The Metro Chapter By-Laws As Approved and Revised May 1992 Metropolitan Washington Chapter National Association of Social Workers PRESENT _________________ ARTICLE I. NAME The name of this organization shall be the Metropolitan Washington Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, Inc. (Metro Washington, NASW) ARTICLE II. PURPOSE A. The Metropolitan Washington Chapter is constituted to advance at the local level: the purpose of the National Association of Social Workers, Inc. in the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. area and is a basic administrative unit of the National Association of Social Workers, Inc. The Metropolitan Washington Chapter program and structure shall be designed to encourage and facilitate participation by the members. The program of the Metropolitan Washington Chapter shall be related to the basic unified program plan of the National Association of Social Workers, Inc., taking into consideration the special needs and interests of the members within the Metropolitan Washington Chapter. B. The purpose of the Metropolitan Washington Chapter shall at all times be consonant with the National Association of Social Workers, Inc.'s purposes as stated in Article II of the National Bylaws. ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIPS All members of the Association in the area of this Chapter shall automatically become members of this chapter. The member may elect whether he/she wishes to affiliate with the Chapter in the area of residence or in the area of employment. In special circumstances, as determined by the National Board of Directors, a member may elect to affiliate with a chapter within which the member neither lives nor works. The membership classification including attendant rights and privileges are as specified in Article IV of the National Bylaws. ARTICLE IV. CHAPTER PRESENTATION UNITS Section A. Establishment of Representational Units The Chapter Board of Directors may establish one or more chapter Representational Units when, in the judgement of the Board, the establishment of such units is necessary for the purposes of representing members in the decision-making processes of the chapter, and to enable chapter members, resident or employed in a particular geographic area, to purse effectively the purposes of the Chapter as they relate to such geographic area, and such Representational Units will enhance the interests and purposes of the chapter as a whole. Section B. Representational Unit Jurisdiction The territory within which a Unit shall have jurisdiction shall be determined by the Chapter Board of Directors, provided, however, the jurisdiction of a unit shall contain no less than 35 chapter members in good standing. A unit shall be entitled to one additional representative for each 100 members or major fraction thereof. Units with more than one representative shall designate one of the positions as the unit chairperson. Section C. Representational Unit Operations Representatives for each representational unit shall be elected by ballot by Chapter members affiliated with the units, to serve a term of two years. The chairperson shall lead and coordinate the program of the representational unit and shall serve on the Chapter Program Committee. The chairperson and all representatives must reside or work in the representational unit. A representative of a representational unit who is no longer living or working  in that representational area during his/her term of office automatically vacates the office and the vacancy thus created shall be filled by the Chapter Board of Directors. Each Representational Unit shall receive support to maintain basic communication with members within the unit to assure full and adequate membership participation in the decision-making process of the chapter. This support may be in the form of cash, credit, and/or staff services. Section D. Reprimand, Suspension, or Discontinue of Representational Units The Board of Directors may reprimand, suspend, or discontinue a Representational unit for cause (action contrary to chapter policy and operational standards). The Board shall provide the Representational Unit, through its official representative(s) last on record with the Chapter Office, with an opportunity for a hearing before the board prior to its taking action to reprimand, suspend, or discontinue the Representational Unit. ARTICLE V. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Section A. Powers The Chapter Board of Directors shall exercise all powers of the Chapter specified in the Bylaws of the National Association of Social Workers, or as other wise delegated by the National Board of Directors. The Chapter Board of Directors shall further be responsible for governing the business and affairs of the Chapter, and shall have power to take actions that it deems necessary and appropriate to conduct and govern the business of the Chapter, except such acts as may be required Bylaws to be performed by the members. Section B. Composition The Chapter Board of Directors shall consist of the following elected members: 1. The Chapter Officers, who shall consist of the President, the President-Elect, the Vice President, the Treasurer, and the Secretary. 