Constitution

CONSTITUTION

Article I ‑‑ NAME

The name of this organization shall be Northwest Association of Forensic Scientists, a nonprofit organization, referred to hereafter as the Association.

Article II ‑‑ OBJECTIVES AND PURPOSES

Section 1: To encourage the dissemination of information within the fields of forensic science and to discuss problems of common interest.

Section 2: To foster friendship and cooperation among forensic scientists.

Section 3: To stimulate research and development of new techniques within the field.

Article III ‑‑ ELIGIBILITY FOR MEMBERSHIP

Membership shall be limited to persons of professional competency, integrity and good moral character who are actively engaged in the application of natural sciences to the examination of physical evidence involved in legal problems.

Article IV ‑‑ MEETINGS

Section 1: The Association shall meet up to twice a year, with meetings in the Spring and/or Fall. The location of the meetings shall be selected by the Regular members. The exact date of the meeting(s) shall be selected by the Meeting Chairperson

Section 2: 7% of the Regular members shall constitute a quorum for conducting Association business.

Section 3: All actions by the Association shall be by majority vote except as otherwise provided in this Constitution or in the Bylaws.

Section 4: Robert's Rules of Order, latest edition, shall govern the parliamentary procedure for all meetings of this Association.

Article V ‑‑ OFFICERS

Section 1: Officers of this Association shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Publications Secretary, Technical Resources Secretary and one (1) Member-at-Large.

Section 2: The Officers of the Association shall also serve as the Board of Directors of the Association.

Section 3: Officers of this Association shall be elected to the following terms:

(a) the office of President, Vice‑President and Member-At-Large shall be a term of one year; and

(b) the offices of Secretary-Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Technical Resources Secretary, and Publications Secretary shall be for terms of three years.

Section 4: The terms of the Officers of this Association shall begin at the close of the annual meeting at which they are elected. Officers shall be eligible to serve no more than two consecutive full terms in the same office.

Section 5: In the event of the death or resignation of the President or, the President is unable to fulfill the duties of the office, the Vice-President shall automatically be elevated to the office of President for the unexpired term. In the event of the death, incapacitation or resignation of both the President and the Vice-President, the position will be held by the Secretary-Treasurer for the remainder of the term. In the event of the death or resignation of any board member other than the President, the vacancy shall be filled by a majority vote of the remaining board members for the remainder of the unexpired term.

Section 6: The Board of Directors shall meet during the semi-annual meetings to conduct the business of the Association. Special meetings may be called by the President or at the request of at least one-half of the Board members. Notice of each special meeting shall be given to all who are entitled to be present. Such special meetings may be conducted by telephone poll of the Board of Directors by the President, or by conference call with the Board of Directors.

Section 7: A quorum of 4 members of the Board of Directors shall be required to conduct the official business of the Association.

Section 8: Officers of the Association shall receive a 50% discount in meeting registration costs while serving on the board.

Article VI ‑‑ AMENDMENTS

Section 1: Any article of this Constitution may be amended by a three‑fourths (3/4) vote of the Regular members present at an Association Business Meeting, provided that copies of each proposed amendment shall have been distributed to all Regular members at least thirty (30) days in advance of the meeting at which action is to be taken. Amendments may be distributed by publishing them in the Association newsletter, FAX, e-mail, or mail, and posting on the Association web page.

Section 2: Any provision of the Bylaws may be amended by a three‑fourths (3/4) vote of the Regular members present at the Association Business Meeting .

BY‑LAWS

CHAPTER I: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: Applying For Membership.

(A) Application for membership in the Association shall be made in writing to the Secretary of the Membership committee no later than August 1 of the year in which the applicant requests to be considered for membership. The applicant shall clearly indicate the application is for either Regular or Associate membership. An applicant for Regular member shall submit written endorsements with the application for membership from three (3) Regular members in good standing with the Association.

(B) The Membership committee shall present all candidates for Provisional member, all recommendations for the elevation of current Provisional members to Regular or Associate membership, and any recommendations for granting Life membership at the first meeting following the August 1 cutoff. Approval of the Membership committee recommendations requires a simple majority vote of the Regular members in attendance.

Section 2: There shall be four (4) classes of membership in the Association:

(A) PROVISIONAL MEMBER

(1) Provisional member is a temporary membership class held by newly accepted candidates for Regular or Associate membership in the Association. This class of membership does not have the right to vote on issues brought before the Association during a regular Business meeting nor on issues brought to the general Regular membership by mail ballot.

(2) A Provisional Regular or Provisional Associate member may not hold office in the Association.

(3)   A Provisional Regular or Provisional Associate member may, upon the recommendation of the Membership committee, be terminated from the Association without cause by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the Regular members present at any Business meeting.

(4)   A Provisional Associate member shall be elevated to Associate member after one year.

