Bylaws Update 2008

YOU  CAN STILL  

VOTE  

ON THE BYLAWS!    

A message from ACNM President Kitty Ernst, CNM, MPH, DSc(Hon), FACNM:

If you have not yet done so, you will have an opportunity to vote when the the reminder comes form Direct Vote, ACNM's Survey & Ballot Company, with your key for entering your vote into their secure system. It is very easy to do, so PLEASE exercise your right as a free citizen of a free country. It bodes us all well to remember the people who have given their lives for this privilege including two of my brothers!

-  Kitty Ernst, CNM, MPH, DSc(Hon), FACNM, ACNM President

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Update:  A reminder email, including member ID# and unique voter passcode, was sent April 29th to all eligible voters with an email address on file with ACNM that had not yet cast their vote on the Bylaws.  If you received this email, please make sure you cast your vote now.  Voting closes at 11:59 pm Eastern time on May 13th.

More About Voting : Bylaw ballots were sent out March 13th to all active ACNM members -- by email for those with valid email addresses on file at ACNM and by mail to those without valid email addresses on file. This communication, from Direct Vote, included instructions for voting, including your membership ID number and a unique passcode protecting the security and confidentiality of your vote. You need this passcode in order to vote. Look for a reminder in mid- to late-April with all the needed information. 

Or click here to vote on the bylaws now.

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A Message from the Bylaws Committee:

Dear ACNM Member,

The time has come.  You have the opportunity to participate in an all member vote on our Bylaws revision.  During the Annual Meeting in Chicago last year, the Board of Directors proposed and the membership approved the revision of Bylaws Article XVII, Section 2 to allow for mail and electronic voting between Annual Meetings with 60 days notice.  The clear will of the membership was to pass the revised Bylaws by mail and electronic ballot before the 2008 Annual Meeting in Boston.  Because of this action by the membership, the Bylaws have to be voted up or down.  It is not possible to make any changes during this time of review and vote.

We have conducted a process that involved the membership as much as possible. What we lose by having a mail ballot is the discussion and amendments that take place when those attending the Annual Meeting are together.  In a very real way, the posting of first the template and then the draft Bylaws for the membership to respond with suggested changes (a form of making amendments), the work of the Workgroup Subcommittees, and the work of the First Reviewers have served as surrogates for the process we are accustomed to at the Annual Meeting. Including input from Chapters, well over 100 ACNM members have contributed to the proposed Bylaws.  They have also been reviewed by a parliamentarian and by a lawyer.

The proposed Bylaws are shown in a two-column format, with the text on the left and educational information in the right column.  This format will be preserved for information; however, the official Bylaws document on which you are voting is only the text of the Bylaws in the left column.  A Table of Contents is provided to facilitate your review of the proposed Bylaws.  You are also provided with a Comparison Chart for the Current and Proposed Bylaws based on the Table of Contents of each.  

Major proposed changes to the Bylaws are as follows:

When Bylaws are voted upon they become effective immediately unless there is a proviso. There are two provisos attached to the vote to adopt the Bylaws. The first states that the Student Committee be charged with developing policies regarding a student representative for approval by the ACNM Board of Directors. The second proviso addresses the questions that have been raised regarding the details of how the ACNM will establish a structure based on state affiliates rather than chapters. We all recognize that changing our structure is not an overnight activity.  This proviso allows for a two-year period during which specific processes will be developed to address financial and organizational questions of establishing Affiliates.  The ACNM Board, the Bylaws Committee and the National Office will work with local and state groups to finalize a flexible structure that best serves our members.

The 60 day discussion period enables the membership to discuss among ourselves and ask questions so there is understanding of the proposed Bylaws but no further changes can be made and the vote is up or down on the entire proposed revision of the Bylaws.  Of course, if the proposed revision of the Bylaws passes, amendments can be made in the future. During the discussion period, a forum has been set up on the ACNM website. The vote will remain open for 62 days, closing 2 days after the discussion period ends. You may vote at any time during this period. Voting procedures are the same as the recent election of officers, Regional Representatives, and Nominating Committee members.

Important Links

• Vote on the Bylaws (your member ID and unique passcode from your ballot email is required for log-in).
• The Bylaws discussion forum
• The current Bylaws
• The proposed Bylaws on which you are voting now

THE LAST DAY TO VOTE ON THE BYLAWS WILL BE Tuesday, May 13, 2008.  IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED A PAPER BALLOT, IT MUST BE POSTMARKED ON OR BEFORE THAT DATE, AND RECEIVED WITHIN 4 DAYS.

We greatly appreciate all the responses we have received throughout the development of the proposed revision of the Bylaws.  Your comments were critical to the process. 

Now we need one final action on this proposed revision of the Bylaws and that is for you to vote on them.  The whole idea of the mail ballot is for every member to have the opportunity to vote.   Please vote.

Jan Kriebs, Chair, Bylaws Committee
Helen Varney Burst, Chair, Workgroup on Bylaws Revision, Bylaws Committee