2. Six Board members elected At-Large. 3. The chairperson and other elected representatives of Representational Units. 4. Two elected students members, who attended a social work program accredited by the Council of Social Work Education: one undergraduate social work student, and one graduate student in a masters degree program in social work. Section C. Term of Office The term of office of all elected officers shall be governed by Article VI, Section C. Students members shall serve one year terms. All other members of the Chapter Board of Directors shall serve terms of two years. No member of the Board may serve more than three consecutive terms. No officer may succeed him/herself in office. The term of office shall begin on July 1. Board members appointed to fill an unexpired term are entitled to run for election in their own right and not re-election. Section D. Vacancies Vacancies, with the exception of the offices of President and President-elect, occurring before the expiration of terms of office shall be filled by the chapter Board of Directors, and persons so chosen shall serve until the term expires. Nominations for vacancies shall be provided by the Committee on Nominations and Leadership Identification. Section E. Duties Within the policies and priorities established by the Delegate assembly and the National Association Board of Directors, the Metropolitan Washington D.C. Chapter Board of Directors is responsible for: 1. Developing programs reflective of delegate Assembly priorities and association major objectives, including annual budgets supporting program implementation. 2. Establishing and dissolving committees and task forces based on chapter program and administration needs. 3. Chapter policy development within the framework of NASW social, professional and organizational policies. 4. Creating, restructuring, reviewing and determining the level of support for all local units of the Chapter within national standards. 5. Representing the Chapter in the community to maintain its relationships with other organizations. 6. Chapter finances, including the development of fiscal policies, adopting an annual budget, publishing an annual financial report to the membership, and obtaining an annual audit. 7. Developing and implementing membership recruitment and retention programs. 8. Periodic evaluation and appraisal of operations relative to achieving Association and Chapter objectives. 9. Reviewing the Chapter's organizational pattern after each Delegate Assembly to assure relevant structure. 10. Review and resolution of intra-organizational issues and problems. 11. Attendance at Board meetings. Board members must attend two-thirds of  scheduled Board and committee meetings. Non-attendance at three consecutive meetings may be cause for removal. 12. All other business necessary to fulfill the chapter's purposes. Section F. Meetings The Chapter Board of Directors shall hold not fewer than six regularly scheduled, meetings a year, at such time and places as may be determined bythe President. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President, or at the request of three members of the Board. Usual notice of the time and place of each meeting shall be given to each member of the Board. Usual notice means at least two weeks in advance for regular meeting, and at least 48 hours in advance for special meetings. Section G. Quorum A simply majority of the voting membership of the board shall constitute a quorum for all regular and special meetings. ARTICLE VI. CHAPTER OFFICERS Section A. Chapter Offices The officers of the chapter shall be a President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Parliamentarian. Upon the adoption of these Bylaws, the Vice President shall automatically become Chairperson of the Program Committee. This function should be assigned for two years. The officers shall perform the duties described in the Bylaws and by parliamentary authority adopted by the Chapter.  Section B. Powers and Duties of Officers 1. The President shall: Preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and of the Board of Directors; Be an ex officio member of all committees except the committee on Nominations and Leadership Identification; Represent the Chapter by virtue of his/her office between meetings of the Board of Directors; Report to the Board of Directors all important interim actions; Appoint and fix the responsibilities of all Ad Hoc Committees with approval of the Board of Directors; Be responsible for carrying out the directions of the Board regarding employment of an Executive Director assignment of duties and general directions;  Be available to consult with the Executive Director on matters between meetings of the Board of Directors; Be authorized to delegate duties to other members of the Board of Directors, including the President-Elect; Be the chairperson of the Delegates and First Chapter Delegate to the Delegate Assembly; and Appoint a parliamentarian from the Board. 