ARTICLE I
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
Section 1:
Application for membership may be made on forms authorized by the Executive Committee.
Section 2:
The completed application is to be returned to the Treasurer. The membership application is subject to review by the Membership and Nominating Committee for approval.
Section 3:
Memberships shall be held in the name of individuals that are involved in the care of cardiovascular and/or pulmonary patients.
Section 4:
When an application is rejected, the President shall inform the applicant of such rejection.
ARTICLE II
DUES AND FEES
Section 1:
All members of the Association except Special Members shall pay annual dues. The Board of Directors, hereafter referred to as the Board, shall determine the amount of annual dues.
Section 2:
At the discretion of the Board and without publication thereof, any annual dues may be waived in whole or in part in the case of any MEMBER who has suffered serious disability or financial hardship.
Section 3:
Annual dues for the coming year shall be payable at or before the annual meeting and shall become delinquent if unpaid by July 1. However, the Board shall have the power to implement alternative schedules, if it so desires. A member who is delinquent in his or her dues thereby loses all privileges including voting privileges of the Association. A member whose dues are delinquent shall be removed from the rolls of the Association.
Section 4:
Any dues-paying member dropped from membership because of delinquency may be reinstated upon the filing of a new membership application together with the current dues.
Section 5:
Membership is effective July 1 to June 30, of any given year. If dues are paid after March 1st they will be deferred to July 1st.
ARTICLE III
DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT
Section 1:
The President shall preside over all regular and special meetings of the Association, the Executive Committee, and the Board.
Section 2:
Within sixty (60) days of taking office, he or she shall confirm the appointment of Chairpersons of the Standing Committees. The president will appoint new chairpersons, subject to approval of the Board, when deemed necessary due to resignations or other circumstances to conduct the activities of the Association. The President shall be an ex-officio member of each Committee; an exception is the Membership and Nominating Committee, wherein the President serves as a voting member.
Section 3:
The President shall give notice of all official meetings to the Executive Committee and the Board.
Section 4:
The President serves as the official liaison to AACVPR and the affiliate link program.
Section 5:
The President shall serve a one-year term.
ARTICLE IV
DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT-ELECT
Section 1:
The President-Elect, during the absence of the President, shall assume the duties of President pro-tempore.
Section 2:
The President-Elect shall serve as Chairperson of the Program and Professional Education Committee and shall perform such other duties as assigned by the President and Board.
Section 3:
In the event that the President is unable or unwilling to fulfill his or her term of office, the President-Elect shall assume, for the unexpired term, all duties of and have all authority of the President.
Section 4:
The President-Elect shall serve a one-year term.
ARTICLE V
DUTIES OF THE IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Section 1:
The Immediate Past President shall be the Parliamentarian, acting in that capacity at all regular and special meetings of the Association, the Executive Committee, and the Board.
Section 2:
The Immediate Past President shall assist the President in formulating the goals of the Association and assist new officers in transition to elected roles.
Section 3:
The Immediate Past President shall serve as Chairperson of the Membership and Nominating Committee, and shall perform such other duties as assigned to him by the Board and President.
Section 4:
The Immediate Past-President shall serve a one-year term.
ARTICLE VI
DUTIES OF THE TREASURER
Section 1:
The Treasurer shall have charge of all papers, archives, records, funds and property of the Association.
Section 2:
The Treasurer shall present a report of financial transactions of the Board and of the Executive Committee to the Association at all meetings
Section 3:
The Treasurer shall serve on the Executive Committee and assist with development of a yearly budget.
Section 4:
The Treasurer shall receive and collect all fees, dues, and assessments, and all other monies belonging to the Association. He or she shall be accountable, therefore, to the Board, and its representatives, i.e., the Executive Committee, at such times as may be designated. He or she shall keep proper books, records and accounts which shall at all times be open for examination by the Board or its aforementioned representatives. He or she shall deposit the funds of the Association in such depositories as shall be designated by the Board, and shall maintain such deposits in the name of the Association.
Section 5:
The Treasurer shall receive membership applications and maintain a current roster of members of the Association as well as membership archives.
Section 6:
The Treasurer shall be responsible for securing an independent Certified Public Accountant to perform an annual reconciliation of the bank records and accounting records as well as annual tax preparation. The audit results will be reported to the Board.
Section 7:
The Treasurer shall have other powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the President or the Executive Committee.
Section 8:
The Treasurer shall serve a two-year term.
ARTICLE VII
DUTIES OF THE MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Section 1:
The Member-At-Large shall be appointed by the President, on approval by the Board, and serve as a member of the Board with voting privileges.
Section 2:
The Member-At-Large shall be responsible for keeping a record of all regular or special meetings of the Board, the Executive Committee and the Association membership.
Section 3:
The Member-At-Large shall be responsible for making contact with new programs within the Association regional areas and marketing of SACPR with the goal of identifying and recruiting new members.
Section 4:
The Member-At-Large shall serve as a standing member of the Membership and Nominating Committee.
Section 5:
The Member-At-Large shall oversee the State Representatives in maintaining the SACPR Program Directory.
Section 6:
The Member-At-Large shall serve as Chairperson of the Communications Committee and will perform such other duties as assigned by the Board and President.
Section 7:
The Member At Large shall serve a one year term and then assume office of President elect.
