Constitution and By-Laws
Constitution and By-Laws of the Alabama Veterinary Technician Association
CONSTITUTION
Article I – Name
The Association shall be known as the “Alabama Veterinary Technician Association”, hereafter referred to as the Association.
Article II – Purpose and Objectives
Section 1. To promote professional and educational advancement of Licensed Veterinary Technicians and veterinary support staff and by so doing, aid in the protection and improvement of public health for the state of Alabama.
Section 2. To establish and maintain a cooperative and professional relationship with the veterinary medical profession of Alabama.
Section 3. To enhance the knowledge and skills of Licensed Veterinary Technicians and veterinary support staff by promoting professionalism, responsibility, leadership and continuing education.
Article III – Membership
Section 1. Full Membership: Any person licensed as a Veterinary Technician by the Alabama Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners is eligible to become a member of the Association.
Section 2. Associate Membership: Any persons, including veterinary support staff, veterinarians, veterinary salespersons and veterinary technology students, wishing
to support and promote the association are eligible for associate membership. Associate members shall not be eligible to serve in the offices of President or Vice
President, yet retain voting privileges, serve on committees and attend all functions.
Article IV – Officers
Section 1. The officers of the Association shall consist of a President, President – Elect, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Section 2. The eligibility, tenure, duties, meeting and election of Officers shall be set forth in the “By-Laws of the Association.”
Article V – Committees
Section 1. The Association shall have such standing committees as may be specified by the By-Laws of the Association and such ad hoc committees as may be specified as needed by the Executive Committee.
Section 2. The President with the consent of the Executive Committee shall regularly appoint the Chairpersons of all committees except as otherwise provided in the By-Laws of the Association.
Section 3. The officers along with the Executive Secretary, Liaison, Veterinary Technology Student Liaison and District representatives shall compose the Executive Committee.
Article VI – Amendments
Section 1. The constitution may be amended by a majority vote of the association members in attendance at a meeting of the Association, provided that the proposed
amendment shall first have been proposed in writing to the association.
Section 2. Each member of the Association shall be notified of the proposed amendment(s) 30 days prior to the next scheduled meeting at which the vote upon said proposed amendment(s) is so taken.
Section 3. Adoption of amendments will take place at a scheduled meeting and become effective at the close of that particular meeting unless otherwise indicated.
Article VII – By-Laws
The By-Laws of the Association shall appear following the last article of the Constitution, and shall be proposed, passed, amended and adopted as stated in Article VI, Sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Constitution of the Association.
By-Laws of the Alabama Veterinary Technician Association
Article I – Name
The Association shall be known by the name set forth in its duly adopted Constitution to wit: Alabama Veterinary Technician Association and shall hereafter be referred to as the Association.
Article II – Purposes and Objectives
The purposes and objectives shall be set forth in the constitution of the Association
Article III – Membership
Section 1. The classes of membership and requirements thereof shall be set forth in the Constitution.
Section 2. All applicants for membership must meet the requirements of the constitution and By-Laws.
Section 3. All applicants shall submit an application for membership on forms provided by the Association. The applicant shall supply all the information requested and sign the application, which shall be submitted to the Executive Secretary, who shall report upon the same to the Association.
Section 4. It shall be the duty of the Executive Secretary to provide the new members with a copy of the By-Laws and Constitution of the Association.
Article IV – Officers and Executive Committee
Section 1. The Officers of the Association shall consist of a President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.
The President-Elect shall be elected biennially at the fall meeting and shall take office at the conclusion of the exiting president’s term. The Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected biennially at the fall meeting and shall take office the following January, thus giving current officers and officers-elect a transition period to organize for the upcoming year. Other officials of the Executive Committee shall include:
Executive Secretary: An Executive Secretary may be appointed by theExecutive Committee to provide continuity for activities of the Association.
The Executive Secretary will be reimbursed for expenses incurred while performing the duties of the position as recommended by the Executive
Committee. The Executive Secretary shall not exercise a vote in Executive Committee decisions. The Executive Secretary shall submit to an annual
review by the Executive Committee.
Association Liaison: An Association Liaison may be appointed by theExecutive Committee to provide communication between the Association and other entities including, but not limited to ALVMA, ASBVME and NAVTA. The Association Liaison will be reimbursed for expenses incurred while performing the duties of the position as recommended by the Executive Committee. The Association Liaison shall not exercise a vote in Executive Committee decisions. The Association Liaison shall submit to an annual review by the Executive Committee.
Veterinary Technology Student Liaison: A Veterinary Technology StudentLiaison may be appointed by the Executive Committee to provide communication between the Association and the veterinary technology student body. Veterinary Technology Student Liaison will be reimbursed for expenses incurred while performing the duties of the position as recommended by the Executive Committee. Veterinary Technology Student Liaison shall not exercise a vote in Executive Committee decisions. The Veterinary Technology Student Liaison shall submit to an annual review by the Executive Committee.
District Representatives: District Representatives may be appointed by the Executive Committee to provide communication between the Association, veterinary support staff and the veterinary profession within their respective districts. The District Representatives will be reimbursed for expenses incurred while performing the duties of the position as recommended by the Executive Committee. The District Representatives shall not exercise a vote in Executive Committee decisions. The District Representatives shall submit to an annual review by the Executive Committee. The elected officers together with the Executive Secretary, Association Liaison, Veterinary Technology Student Liaison and District Representatives shall comprise the Executive Committee.