2. The President-Elect shall: Undertake duties assigned to him/her by the President; and Serve as the Second Delegate to the Delegate Assembly. 3. The Vice President shall: Fulfill the duties of the President in his/her absence; Serve as coordinator for all standing program committees; Undertake duties assigned to him/her by the President; Succeed to the Office of president if that office is vacated prior to the expiration of the term of office to which the President was elected; and Serve as Second Delegate to the Delegate Assembly should the position of President-Elect be vacant in a Delegate Assembly year. 4. The Secretary shall: Be responsible for recording all minutes of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee meetings; Carry out duties as directed by the President and/or board of Directors; and  Report regularly to the President on pending issues and unresolved action items as reflected in minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. 5. The Treasurer shall: Serve as Chairperson of the Chapter Finance Committee; Be responsible for supervising the handling of chapter funds; Obtain a certified audit as required; Render quarterly financial statements to the membership, the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee; Send Chapter fiscal and audit reports to the national office as required; and Recommend to the President the names of chapter members to be considered for possible appointment to the Finance Committee. Section C. Terms of Office of Chapter Officers  The Officers shall be elected by the membership at large of the Chapter and all serve, with the exception of the President-elect and students, terms of two years. The President-elect shall serve a term of one year in that office and then succeed to the Office of President for a term of two (2) years. After the President-Elect has become President, the Office of President-Elect will not be filled for one year and will be filled at the following year's election. Students members shall serve one year terms. The President shall not succeed himself/herself for a second consecutive term by running for President-Elect. Officers shall not succeed themselves in the same office. No member of the Board shall serve more that three consecutive terms of office. Section D. Vacancies Due to Unexpired Term 1. Vacancies, with the exception of the Office of President and President-Elect, shall be filled by a majority vote of the Board of Directors and persons so chosen shall serve until the term expires. 2. When a vacancy in the office of President occurs the Vice President shall succeed to the presidency. The resulting vacancy in the Office of Vice President, or vacancy in this office for any reason, shall be filled in accordance with ARTICLE VI, Section D1 above. 3. When a vacancy in the Office of President-Elect occurs, the Chapter Board of Directors shall either: (a) offer the position to the President-Elect candidate, who received the next largest number of votes in the Chapter Elections, or (b) provide for a special election to the office of President-Elect. ARTICLE VII. COMMITTEE ON NOMINATIONS AND LEADERSHIP IDENTIFICATION Section A. Committee on Nominations and Leadership Identification The Chapter will follow the national procedures for chapter elections as elucidated in the Chapter Election Guidelines. The chapter shall elect a committee on Nominations and Leadership Identification to be composed of six (6) members and a chairperson, each to serve a term of two years. Members of the Nominations and Leadership committee may not be voting member of the Board. The chairperson of the Nominations and Leadership Identification Committee shall be an ex-officio non-voting member of the Board of Directors. The Chairperson and members shall not be eligible for re-election within one (1) year of the expiration of their terms on the committee to any chapter office with the exception that a member may be elected chairperson; half of the committee members to be elected in alternating years. 1. Duties The duties of the committee on Nominations and Leadership Identification are to prepare a double slate of nominees for the chapter offices of President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and At-Large Board Members. The slate shall include nominees for all elected offices, filled by election by the membership at large for which there are vacancies. The Committee on Nominations and Leadership Identification will prepare a slate for Delegates to the Delegate Assembly consisting of a double slate to fill the Delegates positions except for First and Second Delegates. The candidates for all positions shall be selected so as to guarantee that the aforementioned bodies reflect the population concentrations, geographic distribution ethnic minority distribution, sex distribution, students, BSW practitioners, and special interest of the membership. Additional names of candidates for any elective office may be placed on the ballot by submission to the Chapter office of a petition signed by no fewer that twenty five (25) members in good standing of NASW. Such petition shall be submitted to the chapter office four weeks prior to the mailing of the ballot. The Committee on Nominations and Leadership Identification shall prepare recommendations for nominees for national offices and for other offices as requested by the National committee on Nominations and Identification. All nominees for elected office must be members in good standing of NASW at the time of their nomination and election. The Committee on Nominations and Leadership Identification shall develop a leadership roster to be used by the President of the Chapter for committees and task force appointments. 