By Laws

ARTICLE I
Status of the organization

A. The name of the organization shall be Westchester Speech, Hearing and Language Association (WSHLA).

B. WSHLA shall be a professional organization.

C. The fiscal year shall be from January 1 to December 31.


ARTICLE II
Mission of the organization

A. The mission of the Westchester Speech Hearing and Language Association (WSHLA) is to support the professional endeavours of speech-language pathologists, audiologists and other allied health professionals who reside or are employed within Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam counties. WSHLA supports its membership in upholding the educational and ethical standards of the professions as set forth by the American Speech Language Hearing Association, and by the New York State Department of Education. It does so by sponsoring continuing education programs, and by providing for professionals to interact across disciplines. WSHLA keeps its members informed of legislative activities that effect service delivery and professional conduct.
B. In addition, WSHLA disseminates information to the community at large about identification, prevention, and rehabilitation of communication disorders, and the speech- language pathology and audiology services that are available within its geographic area.


ARTICLE III
Membership

A. The association’s membership year shall be January 1 through December 31. All members in good-standing shall have voting rights.

B. Membership Levels

1. Full members
a. Full members shall be those persons in the profession of speech and language pathology and/or audiology who hold ASHA certification or are licensed or certified by New York State Department of Education.

b. The Executive Council may rule in cases where there is a question regarding equivalent qualifications.

2. Associate members: Associate membership is open to any interested persons.

3. Student members: Student membership is open to any person enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate college or university program.

ARTICLE IV
Dues

The annual dues of the association for all members (i.e., full members, associate members, and student members) shall be established by the Executive Council. Dues must be paid in full and are only valid through December 31 of each year.

ARTICLE V
Officers

A. Designation: The officers of this association shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer.

B. Duties and Responsibilities

1. The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Association. It shall be his/her duty to preside at all regular business meetings of the Association and of the Executive Board. The president shall appoint with approval of the Executive Board all committee chairpersons who shall report directly to the president. The president shall promote the interests of the organization as a member on the Board of Regional Association Presidents, meetings held in Albany, New York. The president shall fill any Executive Board vacancy by appointment until the next regular election.

2. The Vice-President shall be the Second Executive Officer of the Association and shall assume the duties of the President in his/her absence. The Vice-President shall be Chairperson of the Program Committee.

3. The Secretary shall record minutes at the Executive Board meetings and distribute them. He/she is also responsible for the distribution of notices, letters of confirmation to guest speakers, and other necessary correspondence as instructed by the members of the Executive Board.

4. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of the funds of the organization and shall receive and disburse them on the authority of the Executive Board. He/she shall submit a quarterly financial report to be included in the minutes of the Executive Board. The Treasurer and President shall propose an annual budget for approval by the Executive Board in January at the first Executive meeting of each year and submit a year end statement at the last yearly meeting.

C. Term of Office All terms of office shall be for two years and shall begin January 1 following the election.

ARTICLE VI
Executive Board

A. The Executive Board shall include elected officers and appointed chairpersons of standing committees.

B. Compensation: All positions are on a volunteer basis. No compensation shall be paid by WSHLA to any board member or committee member for serving on the Executive Board.

C. Reimbursement: Any board member may submit to the treasurer appropriate bills for products and/or services purchased, or expenses incurred for the Association, for full reimbursement. Original bills and /or receipts should by submitted within 30 days of said purchase(s).

ARTICLE VII
Meetings

There shall be at least four meetings of the association on an annual basis. The Executive Board shall meet quarterly in January, April, June, and October. The October meeting shall be an annual meeting that is open to the membership. The business of the association including a summary report of the activities of the past year shall be presented by the president, and a financial report shall be presented by the treasurer.

ARTICLE VIII
Quorum

Ten members shall comprise a quorum for a general business meeting. A simple majority of the Executive Board shall comprise a quorum for Executive Board meetings.

ARTICLE IX
Standing Committees and Adhoc Committees

A. All standing committee chairpersons shall be appointed by the president with the approval of the Executive Board. There shall be the following standing committees:

1. Program (chaired by the Vice President)
2. Continuing Education Administrator
3. Membership
4. Newsletter Editor
5. Public Information
6. Audiology Liaison
7. Student Membership

B. Duties and Responsibilities of the Standing Committees

1. The Program Committee, which is co-chaired by the Vice President and the CEU administrator, shall organize and plan programs throughout the year.

