Bylaws of the Utah Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Articles: I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII - VIII - IX - X

(2002-09-25)

ARTICLE I

Purposes

The Utah Speech-Language-Hearing Association (hereinafter referred to as The Corporation) is organized as a non-governmental, self-supporting, non-profit corporation for the following purposes:

To encourage and promote the science and profession of speech, language, and hearing;
To enhance the education and professional skills of the members in the science and profession of speech, language, and hearing;
To engage in any and all lawful activities and for such purposes as may from time to time be determined by the Governing Board of The Corporation, and as allowed by the Utah Law.

ARTICLE II

Membership

The Corporation shall have members defined as Regular, Associate, Student and Life.

Section 1. Eligibility

Regular Members

hold a graduate degree or equivalent with a major emphasis in speech-language-pathology, audiology, or speech, language, and hearing science, or hold a graduate degree in a related field, and present evidence of active research, interest, and performance in the field of human communication.
hold a graduate degree or equivalent in a field related to those in (1) above, and present evidence of active research, interest, and performance, in the field of communication.
pay annual dues.
are entitled to all the rights and privileges of The Corporation without limitation.

Associate Members

hold a bachelor degree or equivalent with a major emphasis in speech-language pathology, audiology, or speech, language, and hearing science, or hold a graduate degree in a related field.
pay annual dues.
may attend meetings of the membership in a non-voting capacity.
may serve on committees.
may not hold offices in The Corporation or on any committee.

Student Members

must currently be enrolled in a college or university program with emphasis of study in the field of human communication.
pay annual dues.
may attend meetings of the membership in a non-voting capacity.
may serve on committees.

Life members

are any Member who has held membership at least ten years and has attained the age of 65.
have annual dues waived.
are entitled to all the rights and privileges of The Corporation without limitation.

The requirements for acceptance as a Regular Member or Associate Member may be waived in special instances by recommendation of the Membership and Recruitment Committee and two-thirds vote of the Governing Board.
All Members of The Corporation must agree to support and abide by the obligations set forth in the Bylaws.

Section 2. Termination of Membership

Any Member who violates the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws or Code of Ethics of the Utah Speech-Language-Hearing Association may have their membership terminated by a three-fourths vote of the Governing Board. Persons whose membership was terminated, may upon recommendation of the Professional Matters Committee, be reinstated after one year by a three-fourths vote of the Governing Board.
Regular, Associate or Student Members whose dues are three months in arrears shall be so notified. If dues are not paid after thirty additional days, membership in The Corporation shall be terminated.
Members may be reinstated during the first delinquent year by paying the delinquent dues. After one year, they may be reinstated by making formal application to The Corporation and meeting the qualifications for membership at that time.
The Membership and Recruitment Committee shall carry out the provisions of this section.

ARTICLE III

Officers of the Corporation

Section 1. The Governing Board shall consist of the President, the First President-Elect, the Second President-Elect, the Past President, the Treasurer, the Secretary, Chairs from all standing Committees.

Section 2. Duties and Responsibilities of the Governing Board shall be as follows:

The President shall be the chief executive officer of The Corporation and the term of the office shall be one year. The President shall coordinate the activities of the First President-Elect, Second President-Elect, Treasurer, Secretary, and Past President. The President shall preside at all meetings. The President shall have the duty and the necessary and proper powers to implement these Bylaws and to conduct the affairs of The Corporation. In addition, the President shall have those duties and powers as may be prescribed from time to time by the Governing Board.

The President shall be responsible for the activities of the Professional Matters and L Legislative Committees.
The First President-Elect shall be responsible for the activities of the Program Committee, Communications Committee, and Professional Development Committee. Term of office shall be one year.
The Second President-Elect shall be responsible for the activities of the Membership and Recruitment Committee and Public Relations Committee. Term of office shall be one year.
The Past President shall chair the Nominations Committee and be responsible for the activities of the Long Range Planning Committee. Term of office shall be one year.

Section 3. Nominations and Elections.

Nominations shall be approved by the Governing Board, and then be presented to the membership at least three months preceding the final business meeting of the fiscal year. Write-in candidates may be included on the ballots.
Ballots shall be made available to all Members not less than twenty (20) days before the final business meeting of the fiscal year. Each Regular and Life Member of The Corporation shall be entitled to one vote.
Election shall be made by a plurality of the votes cast by Members within the deadline date announced in the instructions enclosed with a ballot, and shall be within fourteen (14) days from the date of the mailing of the ballots to the Members.
Results of election shall be announced at the last regular business meeting of the fiscal year.
New officers shall assume responsibilities on the first day of July.
If the President, Past President, or one of the Presidents-Elect cannot complete the term of office, each officer will advance to the next higher office unless the vacancy occurs in the office of the Second President-Elect or Past President, in which case the President will appoint, with the approval of the Governing Board, a new Second President-Elect or in the case of Past President, an appointee, to fill the unexpired term.