2. Report The Committee shall submit a report to the Chapter members on or before January 1st of each year for all chapter elective offices and shall recommend a date for the election. Section B. Elections Members in good standing shall be entitled to vote in Chapter elections. Associate members who vote must have at least five years of continuous membership. Members may be elected as officers, directors at large who will be chairpersons of standing committees, delegates to the Delegate Assembly, chairpersons from Representational Units, and student representatives. Members of the Board of Directors shall be elected by the chapter membership in May of the year in which their respective terms begin. They shall take office on July 1 of that year. The President-Elect, Vice President, and 50 percent of the representational and at-large directors shall be elected in the odd year, and the Treasurer, Secretary and 50 percent of the representational and at-large directors shall be elected in the even year. Ballots shall be submitted to voting membership by mail not less than three weeks prior to the May date set for the election. Ballots shall be returned to a three-member Board appointed Election committee (each member having a one-year term), and postmarked not later than the date publicized for the return of the ballots. The Elections Committee shall validate the ballots, act as tellers and shall certify results of the vote. The Elections Committee shall report the numerical results of the vote to the Electoral Candidates, the Board and to the Membership within five days of counting and certifying the vote results. Elections Committee members may not be appointed from among the current Board membership, must be Chapter members, must be appointed prior to the mailing of the ballots, and may not be candidates themselves. Section C. Removal from Office  Non-attendance by Board members at three consecutive meetings of the Board of Directors and non-attendance by officers at three consecutive Executive Committee and/or Board of Directors meetings may be cause for removal. When such an officer or Board member has been absent from the number of meetings designed above, the item of his or her retention shall be placed on the agenda of the next regularly-scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors. At that meeting, the Board mayremove the officer or board member by a vote of a majority of the full Board. ARTICLE VIII.  Section A. Election of Delegates and Alternates Organizational policy regulating the election of delegates to Delegate Assembly in specified in the National Bylaws, ARTICLE V and in the Guidelines for Chapter Elections. Delegates and alternates will be elected in accordance with those provision. Section B. Composition of Chapter Delegations 1. The Chapter President shall serve as the Chapter's First Delegate to Delegate Assembly. 2. The President-Elect shall serve as the Guaranteed Alternate for Single Delegate Chapters or as the Second Delegate if a chapter is entitled to more than one delegate. Section C. Delegate Term of Office  With the exception of the President and President-Elect, Delegate and Alternates shall be elected for three year terms beginning one year before the Delegate Assembly, Section D. Alternate and Replacement Delegates Delegates and alternates who attend the Delegate Assembly must have stood for chapter election as Delegates. Chapter election procedures should assure that enough alternates are elected to replace any elected delegates who cannot serve. Delegates can be replaced by the Chapter Board of Directors only if elected delegates are unable to attend the Assembly. Such appointments must maintain the Chapter's Delegates Assembly Affirmative Action requirements and should consider available persons in the following order: 1. Alternates 2. Unsuccessful delegate candidates 3. Board members 4. Nominating committee members 5. Elected Committee chairs ARTICLE IX. COMMITTEES Section A. Standing Committees to the Chapter 1. The Executive Committee shall: Consist of the President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and two members of the board elected by the Board of Directors from its membership. Have the President as its chairperson. Meet upon call of the President or upon request of two of its members. Reasonable notice of time and place of each meeting shall be given to each committee members.  