NEW NENA Bylaws Open For Public Comment
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09/18/2006
NOTICE: NENAs Bylaws have been reviewed by a formal ad hoc committee and certified parliamentarian and are now ready for public comment HERE. All comments must be received by committee chair, Bill McMurray, ENP, no later than 5:00 pm ET on Friday, September 29th, in order to be considered during the October Executive Board meeting. Send comments mailto:[email protected].
In 2005 a formal ad hoc committee was tasked by former President David Jones to lead an effort to bring NENAs Bylaws up to date. Our current Bylaws are almost 20 years old and are much more verbose and than need be (and consequently more restrictive and sometimes contradictory). Under the leadership of former President Bill McMurray and through the services of a certified parliamentarian and many dedicated NENA leaders, this committee has now nearly completed its extensive work. The final step before submittal to the Executive Board is for a public comment period, similar to how NENA releases Technical and Operational documents. We look forward to close scrutiny of the document so it can be in the most solid condition to serve the association for years to come.
Key changes in the proposed revision:
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Administrative detail is parsed out of the Bylaws and will be contained in separate manuals administered by the Board of Directors. The Bylaws establish flow of authority while the membership, election, chapter and other manuals will contain procedures to implement the policies. The manuals, by necessity, can be changed to meet contemporary needs based on Board policy while the essence of the association can only be changed by a full vote of the members.
- The Lifetime membership is changing to honorary status they will still not be charged dues, however instead of a one time shining light on their achievement, those that are Lifetime members and who we want to recognize will be inducted into the NENA Hall of Fame. In this way, the recognition will be ongoing.
- The Regional Vice President Executive Board position is retitled Regional Director. No change in duties or requirements.
- A new position called Private Sector Director is established. The nominee for this position must come from the Private Sector ranks of the association and must maintain that status for the duration of his or her term of office. The election will be by all eligible members in the same manner that Private Sector members vote for the Second Vice President.
- The most sweeping change in this proposal is that future changes in the Bylaws must be approved by a 2/3 vote of members present at the meeting considering the changes. The language here is carefully crafted to assure thorough consideration of the change and require a membership vote on the matter. Currently the Executive Board can change the Bylaws in any manner without any vote of the members.