CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS GREATER TEXAS BRANCH

COMMISSIONED OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

OF THE UNITED STATES PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

PREAMBLE

Whereas, the advancement of public health knowledge and the enhancement of the professional standards and efficiency of public health workers in general, and the promotion of the interests and welfare of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) and its officers in particular, are objectives to which we subscribe, and

Whereas , the Commissioned Officers Association of the United States Public Health Service actively and earnestly labored on behalf of these purposes, and

Whereas, we approve of the work of the Association and believe that the effectiveness and usefulness of its efforts can be further extended by the formation of local Branches; be it

Resolved, that we constitute such a Branch of the Commissioned Officers Association and pledge ourselves to the advancement of public health knowledge and practice, and to make this Branch an outstanding example of cooperative endeavor, subscribing to the objectives and purposes of the National Association as set forth in its constitution.

CONSTITUTION

Article One: Name.

The name of this Branch shall be the Greater Texas Branch of the Commissioned Officers Association of the USPHS (the Branch).

Article Two: Objectives & Goals.

Section One: The purposes of the Branch are to further the objectives and goals of the Commissioned Officers Association of the USPHS, hereinafter called the Association, as described in Article Two of its constitution, to obtain for the Commissioned Officers of the Service, the advantages of affiliation with an organization of high ideals, to furnish a medium for these officers to contribute individual and collective efforts which are of value to public health workers , and to encourage positive professional relationships between the Commissioned Officers of the Service, their respective professions, other health workers , and the community in which they serve.

Article Three: Members.

Becoming a member of the Branch signifies an intention to adhere to the constitution and by-laws of the Branch. The membership of this Branch shall consist of the following classifications: Full, Associate, Honorary and Retired.

Section One: Full Membership. Commissioned Officers on active duty or retired who are members of the National Association, reside in the State of Texas, are not members of any other Branch of the Association and have paid their Branch and Association membership dues are eligible for active membership in this Branch. The full geographical limits of this Branch shall include all members in the state of Texas.

Privileges of Full Membership shall include holding any office or serving on any Branch committee, voting in all Branch elections, voting on issues brought before the Branch, participating in Branch social and community events, inclusion in the Branch email listserv, receiving Branch meeting minutes and receiving written recognition for attendance or participation in any Branch activity.

Section Two: Associate membership. Any Commissioned Officer of the Service who is on active duty outside the State of Texas or on inactive duty status and residing in the State of Texas and is a member of the Association is eligible for Associate membership. Associate members shall have all the privileges of full membership except holding office and voting.

Section Three: Honorary membership. The Surgeon General and Officers who have held the office of Surgeon General shall be eligible as honorary members. Persons who make a distinguished contribution to the public health profession shall be eligible for honorary membership. Candidates shall be nominated by the Executive Board and elected by a majority ballot of the Full members present at a scheduled meeting. Honorary members shall have all the privileges of full membership except the privileges of holding office and voting.

Section Four: Retired Membership. Any person who is a retired Commissioned Officer of the Service, residing in the State of Texas and has an active Association membership is eligible for retired membership. Retired members shall have all the privileges of full membership.

Article Four: Amendments.

Every proposition to alter or amend this constitution shall be submitted in writing at a stated meeting of the Branch and may be voted upon at the next stated meeting when, upon receiving the majority vote of the voting members present, shall become a part of the Constitution. Written notices of such proposed changes shall be provided to all members at least ten (10) days prior to balloting. The amended Constitution must then be submitted in writing to the Association for final review and approval.

BY-LAWS

Article One: Eligibility.

Every Commissioned Officer of the Service who, after considering the objectives and goals of the Branch and Association Constitution and By-Laws, expresses the willingness to subscribe to these objectives and goals, and meets the requirements of the Branch Constitution Article Three shall be eligible for Branch membership. Any person whose name has been dropped from the roll of members for non-payment of dues may be re-admitted after payment of dues as specified in Article Six, Section Two of the By-Laws.

Article Two: Governing Body and Officers.

Section One: The officers of this Branch shall consist of a President, President -Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and the immediate Past President.

Section Two: The governing body shall be known as the Executive Board and shall consist of the four offices listed in Section One.

Section Three: No members of the Branch shall be a member of the Executive Board while serving in a Flag Rank capacity, assigned to a tour of duty (temporary or permanent) in either the immediate office of the Surgeon General or the Division of Commissioned Personnel, or serving as Officer in Charge of a USPHS station.

Section Four: The duties of the Executive Board shall be to conduct the business of the Branch in accordance with the policies formulated by the membership. The Executive board shall supervise all property, funds, finances and publications of the Branch. The Executive Board shall act for the Branch, and, in cases where no established policies exist and immediate action is necessary, the Executive Board is authorized to act but shall immediately notify the membership of its action.

Section Five: Meetings of the Executive Board shall be called by the President at his/her own discretion or upon recommendation of any elected member of the Executive Board.

