Bylaws

SCAIHA Bylaws

Article I – Name

The name of this organization shall be the Southern California Section, American Industrial Hygiene Association (hereinafter called Local Section).

Article II – Objectives
The objectives of the Local Section shall be:
1. Promote the study and control of environmental stressors arising in or from the work place or its products in relation to the health or well being of workers and the public;

2. Increase the knowledge of industrial and environmental health through interchange and dissemination of information and to bring together persons interested in the various phases of industrial and environmental health; and

3. Promote the industrial hygiene profession through the encouragement of interest, in cooperation with governmental, industrial, educational, and other professional bodies.

Article III – Membership
Section 1: All members of the American Industrial Hygiene Association residing or working within the State of California in the counties of San Luis Obispo, Kern, San Bernardino, Inyo, Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, and Santa Barbara shall become members of the Local Section upon acceptance by the Local Section of an application and payment of the local section dues. Any other interested persons living or working outside the above territory may apply for membership in this Section, subject to the conditions and requirements listed in Section 2.
Section 2: Individuals and organizations with a professional interest in industrial hygiene are eligible to apply for membership in the Local Section. There shall be no limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability. Application for membership shall be made by submitting a completed application form with the dues made payable to the Southern California Section, AIHA to the Membership Director. Upon receipt, the applicant is entitled to the privileges of membership in the Local Section.
Section 3: The classes of membership are Full, Student, and Organizational. A Full member is an individual employed or engaged in the practice of industrial hygiene or with a professional interest in industrial hygiene. Student members are full time students enrolled in an accredited college whose educational endeavor is industrial hygiene or a related field. Student members may not serve on the Executive Committee. Student members shall not be required to pay annual dues. Individuals meeting the requirement of being both employed in IH Practice and a student shall apply for Full membership. The Executive Committee may approve as Organizational members such organizations as may apply for this status. The Executive Committee shall define the dues for Organizational members and the privileges of this class of membership. An Organizational member shall have no vote.
Section 4: When membership dues are not paid as of August 1 of the current year, that member will not be in good standing and reinstatement requires re-application and submittal of dues.

Article IV –Executive Committee “Board” – Officers and Directors
Section 1: The Officers of the Local Section shall consist of the President, President-elect, Secretary, Secretary-elect, Treasurer, Treasure-elect, and Past President who are members of the national American Industrial Hygiene Association. Local Section Directors shall also be members of national AIHA. No person shall serve as Officer or Director in more than one Local Section at the same time.
Section 2: The President-elect automatically shall succeed the President in office upon completion of the President's term of office. If the office of the President-elect becomes vacant, a replacement shall be elected as quickly as possible in the manner indicated under Article VI, Section 7.
Section 3: If vacancies occur in the Executive Committee (except for the office of President or President-elect) the Executive Committee shall appoint, by majority vote, a member to fill this vacancy until the next member meeting whereupon an election will be held to fill the vacancy.
Section 4: The Officers and Directors of the Local Section shall be elected electronically using the email provided on the member profile or by equivalent method. Each Officer or Director shall hold office until a successor has been duly elected or until resignation or removal. Term of office shall correspond with the Local Section business year or years.
Section 5: Four directors shall be elected for 2-year terms and hold the positions of Chair of Membership, Professional Developmentand two as Governmental Affairs. The Board will also appoint a Web-Master for two year term.
Section 6: An Officer or Director may resign verbally or in writing to the Executive Committee at any Executive Committee meeting. Such resignation shall take place at a specified time and acceptance of such resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective.
Section 7: An Officer or Director may be removed without cause, at a meeting expressly called for the purpose, by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the Executive Committee.
Section 8: At the discretion of the President, a member in good standing may be asked to serve in the role as a Member-at-Large, who will attend board meetings as a non-voting member. The term of service shall correspond to the term of service for the requesting President.

