Bylaws of the Veterinary Medical Association of Bexar County
bylaws-of-the-VMABC.pdf (pdf)
BY-LAWS OF THE VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION OF BEXAR COUNTY (Amended July 17, 2016)
ARTICLE I – Name The name of this association shall be the Veterinary Medical Association of Bexar County, hereinafter referred to as VMABC.
ARTICLE II –Purpose and Objectives The purpose and objectives of VMABC shall be:
1. To advance the art and science of veterinary medicine; 2. To promote, preserve and protect the public health; 3. To promote high educational, ethical, and moral standards within the veterinary profession; 4. To educate the public concerning animal health and its relationship to human health; 5. To supply a medium of exchange and cooperation among its members.
ARTICLE III – Membership Section 1. Qualifications
Membership in the VMABC shall consist of veterinarians who meet the following qualifications:
1. Graduation from a school or college of veterinary medicine accredited by the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) or be the recipient of the AVMA Educational Certificate for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) 2. Have submitted an application for membership on the official form of the VMABC. 3. Have submitted the full amount of annual dues if application is made prior to June 30, or have submitted one-half the amount of annual dues if application is made after June 30. Applications failing in election to membership shall have any fee submitted returned. 4. Have been reported favorably by the Membership Committee and subsequently have received a majority vote of the total membership of the Executive Committee. Section 2. Tenure
Members of the VMABC shall retain their membership only so long as they comply with the provisions of the VMABC By-Laws and the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics of the AVMA. Members, who in the assessment of the Executive Committee are delinquent in submission of annual dues, will be dropped from membership. Removal from membership for other than nonpayment of dues shall be in accordance with the official written procedure of the VMABC as established by the Ethics and Grievance Committee and approved by the Executive Committee. Section 3. Honorary Membership
Honorary membership in the VMABC shall be determined on an individual basis by the Executive Board.
Section 3A. Honorary Life Membership Honorary Life Membership may be granted to those member veterinarians who meet the criteria of having been an active veterinarian for forty years or more and have made a substantial contribution of service to the membership of VMABC during that period. Nominations will be presented annually to the Executive Committee for approval and those approved will be presented with an appropriate “Certificate of Honorary Life Membership” at the annual awards and installation banquet of VMABC. Honorary Life Membership will have all membership and voting privileges but will be exempt from payment of annual dues.
Section 3B. Honorary Life Membership for Non-Veterinarians
An Honorary Membership without voting privilege or dues-paying obligation, may be conferred upon an individual whom it is felt should be recognized as having rendered the Profession of Veterinary Medicine in Bexar County an outstanding service deserving of public recognition. The Honorary Membership is intended to “give credit where credit is due” and shall have as its basis service rendered in a spirit of cooperation with, and/or recognition of, the Veterinary Medical Profession. To select a proper person upon whom such an honor should be bestowed, a committee to be appointed by the President shall consider nominations for the honor, and make its recommendation at a regular meeting at least two months prior to the Association’s annual Inaugural Dinner for newly-elected officers. The Committee shall be composed of a Past President, a member of the same Committee of the year previous, and a member-at-large. Election to Honorary Membership shall require favorable vote of at least two-thirds of the members present at the meeting during which the recommendation is made. Upon election of an Honorary Member, it shall be the duty of the Association President to inform the awardee of the honor and invite him and his spouse to attend the annual inaugural dinner at which time the President shall make the award. It should be clearly understood there is no requirement the Honorary Membership should be awarded every year, but only in those years when a person truly deserving of the honor is placed in nomination. A suitable plaque bearing the following inscription shall be presented an Honorary Member:
For Distinguished Service To The Profession of Veterinary Medicine THE VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION OF BEXAR COUNTY Confers An Honorary Membership on (name of honoree) (month,year) Section 4. Retired Membership
Retired membership may be extended, upon written application and Executive Committee approval, to any current VMABC member in good standing who meets the following criteria:Age 60 or more; retired from all substantial veterinary employment; and have maintained membership in a local veterinary association during the previous ten years. Retired members will have all membership privileges except voting privilege and will be exempt from payment of annual dues. Section 5. Veterinary Staff Membership
Available to practice managers, technicians and receptionists currently employed by a VMABC member veterinarian and recommended for membership by that veterinarian. These members will not have voting rights but may attend seminars and social events held by VMABC. Annual dues amount to be established by VMABC Executive committee.
