Proposed CT-AAP Bylaws

Connecticut Hezekiah Beardsley Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics

Proposed By-Laws
Revised 2021

 

The name of this society shall be the Connecticut Hezekiah Beardsley Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, so named in honor of Hezekiah Beardsley of Southington, a pioneer of Pediatrics in Connecticut.

The mission of the Connecticut Hezekiah Beardsley Chapter is to attain optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents and young adults. To this purpose, the CT-AAP and its members dedicate their collective effort and resource  to provide a diverse and inclusive  organization for support, professional communication, education and fellowship of physicians and other professionals dedicated to pediatrics, and to further the policies and objectives of the American Academy of Pediatrics at the state and local levels.

 

Article I-Offices

Section 1. Principal Office. The principal office of the Chapter shall be located at a location determined by the Board of Directors and guided by current circumstance.  The principal office at the time of this revision is 750 Main Street, Suite 100, Hartford, CT 06103.

Section 2. Registered Office. The registered office of the Chapter, which by law is required to be maintained within the State of Connecticut shall be located at 750 Main Street, Suite 100, Hartford, CT 06103 or at such other place within the State of Connecticut as may, from time to time, be fixed and determined by the Board of Directors.

 

Article II – Officers 

Section 1. Officers. The officers of this Chapter shall be:

1. President
2. Vice President
3. Secretary
4. Treasurer

Section 2. Board of Directors membership

1. Voting Members
2. Four elected officers listed in section 1
3. Five elected at-large members of the Board of Directors, one of whom should be a pediatric medical subspecialist and one of whom should be a pediatric surgical subspecialist
4. Non- Voting Members
5. One medical student from each CT medical school (UConn, Yale and Netter)
6. One resident from each pediatric residency in CT (UConn and Yale)
7. Any ex-officio members of the Board of Directors

Section 3. President. The President shall be elected for a term of two years and may be re-elected once.  The duties of the President shall be as follows:

1. To uphold the Constitution and Bylaws of the American Academy of Pediatrics at the chapter level.
2. To promote chapter activities; to organize and conduct appropriate meetings and committee projects.
3. To represent the Chapter at District and National meetings, including the Annual Leadership Forum.
4. To be responsible for good communication and liaison between the chapter constituency and the Board of Directors.
5. To file the Chapter Annual Report with the District Vice Chair and National AAP To have and keep up-to-date a functional set of Corporate bylaws.

To perform such other duties as may be described elsewhere in the Bylaws of the American Academy of Pediatrics or be determined by the members of the Board of Directors. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Chapter, shall be the Chair of the Board of Directors, and shall appoint all committees and liaison representatives, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all commit­tees.

Section 4. Vice President. The Vice President shall assist the President in the performance of the duties noted in Section 2 and perform other functions as delegated by the President, Board of Directors or Academy Executive Board. The Vice President shall serve in the President's absence or fill any unexpired term if necessary. The Vice President shall be elected for a term of two years and may be re-elected once.

Section 5. Secretary. The Secretary shall perform the ordinary duties of that office, keep records, send notices, and send a roster of Chapter members to each member if requested. They shall notify each member at least three (3) weeks before the annual meeting of the nominations by the nominating committee.  The Secretary shall be elected for two years and may be re-elected twice.

Section 6. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall perform the ordinary duties of that office, and as such, shall oversee the collection of all dues and assessments. The Treasurer shall oversee the payment of all bills authorized by the Board of Directors. They shall make a financial report to the Board of Directors not less than quarterly, and at the annual meeting of the Chapter.  The Treasurer shall be elected for two years and may be re-elected twice.

Section 7. Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall consist of the officers  the five members at-large and the student and resident members. The Board of Directors shall be responsible for hiring the Executive Director under contract.

Section 8. Honorary Members of the Board of Directors.  All past presidents may enjoy life tenure on the Board of Directors and they shall not have a vote.

Section 9. Terms. All new officers and committee chairs will assume their duties at the close of the Annual Chapter Meeting. Commit­tee chairs will have their terms of office coincide with the Chapter officers.  Officers and at large members shall be elected for two years, and may be re-elected as stated in Sections 2-5.  At-large members may serve up to 6 years.

Section 10. Replacement. In the event that any officer or member of the Board of Directors is unable to serve a full term of office, the Board of Directors is empowered to elect a replacement to serve the remainder of the term.

Section 11. Election of Officers and Members. .  All voting members of the Board of Directors shall be elected by a majority vote of those chapter members in attendance at the Annual Meeting, by electronic vote or by other means so determined by the Board of Directors.  Student and Resident representatives to the Board of Directors are elected within their schools or programs.

 

Article III-Membership 

Section 1. Eligibility for Membership. To become eligible for membership, an applicant must have completed pediatric residency training or two years of practice limited to pediatrics. Those eligible may become members of the Chapter by:

Being Fellows in good standing in the American Academy of Pediatrics and paying the required dues.