(5)   A Provisional Regular member shall be eligible for elevation to Regular member after a minimum period of one (1) year combined with sufficient participation in Association activities including, but not limited to:

a)     paid attendance at a regular meeting;

b)    contribution of technical information to the Association Newsletter; or

c)     participation on an active Association committee.

(B) REGULAR MEMBER

(1)   An individual shall be eligible for Regular membership provided:

(a)   the individual is involved in the application of the natural sciences to the examination of physical evidence relating to criminal activity; or

(b)   the individual manages or supervises others engaged in the application of the natural sciences to the examination of physical evidence relating to criminal activity; or

(c)   upon review, the Membership committee determines the scope of work performed by the applicant to fall within the spirit of the meaning of Regular member.

(2)   A Regular member may vote on business put before the Association at a Business meeting or on business to be voted on by mail.

(3)   A Regular member may hold office in the Association.

(4)   A Regular member may serve on any standing or ad hoc Association committee.

(5)   The Membership Secretary shall record the meeting attendance of each Regular member.

(a)   Attendance shall be defined as the paid registration for a meeting, paid registration for an Association sponsored workshop; or participation of the Regular member as an instructor for a workshop.

(1)   An applicant not meeting the requirements for Regular member in Section 2.B.1 shall be eligible for Associate membership.

(2)   An Associate member shall not vote on business put before the Association at a Business meeting or on business presented by mail for vote.

(3)   An Associate member shall not hold office in the Association.

(4)     An Associate member may serve on any standing or ad hoc Association committee.

(5)   The Membership Secretary shall record the meeting attendance of each Associate member.

(a)   Attendance shall be defined as the paid registration for a meeting, paid registration for an Association sponsored workshop; or participation of the Regular member as an instructor for a workshop.

(D) LIFE MEMBER

(1)   Life membership may be bestowed upon a Regular member in good standing upon nomination by three (3) Regular members in writing to the Membership Secretary, the recommendation of the Membership committee, and a simple majority vote of the Regular and Active Life members present at the Fall Business meeting. The criteria for evaluating the candidate's qualifications to be bestowed Life membership may include, but are not limited to:

a)     Charter membership; or

b)    service as a past officer of the Association; or

c)     on-going, active participation on the working committees of the Association; and

d)    continued service to the Association.

(2)   An Active Life member shall remain a voting member and may hold any office in the Association until such time as the Life member leaves the profession.

(3)   Upon leaving the profession, the Active Life member shall become an Inactive Life member and shall:

a)     lose the right to vote on Association business.

b)    lose the right to hold an elected office in the Association.

c)     receive the Association's newsletter at no cost.

d)    be exempt from paying yearly membership dues.

e)     be exempt from paying semi-annual meeting registration fees. This exemption shall only apply to actual meeting registration fees. The Inactive Life member shall still be responsible for fees related to workshops and other fee-based activities associated with the meeting when the cost of those workshops and activities is in addition to the meeting registration fee.

Section 3: Charter Designation

(A) All persons meeting the membership requirements outlined above and who attended any meeting of this Association prior to the adoption of its Constitution and Bylaws in October 1972, shall have the designation "Charter" added to their membership classification (i.e., Regular Charter member, Associate Charter member). This designation does not change any membership classification privileges under this Constitution and Bylaws.

Section 4: Voting Rules

(A) Only Regular and Active Life members shall vote in Business meetings. Voting by proxy vote shall not be allowed.

(B) Upon approval by simple majority of the Regular and Active Life members present at the Business meeting, any business item taken up at the Business meeting may be put to a vote of the Regular and Active Life members of the Association by a mail, FAX or e-mail ballot. A timetable detailing the deadline for sending the question to the Regular and Active Life members and a deadline for their response shall be set. Responses shall be made with e-mail, FAX or postage paid, pre-addressed ballot provided with the mailing by the Association. The results of the balloting shall be reported in the Newsletter following the response deadline or, if requested, by special mailing to all members.

Section 5: Termination Of Membership

(A) Termination upon request of member. Any member may terminate their membership in the Association by a written request directed to the Membership Secretary. The Membership committee shall inform the members of the Association of the termination at the next regular Business meeting.

(B) Termination for failure to pay dues. Membership shall be terminated when the member is delinquent in payment of dues for a period of one (1) year, during which time two (2) written notices were issued by the Membership Secretary. A late fee shall be assessed on delinquent dues.

(C) Termination for cause. A member may be expelled from the Association for unethical conduct, conduct detrimental to the profession of forensic sciences, or conduct detrimental to the welfare of the Association. Any member or members of the Association may initiate proceedings to investigate the conduct of another member by petitioning, in writing, to any member of the Board of Directors.