Section 6. Business Membership Available to individuals representing firms that are currently servicing the veterinary community and directly invoicing VMABC members. These members will not have voting rights but will receive monthly newsletter and annual directory. They may attend selected socials and seminars held by VMABC. Annual dues amount to be established by VMABC Executive Committee.
ARTICLE IV – Officers
The officers of the VMABC shall be a President, President-Elect, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Immediate Past President. Officers will be elected by ballot from candidates submitted to the membership by the Nominations Committee or nominated from the floor at a regular meeting. No officer except the Secretary and Treasurer may be reelected to a term of office that begins less than one year from the expiration of their present term. The term of office is January 1 through December 31 commencing the first day of the month of January subsequent to the member’s election.
ARTICLE V – Ethics
Members will be governed in their professional conduct by the current Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Suspended violations of these Principles shall be
reported in writing to the Chairman, Ethics and Grievances Committee for action in Accordance with ARTICLE IX, Section I. (g) of these By-Laws.
ARTICLE VI – Duties of Officers
Section I. President: The President shall be the chief elected officer of the VMABC and shall:
1. Preside at all general meetings of the membership but is empowered to yield the chair to the President-Elect or Vice-President, in that order of succession, for the performance of these duties. 2. Appoint the chairman of all committees unless otherwise specified within the By-Laws. 3. Order payment of all due and correct financial obligations that may be presented to the Treasurer.
Section 2. President-Elect: The President-Elect shall succeed to the Presidency and shall:
1. Perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President 2. Serve as Chairperson of the Nominations Committee, 3. Serve as Chairperson of the Social Committee.
Section 3. Vice-President: It shall be the duty of the Vice President to perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President and President-Elect and shall:
1. Serve as Chairperson of the Membership Committee, 2. Serve Chairperson of the Telephone Committee 3. Serve as a member of the Social Program Committee.
Section 4. Secretary: The Secretary of the VMABC shall:
1. Preserve a permanent record of minutes of all general meetings, a copy of which shall be provided to the Executive Committee within 30 days of such meeting. 2. Upon relinquishing his office provide to the Executive Secretary within 15 days of the election or appointment of his successor, the official recordings of the proceedings of the VMABC as recorded during his tenure.
Section 5. Treasurer: The Treasurer of VMABC shall:
1. Be custodian of all receipts and expenditures and maintain accurate records of same. 2. Ensure that funds of the VMABC are deposited by the Executive Secretary in a financial institution approved by the Executive Committee. 3. Ensure that the financial records of the VMABC are available for examination by the Executive Committee upon request. 4. Ensure that the annual audit, conducted by a Certified Public Accountant selected by the Executive Committee, shall be made an official portion of the Treasurer’s records. 5. Provide a detailed annual financial statement to include opening balance, itemized disbursements, itemized receipts, and concluding balance to the Executive Committee, such statement to be provided by the first day of March following the fiscal year concluding the 31st day of December. 6. Be. A member of the Continuing Education and Social Program Committees.
ARTICLE VII – Composition and Duties of the Executive Committee
Section 1. Composition
The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, President-Elect, Vice- President, Secretary, Treasurer, Immediate Past-President and two members-at-large. The President-Elect, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and members-at-large will be nominated by the nominating committee and voted on by the general membership in the annual election held in October of each year.
Section 2. Duties The Executive Committee shall:
1. Be the official administrative body of the VMABC with complete charge of its financial records and property, if applicable. 2. Establish the amount of annual dues to be remitted by the individual members. 3. Be charged with carrying out the provisions of the VMABC By-Laws. 4. Appoint an Executive Secretary and establish the salary of that individual. The Committee may also establish duties of the Executive Secretary in addition to those specified in Article VIII by the By-Laws. 5. Meet as directed by the President. 6. Recommend and direct the deposit of all funds as received by the Executive Secretary. 7. Act upon all charges of misconduct and unethical professional conduct filed against members as presented to the Ethics and Grievance Committee.
