BYLAWS OF THE MARYLAND SECTION

OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Approved in 1996

 

Bylaw II.  Objectives.

     The objectives of the Section shall be the same as those in <Article II of> the Constitution of the SOCIETY, and in addition, such intersectional and official activities as shall be approved by the Executive Committee which are not inconsistent with the above objectives.

 

Bylaw V.  Organization.

 

Sec.  1.  The officers of the Section shall be a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Chairman-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer.

 

Sec.  2.  The Section shall have Councilors and Alternate Councilors as provided in the Constitution and Bylaws of the SOCIETY.

 

Sec.  3.  The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the Section, the Councilors, Alternate Councilors, Past Chairmen residing within the territory of the Section, five Members-at-Large, <the Historian, > the Editor and the Business Manager of THE CHESAPEAKE CHEMIST, and the Chairmen of all standing committees.

 

 

Sec.  4.  All officers, Councilors, Alternate Councilors, and other persons holding an elective office, shall be chosen from the MEMBERS.

 

 

Bylaw VI.  Manner of Election and Terms of Office

 

Sec.  1.  Officers of the Section and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall be elected annually and serve for a term of one year, beginning on January 1 following their election, or until their successors are <elected> qualified.  The Vice-Chairman [Chairman-Elect shall succeed] shall automatically be nominated to serve in the office of Chairman upon completion of the term of the Vice-Chairman.  The Chairman-Elect shall automatically be nominated to serve in the office of Vice-Chairman upon completion of the term of Chairman-Elect.

 

Sec.  2.  Councilors and Alternate Councilors shall be elected for a term of three years, beginning January 1 following their election, or until their successors are elected.  The number of Councilors shall be determined by the SOCIETY.

 

Sec.  3.  In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chairman, the Vice-Chairman [Chairman-Elect] shall assume the duties of the Chairman for the unexpired term and the Chairman-Elect shall assume the added duties of the Vice-Chairman when that position is vacant.  In the even of a vacancy, <All other vacant> elective positions shall be filled for a period up to the next annual election by a vote of the Executive Committee.  [In the event the office of a Chairman-Elect is filled by such interim election, the Section shall elect both a Vice-Chairman and a Chairman-Elect at its next annual election].  A Chairman may not serve more than one year unless <he (or she) had to assume> the duties of a Chairman were assumed for a partial term to fill a vacancy.

 

Sec.  4.  Nominations.

     (a)  The Chairman shall appoint in [January] August of the year preceding the election a Nominating Committee of 5 persons, not more than three of whom are members of the Executive Committee.  One of the appointees shall be the Vice-Chairman.  The Chairman shall designate any one of the five to be Chairman of the Committee.

 

     (b)  Notice of the names of those <the persons serving> on the Nominating Committee shall be published in THE CHESAPEAKE CHEMIST  [given to the members by March 30] by November of the year preceding year the election.  This shall be prior to [the date of] meeting of the Nominating Committee to permit members time to suggest suitable candidates for elective [the] positions <named in Bylaw V> for which vacancies shall occur on December 31 of the following year.

 

     (c)  The Nominating Committee shall meet at such a time that its recommendations may appear in the [September] January issue of THE CHESAPEAKE CHEMIST.  The Committee shall select one or more candidates for each position <named in Bylaw V> up for election.

 

     (d)  Before [October 1] February 15, members of the Section may nominate candidates for any office by providing the Section Chairman with nominating petitions containing the signatures of at least two percent of the Section members.  To be valid, the signature of a member may not appear on behalf of more than one candidate for the same office.  The names of any such MEMBERS so nominated shall be included on the ballots with the names of those nominated by the Nominating Committee.

 

     (e)  In all cases, before a name can be placed on the ballot, the nominee must agree to serve if elected.

 

     (f)  Publication of the slate of candidates in THE CHESAPEAKE CHEMIST and its mailing shall be considered adequate notice to the members.

 

Sec.  5.  Elections.

 

     (a)  The elections shall be held by ballot <which will be> mailed in or with THE CHESAPEAKE CHEMIST or separately before [October] May 15 to all members of the Section.  The names of all candidates shall appear on the ballot whether opposed or not.

 

     (b)  The ballots must be returned to the Chairman by [November] July 10.

 

     (c)  If a single candidate is to be elected, the candidate with the largest number of votes will be declared elected.  Positions for which more than one candidate is to be elected (e.g., Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee) shall be filled by declaring those candidates elected who receive the largest number of votes.  In the event of a tie vote, a special committee consisting of the Section Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Chairman-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer and Chairman of the Nominating Committee shall by a majority vote determine the winner.