2. The CEU administrator will ensure that WSHLA is in compliance with all policies and procedures of the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) for attaining continuing education credits so that members are able to receive CEU’s for attending WSHLA sponsored programs.

3. The Membership Committee shall maintain a current listing of all members and shall encourage membership in the association.

4. The Newsletter editor and his/her committee will be responsible for developing and coordinating dissemination of information to the membership via an e-newsletter as approved by the executive committee.

5. The Public Information Committee shall prepare announcements for local news media and make available speakers or information requested. In addition, the Public Information Committee shall develop and coordinate the activities related to “May is Better Hearing and Speech Month”.

6. The Audiology Liaison shall organize programs for the Audiology Study Group and act as a voice for the concerns of audiologists within the membership.

7. Student Membership chairperson and his/her committee shall develop and coordinate activities to encourage membership and participation of undergraduate and graduate students.

C. All adhoc committee chairpersons shall be appointed by the president with the approval of the Executive Board on an as needed basis. The following are typical adhoc committees of the organization. Other adhoc committees can be appointed at the discretion of the president with the approval of the Executive Board.

1. Legislative Committee
2. Nominating Committee & Tellers Committee
3. By-laws Committee

D. Duties and Responsibilities Adhoc Committees

1. The Legislative Committee shall apprise the membership of State and National legislation affecting any facet of our profession.

2. Nominating Committee: refer to Article X.

3. The By-Laws Committee shall review the WSHLA by-laws on a bi-annual basis and make recommendations for revisions to the Executive Board at the June meeting.

ARTICLE X
Election and Nomination Procedures

A. Nominating Procedures

1. A Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the Executive Board bi-annually in April of the year of the election, consisting of two members of the executive board and two other members of the Association. The Chairperson will be determined by the committee by consensus.

2. The Nominating Committee shall mail or email to the membership a call for nominations in May.

3. The Nominating Committee shall obtain the names of full members in good- standing wishing to run for elected office. Any full member in good-standing may request consideration for nomination to an elected office. All proposed nominees shall provide background information regarding their qualifications for election to office.

4. The Chairperson of the Nominating Committee shall inform the Executive Board of the proposed slate 30 days before the October annual meeting. The Nominating Committee will mail or email to the membership at large the slate of nominees and their qualifications 15 days prior to the October annual meeting.

B. Election Procedures

1. The election shall be held at the October annual meeting. All members in good standing may vote. Each member will receive and vote by ballot at the annual meeting. Those unable to attend the annual meeting may request a proxy ballot which will be mailed or emailed. The proxy ballot must be brought to the annual meeting by a colleague, or must be returned by mail postmarked no later than a specified date.

2. The Nominating Committee shall serve as the Tellers Committee and thereby count the ballots. The officers shall be elected by a simple majority of the votes cast.

3. The Tellers Committee Chairperson shall inform the president of the results of the election. The president shall inform the members at large of the results of the election.

4. Should a vacancy occur before the end of the term of office of an elected officer, the President shall appoint a member in good-standing to fill the position until the next election.

ARTICLE XI
Amendments

Amendments must be proposed in writing to the Executive Board. All members shall receive a copy of the proposed amendments. Voting shall take place at the annual meeting. Amendments shall be approved by a three-quarters majority vote at the annual meeting.

ARTICLE XII
Ratification

The By-Laws shall be ratified by a simple majority vote of the membership.
Approved by the membership February 6, 2011
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ADDENDUM


In the event of the dissolution of the Westchester Speech Hearing and Language Association (WSHLA), all assets will be donated to the New York State Speech Language Association (NYSHLA).
Approved by the executive board Oct 26th, 2011.

REVISED ADDENDUM

Westchester Speech Hearing and Language Association is organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501( c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

Upon the dissolution of the organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501 ( c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section on any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principal office of the organization is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.

The revised addendum was approved at the April 25, 2012 executive board meeting.