During intervals between meetings of the Board of directors have the power to act on emergency or regular business of the chapter within existing policies, program, budget and specific directions established by the Board. A simple majority of the Executive Committee membership constitutes a quorum. 2. The Committee on Inquiry shall: Consist of a Chairperson (non Board member) and at least six members appointed by the President with the advice of the Board of Directors. The committee shall operate under the direction of the NASW GUIDE FOR THE ADJUDICATION OF GRIEVANCES, and the NASW PROCEDURES FOR THE ADJUDICATION OF GRIEVANCES, and the NASW STANDARDS FOR SOCIAL WORK MEDIATORS. Be representative of the membership with respect to geography, sex, race, and methodological function of practice. Be responsible for hearing and determining complaints filed in accordance with the Association's policy and adjudication of grievances. 3. The Committee on Nominations and Leadership Identification shall: (See ARTICLE VII, SECTION A) 4. The Finance Committee shall: Consist of the Treasurer, who shall be its chairperson, and a minimum of three (3) appointed by the President with the advice of the Board of Directors for overlapping terns of two years each. Prepare and submit an annual Chapter operating budget to the Board for approval within thirty days prior to the beginning of each fiscal year. Consider all financial requests made of the Chapter and recommend action thereon to the Board. Adopt, subject to approval of the Board, Policies and Operating procedures governing the fiscal operations of the Chapter. 5. The Program Committee shall: The Program Committee shall consist of the Vice President as Coordinator and at least four (4) members appointed by the President. Responsible for overall program planning, development, implementation and evaluation. 6. The Professional Standards and Continuing Education Committee shall: Consist of a Chairperson and at least three members appointed by the President with advice of the Board of Directors. Be responsible for giving input to Social Work Education Curriculum and developing guidelines for continuing education programs for social workers. Reports directly to the Coordinator of Program Committee/ (Vice president). 7. The Membership Committee shall: Consist of a chairperson and at least three members appointed by the President with the advice of the Board of Directors. Be responsible for membership recruitment, retention, and related activities. Section C. Special Ad Hoc Committee Ad Hoc Committees may be appointed by the President for special assignments to report as specified to the Board of Directors. The terms of all ad hoc committee members shall be stated with the charge to the committee and shall expire with the expiration of the task for which it was formed. Chairperson and officers of ad hoc committees/task forces must be members of the Metropolitan Washington Chapter. Section D. Committee Membership In making appointments, the President shall give consideration to; Leadership capacity; special competence; geographic distribution; continuity of experience; representational unit recommendations, maximum use of Chapter resources' affirmative action criteria; BSW member status; student member status. Section E. Affirmative Action The Chapter President will assign responsibility for chapter affirmative action. The Chapter shall comply with the Affirmative Action Program of National. ARTICLE X. STAFF Section A. The Board of Directors shall arrange for such staff positions as resources permit and are necessary for the conduct of chapter business. It shall employ an Executive Director of the Chapter, he/she shall be responsible for the hiring and firing of all other staff members within the limits set by these Bylaws and the personnel policies adopted by the Board. Section B. Other staff shall be hired and employed by the executive Director as required by the program of the Chapter and in accord with the overall staffing design and budget planning of the Board of Directors. Section C. All personnel actions shall be within the overall National Standards governing Personnel Policies and Affirmative Action Programs. Section D. The employment of the Executive Director shall be undertaken in consultation with the National Office. Section E. No Chapter staff person may hold an elective position. ARTICLE XI. CHAPTER MEETINGS Section A. Annual Meeting There shall be an annual meeting of the membership for the purpose of reporting the year's activity of the Chapter and for the installation of officers. This meeting shall be held during the month of May or June, each year, and the Board of Directors shall decide the date, time, and place of such annual meeting. Section B. Special Meetings Special meetings of the membership may be held from time to time upon the call of the President or upon request of fifty (50) or more of the members of the Chapter. Section C. Calling of Meetings Every meeting of the membership, whether annual or special, shall be called by the President by notice sent by mail to member sand the notice