Convention Committees
The deadline to apply for a Convention Committee at the 2013 AMA-MSS Annual Meeting has passed. Please consider applying for the AMA-MSS Interim Meeting in November - more information to come.
About Convention Committees
Convention committees are small representative groups that serve to expedite the conduct of business at each meeting of the MSS Assembly. Descriptions of their various functions follow:
The Credentials Committee is composed of eight Assembly members. The committee reviews the credentials of certified voting members and alternate voting members and distributes ballots to these delegates during election periods.
The Rules Committee is composed of four Assembly members. The committee reviews late and emergency resolutions and makes recommendations to the MSS Assembly on whether to consider them as business of the Assembly. The committee also collects and tabulates ballots during elections and verifies the results of these elections. Finally, the committee hears appeals to the process of ballot distribution and appeals on election results in the event of a dispute.
The Reference Committee is composed of five members and one alternate. The Reference Committee conducts an open hearing on the matters of business of the Assembly. After having heard discussion on the resolutions before it, the Committee draws up a report with recommendations to the Assembly for disposition of its items of business.
***Please note that a preliminary Reference Committee report will be drafted and made available for review PRIOR TO the Meeting, using testimony submitted online via the MSS Virtual Reference Committee. The preliminary report and its recommendations will serve as the starting point for debate at the traditional Friday-morning Reference Committee hearing. This significant change in the policy-making process is designed to streamline debate and bring the MSS in line with the policy-making practices of the physician House of Delegates. To accommodate these changes, Reference Committee members must be available to meet via conference call approximately one week prior to the meeting to consider online testimony and deliberate over the recommendations of the preliminary Reference Committee report. Duties at the meeting will remain unchanged and include the Reference Committee hearing and executive session responsibilities.*****
The Parliamentary Procedures Committee is designed to assist members of the Assembly with procedural questions during the business meeting. Advanced knowledge of parliamentary procedure and participation at previous MSS meetings is required.
The House Coordination Committee supports the MSS Delegate and Alternate Delegate, as well as student members of their state delegations, in forming a common and well-informed position on resolutions and reports presented for the AMA House of Delegates. The committee is also responsible for coordinating student testimony for HOD reference committees for all student-authored resolutions. Committee members should be available through Sunday evening of the AMA-MSS meeting and are encouraged to stay throughout the AMA House of Delegates, which ends on Wednesday. All students, regardless of their level of experience, are encouraged to apply for this committee. Students who are currently serving as Delegates or Alternate Delegates to the AMA House of Delegates, however, should not apply for this committee.
The Hospitality Committee greets attendees at the welcome reception and coordinates social events with Region Chairs, State Chairs, and the host city and state medical societies.
The Logistics and Resources Committee assists the Speaker and Vice Speaker in addressing the logistical and technological needs of the Assembly during the meeting, including the amendment process during Saturday's business meeting.
The Community Service Project Coordination Team works with the MSS At-Large Officer on the organization and implementation of the community service project. You must be available to leave the Assembly on the day of the project.
