SECTION BYLAWS
(Approved 21-May-2014)
Article I Name, Location and Objectives
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Kansas City Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).
Section 2. The headquarters of the Section shall be located in the City of Kansas City, Missouri.
Section 3. The objectives of the Section shall be: (1) the advancement of the profession of chemical engineering and the maintenance of high professional standards among its members; (2) the formation of closer professional and personal relations among its members; (3) the furtherance of the aims and purposes of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers; (4) the promotion of cordial and helpful relations with the faculty and students of nearby institutions giving courses in chemical engineering and (5) serving society, particularly where chemical engineering can contribute to the public interest.
Article II Obligations to the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Section 1. The activities of this Section and its members are subject to the provisions in the Constitution, Code of Ethics and Bylaws of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Section 2. The Section shall not have authority to act for or in the name of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and shall not have authority to incur any financial obligation in the name of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Section 3. The Local Section shall submit an Annual Report of its activities no later than the requested submittal date from the Member Activities Group.
Article III Boundaries
Section 1. The boundaries of the Section shall include the following counties in the State of Missouri:
Adair, Andrew, Atchison, Barry, Barton, Bates, Benton, Buchanan, Caldwell, Camden, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Clay, Clinton, Cooper, Dade, Dallas, Daviess, DeKalb, Douglas, Gentry, Green, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Hickory, Holt, Howard, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Laclede, Lafayette, Lawrence, Linn, Livingston, McDonald, Macon, Mercer, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Newton, Nodaway, Ozark, Pettis, Platte, Polk, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Ray, Saint Clair, Saline, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Vernon, Webster, Worth and Wright.
Article III Boundaries (Cont’d)
Section 2. The boundaries shall include the following counties in the State of Kansas:
Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Bourbon, Brown, Clay, Cloud, Crawford, Doniphan, Douglas, Ellis, Franklin, Graham, Jackson, Jefferson, Jewell, Johnson, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Marshall, Miami, Mitchell, Nemaha, Neosho, Ness, Norton, Osage, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Republic, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Shawnee, Sheridan, Smith, Trego, Wabaunsee, Washington, and Wyandotte.
Article IV Memberships
Section 1. The membership of the SECTION shall be limited to Fellows, Senior Members, Members, and Student Members of the INSTITUTE and Local-Only Members residing or engaged in business within the boundaries encompassed by the SECTION.
Section 2. People qualified for membership in the INSTITUTE but who are not members may become Local-Only Members of the SECTION for a period not to exceed two years. During this period, it is expected that Local-Only Members will apply for one of the grades of membership in the INSTITUTE.
Section 3. Any member of the INSTITUTE who resides and is engaged in business outside the boundaries of the SECTION and who desires to be affiliated with the SECTION may become Local Members of the SECTION by application in writing to the SECTION Secretary.
Section 4. All eligible members shall become members in good standing upon payment of prescribed annual SECTION dues.
Section 5. Local Section officers shall be Fellows, Senior Members, or Members of the Institute.
Section 6. Nothing in this bylaw shall be construed to prevent members from bringing non-member guests to meetings of the SECTION.
Article V Dues
Section 1. All regulations regarding payment of dues shall be made by the Executive Committee.
Section 2. Local dues will be collected by the Institute along with regular AIChE Membership dues. The period covered will be January 1st to December 31st.
Section 3. If local dues are collected from non-INSTITUTE members by the Section, the Section, not Headquarters, is responsible for tracking the individuals’ records. Only active INSTITUTE members can pay local dues via the INSTITUTEwebsite.
Article VI Officers
Section 1. The officers of the Section shall be a Chair, a Vice-Chair, a Secretary, and a Treasurer and such other officers, if any, as are deemed advisable.
Section 2. The Chair, or in the Chair’s absence the Vice-Chair, or in the Vice-Chair’s absence the Secretary, or in the Secretary’s absence the Treasurer, shall preside at all meetings of the Section.
Section 3. The Vice-Chair shall assist the Chair in leading the Section. The Vice-Chair shall automatically become Chair at the first meeting following the persons retirement as Vice-Chair.
Section 4. The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of the Section. The Secretary shall, under the direction of the Chair, issue notices of events to the members in good standing, and shall conduct the general correspondence of the Section. Immediately after the Annual Meeting as defined in Article VIII, Section 1 of these bylaws, the Secretary shall make a report to the Secretary of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers outlining the activities of the Section during the year.
Section 5. The Treasurer shall be charged with the collection and disbursement of funds as authorized by the Executive Committee. At the Annual Meeting, the Treasurer shall present a financial report. The Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be vested with check-signing ability by means of an appropriate signature card filed with the bank charged with keeping Section funds. Only one signature shall be required on checks.
