Region 2 Bylaws
ARTICLE I. NAME
The name of this organization shall be Region 2 of the American Medical Association-Medical Student Section (AMA-MSS). It shall be referred to as Region 2 thereafter.
ARTICLE II. OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this organization shall be to encourage and support the active participation of medical students in the American Medical Association (AMA) and their state societies, to provide a representation of student opinions and ideas in organized medicine, and to support the purposes of the AMA as stated in its constitution.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
Membership shall be composed of medical students currently enrolled in a medical school in one of the following states: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. This school must be recognized by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association, and the student's field of study must lead to a degree of Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy.
Membership is further limited to those students who are members in good standing of the AMA as determined by the bylaws of the AMA.
Only members of Region 2 shall have the right to vote in Region 2, hold office in Region 2, and sit on committees of the AMA as representatives of Region 2.
ARTICLE IV. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section A: Officers
There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the following offices: Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, State Representatives, Regional Delegates and Alternate Delegates. No member shall hold more than one of the above offices simultaneously.
- Chairperson. The Chairperson shall be the head of Region 2 of the AMA-MSS and shall, as far as practical, visit the various areas of the region in the interests of Region 2. The Chairperson is required to attend and shall preside over all meetings of Region 2. The Chairperson will facilitate communication and dissemination of information between the governing council and state and local leadership within the region.
The Chairperson shall have no vote unless there is a tie, at which point the Chairperson shall cast the deciding vote.
- Vice-Chairperson. The Vice-Chairperson shall assist the Chairperson in the performance of the Chairperson’s duties and shall perform such service at the Chairperson’s request. The Vice-Chairperson is required to attend and shall serve as parliamentarian at all Region 2 meetings. The Vice-Chairperson is also responsible for overseeing the planning and execution of the Region 2 Annual Meeting, to be held within the state where the Vice-Chairperson attends medical school.
In the event of a vacancy of Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson shall assume the duties of Chairperson automatically. At the next official meeting of Region 2, an election shall be held to fill the position of Vice-Chairperson as per Article IV, Section B.
- Secretary. The secretary shall record the minutes of all meetings of the Region 2 Assembly and Executive Committee and shall serve as editor of the Region 2 web site and all Region 2 publications. The Secretary shall assist the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson in the performance of their duties and is required to attend all meetings of Region 2.
- Community Service Liaison. The Community Service Liaison will be the liaison between the Governing Council At-Large Officer and Region II membership. He or she will also be responsible for organizing the community service project as part of the Region II meeting. He or she will also serve as the contact person between each individual chapter's Community Service Chair/Representative and the AMA-MSS at-large.
- State Representatives. The current chair of the state medical society’s Medical Student Section from each state in Region 2 as determined by each individual state shall serve as State Representative for his/her respective state. These representatives shall serve as contacts for their states and the individual chapters within, and are responsible for maintaining current contact information for said state and local chapter leadership.
- Regional Delegates and Alternate Delegates. There will be so many Regional Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the AMA House of Delegates (HOD) as Region 2 qualifies for under AMA bylaws. No person shall stand for election to the office of Regional Delegate or Alternate Delegate unless he/she has attended a minimum of one (1) AMA-MSS national meeting prior to the Region 2 meeting during which said election shall take place.
Upon election, each Regional Delegate shall be paired with an Alternate Delegate, and such pairing shall last until the expiration of the term for which said Delegate and Alternate Delegate have been elected. The decisions on pairings shall be made by the delegation according to such a formula as they deem advisable. Should the delegation fail to arrive at a consensus for determining said pairing, the Chairperson shall have the final and ultimate authority to resolve all disputes and assign pairing.
The delegation shall choose a Delegation Chair from amongst its members to coordinate said delegation in its activities. In the event the Delegation Chair cannot fulfill his/her duties, the delegation shall choose a Delegation Chair pro tempore, who shall in turn act as Delegation Chair until such time as the originally elected Delegation Chair is able to resume his/her duties.
During the term of office all Delegates and Alternate Delegates shall take seats with their respective state delegations.
Section B: Election of the Executive Committee
Elections for the positions of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, and Community Service Liaison shall be held during the AMA-MSS Annual Meeting, and elections for the positions of Regional Delegate and Alternate Delegate shall be held during the AMA-MSS Interim Meeting; elections for State Representatives shall be held according to each state medical society’s medical student section. Eligible candidates may declare up to the point of the election so long as it is not in violation of AMA-MSS bylaws; however, only those candidates that declare by the date specified by the Chairperson shall be able to post their curriculum vitae and personal statement on the Region 2 listserv and Web site.
