Section 1. General Purpose.
The House of Delegates shall:
deal with resolutions from component societies, sections, Board of Directors, individual College members, and officers;
act as a clearinghouse for the Board of Directors on general assigned subjects and on local problems; and
assist the Board of Directors in establishing official actions and broad policies for the College.
Section 2. Delegates
The House of Delegates shall be composed of delegates selected in the manner set forth in these bylaws.
Qualification. Only Fellows or Active Members may be delegates.
Election.
Each component society and section shall be entitled to select that number of delegates (and alternate delegates who shall serve in the absence of the delegates) which is determined by the Board of Directors based upon a formula that allocates delegates in proportion to the number of dues-paying physician members of the College who are members of that particular component society. Each ACOEM Section with 50 or more physician members shall be entitled to elect one (1) delegate (and an alternate delegate who shall serve in the absence of the delegate). The Residents and Recent Graduates section shall be entitled to elect one (1) delegate (and an alternate delegate) without regard to the above-mentioned minimum physician members.
The speaker of the House of Delegates shall appoint “direct delegates” to represent those dues-paying members who are not members of a component society. The number of such delegates to be appointed shall be determined in accordance with the formula for election of delegates from among the component societies described in Section 2 (b) (i) of this article.
Vacancies. Except as described in subsection (d) of this section, vacancies in the House of Delegates for the purpose of calculating a quorum shall be considered to exist when a component or section does not send representation to the House of Delegates for two consecutive meetings. That vacancy can be filled by the component or section once an eligible representative is selected and attends a House of Delegates meeting.
Removal of Officers. Delegates and officers of the House of Delegates may be removed from office, with or without cause, upon a vote of two thirds of those delegates present and voting.
Section 3. Meetings
Time. The House of Delegates shall meet no less than two (2) times each year, with at least one face-to-face meeting to be held in the spring of each year in conjunction with the annual meeting of the membership. Special meetings of the House of Delegates may be called for a specified purpose by the speaker, the president, the Board of Directors of the College, or upon the written petition of one-quarter (1/4) of the delegates.
Notice. Delegates shall be notified of each meeting of the House of Delegates no fewer than thirty (30) days prior to each meeting. Notices of all special meetings thereof shall state the purpose of the meeting.
Quorum and Voting. At all meetings of the House of Delegates, a majority of eligible delegate voting membersthen in office shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The act of a majority of the delegates present and voting at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the House of Delegates, unless the act of a greater number is required by these bylaws.
Section 4. Officers of the House of Delegates
The officers of the House of Delegates shall be a speaker, speaker-elect, and recorder. An officer must be a Fellow and, at the time of assuming his or her office, he or she must have served for at least three (3) years as a delegate.
Term of Office. The speaker-elect shall serve for a term of one (1) year, commencing at the spring meeting of the House of Delegates and terminating at the next spring meeting following that meeting. Upon termination of his or her term as speaker-elect, he or she shall assume the office of speaker of the House of Delegates for a term of one (1) year, commencing at the spring meeting of the House of Delegates at which his or her term as speaker-elect, except as noted in (c) (ii) (a) and (b), is terminated and terminating at the second spring meeting of the House of Delegates following his or her election as speaker-elect. The recorder shall serve for a term of one (1) year, commencing at the spring meeting of the House of Delegates and terminating at the next spring meeting following that meeting, and at the end of his or her term of office shall be nominated to become the speaker-elect. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all officers shall serve until their successors shall have been duly elected and qualified, except as provided in subsection (c) of this section.
Election. Candidates shall be nominated by the House nominating work group or from the floor. The election shall be conducted by means of a secret ballot. The candidate receiving the most votes shall be elected, even if that candidate does not receive a majority of the votes. The election shall take place at the fall meeting of the House of Delegates with the elected candidates assuming office at the conclusion of the following spring meeting.
Vacancies.
Except as specifically provided elsewhere in these bylaws, in the event of a vacancy in the office of speaker, the speaker-elect shall succeed to the office of speaker and serve out that term as speaker. If term left is under one (1) year, the successor may serve an additional term as speaker.
Except as specifically provided elsewhere in these bylaws, in the event of a vacancy in the office of speaker-elect, the recorder shall succeed to the office of speaker-elect and shall serve for the following term of office:
In the event that the office of speaker-elect became vacant by virtue of the death, incapacity, resignation or removal of the previous speaker- elect, until that person’s term of office would have terminated, at which time the recorder who became speaker-elect shall be nominated for the office of speaker, or
In the event that the office of speaker-elect became vacant by virtue of the death, resignation or removal of the speaker, until the term of office of the speaker-elect who became speaker has terminated, at which time the recorder who became speaker-elect shall be nominated for the office of speaker.
In the event of a vacancy in the office of recorder, the speaker shall appoint an interim recorder who shall serve until the next spring meeting of the House of Delegates at which time his or her successor shall be elected and qualified. In the event an interim recorder becomes speaker-elect or speaker, he or she shall hold such office until the next spring meeting of the House of Delegates, at which time a new speaker or speaker-elect, as appropriate, shall be elected.
Effect of Election. Upon taking office, officers shall become delegates at large. The component society of which an officer is a member, or the speaker if the officer is a direct delegate, may select a delegate to replace the officer.
Speaker. The speaker shall preside at all meetings of the House of Delegates, serve as a member of the College’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee, fill vacancies in the House of Delegates in accordance with these bylaws, appoint the members of all work groups of the House of Delegates, report on the activities of the House of Delegates to the Board of Directors, and serve as a member of the House/Board Liaison Committee. The speaker may not vote in the House of Delegates except in the event of a tie.
Speaker-Elect. The speaker-elect shall perform the duties of the speaker in the event of the speaker’s absence or inability to act; as a member of the Board of Directors and as a member of the House/Board Liaison Committee, and the Candidate Selection Committee, and perform such duties and have such powers as may from time to time be assigned by the speaker or the House of Delegates. The speaker-elect shall be a non-voting member of the House.
Recorder. The recorder shall:
keep the minutes of all meetings of the House of Delegates;
maintain attendance records and curricula vitae of all delegates;
serve as a member of the House/Board Liaison Committee and the Candidate Selection Committee; and
in general, perform all duties normally incident to the office of treasurer and such other duties as may from time to time be assigned by the speaker or the House of Delegates. The recorder shall be a non-voting member of the House.
Section 5. Work Groups
The speaker of the House of Delegates may create work groups and appoint the members thereof to:
consider resolutions and reports of the House of Delegates;
nominate candidates for the House of Delegates; and
make recommendations for appointments to other work groups, ACOEM committees and councils.
Section 6. Miscellaneous
Two (2) delegates shall be appointed by the House of Delegates as alternate members of the Candidate Selection Committee in the event the House officers should be unable to serve on this committee.