 

     (d)  The Chairman of the Section shall count the ballots in the presence of witnesses and certify to the Executive Director of the SOCIETY, as soon as possible but not later than [December] August 1 of each year, the names, addresses, and terms of the elected Councilors and Alternate Councilors from Local Section for the following year.

 

 

Bylaw VII.  Duties of Officers and Executive Committee.

 

Sec.  1.  The duties of the officers shall be those customarily performed by such officers, together with those responsibilities prescribed by the Constitution and Bylaws of the SOCIETY and the Section bylaws along with other duties as may be assigned from time to time by the Executive Committee.

 

Sec.  2.  The Chairman of the Section shall serve as Chairman of the Executive Committee, shall appoint members to standing committees, and may establish any standing [or ad hoc] committees authorized in these bylaws or by the executive Committee.  The Chairman shall appoint a Committee to audit the Treasurer’s records annually.

 

Sec.  3.  The Executive Committee shall be the governing body of the Section and, as such, shall have full power to conduct, manage, and direct the business and affairs of the Section in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society and the bylaws of the Section.

 

Sec.  4.  The latest edition of “Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly revised” shall be used as the authority to resolve procedural matters during business meetings.

 

 

Bylaw VIII.  Committees.

 

Sec.  1.  There shall be the following standing committees <whose Chairman shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Section except as noted elsewhere in the bylaws>:

 

Archives and History

Finance

Awards and Nominations

High School Activities

  National Nominations

House

  Maryland Chemist Awards

Investment

  Maryland Service Award

Long Range Planning

  Remsen Memorial Award

Member Assistance

  Student Awards

Membership

  W.R. Grace and Co. Award

Program

Bylaws

Publicity

Chemical Education and Safety

Public Relations

Education

Women Chemists

 

Sec.  2.  The Chairman or Executive Committee may establish, [or] abolish, and define the duties of any ad hoc committee.  The duties of all committees shall be as described from time to time by the Executive Committee.  <The Executive Committee may establish or abolish standing and ad hoc committees.>

 

Sec.  3.  The Vice-Chairman [Chairman-Elect] of the Section shall be the Chairman of the Program Committee.

 

Sec.  4.  The Chairmen of the various Awards and National Nominations Committees shall submit the names of all nominees and all supporting documents along with the committee’s recommendations to the Section Chairman.  Submissions must be made by the dates that follow:

 

Maryland Chemist Award

1 July of the year of the award

Maryland Service Award

1 August of the year of the award

Remsen Memorial Award

1 December of the year preceding award

 

Sec.  5.  The final selection of individuals for Section awards or nominations for other awards shall be made by a committee consisting of the Section Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Chairman-Elect, Treasurer, Secretary and Immediate Past-Chairman of the Section.

 

Sec.  6.  Recipients of Maryland Chemists Award must have been members of the Section for a minimum of five years and have made outstanding contributions to chemistry as defined in <Article II of> the Constitution of the SOCIETY (Chemistry is defined in very broad terms.).  The work on which the award is based should have been performed in Maryland.

 

Sec.  7.  The Investments Committee shall select appropriate investments for the Section’s funds subject to approval of the Executive Committee.  When necessary the Investment Committee shall have independent authority to direct the Treasurer on buying or selling an investment.  The treasurer shall report the status of all such actions at each Executive Committee Meeting or on request by the Section Chairman.  The Investment Committee should consist of three members, preferably past Treasurers with some investment experience.

 

Sec.  8.  The Finance Committee shall prepare an annual budget for annual review by the executive Committee.

 

 

Bylaw IX.  Meetings.

 

Sec.  1.  A regular meeting of the Section shall be one at which business of the Section, which may require a vote of the members, may be conveniently transacted.

 

Sec.  2.  The Section shall hold not less than 6 regular meetings each year, at places and times designated by the executive Committee.

 

Sec.  3.  The Section may hold special business meetings at the call of the Executive Committee, or by request of 50 members of the Section.  Any other meetings shall be called only by the Executive Committee.  The notices of special meetings shall state the exact nature of the business to be transacted and no other business shall transpire at such meetings.

 

Sec.  4.  Due notice of all meetings shall be sent to each MEMBER, ASSOCIATE MEMBER, National Affiliate, and Local Section Affiliate of the Section.  A quorum for all meetings of the Section shall consist of 4% of the members of the Section.  In the absence of a quorum, no business shall be transacted, except that any pending business shall be tabled to a meeting to be held on a specified date.

 

Sec.  5.  The Executive Committee shall meet not less than 4 times each year upon due notice to its members at the call of the Chairman or at the request of a majority of the members of the Committee.  In the absence of a quorum, which shall be 25% of the members of the Executive Committee exclusive of Past Chairmen not serving in another capacity of the Executive Committee, called meetings of the Executive Committee shall adjourn to a specified date.