Elections for Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and Secretary shall be conducted in said order. Candidates may run for all offices, and unsuccessful candidates for one election may run in subsequent election(s) so long as it is in adherence with Article IV, Section B. Each election shall be conducted according to the voting procedures set forth in Article V. In the event of more than two (2) people contesting an election with no candidate receiving a majority of the votes, a run-off vote shall be held between the candidates that remain following the removal of the candidate with the least number of votes until a majority decision has been reached.
In no event shall the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, or Community Service Liaison be from the same state.
In the case of Regional Delegate and Alternate Delegate, candidates may run for either office. The election procedure for Regional Delegates shall be as follows: each ballot cast shall have up to (n) number of votes for different candidates for the positions of Regional Delegate, with (n) being the number of Regional Delegates assigned to Region 2 as in Article IV, Section A; the number of votes for each candidate shall then be totaled, and the (n) candidates with the highest number of votes shall be elected. Should more than one of the top (n) vote-getters be from the same state, then only the candidate from that state with the highest number of votes will be elected to the position of Regional Delegate. In the event of a tie for the final position of Regional Delegate, a run-off vote shall be held between the candidates tied for the final position in accordance with the voting procedures set forth in Article V.
Unsuccessful candidates for Regional Delegate may run in the election for Alternate Delegate so long as it is in adherence with Article IV, Section B. A state may have more than one (1) Alternate Delegate. This process shall then be repeated for the election of Alternate Delegates.
In no event shall more than one (1) person from any state assume the position of Regional Delegate; however, a state may have more than one (1) Alternate Delegate.
Section C: Eligibility
Any member of Region 2 is eligible to run for positions on the Executive Committee as further specified by Article IV and AMA-MSS bylaws, with the exception of State Representatives.
Section D: Terms
The positions of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, and Community Service Liaison will have a one (1) year term to commence at the close of the AMA-MSS Annual Meeting, and the positions of Regional Delegate and Alternate Delegate will have a one (1) year term to commence at the close of the AMA-MSS Interim Meeting. The positions have a one (1) year term limit.
The term and term limit for the positions of State Representatives shall be determined by the individual state medical society’s medical student section.
Section E: Recall of Officers
Any member of Region 2 can bring forth a recall of any member of the Executive Committee with the exception of State Representatives. A majority vote at an official meeting of Region 2 carries forward the motion to recall. The actual vote to remove said individual shall occur at the next official meeting of Region 2, which can be no less than 10 days after official notification (in writing) of the recall has been delivered to said individual. A ¾ majority vote in favor of removal is required for the individual to be removed from his/her position, and prior to this vote taking place the officer subject to recall shall be given the opportunity to speak before Region 2 on his/her behalf.
Section F: Resignation of Officers
In the event that an officer is required to resign his/her position, with the exception of State Representatives, he/she must notify the Chairperson a minimum of two (2) weeks prior to the next Region 2 meeting. The Chairperson must then announce said resignation via the Region 2 listserv and/or Web site no less than one (1) week prior to the Region 2 meeting where the election to replace said officer will take place. Should more than one officer resign prior to a meeting, elections shall be handled in accordance with Article IV, Section B. The individual(s) elected to the position(s) shall take office immediately following election.
Resignation of State Representatives shall be handled by the individual state medical society’s medical student section in such a manner as it sees fit.
Section F: Filling of Vacancies
In the event of vacancy of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, or Community Service Liaison, the resulting vacancy shall be filled as provided in Article IV, Sections A and B.
In the event of vacancy of State Representatives, the resulting vacancy shall be filled by the respective state medical society’s medical student section according to a formula of its own choosing.
In the event of a vacancy of Regional Delegate, the resulting vacancy shall be filled by his/her paired Alternate Delegate until such time as the Delegate is able to resume his/her duties.
In the event of a vacancy of Alternate Delegate occurring prior to the Regional Meeting immediately preceding the AMA-MSS Annual or Interim Meeting, there shall be an election of a replacement Alternate Delegate in accordance with Article IV, Section B. In the event of a vacancy of Alternate Delegate occurring after the Regional Meeting immediately preceding the AMA-MSS Annual or Interim Meeting, a replacement Alternate Delegate shall be appointed by the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson with the concurrence of the delegation. An individual elected or appointed under this rule shall serve only until such time as the original Alternate Delegate is able to resume his/her duties.