Section 6: Reclassification Of Membership

(A) A member shall notify the Membership Secretary in writing within six (6) months of any change of employment or employment duties. Unless termination is specifically requested by a Regular member to the Membership Secretary, a Regular member shall be reclassified as an Associate member if their new employment duties fail to meet the eligibility requirements listed in Section 2.B.1 of the Bylaws.

(B) An Associate member seeking to elevate to Regular member status must:

(1)   meet the requirements for Regular member as stated in Section 2.B.1 of the Bylaws at the time of their written application to the Membership Secretary for Regular membership, and

(2)   have met the participation requirements detailed in Section 2.B.5.a, and

(3)   be recommended by the Membership committee for the change, and

(4)   be approved by simple majority of the Regular and Active Life members present at the Fall Business meeting.

(C) Any Regular member, upon their written request to the Membership Secretary and approval by the Membership committee, shall be reclassified as an Associate member.

(D) Elected Officers and appointed committee Chairpersons may complete their term of office before reclassification.

Section 7: Reinstatement Of Membership

(A) A member in good standing who has resigned their membership in the Association shall be able to petition the Membership Secretary in writing or by membership application for reinstatement for a period up to and including 5 years from the date of resignation. The member is eligible to reinstate at the same membership classification held at the time of their resignation. For the purposes of this section, the term "good standing" shall mean:

(1) the member's dues were paid and current at the time of resignation; and

(2) the member was not under investigation by the Association for any ethical violation, any incident(s) of conduct detrimental to the profession of forensic sciences, and/or any incident(s) of conduct detrimental to the welfare of the Association.

(B) A member who has resigned their membership in the Association as a means to avoid paying back dues or who resigns with membership dues still being owed to the Association shall, for a period up to and including 5 years from the time of resignation or termination:

(1) petition the Membership Secretary in writing or by membership application to request consideration for reinstatement; and

(2) shall pay in advance the outstanding dues owed to the Association in full.

(C) Any member whose membership has been terminated due to any ethical violation, any incident(s) of conduct detrimental to the profession of forensic sciences, and/or any incident(s) of conduct detrimental to the welfare of the Association shall be permanently banned from membership in the Association.

(D) Any member who resigns their membership pending the completion of an investigation of any charge against them of an ethical violation, any incident(s) of conduct detrimental to the profession of forensic sciences, and/or any incident(s) of conduct detrimental to the welfare of the Association shall be permanently banned from membership in the Association.

CHAPTER II: GOVERNMENT

Section 1: The general management of the Association, including levying of dues, shall be the responsibility of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall be comprised of the President, Vice-President, Member-at-Large, Secretary‑Treasurer, Editorial Secretary, Technical Advancement Secretary, and the Membership Secretary. The President shall preside over the Board of Directors; in the event of the President's absence, the Vice‑President shall preside.

Section 2: Any decision made by the Board of Directors is subject to recall by three‑fourths (3/4) vote of the Regular and Active Life members present at the next Business Meeting.

Section 3: The Secretary-Treasurer shall be responsible for the recording of the minutes of all meetings and receive and care for all business records and papers belonging to the Association, and shall bill, collect, keep account of, and properly safeguard all funds of the Association. In the absence of the Secretary-Treasurer, the President shall appoint an Acting Secretary-Treasurer for that business meeting.

Section 4: All officers elected at the Fall Business Meeting shall assume office at the close of that meeting.

Section 5: All classes of members shall be privileged to attend and participate in any of the Association's scientific, social, or business sessions. Only Regular and Active Life members may:

(A) vote during Association business meetings.

(B) vote via a ballot distributed by mail.

Section 6: The place of the meeting shall be determined at least two (2) meetings in advance by a majority of the Regular and Active Life members present at that Business Meeting.

Section 7: No public statement representing Association policy or opinion shall be made except as follows:

(A) A proposed policy statement or opinion must appear in the published agenda of the business meeting. The policy statement or opinion may be adopted with approval by three‑fourths (3/4) of the Regular and Active Life members present at a Business Meeting.

(B) If time constraints require the issuance of a policy statement or opinion prior to the next Business Meeting, a three‑fourths (3/4) vote of the Board of Directors must approve the statement text before the statement is issued.

CHAPTER III: ELECTED SECRETARY AND COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES

Section 1: The President shall appoint a Meeting Chairperson from the host area no later than thirty (30) days after a meeting location is approved at a business meeting.

Section 2: The President shall be an ex‑officio member of all Association committees.

Section 3: The following shall be the minimum duties of the elected Secretaries, their Committees, and other standing Committees of the Association:

(A) The Board of Directors shall once a year inspect and audit any and all financial records of the Association.

(B) The Membership Secretary shall be the chairperson of the Membership Committee and shall be responsible:

(1)   to select no fewer than two (2) Regular, Active Life and/or Associate members to serve on the Membership Committee and assist with the compliance with these Bylaws.