Section 4. Appointive Officers

All appointments shall be made with the approval of the Governing Board. Term of office shall be three years.
The President shall make chairperson appointments to the Professional Matters Committee and the Legislative Matters Committee.
The First President-Elect shall make chairperson appointments to the Program Committee, Professional Development Committee, and Communications Committee.
The Second President-Elect shall make chairperson appointments to the Public Relations Committee, the Membership and Recruitment Committee.
The Treasurer shall be appointed by the President and
1. is responsible for the maintenance of accurate financial books of account for The Corporation;
2. has charge and custody of all funds of The Corporation and is responsible for the receipt and disbursement thereof;
3. performs other duties as may be assigned by the President;
4. serves as advisor to the Long Range Planning Committee and Program Committee;
5. provides quarterly financial reports and annual report to The Corporation.
The Secretary shall be appointed by the President and
1. is responsible for records of all proceedings of the Governing Board meetings;
2. shall ensure that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws or as required by law;
3. is custodian of the corporate records and of the Seal of the Corporation;
4. performs other duties as may be assigned by the President.

ARTICLE IV

Appointments and Committees

Section 1. Appointments

Appointments to all standing committees shall be made by the Chair of said committee with the approval of the President over the respective committee.
Appointed members shall represent a broad spectrum of work settings, specialty areas and geographical distribution. The appointment of Student Members to each committee is strongly encouraged.
Term of office shall be two years with half of the committee rotating off each year with the exception of the Nominations Committee. Nomination Committee members shall serve one year.
The President shall be a member ex-officio of all committees and may appoint the First or Second President-Elect to serve thereon as delegated.
The President(s) Elect shall be members ex-officio of all committees for which they are responsible.
The President may appoint members as consultants without vote to any committee but to serve for specific agreed purpose and slated length of time, with the approval of the committee.
The President may invite professionals or specialist non-affiliates of The Corporation to act as consultants in non-voting consultation capacities to any committee or to The Corporation with the approval of the committee or group concerned.

Section 2. Standing Committees

Membership and Recruitment Committee
1. This committee shall consist of the Chairperson, a Student Member and at least three Members
2. Duties of this Committee shall be:
  1. To receive and process all applications for membership. If questions arise about a candidate's eligibility, the application shall be presented to the Membership and Recruitment Committee for consideration.
  2. To present to the Governing Board names of applicants to whom membership was denied and the reason for denial.
  3. To maintain current and accurate records of all Regular, Associate, Student and Life Members of The Corporation.
  4. To recruit new Regular, Associate and Student and Life Members.
  5. To publish annually a directory of current members.
Legislative Committee.
1. This committee shall consist of the Chairperson and at least three members. Two members of the committee, preferably including the Chair, shall live in the Salt Lake City area for access to legislative activities. The Chairperson of the Licensure Board and the ASHA Legislative Counselor will be invited to attend meetings of this committee.
2. Duties of this Committee shall be:
  1. To educate Members of the Legislature regarding general and specific issues of concern to the speech-language-hearing profession.
  2. To monitor and address legislation which impacts the speech-language-hearing profession throughout the year.
  3. To attend public hearings related to issues concerning the speech-language-hearing profession and, if necessary, arrange to have a speaker at these hearings to represent the Utah Speech-Language-Hearing Association (USHA).
  4. To serve as a liaison to other allied health and educational agencies to support legislation that is mutually beneficial.
  5. To maintain contact with the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing Board for speech language pathologists and audiologists and to be aware of any licensing issues that require legislative change.
Program Committee
1. This committee shall consist of the Chairperson and at least three members. It is recommended that the Chairperson has previously served on this committee. The Continuing Education Units (C.E.U.) Coordinator and Treasurer shall be ex-officio members.
2. Duties of this committee shall be to provide programs for regular meetings and provide professional and scientific programs for special meetings.
Public Relations Committee.
1. This committee shall consist of the Chairperson and at least three Members.
2. Duties of this committee shall be:
  1. To maintain contacts and share information with persons and organizations interested in the disorders of speech, language and hearing.
  2. To speak and act regarding matters of corporation policy and professional concern, but only after receiving interpretation and approval of the second President-Elect.
Communications Committee.
1. This committee shall consist of the Chairperson and at least three Members.
2. Duties of this committee shall be:
  1. To publish newsletters, papers, bulletins, websites, digests and other information pertaining to the interests of The Corporation.
  2. To ensure that such publications representing the corporation have been approved in principle, general content and doctrine by the Second President-Elect.
Professional Development Committee
1. This committee shall consist of the Chairperson and at least three Members (one of which shall be the CEU Coordinator). Focus of this committee shall be areas of continuing education and supervision.
2. Duties of this committee shall be:
  1. To pursue avenues in which professionals in speech-language pathology and audiology may engage in continuing education for professional growth.
  2. To promote professional development of Members by encouraging collaboration in professional areas such as supervision, specialty certification, public school, private practice, and clinic issues.
3. The CEU Coordinator shall be responsible for overseeing certification activities for continuing education
Nominations Committee
1. This committee shall consist of the Chairperson, which is the immediate Past President, and three Members appointed by the Past President. Term of office shall be for one year.
2. Duties of this committee shall be:
  1. To prepare a slate of two nominees for each elective office,
  2. To verify nominees' current membership in the Utah Speech-Language-Hearing Association,
  3. To obtain the permission of the individuals concerned before submitting their name for nomination,
  4. To submit these nominations to the Governing Board prior to ballot preparation for approval,
  5. To submit the nominations to the Members at least two months preceding the final business meeting of the fiscal year,
  6. To nominate individuals with approval of the Governing Board to receive awards and honors of the Utah Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Professional Matters Committee.
1. This committee shall consist of the Chairperson and at least three Members. At least two Members are required to have at least five years of continuous professional experience and membership both in state and national speech, language, hearing association. The focus of this committee shall be practice issues in various settings. The State Education Advocacy Leader (SEAL) shall be an invited, ex-officio member.
2. Duties of the committee shall be:
  1. To develop and present to the Members suggestions for implementing policies and practices concerned with issues affecting the speech-language-pathologists and audiologists in all employment settings.
  2. To act as a professional grievance committee empowered to hear grievances as a body and make recommendations to the Governing Board.
  3. To hear matters of professional interest regarding relationships, ethics, conduct, standards, and the well being of the corporation.
Long-Range Planning Committee.
1. This committee shall be chaired by the current Past-President. Members shall consist of the Treasurer, the President, a Past President other than the current Past-President and two members at large. The Legislative Counselor(s) shall be invited.
2. Duties of this committee shall be:
  1. To present an Annual Report at the Fall business meeting.
  2. To develop, update and monitor a Five Year Plan which will include goals from each committee.
Marketing Committee
1. This committee shall consist of the Chairperson and at least three Members.
2. Duties of this committee shall be to promote the interests of the corporation which shall include (but not be limited to) soliciting contributions and donations; soliciting sponsors for the newsletter, the membership directory, and other related corporation publications.