Section 6. The retiring Chair shall appoint at the Annual Meeting an Auditing Committee of two members in good standing to audit the books of the Treasurer. The Auditing Committee shall report to the Section at the first meeting of the calendar year. Additional audits may be performed as directed by the Executive Committee.
Article VII Committees
Section 1. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the Officers of the Section, the retiring Chair, and two other members in good standing to be elected as hereinafter provided. This Committee shall meet at the call of the Chair of the Section, who shall serve also as Chair of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall be charged with the business of the Section.
Section 2. The Chair shall appoint a Program Committee of which the Vice-Chair of the Section shall serve as Chair.
Section 3. The Executive Committee shall appoint a three member nominating committee which will meet at least two months prior to the Annual Meeting in order to prepare a slate of nominees for the various offices.
Article VII Committees (Cont’d)
Section 4. Such other committees as may be required shall be appointed by the Chair with the approval of the Executive Committee.
Article VIII Events
Section 1. There shall be at least four (4) events of the Section each year, one of which may be the Annual Meeting, to be held in November of each year. The Executive Committee shall determine the date and place of meetings.
Section 2. The Secretary shall send a notice of the events to all members in good standing at least two weeks in advance of such events.
Section 3. A quorum shall consist of 5 percent of the members in good standing of the Section, not including Student Members.
Section 4. Proposals brought before an event by the Executive Officers or submitted from the floor will require a quorum for action. Proposals announced prior to an event in the regular event notice will not require a quorum. Such proposals will require a majority of the members in good standing attending, exclusive of Student Members.
Article IX Nominations and Elections
Section 1. All officers of the Section and other elected members of the Executive Committee shall be elected by ballot. All officers of the Section shall be elected by ballot at the Annual
Meeting and shall take office at the first meeting of the following fiscal year. The Secretary shall include an announcement of the elections and the list of candidates in the Annual Meeting notice. Ballots will be distributed to members in good standing at the Annual Meeting. Ballots will be collected, validated and counted at the meeting, and the results will be announced. A majority of the valid ballots received shall be required to elect each officer and Executive Committee member. If a majority of the votes cast is not obtained by any candidate for a particular office, those members in good standing attending the meeting shall immediately vote by ballot for one (1) of the two (2) candidates receiving the highest vote totals in the original ballot. A majority of those voting shall be required for election. The retiring Chair of the Section shall automatically become a member of the Executive Committee for one year. Officers and elected members of the Executive Committee shall hold office for one year, with the exception of the treasurer who shall hold the position for two consecutive terms, or until their successors are elected and take office. Immediately after the annual election, the Secretary of the Section shall forward the names of the newly elected officers to the Member Activities Directorate of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Article IX Nominations and Elections (Cont’d)
Section 2. There shall be a Nominating Committee composed of the past three years' Chairs with the least recent Chair serving as Chair of the Committee. When a sufficient number of past-Chairs are not available, additional members will be appointed by the Executive Committee to make a total of three members. The Nominating Committee should, during its entire term, canvass the membership roll of the Section and be alert to the potentialities of members to be better prepared to select a slate of nominees at the time of the next election. The Nominating Committee shall submit a list of candidates for all elected positions to the Secretary for publication in the Annual Meeting notice. Nominees from the floor will be invited at the Annual Meeting. All nominees must be members in good standing.
Section 3. Should a vacancy occur in any office except that of Vice-Chair, the Executive Committee shall appoint some member in good standing of the Section to fill the unexpired term.
Section 4. Should a vacancy occur in the office of Vice-Chair, the position shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term by a special election at the first business meeting following the occurrence of the vacancy. Nominations for the position shall be made from the floor at the time of the election. All nominees shall be members in good standing. Election shall be by ballot, and a vote of the majority of members in good standing attending the meeting shall be required to elect. The newly elected Vice-Chair shall take office immediately upon his election.
Section 5. No member shall be eligible for election to more than one office at any one time.
Section 6. No elected officer shall be eligible to hold the same office for more than 3 consecutive terms.
Article X Order of Business
Section 1. The order of business of the Section shall be transacted at events as follows: Reading of Minutes (if Chair so specifies), Reports of Officers and Committees, Unfinished Business, New Business, Election of Officers (if required), Adjournment.
Article XI Amendments
Section 1. These Bylaws, with the exception of Article II, may be amended at any meeting by an affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds of the members in good standing present at the meeting, provided that notice of the intended change in Bylaws be included with the written announcement of the meeting. Subsequent approval by the Council of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers is required.
Article XII Dissolution
Section 1. Upon the dissolution of the Section, any assets remaining thereafter shall be conveyed to the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Section 2. In the event that the American Institute of Chemical Engineers is not then in existence or is not then exempt under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, or under such successor provision of the Code as may be in effect at such time, the assets shall be conveyed to an organization dedicated to the perpetuation of objects similar to those of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and exempt under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, or under such successor provision of the Code as may be in effect at such time.
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