ARTICLE VIII – Executive Secretary The Executive Secretary shall:
1. Be the chief administrative officer of the VMABC responsible for all management functions as prescribed by the Executive Committee. 2. Receive all applications for membership and deliver same to the Membership Committee. 3. Receive the cash resources of the VMABC and deposit same in a financial institution approved by the Executive Committee. 4. Furnish the Treasurer with records providing full details on all VMABC income and expenditures. 5. Transmit all permanent records of minutes of the general meeting to the Secretary upon the election of that officer. 6. Be responsible for the maintenance of membership records. 7. Serve as an “ex-officio” member of all Standing and Special Committees. 8. Provide to the Executive Committee a listing of those members delinquent in submission of dues.
ARTICLE IX – Standing and Special Committees
Section I. Standing Committees
Except as otherwise specified in these By-Laws, the President shall appoint the chairperson of all committees. Standing committees will meet at the call of the chairperson as required but not less than annually and will prepare an annual report as of December 31of each year. The report will be submitted to the Executive Committee at the next regularly scheduled Executive Committee meeting and will become a portion of the permanent records of the VMABC. Standing Committees and their general duties are named below:
1. Continuing Education Committee: shall provide for the continuing education of the membership through scheduling of seminars, workshops, and similar professional educational opportunities. (See Article VI, Section 5, 6). 2. Social Programs Committee: shall provide for the scheduling and other planning of social events for the fellowship and enjoyment of members, spouses, and families. (See Article VI, Section 3 and Section 5.e). 3. Public Health and Animal Control Committee: shall be cognizant of current problems and trends affecting public health and shall provide expertise and advice to the Executive Committee or other committees when required; the chairperson shall chair the annual rabies immunization program for the VMABC. 4. Humane Society Committee: shall perform duties as prescribed by the Executive Committee. 5. Livestock and Texas Animal Health Commission Liaison Committee: shall perform duties as prescribed by the Executive Committee. 6. Explorer Scouts: shall perform duties as prescribed by the Executive Committee. 7. Ethics and Grievance Committee: Shall review cases reported to it in writing concerning the ethics or grievances: Shall attempt to resolve misunderstanding that may have prompted the grievance;
May upon complaint of any member in good standing and after due notice and hearing, recommend to the Executive Committee the acquittal, censure suspension expulsion or placing on probation any member of the VMABC.
• For a violation of the By-laws of the VMABC, • For a violation of the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics of the AVMA, • For conviction of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude, • For other behavior detrimental to the profession of veterinary medicine. 8. Public Information Committee: shall be responsible for the dissemination of veterinary medical information to the public in accordance with the Communications Media Guide of the VMABC; shall provide all interface with non-veterinary individualsand agencies as required. 9. Membership Committee: shall be chaired by the Vice-President; shall promote active membership from Executive Secretary and report them with the committee’s recommendation at the next meeting of the Executive Committee. 10. Nominations Committee: shall be chaired by the President-Elect and include only PastPresidents of the VMABC and consist of no less than 5 members including the chairperson; shall provide at least one candidate for each office in writing to the membership prior to the general meeting at which elections are to be held. 11. Newsletter Committee: Chairperson to be appointed by the President and shall serve as editor of the monthly newsletter and will be responsible for all articles and news items appearing in the newsletter. Also will coordinate the printing and distribution of the newsletter with the Executive Secretary.
Section 2. Special Committees Other committees as are needed may be established and chairpersons appointed by the President who shall prescribe the duties of the committee.
ARTICLE X – Order of Business Section 1. Regular Meetings
Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the guide for the parliamentary practice in the meetings of VMABC. A quorum shall be declared if 15 voting members are physically present. A member entitled to vote may vote by proxy executed in writing by the member; no member’s proxy shall be voted for more than a single meeting. Section 2. Executive Committee Meetings
The Executive Committee will meet at the call of the President. A quorum shall be declared if a majority of the total membership of the Executive Committee is present. The meetings of the Executive Committee will normally be closed; however; the Executive Committee shall have the right to call in any voting members or other persons as deemed necessary by the President. Proceedings of the Executive Committee may be made available to any voting member upon request.
ARTICLE XI – Changes in By-Laws
The By-laws of the VMABC may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the voting members present at any regular meeting of the association provided that a quorum is present. The Secretary or a member designated by the President shall be required to tabulate the votes for and against any amendment and such tabulation will be made a part of the minutes. The membership shall be notified in writing at least ten (10) days in advance of any meeting at which changes are amendments to the By-laws will be considered and voted on.
Updated Friday, 08th December, 2017