Bylaws

ORGANIZATIONAL BYLAWS
ORGANIZATIONAL BYLAWS
NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA NURSE PRACTITIONERS ASSOCIATION
REVISED November, 2010
ARTICLE I - NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1: The name of this organization shall be the Northwest Pennsylvania Nurse Practitioners Association.

Section 2: The purposes of this organization shall be:
a. To promote quality standards of practice in health care delivery.
b. To improve communications among nurse practitioners, other healthcare    professionals, and the community.
c. To address political and legislative issues pertinent to nurse practitioners in the delivery of health care.
d. To promote the role of NPs to the public, legislators, policy makers, and other healthcare professionals.
e. To design and implement continuing educational opportunities for nurse practitioners.
f. To foster individual and group research projects.

Section 3: The organization is composed of members from Northwest Pennsylvania and surrounding area.

ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: Membership shall include graduates and students of educational programs which specifically prepare registered nurses to be nurse practitioners and/or nurse midwives. Students are considered associate members.

Section 2: Voting privileges shall be afforded to paying members. These privileges are forfeited upon failure to pay dues.

ARTICLE III - DUES

Section 1: All members of this organization shall pay annual dues, which are to be paid annually through the Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioner’s website (www.pacnp.org) by December 31^st of the preceding year. The annual dues shall cover the calendar year and be determined by majority vote of the membership. Should adjustment in the amount of annual dues be necessary, changes will be proposed by officers or members, discussed, and passed by majority vote or quorum as outlined in Section VIII. Student dues are one-half the price of full dues.

ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS/EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1: The officers of this organization shall be President, President-Elect, Secretary/Treasurer, Regional Coalition Rep (2), CE/Program Coordinator, and Public Relation Rep, who shall be elected as hereafter provided under Article X. Other members of the executive committee include appointed chairpersons of committees. Student NPs are not permitted to hold office. Students may serve on committees, but not as chairpersons.

ARTICLE V - TERMS OF OFFICE

Section 1: No officer shall be elected to serve in the same office for more than one consecutive term. Terms shall run for two consecutive years. The President, President-Elect, and CE/Program Coordinator shall be elected in the odd calendar years. The Secretary/Treasurer, Coalition Reps (2), and Public Relations Rep shall be elected in the even calendar years.
Section 2: Unexcused absences from two consecutive meetings are considered resignation from the office.

Section 3: Association members may remove for good cause any elected officer from their position, at a scheduled meeting and by two-thirds vote, as long as a quorum as defined in Article VIII is present.

ARTICLE VI - DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1: The officers of this organization shall constitute the Executive Committee.

Section 2: The President shall chair the organization and the Executive Committee, in addition the President shall:
a. Preside at all meetings
b. Appoint committees not otherwise provided for by the Bylaws.
c. Serve as ex-officio member on all committees, except the Nominating Committee.
d. Sign all certificates, contracts, or other instruments requiring signature.
e. Appoint a member to fill a vacancy in any elected position for the unexpired term of office, with the approval of the Executive Committee.

Section 3: The President-Elect shall assume the duties of the President in his or her absence and shall:
a. Be mentored by and assist the President in his or her duties.
b. Assume the office of President after the two year term as President-Elect.
c. Collect applications for annual scholarship awards; 1-$500 for doctoral student and    2-$250 for CRNP student
d. Assist CE Coordinator with arranging continuing education programs

Section 4: The Secretary/Treasurer shall:
a. Keep a record of proceedings of all meetings and post a copy on the NPNPA Website.
b. Notify officers and committee members of their election or appointment.
c. Keep an accurate list of members.
d. Sign such official correspondence as deemed appropriate to the secretary’s office.
e. Receive and deposit all funds in the name of the organization in a savings institution designated by the Executive Committee.
f. Disperse these funds as authorized by the membership through checks signed by the Treasurer. In the event of the inability of the Treasurer to act, checks may be signed by a designated individual (current or past president).
g. Consult with an independent accountant every one to three years to ensure filing requirements are met (i.e. W9-tax exempt form).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    h. Pay the annual fees for the NPNPA domain name, e-mail and website.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               i. Provide a treasurer report at each meeting held during the calendar year.

Section 5: The Coalition Representatives (2) shall attend meetings and be a member of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners. Report on the activities of the Coalition to the members of NPNPA at regularly scheduled meetings.Section 6: The CE/Program Coordinator shall arrange for continuing education program for business meetings, prepare and send notification of meeting to the membership via e-mail or US Postal Service.Section 7: The Public Relations Representative shall be responsible for promoting NP practice by educating public and healthcare providers of NP role.Section 8: The Executive committee may appropriate funding, in the amount up to $500.00, for activities consistent with the purposes delineated in Article I, Section 2. This funding may be appropriated without the general consensus of the membership.

ARTICLE VII - MEETINGS

Section 1: Meetings shall be held four to six times per year, or as deemed necessary by the officers, or at the request of five or more members.

ARTICLE VIII - QUORUM

Section 1: At any scheduled meeting, a quorum shall consist of at least nine members with voting privileged as defined in Article II, Section 2, plus at least two members of the Executive committee. Other members may serve as a proxy for the executive committee as delegated.

ARTICLE IX - COMMITTEES

Section 1: Committees, such as the Scholarship, Conference and Nominating committees, will be elected by the membership on an as needed basis.                     Section 2: Ad Hoc committees shall be appointed by the President and will initiate activity necessary to carry out assigned responsibilities.

ARTICLE X - ELECTIONS

Section 1: Elections shall be held at the last meeting of the year.
Section 2: All elections shall be by secret ballot.

Section 3: The slate of officers shall be presented at the final meeting of the calendar year by the Nominating Committee and voted upon at that time. The Nominating Committee shall count the votes.

Section 4: The nominees who receive the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. In case of a tie, a second vote will be conducted. If the results remain a tied vote, the choice shall be decided by lot to be drawn by a member to be designated by the President.

Section 5: The incumbent President shall announce the election results and the elected officers shall assume their responsibilities on January 1st of the next calendar year.

Section 6: The Secretary’s minutes shall serve as the official record of election.

ARTICLE XI - AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS

Section 1: Any proposed amendments to the bylaws shall be distributed to the membership one month prior to the meeting of the organization at which the amendment is to be discussed. The Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of voting members present as long as there is a quorum present.

Section 2: Bylaws will be reviewed as is deemed necessary by an executive officer, but no less often than every two years.

ARTICLE XII - EFFECTIVE DATE

Section 1: These Bylaws and any amendments hereto shall become effective upon adoption as reflected by membership vote.