IEEE NCAC Bylaws

U.S. National Capital Area Council Bylaws

Nothing in these Bylaws is to be construed to be contrary to the IEEE Constitution and bylaws.

ARTICLE I- Name

Section 1. This organization shall be known as the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

ARTICLE II- Organization and Scope

Section 1. It is the objective of the U.S. National Capital Area Council to further the aims and ideas of the Institute, to coordinate the activities of the constituent Sections, and promote meetings and activities for the benefit of its members.

Section 2. The territory of the U.S. National Capital Area Council shall encompass the total area spanned by the constituent Sections of the Council.

Section 3. The Council shall assume such functions as may, from time-to-time, be agreed between no less than three-fourths of the constituent Sections and the Council Steering Committee. The constituent Sections have agreed by ratification of these Bylaws and the Council that the Council shall perform the following functions:

-Publish the joint newsletter;
-Manage the joint awards banquet;
-Assume the responsibilities of the Joint National Awards Committee;
-Assume the responsibilities of the Joint PACE Committee;
-Sponsor conferences

The transfer of responsibility for the above functions shall become effective for each of these functions individually when the Council Steering Committee notifies the constituent Sections that it is prepared to do so for that particular function.

ARTICLE III- Membership

Section 1. The following IEEE Sections form the U.S. National Capital Area Council

1) Northern Virginia Section
2) Washington Section (including the Western Maryland Subsection).

Additional contiguous sections may be included upon application to the Council and upon approval by three-fourths of the member Sections of the Council.

Section 2. Chapters of the IEEE Technical Societies have been and may be formed within the Council under the following three possible structures:

1) Sections may form within themselves chapters of one or more IEEE technical societies;
2) Two or more Sections may form chapters of one or more societies;
3) The Council may form Council-wide chapters of IEEE societies with the concurrence of three-fourths of the constituent Sections; or
4) The Council may form chapters as under 3) above jointly with a contiguous Section.

Section 3. All Fellows, Senior Members, and members of the IEEE who are members of the constituent Sections shall be entitled to attend Council meetings, vote and hold office. Associate members of the IEEE who are members of the constituent Sections shall be entitled to attend meetings and vote on local matters, but shall not have the right to hold office, or vote on matters not pertaining to their Section.

Section 4. Student members of the IEEE shall be entitled to attend meetings but shall not have the right to vote or hold office.

Section 5. Affiliates of IEEE societies shall have the right to attend meetings and to hold office only in those chapters of which they are society members. Affiliates do not have the right to vote other than on local society chapter matters.

ARTICLE IV- Officers

Section 1. The officers of the NCAC shall be a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. All of whom shall hold office for one year, but in any case the outgoing officers will continue until their successors are duly elected and hold office. No office may be held for more than two consecutive years by any one individual. Any vacancy among the officers occurring during the term of office shall be filled by Council Steering Committee appointment.

Section 2. The term of office for council officers shall be from July 1 to June 30.

ARTICLE V- Management

Section 1. There shall be a Council Steering Committee consisting of the officers of the Council, the Junior and Senior Past Council Chairman, the Chairman or representative of each constituent Section, two additional representatives of each constituent Section, and the Chairman of the Standing Committees. The Council Steering Committee shall constitute the governing body of the Council and shall direct the management of its affairs.

Section 2. Standing Committees of the Council shall be as follows:

1) Finance
2) Publications
3) PACE
4) Membership Development
5) Awards
6) Awards Banquet
7) Conferences

Section 3. A majority of the voting members of the Steering Committee shall constitute a quorum, as long as at least one representative of each constituent Section is present.

Section 4. The council Chairman, responsible to the Council steering Committee, shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Council and shall provide the primary interface between the Council and the Regional Director.

Section 5. The Vice-Chairman of the council shall assume the duties of the Chairman during the latter's absence or incapacity, and shall assume any of the duties of the office of the Chairman when so directed by the Chairman.

Section 6. The Secretary shall have the responsibility for sending out notices, of preparing the agenda for, and recording and disseminating the minutes of meetings of the Council and of the Council Steering Committee. The Secretary shall make reports as may be required by the IEE Bylaws and Council Steering Committee.

Section 7. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the receipt, disposition and recording of all monies in the name of the Council. The Treasurer shall make only such distributions as approve by the Council Steering Committee. He shall make such reports as may be required by the IEEE Bylaws and/or the council Steering Committee. An annual report shall be prepared and issued to each Council Officer and to the chairman of each constituent Section.

Section 8. The fiscal year of the Council shall be January 1 through December 31.

ARTICLE VI- Nominations and Elections

Section 1. The Nominating Committee shall consist of the three past Council Chairman, if available and willing to serve, and, by appointment of the Chairman of the Council steering Committee, one additional member from each Section not represented among these past three past chairmen. In the absence of a sufficient number of available past chairmen e.g., during the first years of the Council, the current Section Chairman shall appoint members to the nominating Committee in equal numbers: however, the total number shall not exceed six members. Appointed members must be qualified to hold office. The past Chairman of the Nominating Committee shall be the most recent Past Council Chairman, with the first chairman chosen by lot.

Section 2. The Nominating Committee shall propose at least one nominee for each office. The nominations shall be made known to the Council membership at least 10 weeks prior to the election. Additional nominations may be made by petitions signed by no less than 20 voting members of the IEEE within the council area and submitted too the Council Secretary and the Secretaries of all constituent Sections at least four weeks prior to the date set for election of officers. The elections shall be held at least one month prior to the end of the term of the current officers.

Section 3. The officers shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the voting members of the constituent Sections.

Section 4. The time table for the procedures is as follows (where E represents the date of the election):

1) E -14 weeks: Appointment of the nominating Committee
2) E -10 weeks: Announcement of the nominations
3) E - 4 weeks: Close of nominations by petition
4) E - day: Hold election

A ballot, if required, shall be mailed prior to E-10 days.

Section 5. It is the responsibility of the Council Steering Committee to determine specifically when, where, and how the elections will be held.

ARTICLE VII- Meetings

Section 1. The Council may hold such meetings as are deemed necessary and desirable to promote the welfare of the Council and its members.

Section 2. Meeting notices shall be published as directed by the Council Steering Committee.

Section 3. The latest edition of the Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of all Council meetings.

ARTCLE VIII- Finances

Section 1. There shall be no Council dues.

Section 2. No Council assessment shall be levied upon individual members of the Council.

Section 3. Expenses for social activities are not chargeable to the IEEE or the Council, but may be raised by voluntary action on the part of the members of the Council Steering Committee or other acceptable medium with the approval of the Council Steering Committee. The ordinary expenses of the Council will be defrayed by funds allocated by the constituent Sections.

Section 4. The Council Treasurer shall submit an annual budget for approval by two-thirds of the Council Steering constituent Sections. Upon approval and ratification, the constituent Sections shall advance funds to the Council in the budgeted amount, with each Section providing its proportionate share as determined by the relative Section membership as of December 31 of the preceding year (i.e., the membership upon which each Section's annual rebate is based).