Section Six: The transaction of business by the Executive Board shall require a quorum of three members. Officer of standing committees of the Branch to carry out programs of the Branch shall be nominated, by the President, ratified by the Executive Board, and announced at the first scheduled meeting following election of officers. Special committees of this Branch shall be appointed by the President as required except the Nominating and Audit Committees shall be appointed by the Executive Board as written in Articles Seven and Thirteen.

Article Three: Committees.

Officers of standing committees of the Branch elected to carry out programs of the Branch shall be nominated by the President, ratified by the Executive Board, and announced at the first scheduled meeting following election of officers. Special committees of this Branch shall be appointed by the

President as required except the Nominating and Audit Committees shall be appointed by the Executive Board as written in Articles Seven and Thirteen.

Article Four: Meetings.

Meetings of the Branch shall be held at least quarterly or as the Executive Board designates. Meetings of the Branch shall be open to all Full, Associate, Retired and Honorary members of the Branch, and invited guests. Participation is encouraged in Branch meetings and activities.

Article Five: Quorum.

For conducting business of the Branch, a quorum consisting of at least six voting members of the Branch shall be present.

Article Six: Dues and Assessments.

Section One: The annual membership dues of the Branch shall be $15.00. Honorary members will be exempt from payment of dues. Annual membership dues shall be received by the Branch on or before the first day of July each year.

Section Two: Any member who has not paid previous Branch or Association dues by the first day of July shall be removed from the membership rolls of the Branch. Such members may be reinstated upon payment of outstanding Branch and Association dues.

Article Seven: Fiscal Year.

The fiscal year of the Branch shall be from July 1 through June 30 of the following year.

Article Eight: Election of Officers.

A Nominating Committee consisting of three members shall be appointed annually by the Executive Board and shall be chaired by the President-elect. The Committee shall nominate candidates for each office for such vacancies as they occur. The Nominating Committee shall ascertain that each candidate is in good standing with the Branch and vouch for the interest and willingness of each candidate nominated to serve if elected. Elections will be held in May of each year. A ballot shall be presented to all voting members in April.

Results of the election shall be announced immediately and the newly -elected officers shall assume their elected positions on July 1. The newly-elected Secretary shall report the names and elected positions of the new officers to the National Association as soon as possible so that newly elected officers will have the opportunity to attend the National COA Orientation for Branch Presidents. Elected officers shall serve one year in their respective offices or until their successors are chosen.

Special elections to fill vacancies shall be called by the Executive Board at any scheduled meeting. In all elections the candidate receiving the highest number of votes for the office to which the officer is

nominated shall be declared elected. In the event of a tie, the names of only those respective candidates will be resubmitted to the Branch for a second vote.

In the event of a merger, during the transitional leadership phase to a horizontal merger of the two chapters, a selection process (rather than an election) will be used. The selection will be made by a Selection Board composed of two past presidents from each merging chapter and a Senior Officer at the Rank of 06 with no affiliation to either candidate through work assignment. The candidates for each of the four offices will submit a CV and a letter of intent stating their related experience in a leadership role with COA, their accomplishments and plans to achieve goals and objectives established by National COA for their tenure as executive committee members.

Minimum requirements for president candidate: Candidates for president must have served a minimum of one year in an executive position (president-elect, secretary or treasurer) or as an active committee chair* with any recognized COA Branch. Additionally, candidates should have two years of active membership** serving at any level in any COA Branch.

Minimum requirements for president-elect candidate: Candidates for president-elect must have served a minimum of one year as an active committee chair* with any recognized COA Branch. Additionally, candidates should have two years of active membership** serving at any level in any COA Branch.

Minimum requirements for treasurer: Candidate for treasurer must have served a minimum of two years active membership at any level in any COA Branch.

Minimum requirements for secretary: Candidate for secretary must have served a minimum of two years active membership at any level in any COA Branch

The Selection board will convene and make selections based on the merit of the candidates. The selected candidates will serve a one year term, and after this transitional period the process will revert to established elections.

*Active committee chair: A candidate must identify what committee they chaired and specific details of their committee’s accomplishments.

**Active membership: A candidate must have attended the majority of meetings (this will be verified through meeting minutes) and participated in at least two events throughout the course of each of the two fiscal years. These events must be documented in meeting minutes and the candidate must identity these events in their application.

Article Nine: President.

The President shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Board and of the Branch, shall serve as an ex- officio member of all standing committees, shall appoint members to chair ad hoc and permanent committees, authorize the Treasurer to sign or personally sign checks obligating Branch funds, and serves as liaison for commissioned corps interest with Agency leadership (CMS, CDC, HRSA, EPA, OS/HHS Regional Office, FDA, BOP, etc.) employing Commissioned Officers.

The President shall sign all official correspondence for the Branch; assure that any correspondence from the National Headquarters of the Commissioned Officers Association is conveyed to the Executive Board. The President shall authorize any correspondence which is submitted to the Listserv and perform such functions as otherwise specified in the By-Laws.