Section 3. Ad Hoc Committees.

Appointments to ad hoc committees may be made by the President with the approval of the Governing Board.

Section 4. ASHA Legislative Counselor.

During the time this corporation is recognized by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the election of the ASHA Legislative Counselor(s) and alternates for the Utah Speech-Language-Hearing-Association will be conducted by and in accordance with procedures specified by the ASHA.

ARTICLE V

Obligations

Section 1. All Members shall agree to and comply with obligations set forth in the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws of the Utah Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and Code of Ethics of the Utah Speech-Language-Hearing Association (the same as those of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association), and as otherwise declared by the corporation.

Section 2. The corporation shall not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or handicapping condition. All programs and activities of the corporation shall be conducted in the furtherance of this policy.

ARTICLE VI

Meetings

Meetings shall be of two types: Regular meetings and special meetings.

Written notice of all meetings shall be sent to all Members at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of the meeting. The Governing Board and the Program Committee will determine the time, place and agenda of the meeting(s).
At regular meetings, members and guests may attend. Only Regular and Life Members will be eligible to vote on the business of The Corporation.
There shall be a minimum of one (1) regular meeting per year, which will include an open session for business discussion, the installation of new officers (at a regular meeting prior to July 1), and annual committee reports.
Special meetings may be called at any time upon notice by the Governing Board or upon notice by a majority of the Regular Members.

ARTICLE VII

Amendments

Section 1. No amendment of the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws shall be made unless such amendment is the subject of discussion at a business meeting of The Corporation.

Section 2. No proposed amendment of the Articles or Bylaws may be discussed at a business meeting of the corporation unless written notice thereof, setting forth the proposed amendment(s), shall be sent to the Members at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of such meeting.

Section 3. Amendment of the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws shall be made by a two-thirds vote of the Regular and Life Members present at a business meeting at which such a vote is taken.

Section 4. Bylaws of The Corporation may be suspended by the Governing Board in the instance of an emergency, but subject to the referendum of the Regular Members at the earliest possible meeting.

Section 5. Notice hereunder shall be complete upon mailing.

ARTICLE VIII

Books and Records

The Corporation shall keep correct and complete books and records of membership and finance and shall also keep minutes of the proceedings of the Governing Board and committee meetings.

ARTICLE IX

Dues

The first fiscal year of The Corporation shall begin on July 1, 1981, and end on June 30, 1982. Thereafter, the fiscal year of The Corporation shall begin on July 1 of each year and end on June 30 of the successive year. Membership dues are payable by the first day of each fiscal year. The annual dues shall be recommended by the Governing Board and approved by a majority vote of the membership.

ARTICLE X

Rules of Order

Except as herein directed, the latest revision of Roberts Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of The Corporation.

A B O U T U S H A

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