ARTICLE V. VOTING
One vote shall be given to each medical school and separate campus represented at a Region 2 meeting, and each school and campus is free to decide in which manner its vote shall be cast so long as the ballot is in adherence with parliamentary procedure unless otherwise specified in these bylaws. A separate campus shall be defined as a separate facility in a city other than where the main campus is located where part of the medical student body is assigned for some portion of their instruction over a period of time not less than an academic year. This shall hold true for elections of the executive committee, any resolutions introduced for the support of Region 2, amendments to these bylaws, and any other business regarding the region.
A majority of legal votes cast shall decide a vote unless otherwise specified in these bylaws or by parliamentary authority, and shall be performed by secret ballot unless otherwise specified at the discretion of the Chairperson with the approval of the majority of those medical schools present. Secret ballots shall be tallied by the Chairperson with the assistance of the Vice-Chairperson.
In the event of a tie the Chairperson shall cast the deciding vote. In the event the Chairperson should be absent or required to recuse him/herself due to a conflict of interest, the Vice-Chairperson shall cast the deciding vote. In the event the Vice-Chairperson should be absent or required to recuse him/herself due to a conflict of interest, the delegation of Regional Delegates and Alternate Delegates shall then cast votes with the decision being made by majority. The Delegation Chair shall have no vote during this process except in the case of a tie, at which point the Delegation Chair shall cast the deciding vote.
ARTICLE VI. MEETINGS
Section A: Meetings
Official meetings of Region 2 consisting of the entire assembly shall be held during the AMA-MSS Annual and Interim Meetings and at one (1) additional time to precede one of the AMA-MSS national meetings at such time as designated by the Chairperson; this additional meeting shall be known as the Region 2 Annual Meeting and is subject to planning as per Article IV, Section A. Another meeting of Region 2 shall be held preceding the other AMA-MSS national meeting at such a time as designated by the Chairperson so long as such a meeting is feasible. This and other meetings of Region 2 not specified in Article VI, Section A may consist of the entire Region 2 Assembly or of the Executive Committee. Members shall be given a minimum of thirty (30) days notice of any meeting of the Region 2 Assembly or Executive Committee that occurs at a time other than the AMA-MSS Annual or Interim Meeting.
An official Region 2 Meeting where business may take place shall be defined as one where quorum, as defined in Article VI, Section B, is present. Business conducted during meetings of the Executive Committee may be subject to ratification.
Section B: Quorum
A quorum shall constitute at least fifty (50) percent of all chapters within Region 2 provided that all five (5) states are represented.
Section C: Attendees
Assembly meetings are open to all members of Region 2.
Section D: Business
At its meetings, Region 2 shall address resolutions to be submitted to the AMA HOD; receive reports from its officers, school representatives, and others as designated; elect officers when appropriate; and, conduct any other business appropriate.
Section E: Parliamentary Procedure
The current edition of Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure shall guide the conduct for business where not delineated in this statement of Governing Principles.
Section F: Rules of Order
The following rules of order supersede Sturgis when conducting Region 2 business:
- Resolutions may only be submitted by Region 2 members or delegations of Region 2 members and must be received in writing no less than one week prior to a Region 2 Assembly Meeting. Any resolution received less than one week prior to a meeting will be considered a late resolution and will require a 2/3 majority of voting Region 2 delegates present to be considered.
- Amendments must be presented to the Chairperson in writing prior to their proposal before the Region 2 MSS. Amendments of three words or less may be oral amendments and do not require written presentation.
- All Region 2 members must address the Chairperson and receive recognition prior to speaking before the Region 2.
- No one shall speak more than once on any issue or separate motion until all who wish to speak have been heard, nor more than twice, without permission from the Chairperson.
- The overall debate on any single issue shall be limited to no more than 15 minutes per resolution, two minutes per speaker.
- Smoking shall be prohibited at all official business meetings of the Region 2, including reference committees and workshops.
ARTICLE VII. AMENDMENTS
These Governing Principles may be amended by Region 2 at any of its official meetings provided that the amendment shall have been proposed and publicized to the entire Region 2 membership via the Region 2 listserv and website not less than thirty (30) days prior to the meeting. A vote of 2/3 is required to approve such an amendment All amendments required to bring these bylaws in compliance with those of the AMA and/or the AMA-MSS shall be automatic and require neither vote nor discussion.
ARTICLE VIII. SUPREMACY AND SEVERABILITY
These bylaws shall be superceded by the bylaws of the AMA and the AMA-MSS wherever conflict arises. If any portion of these bylaws is found to be incompatible with the bylaws of the AMA and/or AMA-MSS, such finding shall not affect any other portion of these bylaws.
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