Article Ten: President-Elect.

The President -elect shall act in the absence of the President. He/she shall be the Executive Board Liaison with all Branch standing committees and shall receive reports from Committee chairpersons. The President-Elect shall prepare correspondence for signature by the President inviting guest speakers, confirming their participation and follow -up sending letters of thanks. The President-Elect will find rooms and call-in phone numbers for upcoming Branch meetings.

The President-Elect shall be responsible for other duties and functions as requested by the President. The President -Elect will serve as the President during the following year to ensure continuity and proper representation of the Executive Board.

Article Eleven: Presiding Officer.

In the absence of the President and President-elect at any meeting of the Branch, the members present shall elect a Presiding Officer pro tempore.

Article Twelve: Secretary.

The Secretary shall prepare and maintain correct and permanent minutes of the meetings of the Executive Board and of the Branch and shall notify the Executive Board and the Branch of upcoming meetings in advance. These meetings will have an agenda prepared with the President and sent in advance of the meeting date. The Secretary shall manage the email listserv and submit announcements and information with the President's approval.

The Secretary shall carefully preserve on file all pertinent reports and papers and shall be charged with the necessary business and professional correspondence, to include quarterly branch updates, of the Branch. The Secretary shall send reports of the same to the National Headquarters of the Commissioned Officers Association of the United States Public Health Service, to the appointed Branch liaison officer to the National Commissioned Officers Association, to all active associate members of the Branch, and to such journals or newspapers as he/she may deem proper.

The Secretary shall be responsible for other duties and functions as requested by the President.

In an effort to ensure continuity and proper representation of the Executive Board, if the President - Elect is unable to serve as President in the year immediately following election, the Secretary is eligible to serve as President that year.

Article Thirteen: Treasurer.

The Treasurer shall maintain Branch funds, prepare checks for payment, collect all dues for membership for the Branch from the National Headquarters of the Commissioned Officers Association, present a statement of account and transactions at each meeting of the Branch, and present an annual statement which will be certified by an Audit Committee appointed by the Executive Board.

The Treasurer shall be responsible for changing the signature authorization following election of the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall sign all checks authorized by the Branch President.

The Treasurer, if he or she elects to do so, is eligible to serve as Secretary in the year immediately following election as Treasurer. If the President-Elect is unable to serve as President in the year immediately following election, and the Secretary is also unable to fill this position, then the Treasurer, if he or she chooses to do so, is eligible to serve as President that year.

Article Fourteen: Past-President.

The Past-President may serve as a voting member and participate in the activities of the Executive Board of the Branch for the term of one year following completion of serving as a president. The Past- President can provide guidance and assistance to the President and the Executive Board in carrying out their duties and functions relating to the Branch.

Article Fifteen: Delegate and Alternate Delegate to the House of Delegates of the National Association.

A member of the Executive Board shall serve as the Delegate representing the Branch at the meeting of the National House of Delegates and will assist in the formulation of the policies of the National Association as well as present the specific interests of the Branch to the National Association. The Alternate Delegate, appointed by the Executive Committee, shall act in their absence.

Article Sixteen: Order of Business.

The order of business shall be as follows: 1) Call to Order, 2) Treasurer's Report, 3) Other Reports, 4) Introduction of New Members and/or guests, 5) Reports of Special and Standing Committees, 6) Unfinished or Deferred Business, 7) New Business, 8) Reading of Communications from the National Association and any Necessary Action, 9) Program, 10) Nominations and Elections, 11) Adjournment. A change in the order of business is' permitted at the discretion of the presiding officer.

Article Seventeen: Attendance.

Executive Board members are expected to attend all scheduled Executive Board meetings either in person or via telephone conference. Unexcused absences in excess of two (2) meetings from July 1 through June 30 is grounds for replacement of that individual by a majority vote of the Executive Board. Executive Board members shall notify the President or the Secretary of any planned absence in advance and provide their report to one of the Executive Board members. Attendance records at Executive Board

meetings will be maintained by the Secretary. Any member determined by the Secretary to have in excess of two (2) unexcused absences will be brought to the attention of the President and President- Elect for replacement on the next Executive Board meeting agenda.

Article Eighteen: Rules of Order.

On all points not specifically mentioned in the By-Laws governing the Branch, the By-Laws of the Association of Commissioned Officers of the United States Public Health Service shall take precedence over decisions. Such precedence shall be based on parliamentary rules.

Article Nineteen: Formal PHS-Related Activities.

The Association may provide, upon receipt of written request, reasonable financial assistance (to be determined by the Executive Board) for PBS-related activities to include but not limited to the following:

1) Honor Guard, 2) Aide de Camp, 3) Promotion Ceremony, 4) Retirement Ceremony, 5) Public Health Training, 6) COA Annual Conference, and 7) BOTC /IOTC.