Article V – Administration
Section 1: The Local Section shall be governed by the Executive Committee, except as otherwise herein expressly provided.
Section 2: The Executive Committee shall consist of seven (7) Officers and two (2) Directors. The web-master will be appointed by the Executive Committee but will not act as a voting member.
Section 3: The President shall chair the Executive Committee meetings; and the term of office shall be one (1) year from the annual meeting held in March of each year.
Section 4: The President shall preside at all meetings of the Local Section and shall perform such duties that may be directed by the Executive Committee. The President shall keep current with developments in the field of industrial hygiene and guide the Local Section in the formulation of constructive activities. The President shall provide constructive and energetic leadership in the activities of the Local Section and the national American Industrial Hygiene Association.
Section 5: The President-elect shall preside over the Program portion of the membership meeting and perform duties delegated by the President.
Section 6: The Past President shall chair the Nominating and Elections Committee, oversee any MOU between the Local Section and AIHA as it relates to the bylaws and oversee revisions to the bylaws, oversee the web page, and perform duties delegated by the President.
Section 7: The Treasurer shall be the custodian of monies, pay authorized bills and maintain financial records of the Local Section. The disbursement of funds greater than the Local Section Limit shall be made upon approval by the Executive Committee. The Local Section Limit shall be established by the Executive Committee at the first meeting following the annual meeting. The Local Section Limit may be less but shall not exceed $500.00. Disbursement of funds less than the established Local Section Limit shall be made upon approval of at least two of the Executive Board members with signature authorization. Executive Committee Board members with signature authorization shall be the President, Past-President and Treasurer. Additional Executive Board members may be given signature authorization upon approval by over two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive Committee.
Section 8: The Treasurer shall submit all accounts for audit at the last meeting of the Executive Committee prior to the annual meeting of the Local Section. The Treasurer shall present a final annual financial report to the Executive Committee at the March meeting. After the annual meeting, the Treasurer shall transmit to the successor in office all funds and property of the Local Section in his/her possession. The Treasurer shall also maintain the non-profit status of the Local Section by satisfying the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service or any other regulatory agency.
Section 9: The Treasurer-elect shall assist the second-year Director with developing the annual technical symposium and any other section sponsored seminars that provide training, education and certification, and technical development as prescribed by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene. The Treasurer-elect shall also assist with the Treasurer duties and perform the duties of the Treasurer in the event that the Treasurer is unable to perform his/her duties for any reason.
Section 10: The Secretary shall record the minutes of all Executive Committee meetings, prepare correspondence of the Local Section as delegated, prepare and send all mailings and emails, and maintain all Local Section records except financial records. Also, the Secretary shall maintain all certification maintenance sign-in sheets from member meetings and Local Section Technical Programs.
Section 11: The Secretary shall submit a copy of the membership directory to the Membership Services of the national American Industrial Hygiene Association within thirty (30) days of its publication. Also, a list of the newly elected Officers and Directors including their addresses and phone numbers is to be submitted within thirty (30) days after the new Officers and Directors are installed.
Section 12: The Secretary-elect shall be responsible for preparing a newsletter, maintaining public and professional relations, overseeing employment assistance programs, and providing presentations to other related organizations. The Secretary-elect shall also assist with the secretary's duties and perform the duties of the Secretary in the event that the secretary is unable to perform his/her duties for any reason.
Section 13: The Membership Director shall be responsible for administering membership activities including collection of annual dues and preparing the membership directory. The Membership Director will work with the Treasurer to ensure that all member dues were deposited into the Local Section account.
Section 14: The Professional Development Director shall be responsible for developing the annual technical symposium and seminars that provide for membership education, training, and certification, as prescribed by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene.
Section 15: The two Governmental Affairs Directors shall be responsible for tracking state legislation that may impact the membership and will also interact with statewide organizations committed to the same cause. These two directors will serve as representatives to the California Industrial Hygiene Council. The Governmental Affairs Directors shall present a report to the Executive Committee at each Local Section Executive Board meeting.
Section 16: Before the Local Section publishes or otherwise publicly issues any statements of a policy matter that purports to represent the opinion of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, it must obtain the consent of the Board of Directors of the Association.
Section 17: Before any Officer or Director of the Local Section publishes or otherwise publicly issues, as an Officer or Director of the Local Section, any statement of a policy matter that is within the policy area of the Local Section, the President shall determine by a poll that the statement expresses the majority opinion (of those responding) of the Local Section membership.
Section 18: If this Local Section is dissolved, the Executive Committee (consisting of the Officers and Directors) shall determine distribution of Local Section assets to organizations with similar tax-exempt status in accordance with the laws of the State of California.
Section 19: The accounting period of the Local Section shall be April 1 through March 31 of each year. At the close of each period, an audit shall be performed by a committee of at least three (3) members in good standing, appointed by the President, and a report of findings shall be made to the membership at the following Executive Committee meeting.

