By-Laws | Maine Veterinary Tec

MAINE VETERINARY TECHNICIAN’S ASSOCIATION

BY-LAWS

DRAFT – January 8, 2020

The Association shall be known as the Maine Veterinary Technician’s Association, hereafter referred to as MVTA.

Article II – Purpose/Objectives

The purpose or objectives of MVTA are as follows:

Develop the membership and engagement of veterinary technicians in this professional association across the state of Maine.
Develop and advance opportunities for continuing education in veterinary technology.
Develop a working collaborative relationship with the Maine Veterinary Medical Association to work on common goals.
Study the impact, benefits and potential concerns with participating in the Veterinary Nurse Initiative.
Collaborate with veterinary technology educational programs in the state of Maine and collaborate to share resources in order to provide continuing education for members and students.
Promote animal welfare.
Foster cooperation with related veterinary behavior organizations.
Promote and maintain the professional image and high ethical standards of veterinary technicians.

Article III – Membership

Section 1. Professional Membership:

Open to any veterinary technician who has graduated from an AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) approved and accredited college or school of veterinary technology or any currently credentialed veterinary technician. Professional members shall have voting privileges and shall be eligible to hold office.

Section 2. Student Membership:

Open to those students currently enrolled in an AVMA accredited program for veterinary technicians. Student members shall not be eligible to serve as officers of MVTA or vote in association affairs but may at the discretion of the Board of Directors, serve on committees.

Section 5. Membership dues:

Membership to the above categories may be obtained after formal application and payment of dues is mailed to MVTA for approval. The Board of Directors shall establish annual dues. Membership dues cover a one-year period from the date they are paid and shall be paid annually to maintain active status as a member. Only professional members in good standing (i.e., dues of current year paid) may vote for officers or in other affairs of MVTA.

Section 6. Advertisement:

Members are prohibited from using the association name or logo in advertising including use of the association’s name or logo on letterheads, business forms, business cards, and advertising copy.

Section 7. Revocation of Membership:

If in the opinion of the Board of Directors, a member of MVTA is believed to have participated in activities which grossly misrepresent or undermine the profession and/or MVTA, said member shall be notified in writing of this belief and invited to a hearing of his views or rebuttal. The Board of Directors shall hold the hearing within a reasonable period of time following notification. After such a hearing, a written poll will be taken of the Board of Directors regarding whether to revoke the membership of the individual in question. A majority vote of those present is necessary to initiate revocation of membership. If the individual in question is unable to appear at the time designated for the initial hearing, a second hearing shall be arranged for not sooner than two weeks and at the convenience of both the member and the Board of Directors.

Article IV – Officers, Their Election and Duties

Section 1. The Officers of MVTA:

The elected officers of MVTA are the: President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Board Members at Large. These officers shall comprise the Board of Directors.

Section 2. Election of Officers:

Eligibility:

Only professional members in good standing with MVTA may be nominated for elective offices.

Nomination and Election:

Nominations for officer positions will be taken at the last meeting of each calendar year. They will be collected and put onto ballots that will be sent out to the membership and returned by mail. The elected officers will be announced at the first meeting of the new calendar year.

Terms of office and Installation:

Officers newly elected will be installed at the first annual meeting of the year. Terms of office shall begin at the close of that meeting, in which the election results are announced, until the close of the next year’s first annual meeting of MVTA when successors to office are installed.

Automatic Succession to Higher Office:

The office of President-Elect is an elective office; at the end of the one-year term of office, the President-Elect will automatically succeed to the office of President without the formality of election. If in the opinion of other members of the Board of Directors, an officer is believed to be unable to continue in an office due to poor health, nonattendance and/or poor performance of duties, said officer shall be notified by the Board of Directors in writing of this belief and invited to a hearing of his views or rebuttal. The Board of Directors shall hold the hearing within two weeks following written notification. After such a hearing, a written poll will be taken of the Board of Directors regarding whether to request the resignation of the officer in question. The Board of Directors will set the hearing date and time. A majority vote of those present is necessary to request resignation. If resignation is requested, an officer must resign. If the officer in question is unable to participate at the time designated for the initial hearing, a second hearing shall be arranged. That hearing must take place within two weeks after the initial hearing and at the convenience of both the Board of Directors and the officer in question.