Section 2. Duties of the elected officers and Association officials:
· The President-elect shall serve as a voting member on the Executive committee the two years prior to taking office as President.
· The past President shall serve as advisor to the Executive Committee.
· The President shall coordinate the agenda, give notice of the date, time, place and location of meetings, and preside over all meetings. The President has the power to break voting ties, and will represent the Association in all matters. The President will also oversee the Executive Committee and shall appoint chairpersons for all standing ad hoc committees with the approval of the executive Committee.
· The Vice President shall preside in the absence of the President. The Vice President will outline the purpose and duties of committees and monitor their progress. The Vice President will oversee the committee in charge of planning the annual Fall continuing education meeting.
· The Secretary shall keep a record of all the proceedings and attendance of the Association meetings.
· The Treasurer shall keep monies disbursed under the direction of the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall also keep accounts, financial reports and written statements of receipts and disbursements, deposit all monies in the name of the Association in a federally insured bank approved by the Executive Committee. One member of the executive committee and the Treasurer shall sign all written contracts and obligations. Neither the President nor any other member of the Executive Committee has the authority to make the Association liable for any debt beyond the amount of money in the Association bank accounts not required for the discharge of existing debts or liabilities.
· The Executive Secretary shall maintain a central repository for Associational records including: Records of names and addresses of all members, copies of all financial reports including audit results, copies of all official correspondence and other records of historical significance to the Association. The Executive Secretary will act as editor of the Associational Newsletter and/or other publications, assisted by the Association Secretary.
· The Association Liaison, Veterinary Technology Student Liaison and District Representatives shall represent their respective entities in all Executive Committee meetings.
Section 3. Terms of Office and Installation:
· Voting for the Officers- Elect will occur at the Fall meeting and Officers- Elect will take office in January of the upcoming year.
· Officers other than the Treasurer may hold an office no more than two consecutive terms, and may seek another office at the end of that term.
· Officers other than the Treasurer must then skip one year before re-election to the previous office held, but may serve in another Executive Committee position.
Section 4. Meetings:
The dates, times, and locations will be announced by the President of the Association. Meetings may be conducted via teleconference or other type of web based conferencing when deemed necessary by the President and Officers of the Association. A quorum shall be required in order for any official association business to be conducted. The five elected officers are the voting members of the Executive Committee; there must be a minimum of three of the five elected officers present to constitute a quorum.
Section 5. Vacancies:
Any vacancies occurring on the Executive Committee shall be filled until the next biennial election by a majority vote of all the then members of the Executive Committee, except that a vacancy in the office of President shall be filled automatically by the Vice-President and the resulting vacancy in the office
of Vice-President shall be filled by the Executive Committee.
Section 6. Removal/Replacement of Officers: Officers of the Association may be removed due to one or more of the following reasons:
· Missing three or more scheduled Association meetings within a calendar year.
· The refusal or inability for any reason of an officer to perform her/his duties.
· The misuse of her/his office to obtain personal, financial or material gain.
· Any misconduct that is in violation of the Alabama Veterinary Practice Act or charges of unprofessional conduct.
Article V – Committees
Section 1. Executive Committee shall be comprised of the President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Executive Secretary, Association Liaison, Veterinary Technology Student Liaison and District Representatives. The Executive Committee should be active members of the Association. They shall
advise and assist the President in Associational affairs. The Executive Committee shall meet prior to Association business meetings and at other times as needed.
Executive Committee members shall submit a copy of any written and/or received correspondence to the Executive Secretary for preservation. Executive Committee
members shall keep a journal of yearly responsibilities and duties to be passed on to the new Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall have the
authority to terminate appointment of the Executive Secretary, Association Liaison, Veterinary Technology Student Liaison and District Representatives.
Section2. The duties of the Executive Committee shall include but not be limited to the Public Relations, Membership Recruitment, Continuing Education & Nominating Committee formation. It is mandatory that all Executive Committee members participate in the planning, preparation and execution of the Association Continuing Education program.
Section 3. The chairpersons of any committee shall be appointed by the President with approval of the Executive Committee.
Section 4. Nominating Committee Functions: This committee shall consist of a chairperson appointed by the President of the Association. It shall be the purpose of the Committee to nominate and form a list of those persons willing to hold office in the Association for the upcoming year. Said list will be completed and furnished to the Association thirty days prior to the Fall Meeting each year.
Article VI – Dues and Fees
Section 1. The dues and fees incident to membership in the Association shall be according to a schedule recommended by the active membership and the Executive Committee. A majority vote of active members present at any meeting shall be required to approve the changes in dues and fees. All members of the Executive Committee that actively participate in the planning, preparation and execution of the annual Continuing Education program are exempt from Association dues and fees.
Section 2. All funds of the Association shall be deposited in such financial institute as shall be designated by the Officers and shall be withdrawn upon such signatures and upon such terms as may be approved by the officers.
Section 3. Dues shall be paid annually into membership lasting one calendar year. Renewal of fees/membership is required by January 1 of each year.
Article VII – Amendments
The by-laws may be amended in the manner prescribed by Article VI of the Constitution.
Article VIII – Voting Procedure
Section 1. Election of Officers and election of Committee members will take place, biennially
at the fall Continuing Education meeting. Voting shall be accomplished by written
ballot, with verification of membership for those present at the meeting.
Section 2. All voting except for the annual election of officers shall be accomplished by a show of hands at a regular meeting unless otherwise arranged