(2)   to insure all members operate within their membership class designations.

(3)   to maintain all membership records, including new member applications, membership class elevations, and nominations for Life members.

(4)   to notify, with two written notices, members who are delinquent in paying their dues by one or more years.

(5)   to publish, in cooperation with the Publications Committee, the membership roster at least once a year.

(6)   to maintain the meeting attendance records of Regular and Associate members.

(7)   to seek from within the membership suitable candidates for the Association's yearly elections.

(C) The Editorial Secretary shall be the chairperson of the Publications Committee and shall be the Editor of the Association's Newsletter. As such, the Editorial Secretary shall be responsible:

(1)   to select no fewer than two (2) Regular, Active Life and/or Associate members to serve on the Publications Committee and assist with the work of the Committee.

(2)   to insure:

a)     the Association's Newsletter is published quarterly and is mailed directly to all members of the Association in good standing.

b)    the business of the Association, scientific and other information are reported to the membership in the Newsletter.

c)     in conjunction with the Membership Committee, a directory of the membership shall be printed at least once a year and distributed to the membership of the Association.

d)    other official communications approved by the Board of Directors is published in the Newsletter and distributed to the Membership in a timely manner.

(3)   for maintaining all records, files, and exhibits relating to the history of the Association and make them available for viewing when requested by a meeting chairperson. The Secretary shall direct the Meeting Chairperson to photograph and collect documents pertaining to the Association's meetings for historical purposes.

(D) The Technical Resources Secretary shall be the chairperson of the Technical Resources Committee. As such, the Technical Resources Secretary shall be responsible:

(1)   to select no fewer than (two) 2 Regular, Active Life and/or Associate members to serve on the Technical Resources Committee.

(2)   to insure:

a)     all reference and training materials which are the property of the Association are readily available for the membership to use.

b)    the results of the completed Voluntary Testing program are reported at each of the Association's business meetings.

(3)   for maintaining and administering :

a)     the Voluntary Testing Program

b)    the Association's Continuing Education Program and Reference Library.

c)     the Seminar Planning Committee.

(E) The Ethics Committee shall be an ad hoc committee of the Association and shall be called to serve by the President and/or the Board of Directors. It shall be the Committee's responsibility to:

(1) prepare and revise, as needed, a Code of Ethics for the Membership. The Code of Ethics and any changes to the Code of Ethics shall be approved by a simple majority vote of the Regular members at any business meeting.

(2) prepare and maintain written guidelines for the investigation and resolution of matters regarding ethical conduct, and make those guidelines available to the Membership

(3) investigate all such claims of unprofessional conduct as enumerated.

(F) The Seminar Planning Committee shall be a standing committee of the Association. The incoming Technical Resources Secretary shall, within 30 days of taking office, appoint a Chairperson to head this committee. The Seminar Planning Committee shall answer directly to the Technical Resources Secretary. The Seminar Planning Committee shall be responsible:

(1) to create and publish a manual for use by future meeting hosts. The manual shall contain information regarding the negotiation of contracts with hotels, how to organize a meeting, how to appropriate time for workshops and papers, and other details relating to the hosting of an Association meeting.

(2) assist the meeting host with the organization and running of the meeting.

(3) actively poll the Association membership to determine the training needs of the membership.

(4) maintain a list of suggested workshops and training topics, along with possible instructors for the training for use by the meeting host.

Section 5: Committee Regulations

(A) The Board of Directors shall appoint all other necessary and appropriate committees as is deemed necessary. These ad hoc committees shall receive their direction from the President and shall report their work product to the Board of Directors. These ad hoc committees shall be comprised of no fewer than two (2) Regular, Active Life and/or Associate members. The lifetime of an ad hoc committee shall be determined by its mission; the committee may be dissolved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

(B) No member of the Board of Directors or any committee shall receive, either directly or indirectly, any salary for their service.

(C) The elected Secretaries and Committee chairpersons shall submit to the President a written report of their committee's activities during the previous period. These written reports shall become part of the minutes of the Regular business meeting and shall be published along with the minutes in the Newsletter.

Section 6: Any and all expenses chargeable to the Association must be approved through the Board of Directors. Such approved expenses shall be reimbursed provided an original receipt and a brief description of the expenditure is provided to the Secretary-Treasurer.

Section 7: The files, books and records of the Association are the property thereof and shall at all times be open to the inspection and examination by any member. Upon vacating office for any reason, the past office holder must turn over all files, books and records to their successor in office within thirty (30) days of leaving office. Any expenses relating to the timely transfer of these records to the successor shall be reimbursable when accompanied by receipts.

Section 8: The Association Newsletter shall be the official publication of the Northwest Association of Forensic Scientists, and any announcement appearing in the Newsletter shall be considered an official notification to all Association members.

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