Vacancy Procedures:

In the event of a vacancy in the office of:

President: The President-Elect shall assume the duties and responsibilities of this office in addition to the duties of the office of President-Elect. At the next annual meeting, the President-Elect shall assume the office of President as is designated in the Automatic Succession to Higher Office Protocol.
President-Elect: The Secretary shall assume the duties and responsibilities of this office in addition to the duties of the office of Secretary until such a time as the Nominating/Election Committee makes arrangements for a special election for the office of President-Elect.
Secretary, Treasurer, and Members at Large: The Board of Directors shall appoint a substitute for the vacant position until the next annual meeting.

Resignation Procedures:

Any member of the Board of Directors who wishes to resign his position must notify the Board of Directors, in writing, within 30 days of his intention to resign.

Duties of the Officers:

President: One (1) year term
The President shall:
1. Preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and the annual general membership meeting.
2. Create the agenda for the meetings.
3. Represent MVTA in all matters.
4. Oversee that the Board of Directors and the Committee Chairpersons are informed of the activities and operation of MVTA.
5. Appoint the Chairpersons of all standing and ad hoc committees except as otherwise provided in the Constitution, outline the purpose and duties of each committee and monitor their progress.
6. Promote the interest and active participation in MVTA on the part of the membership and report activities of MVTA to the members by means of MVTA publications and speeches.
7. Present an address at the annual general membership meeting, at the end of the term in office and at other appropriate meetings.
8. In cooperation with the persons having the responsibility for MVTA’s financial affairs, help develop, recommend, and oversee that MVTA operates within the proposed annual budget and have an annual accountant review.
9. Act as the spokesperson for MVTA to: the press, the public, and related organizations.
10. Appoint a formal liaison with all designated allied associations.
President-Elect: One (1) year term with automatic succession to the office of President
The President-Elect shall:
1. Serve as President in the temporary absence of the President.
2. Cooperate in the promotional activities of MVTA under the direction of the Board of Directors, particularly in the relationship to student members.
3. Have charge and responsibility of MVTA’s annual meeting and program including the continuing education program.
4. Chair the Finance Committee and appoint members of the Finance Committee to aid in fulfilling its responsibilities of proposing a budget for the following year.
5. Upon incapacitation of the Treasurer, the President-Elect shall sign checks for MVTA.
Secretary: Two (2) year term
The Recording Secretary shall:
1. Record the minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors and annual general meetings.
2. Maintain a file of all standing and ad hoc committee meeting minutes for a period of not less than five (5) years.
3. Maintain an accurate record of the members of the Association.
4. Conduct the correspondence of the Association and the Board of Directors.
5. Supply information to the Association members regarding the annual meeting and related continuing education programs.
6. Send members of the Board of Directors notices of all meeting within the association.
7. Turn over all Association records and correspondence to his duly elected successor within one month of the completion of his term.
Treasurer: Two (2) year term
The Treasurer shall:
1. Keep an itemized account of all receipts and disbursements for a period of not less than five (5) years and give a written report at the annual meeting of the Association.
2. Submit all books of account for annual accountant review by February 1st.
3. Be bonded at the expense of the Association and shall be the only officer permitted to sign checks for the Association, unless incapacitated in which case the President-Elect may sign checks.
4. Supervise any financial matter of the Association.
5. Serve as a member of the Finance Committee and in the event of the temporary absence of the President-Elect, the Treasurer shall chair the Finance Committee.
6. Be responsible for submitting current lists of names and addresses of all members to the Secretaries as dues and application forms are received.
7. At the close of the General Membership Meeting, deliver to the newly elected treasurer all money, vouchers, books and papers of the Association held in his custody.
Members At Large: Two (2) year term
There shall be two (1) Members At Large. The Members At Large shall:
1. Act as voting members of the Board of Directors with all rights and responsibilities of same.