Section 2. Rights and Duties of Members. Members of the Chapter have the right to attend, take part in, and vote at all regular or special meetings of the Chapter. They may attend any meeting of the Board of Directors, but will have no vote. They shall be eligible for any office or honor within the Chapter. They shall pay annual dues such as affixed by the Board of Directors.

Section 3. Honorary Members. Honorary membership shall be limited to those who have done outstanding work in the field of pediatrics and made substantial contributions to the Connecticut Hezekiah Beardsley Chapter and/or the American Academy of Pediatrics. Honorary members cannot hold office but may vote and serve on Committees. They shall not be required to pay dues or registration fees for meetings but will pay for social events. They will be selected by the Board of Directors.

Section 4. Emeritus Members. Pediatricians who are members of the Chapter, but who have reached age 70 or retired from active practice due to age or illness or for any other just cause, may become Emeritus members by submit­ting in writing this request to the membership chair. Emeritus members cannot hold office and do not vote but may serve on committees.

Section 5. Physician Specialty Members. Physician Specialty Members are fellowship trained pediatric subspecialists. To become eligible, an applicant must meet the requirements for certification in the applicant's primary specialty as well as requirements for membership set by the AAP.  Specialty members pay annual chapter dues, have voting privileges, may serve on committees and may hold office.

Section 6. Resident and Candidate Members. Resident members and Candidate members shall include all Pediatric residents and Fellows in training in Connecticut. Resident and Candidate membership shall terminate in the Chapter with the termination of the Resident or Candidate member's training. The Connecticut Hezekiah Beardsley Chapter will encourage Resident and Candidate Fellowship in the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Section 7. Allied Health Professional Members. Allied Health Professionals shall include nurses, social workers, psychologists, other health professionals, plus licensed Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants. Allied health professionals have the rights and privileges of pediatri­cian members, may vote and join committees but cannont hold office. Those eligible may become members of the Chapter by paying the initiation fee and having qualifications passed by the Board of Directors They shall pay annual dues set by the Board of Directors.

Section 8. Student Members Medical students who are members of the AAP may join the Chapter and participate in Chapter activities.

 

Article IV-Meetings

Section 1. Annual Meetings. The Annual Meeting of the Chapter shall be held at the time and place set by the Board of Directors.

Section 2. Special Meetings. Other meetings may be held at the call of the President, the Board of Directors, or by written request signed by (10) voting members that are not officers.

Section 3. Notice of Meetings. Notice of the time and place of all member­ship meetings shall be communicated to all members at least three (3) weeks in advance, thereof, by the Secretary or the Executive Director.

Section 4. Rules and Procedures. All meetings of the Chapter shall be conducted in accordance with "Robert's Rule of Order- Revised."

Section 5. Board of Directors Meetings. The Board of Directors should meet at least four times  per year to conduct the Chapter business, appoint committees and liaison representatives, give directives to the same, as well as receive and study the reports submitted by these agents. A quorum shall consist of the presence of a majority of voting members.

 

Article V-Nominating Committee

Section 1. The Nominating Committee shall consist of three members of the Chapter who have been involved in Chapter activities and may be a current or past officer. The nominating committee shall be appointed by the Executive Committee. The senior member of the Nominating Committee will act as Chairperson. Members will represent the Chapter’s diversity (geographic, institutional, professional and personal identities)

Section 2.  The Nominating Committee will prepare a slate of candidates for each office at least 3 months before the Annual Meeting.

Section 3.  Nominations for these offices may also be made from the floor after the report of the Nominating Committee.

Section 4.  Candidates’ names will be offered to the general membership at least 3 weeks before the Chapter Annual Meeting.

 

Article VI-Dues and Assessments

Section 1. Dues and Fees. Chapter dues shall be set by the Board of Directors and shall be payable in accordance with the rules of the AAP billing cycle.

Section 2. Waiver of Dues. Dues may be waived for just cause by the Board of Directors.

Section 3. Rights in the Event of Nonpayment. A member shall be considered delinquent if dues are in arrears by 6 months. Delinquent members shall be notified of this default by the Executive Director of the CT-AAP or the AAP membership department. Failure to pay dues within 30 days after notification of default will necessitate dropping the member's name from the roster. Members so dropped may be reinstated by paying annual dues for the year of reapplication. A new formal application will not be required for readmission.

Section 4. Compensation. The Board of Directors is empowered to defray all or part of the expenses of officers or committee members of the Chapter for performance of Chapter business.

 

Article VII-Amendments 

The bylaws may be amended by a two thirds (2/3) vote of the eligible voting members, provided that a copy of such proposed amendments should have been submitted in advance to the Board of Directors for its consideration. A copy of any proposed amendment, together with the recommendations of the Board of Directors thereon shall be provided to each member of the Chapter. The Secretary shall provide this proposal at least thirty (30) days before the vote for which such amendment is to be considered.

 

Article VIII-Indemnification

The Academy shall indemnify all officers and directors of the Academy to the full extent permitted by Connecticut law.  The Academy shall be entitled to purchase insurance for such indemnification of officers and directors to the full extent permitted by Connecticut law as determined from time to time by the Board of Directors.