ARTICLE VIII
DUTIES OF STATE REPRESENTATIVES
Section 1:
State Representatives shall be responsible for designing, implementing and maintaining communication networks for each of their respective states.
Section 2:
State Representatives shall maintain the SACPR Program Directory by identifying new programs and updating contact information of new and existing programs in their respective states, and providing that information to the Member at Large.
Section 3:
State Representatives shall serve as Co-chairs of the Health Policy and Reimbursement Committee.
Section 4:
State Representatives shall assist the Chairperson of the Health Policy and Reimbursement Committee and will perform other duties as assigned to him/her by the Board and President.
Section 5:
The State Representatives shall serve a two year term.
ARTICLE IX
DUTIES OF COMMITTEES
Section 1:
Executive Committee:
The President is the Chairperson of the Executive Committee and shall coordinate the activities of the entire membership, other committees, and assist as necessary. The committee shall concern itself with all matters involving the planning and approval of the annual budget and all other matters involving financial transactions.
Section 2:
Membership and Nominating Committee:
The Immediate Past President is the Chairperson of the Membership and Nominating committee. The Member at Large is a standing member of the committee. The committee shall be responsible for obtaining nominee recommendations, formulating a suggested slate of candidates for each office and sending a ballot, via mail or email, to the general membership for an official vote of suggested nominees. The committee shall direct the work of recruiting/securing new members for the Association and oversee marketing of SACPR to prospective programs and members. The Chair shall notify members when they have been removed from the roll due to delinquent dues.
Section 3:
Program and Professional Education Committee:
The President Elect is the Chairperson of the Program and Professional Education Committee. The committee is responsible for promoting and coordinating professional education of association members and responsible for organizing the Annual Meeting, including but not limited to the date, location/site, slate of proposed speakers and topics. The committee shall work in conjunction with the Executive Committee in these responsibilities.
Section 4:
Health Policy and Reimbursement Committee:
The President will appoint the Chairperson of the Health Policy and Reimbursement Committee, with oversight from the Affiliate President. The State Representatives will serve as co-chairs to the committee and are liaisons to the subgroup of the AACVPR Health Policy and Reimbursement Committee. Other committee members will consist of the Cardiac and the Pulmonary Reimbursement Contact Persons from each state. The committee shall be responsible for staying current and disseminating information on regulatory policies, current legislative and reimbursement issues, and urgent advocacy requests to all association members The committee will field questions from association members and facilitate responses and/or resolution utilizing appropriate resources within the communication network of SACPR and AACVPR.
Section 5:
Communications Committee:
The Member at Large will serve as the committee chair. The purpose of the committee will be to provide constant and timely information to the Association membership. The committee will be responsible for maintaining and updating the Association website and provide general communication by newsletters, email and other appropriate forms of communication.
ARTICLE X
LIABILITY OF MEMBERS
Section 1:
No officer or member shall be personally liable for any bills or obligations of the organization, past or present, except for the payment of his or her own dues and assessments.
Section 2:
No officer, member, or employee of the Association shall disburse any funds or monies in his or her possession and belonging to the Association without authorization from the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE XI
DISCIPLINE
Any member of the Association may be disciplined or expelled for conduct, which, in the opinion of the Board, is derogatory to the dignity of or inconsistent with the purposes of the Association. The expulsion of a member may be ordered only upon the affirmative vote of two thirds of the Members of the Board present at a regular or special meeting, provided a quorum takes action, and only after such member has been informed of the charges preferred against him or her and has been given an opportunity to refute such charges before the Board.
ARTICLE XII
OFFICIAL PRONOUNCEMENTS
Section 1:
The Association may take an official stand on any matter relating to cardiovascular or pulmonary rehabilitation judged to have societal significance, and which merits consideration within the Association and consensus of the Board.
Section 2:
To be recommended to the Board, a proposed pronouncement must be submitted in writing and accompanied by the signatures of no less than five (5) members of the Association.
Section 3:
The President shall receive the statement and refer it to an ad hoc Committee for Official Pronouncements for review, possible modification, and recommendation for approval or rejection. It will be submitted to the National Office of the parent organization, American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, for review and recommendations, which may or may not be incorporated into the pronouncement. The statement will then be submitted in writing to Members of the Board at least two weeks prior to a meeting of the body for consideration of final acceptance or rejection.
Section 4:
To become official, a statement must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Board.
ARTICLE XIII
AMENDMENTS
The By-Laws may be amended at any regular or special meeting of the Board, or by email/mail vote. A favorable vote of two thirds of the Association Members shall be required for amendment. No email/mail vote shall be valid beyond thirty (30) days after official notification by the Executive Committee.
This Constitution and By-Laws of the Southern Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation has been duly reviewed, revised and adopted by a vote of the Board of Directors.
Original Date of adoption: November 11, 1989
Revised Date of adoption: April 7, 1990
Revised Date of adoption: September 1998
Revised Date of adoption: June 3, 2000
Effective Date of this adoption is: May 21, 2002
Revised Date of adoption: June 18, 2004
Revision April 15, 2010
Revised Date of this adoption: March 25, 2011
Effective Date of this adoption is: March 25, 2011
Signed:
President, 2010-2011
President-Elect, 2010-2011
Member-At-Large, 2010-2011
Treasurer, 2010-2011
Immediate Past President, 2010-2011
Alabama State Representative, 2010-2011
Mississippi State Representative, 2010-2011