Article VI – Election of Officers and Directors
Section 1: The President-elect, Secretary-elect and Treasurer-elect shall automatically accede to the offices of president, Secretary and Treasurer, respectively, on election of a successor. The change of authority shall take place at the March meeting.
Section 2: A President-elect, Director(s), the Secretary-elect and Treasurer-elect shall be elected by ballot. The results shall be announced at the January meeting. The change of authority shall take place at the March meeting.
Section 3: The Directors of Membership, Professional Development and Government Affairs shall each serve a two (2) year term. One year the Membership and one Government Affairs directs shall be elected and the next the Professional Development and the other Government Affairs director. The Secretary and Treasurer shall each serve for a two (2) year term.
Section 4: Nominations for Officers and Directors shall be made by the Nominating and Elections Committee. This committee shall be responsible for distributing, collecting and counting ballots. It shall be chaired by the Past President and consist of at least two (2) other members in good standing who are not candidates for an elective office.
Section 4.1: This committee shall provide up to two (2) nominees for each elective office and deliver its nominations for each elective office in writing for approval by the Executive Committee no later than November each year.
Section 4.2: If this committee is unable to provide any qualified candidates for any of the elective offices after soliciting at least 20 percent (20%) of the total membership, the Executive Committee shall have the authority to appoint members to fill all open offices with approval of at least eight (8) members of the Executive Committee.
Section 4.3: Additional nominations may be made at the general meeting held in November by any member in good standing. Such nominations require a second. All seconded nominations shall appear on the ballot.
Section 4.4: Those nominated must be members of the Local Section in good standing as required in Article IV, Section 1, and must become members of the national American Industrial Hygiene Association upon election to office.
Section 4.5: The election ballot showing the names of nominees shall be sent to all members in good standing at least twenty (20) days prior to the January meeting.
Section 5: Ballots shall be returned to the Chair of the Nominating and Elections Committee prior to the commencement of the January meeting. The ballots shall be counted by the Nominations and Elections Committee on the day of, or during, the January meeting.
Section 6: The successful candidate for each office shall be that candidate who receives a majority of the votes cast. In the case of a tie vote, outgoing Executive Committee members shall cast the deciding votes.
Section 7: In the event that the office of President-elect becomes vacant, an emergency election shall be conducted under the direction of the Executive Committee.

Article VII – Local Sections Council Representatives
Section 1: The Local Section shall be represented on the Local Sections Council by the President and the President-elect. If either officer is unable to attend the Local Sections Council meeting, the President shall delegate the responsibility to a Local Section member who will attend in absentia.
Section 2: The Local Sections Council Representative shall report the activities of the Local Sections Council at the first membership meeting following the Local Sections Council meeting.
Section 3: The President and President-elect shall serve on the Local Sections council for the term during which they hold office and until their successors are installed.

Article VIII – Meetings
Section 1: Membership meetings shall be held at least four (4) times per calendar year. The time and place of each meeting shall be approved by the Executive Committee.
Section 2: The annual meeting shall be held in March of each year.
Section 3: Special meetings may be called by the President at any time, with approval of the Executive Committee, or by petition to the President that has been signed by ten (10) Full members of the Local Section in good standing.
Section 4: The membership, in good standing, shall be notified of all meetings in advance of the date set for the meeting.
Section 5: A quorum for voting at a membership meeting shall consist of twenty percent (20%) of the total membership.
Section 6: The Executive Committee shall meet a minimum of ten (10) times per year.
Section 7: An Executive Committee meeting shall not be declared an official meeting unless a minimum of five (5) Board members is present.

Article IX – Dues
Section 1: Local Section dues shall be set by the Executive Committee.
Section 2: Dues shall become payable on April 1 of each year.
Section 3: For those who become new members after September 30 of each year, dues shall be fifty percent (50%) of the annual dues. Full-time students may become members of the Local Section with no dues required.

Article X – Committees
Section 1: Standing committees shall be directed by the President and shall be guided by the Local Section Officers Handbook.
Section 2: The President shall be an ex officio member of all standing committees.
Section 3: The President shall appoint such other committees as determined desirable for the effective action of the Local Section.
Section 4: The Past President shall chair the Nominations and Elections Committee.
Section 5: The Membership of all committees shall terminate with the close of the annual meeting of the Local Section.

Article XI – Amendments
Section 1: Amendments to these bylaws may be presented by any member in good standing at any regular meeting of the Local Section or any special meeting called for that specific purpose. They shall be presented in writing and shall be offered to the membership present at that meeting on a motion for submission to the membership. A simple majority shall be necessary to pass the motion. Proposed amendments shall be circulated with a ballot to the membership in good standing. A two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the ballots returned within thirty (30) days from the time of the mailing shall be necessary for adoption of any amendment.
Section 2: Amendments to these bylaws must be approved by the Board of Directors of the American Industrial Hygiene Association before they become effective.

Date of SCAIHA Submittal: November 9, 2011

Submitting Officer: Michael J. Sullivan, President

Date of AIHA Approval: May 8, 2012

Signed by: Daniel H. Anna
Secretary, AIHA