shall set forth the date, place, hour, and object of such meeting. Said notice to members shall be sent at least fourteen (14) days in advance of such meeting. Any subject or proposal to be considered at any meeting of the membership shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary of the Chapter at least seven (7) days in advance of such meeting. Section D. Presidential Refusal to Call Meeting If the President fails or refuses to call any meeting of the membership as required in these Bylaws, fifty (50) members may call a meeting setting fourth the date, time, place under the procedures as provided in ARTICLE XI, Section 3 and subject of the meeting. Section E. Quorum At any meeting of the membership fifty (50) members shall constitute a quorum and if their be no quorum, the members present may adjourn the meeting until a quorum is secured. Section F. Parliamentary Procedures At all annual and special meetings of the membership, the conduct of the meetings shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order (revised). ARTICLE XII. FINANCE Section A. Chapter Financing Funds shall be provided to promote the programs of the Association through the Metropolitan Washington Chapter in the following manner: 1. Direct rebates in accordance with National Bylaws Article XIX Dues and other income. 2. Supplemental grants at the discretion of the National Board of Director. 3. Funds raised by the Metropolitan Washington Chapter in accordance with accepted procedures of the Association. Section B. Chapter Financial Affairs  The Metropolitan Washington Chapter Board of Directors shall arrange for the careful stewardship of financial resources by providing the following: 1. A Chapter bank account requiring at least two signatures for withdrawal of funds. No branch or other units shall have ongoing bank accounts. The Metropolitan Washington Chapter may open local bank accounts for the use of branches or other units. 2. A chapter budget prepared prior to the beginning of each program year (July 1 - June 30) that reflects the chapter's anticipated program for the year.  3. The preparation and distribution of financial reports to the Board of Directors at least quarterly. A year end financial report shall be sent to the National Office; a summary of this report shall be made available to chapter members. 4. An independent audit by a certified public accountant is required annually. 5. The Metropolitan Washington Chapter Treasurer's name will be sent to the National Office for bonding purposes within 15 days of their election. 6. The Metropolitan Washington Chapter shall prudently invest excess funds to maximize interest earnings. 7. The Metropolitan Washington Chapter will develop a financial policy defining budgeting and reporting requirements, the staff role in fiscal management, the reimbursement allowable for leadership and staff expense, and policies related to reserve funds in Chapters. 8. The Metropolitan Washington Chapter will adhere to financial management guidelines approved by the National Board of Directors. ARTICLE XIII. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES The Metropolitan Washington Chapter Political Action Committee will confirm to applicable state and federal laws and regulations. The Metropolitan Washington Chapter will obtain prior review and approval from the National Office for its Political Action Committee's bylaws before they become effective. ARTICLE XIV. BYLAWS AMENDMENTS The Metropolitan Washington Chapter bylaws may be amended by a vote of two-thirds of the Board of Directors representing fifty percent of the branches in attendance at a regularly called meeting, provided that proposed by law amendment has been published and distributed to Chapter members at least three weeks prior to the meeting. Implementation of an approved bylaw amendment depends upon approval by the National Board of Directors sanctioning process, which may include submitting the amendment to a chapter membership vote. ARTICLE XV. REFERENDUM AND RECALL Section A. Referendum and Recall  1. A bylaw amendment shall be put to a vote of the Chapter membership upon the vote of at least two thirds of the Board of Directors or a petition of fifteen percent of the Chapter membership. 2. The recall of a membership of the Board of Directors elected by the membership shall be put to a vote of the Chapter membership upon the vote of at least two thirds of the Board of Directors or a petition of fifteen percent of the Chapter membership. 3. The call of a branch representative shall be put to a vote of the branch memberships upon a petition of fifteen percent of the branch membership.  Section B. Ballots Ballots for referenda and recall shall be by mail and follow procedures outlined in the Guidelines for Chapter Elections. Referenda and recall ballots must state the proposition being voted in such a form that a vote may be indicated by a YES or NO. Section C. Votes Decisions will carry by a majority of votes cast in the mail ballot, provided that votes are cast by at least twenty-five percent of the eligible voters.