4. Decisions at meetings are by simple majority of Active Members voting, except 2/3 majorities are required in special cases such as amending the Bylaws and suspending a Rule. Other less frequently used voting requirements are described in Robert’s Rules of Order.

SECTION IV. OFFICERS.

1. The officers of the Unit shall consist of, a President, a Vice-President, and a Secretary-Treasurer.
2. All officers must be members in good standing of the Society.
3. Officers shall be nominated by a nominating committee appointed by the President. Officers shall be elected by a majority of ballots casts and election methods shall be determined by the Executive Committee.
4. The election of officers shall be made during the 2^nd April meeting.
5. The Unit Officers shall serve for a period of one year in each office, and shall be ineligible for re-election for a period of one year after the expiration of their term.
6. In the event of a vacated position, the Executive Committee shall appoint a qualified replacement to fill the unexpired term.
7. No elected officer or appointed committee member of the Unit shall receive any salary or other compensation. Expenses may be defrayed from funds available to the Unit when authorized by the Executive Committee.

SECTION V. DUTIES OF OFFICERS.

1. The President shall:
2. Preside at all meetings;
3. Serve as Chair of the Executive Committee;
4. Appoint all committees;
5. Coordinate the activities of the Unit’s standing and technical committees and serve as liaison between such committees and the Executive Committee;
6. Represent the Unit to the Idaho chapter;
7. Conduct official correspondence for the Unit and present reports of Unit activities at the annual meeting;
8. Make such appointments and perform other duties and functions as are authorized and necessary.
9. The Vice President shall:
10. Serve on the Executive Committee;
11. Serve as the chair of the Nominating Committee;
12. Serve as the chair of the Program Committee; and,
13. Shall assume the duties of the President in the event of his/her absence or inability to act.
14. The Secretary-Treasurer shall:
15. Keep the official records of the Unit, collect and be custodian of any fees or assessments authorized by these bylaws or funds allotted to the Unit by the Society;
16. Disburse funds only as authorized by either the membership or Executive Committee;
17. Submit, at the annual Unit meeting, the year-end report for the previous fiscal year and a comparison of approved versus actual income and expenditures for the current fiscal year;
18. Annually update and distribute current copies of the Unit Bylaws to the Society’s Executive Director and each member of the Unit Executive Committee by September 1;
19. Serve on the Executive Committee;
20. Conduct the election.

SECTION VI. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

1. The Executive Committee of the Unit shall consist of elected officers, and other members as appointed by the President. Those with voting privileges shall be the President, Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer.
2. The Executive Committee is authorized to act on behalf of the Unit between annual meetings.
3. A quorum is required for transaction of official business at an Executive Committee meeting. A quorum for an Executive Committee meeting shall consist of two of three members. Executive Committee members can appoint a proxy.
4. Each member of the Executive Committee shall have one vote on Executive Committee decisions. In the event of a tie, the President’s vote shall be the deciding vote.

SECTION VII. UNIT COMMITTEES.

1. Committees and Chairs of committees, except as listed in Sections V and VI of these Bylaws, shall be appointed and charged by the President. Except for Standing Committees, these Unit committees shall cease to function upon the discharge of the duties for which they were appointed or with the end of the term of the appointing officer.
2. Standing Committees help the President and the Executive Committee conduct the Unit’s affairs, and the chairs should report their committees’ activities, findings, and recommendations at annual Unit meetings and interim meetings of the Executive Committee.
3. The Unit has established the following Standing Committees:
4. Program Committee shall be appointed of not less than three members including the Vice President who shall be Chairperson. The Program Committee is responsible for arrangements of the program for the monthly meetings consisting of technical papers, symposia related to fisheries, and other appropriate activities related to the fisheries field.
5. Nominating Committee of not less than of not less than four (4) members shall present to the membership a slate of candidates by the March meeting. At the March meeting, nominations from the floor will be accepted.
6. Policy and Resolutions Committee of five (5) which shall draft and recommend to the chapter and/or the Executive Committee for consideration such transactions or correspondence as may be considered prudent and necessary in the furtherance of the purposes and objectives of the unit.
7. i) The members of the Policy and Resolutions Committee should as is practical represent a cross-section of the unit members including representatives of the faculty, student body, and state, federal and private industry.
8. ii) The Policy and Resolutions Committee shall act diligently on such resolutions and statements submitted to it by any member or by the Executive Committee.

iii) All resolutions, statements, and correspondence unanimously approved by the Policy and Resolutions Committee must be submitted to the Executive Committee for unanimous approval or for submission to the Unit membership at the next meeting. All resolutions or statements approved by the Executive Committee must be reported to the Unit membership at the next monthly meeting. All resolutions approved by the Unit must be reported to the Chapter by correspondence in 60 days.

SECTION VIII. DUES AND FEES.

1. The Executive Committee shall establish annual dues subject to approval of the members voting at the annual meeting.
2. The Executive Committee may assess registration fees for annual meetings.

SECTION IX. BYLAWS, RULES AND PROCEDURES.

1. The Bylaws are the defining document for the Unit and take precedence over all other rules and procedures of the Unit. The Bylaws cannot be suspended and cannot be changed without prior notice to members.
2. The Bylaws may be amended by a 2/3 majority of Active Members choosing to vote, provided that the proposed amendment(s) are circulated in writing to the membership at least 30 days prior to voting.
3. In accordance with the Society Constitution, an adopted amendment shall be reviewed by the Society’s Constitutional Consultant for conformity with the Constitution, Rules and Procedures of the Society. The Constitutional Consultant presents the adopted amendment to the Society Governing Board for approval.
4. Amendments take effect when the Unit receives written notice of their approval by the Governing Board from the Executive Director.
5. Rules are the next highest level of documentation of Unit operations. They are generally established to facilitate the conduct of Unit business, and to describe duties and responsibilities of officers and committees. They may be suspended or amended as follows.
6. The Rules may be suspended during an Executive Committee meeting until the next annual or special Unit meeting by a 2/3 majority of the Executive Committee.
7. The Rules may be suspended for the duration of a meeting by a 2/3 majority of Active Members voting at an annual or special Unit meeting.
8. The Rules may be amended by a simple majority of Active Members voting at an annual or special Unit meeting.
9. Procedures are the lowest level of documentation of Unit operations. They are generally established to provide continuity in the conduct of Unit business. The Procedures may be suspended or amended by a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee.

 

PUAFS_Bylaws (DOC)