HPNA Bylaws Amendment Proposals

These changes will be voted upon at the October 2024 Meeting.

The two sections of the bylaws with proposed amendments are reproduced below. Each paragraph that is recommended for amendment is reproduced first with its original text and then with its revised text. In the revised paragraph, additions and changes are in italics; deletions are indicated with (deleted).

X. OFFICERS

HPNA shall have the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Each officer shall perform the duties of the office, as follows:

         President: The duties of the President shall include presiding over meetings of HPNA and serving as a spokesperson for the association.

         Vice President: The duties of the Vice President shall include performing the duties of the President in the absence of the President or at the request of the President. The Vice President shall have responsibility for implementing programs for Association meetings.

         Secretary: The Secretary shall record the minutes of each meeting of the general membership and shall maintain the organizational records of HPNA.

         Treasurer: The Treasurer shall maintain all financial records and banking accounts of HPNA, and conduct all associated activities, including reconciling banking records, performing billing, and paying invoices. The Treasurer shall be responsible for production of a general financial summary yearly, for review by the Finance Committee.

_______________________________________________________________

Original Text: Officers shall be elected in October to begin serving at the January meeting. The slate of nominees shall be presented to the membership no later than one month before the meeting at which voting takes place. Nominations shall also be taken from the floor at the October meeting.

Revised Text: Officers shall be elected in November to begin serving at the January meeting. The slate of nominees shall be presented to the membership no later than one month before the meeting at which voting takes place. Nominations shall also be taken from the floor at the October meeting.

_______________________________________________________________

Original Text: Officers shall serve one-year terms. No member shall hold the same office for more than two consecutive terms with the exception noted in XI: Steering Committee. However, a member may hold the same office again after an absence from that office. Any office may be filled by more than one person. Any vacancy that occurs during a term shall be filled by a candidate nominated by the Nominations Committee upon a vote of the Steering Committee.

Revised Text: Officers shall serve two-year terms. No member shall hold the same office for more than two consecutive terms with the exception noted in XI: Steering Committee.  However, a member may hold the same office again after an absence from that office. Any office may be filled by more than one person. Any vacancy that occurs during a term shall be filled by a candidate nominated by the Nominations Committee upon a vote of the Steering Committee.

_______________________________________________________________

The Treasurer is not required to reside in Hyde Park. While residing outside of Hyde Park, the Treasurer shall be a non-voting member.

In the event that a member who holds an elected office fails to perform the duties of that office, the member may be removed from office by a majority vote of the Steering Committee. The member who is being considered for removal from office shall not participate in the removal vote. Three consecutive absences without advance notice to at least one officer shall be considered grounds for removal from office.

All members who hold elected office in the association are encouraged to regularly attend both the general membership meetings and the Steering Committee meetings of the association.

XI. STEERING COMMITTEE

The Steering Committee shall be the principal representative, governing, and policy-recommending body of HPNA. Actions of the Steering Committee shall be governed by the will of the membership as expressed at general and special membership meetings.

_______________________________________________________________

Original Text: The Steering Committee shall comprise the officers of HPNA, the immediate past president or past co-presidents of HPNA and six current at-large members of HPNA who are elected at large for a two-year term and have voting rights on the committee. These six positions will be staggered so that three positions are filled each year at the same time officers are elected. An up-to-date list of the members of the Steering Committee will be published in the Pecan Press and on the HPNA web site.

Revised Text: The Steering Committee shall comprise the officers of HPNA, the immediate past president or past co-presidents of HPNA and six current at-large members of HPNA who are elected at large for a two-year term and have voting rights on the committee. These six positions will be staggered so that three positions are filled each year (deleted). An up-to-date list of the members of the Steering Committee will be published in the Pecan Press and on the HPNA web site.

_______________________________________________________________

Original Text: The at large members may be re-elected; however, an at large member shall not serve in excess of two consecutive full two-year terms, except with a majority vote of the general membership to waive a term limit.

Revised Text: Steering Committee members may be re-elected; however, a Steering Committee member shall not serve in excess of two consecutive full two-year terms, except with a two-thirds majority vote of the general membership to waive a term limit. This term limit rule and term limit exemption process apply to both at-large members and officers of the Steering Committee.

_______________________________________________________________

Original Text: A member may be reelected as an at-large member of the Steering Committee after a two-year absence from that office. For the purposes of term limitation, more than one year of a two-year term shall be treated as a full two-year term and one year or less of a two-year term shall not be treated as a full two-year term.

Revised Text: A member may be reelected as an at-large member or an officer of the Steering Committee after a two-year absence from that office. For the purposes of term limitation, more than one year of a two-year term shall be treated as a full two-year term and one year or less of a two-year term shall not be treated as a full two-year term.

_______________________________________________________________

If the immediate past president or co-president is unable to serve on the Steering Committee, an additional member shall be elected to the Steering Committee. If the position is vacant at the regular time for the election of officers, it shall be filled by a candidate elected by the membership. If the vacancy occurs during a term, it shall be filled by a candidate nominated by the Nominations Committee and elected by the Steering Committee.

The President shall serve as chairperson of the Steering Committee.

The Steering Committee meets monthly at a time and day to be determined annually by the Steering Committee.

The Steering Committee meetings are open to all members of HPNA, however, only Steering Committee members can vote on issues.