Article V – MVTA Meetings

Section 1. Annual Meeting(s):

The MVTA shall hold __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Section 2. Board of Directors Meetings:

Board meetings shall be held on __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Section 3. Notification of Board Meetings:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Section 4. Notification of Annual Meetings:

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Section 5. Ad Hoc Committee meetings:

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Section 6. Fiscal Year:

The fiscal year of MVTA shall be January 1st through December 31st. For simplicity in correlating the proposed budget, terms of office, duration of dues, and the fiscal year, the annual meeting shall be held in December.

Article VI – Committees

Section 1. Authorization:

MVTA shall have such standing committees as may be specified from time to time by the Board of Directors.

Section 2. Appointment:

The Board of Directors shall regularly appoint the Chairpersons of all Committees except as otherwise provided in the By-Laws of the MVTA.

Article VII – Amendments

Section 1. Presentation:

Amendments may be proposed by written petition, signed by five (5) active members of MVTA.
A proposed amendment shall be submitted to the Board of Directors at least ninety (90) days before a scheduled meeting.
Copies of amendment proposals shall be distributed to the voting members of MVTA at least thirty (30) days prior to the annual meeting.

Section 2. Passage:

The By-Laws may be amended at a membership meeting by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the professional members of the voting body present and voting.

Section 3. Adoption:

Approved amendments will be formerly adopted at the meeting at which they were passed, and will become affective at the close of said meeting unless otherwise stipulated in the amendment.

Article VIII – By-Laws

BY-LAWS – Article I

Section 1. Grammatical Note:

For the purpose of brevity, the use of the pronoun his or he in the Constitution denotes the individual discussed and is not a reflection of the gender of the individual.

Section 2. Association Meeting Protocol:

All meetings of MVTA will be conducted by use of Robert’s Rules of Order.

BY-LAWS – Article II

Section 1. MVTA Committees

Committees may be added or dissolved on an as needed basis by the Board of Directors.

Section 2. Purposes of the standing committees of MVTA:

Continuing education/program – The purposes of the committee are:
1. To provide MVTA presence at selected CE meetings.
2. To serve in an advisory capacity for proposed continuing education programs for veterinary technicians.
Finance – The purpose of the committee is:
1. To propose a budget for each fiscal year to recommend to the Board of Directors.
Membership – The purposes of the committee are:
1. To promote membership in MVTA.
2. To work in cooperation with the Board of Directors on all membership drives and activities of MVTA.
3. To solicit student members from veterinary technician programs.
Public Relations – The purposes of the committee are:
1. To promote the profession of veterinary technology.
2. To promote MVTA.
3. To develop programs for presentation to other professional groups and to the public at the direction of the Board of Directors.
Newsletter/Publications – The purpose of the committee is:
1. To provide MVTA membership with a newsletter/publication at an interval established by the Board of Directors.
State representatives – The purposes of the committee are:
1. To contact state representatives on a quarterly basis to keep informed of their proceedings and to offer assistance if necessary.
2. Maintain contact information with state representatives.
3. To solicit representatives from unrepresented states.
4. Solicit and write articles to be submitted to Newsletter/Publication Committee on a quarterly basis.

Section 3. Dissolution of Organization and Distribution of Remaining Funds

Should dissolution of the Association need to occur, the Board of Directors will follow the rules and regulations set forth in the states in which the Association is registered. The Board shall also follow the rules and regulations set forth by the Internal Revenue Service.
The Board shall choose an appropriate animal related non-profit to distribute remaining funds to.
Upon the dissolution of the corporation, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all the legal liabilities of the corporation, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by a court of competent jurisdiction of the county in which the principal office of the corporation is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said court shall determine which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.