BYLAWS OF AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE - GEORGIA

ARTICLE I Name and Purposes

The name of this corporation shall be the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science - Georgia, hereinafter referred to as the Society. The purposes for this Society have been previously stated in the Articles of Incorporation.

ARTICLE II Affiliation

This Society is an affiliated and subordinate organization of ASCLS and shall never in any manner adopt any policy contrary to the policies of ASCLS, except as may be required by the laws of this State.

ARTICLE III Advisory Council

The Advisory Council shall consist of the Board of Directors and the Chairs of all Standing and Special Committees. It shall be the duty of this body to plan and coordinate the activities of this Society. The function of this body shall be advisory and shall not encroach upon the powers of the Board of Directors as elsewhere stated. Meetings of this body shall be called at the discretion of the President and the members shall be notified by the Secretary of this Society.

ARTICLE IV Membership

Section 1. The membership of this Society shall consist of the following classes: active, associate, emeritus, student and honorary. Section 2. Eligibility for membership in the Professional I, Professional II, Collaborative, First Year Professional and student qualifications outlined in the Bylaws and regulations of ASCLS. Application for Professional I, Professional II, Collaborative, or student membership shall be made on a form prescribed by ASCLS and shall be sent directly to the Executive Office of ASCLS for processing. Section 3. Any person who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of laboratory medicine based on research or service to the profession of clinical laboratory science may be recommended for honorary membership in this Society. The person or groups sponsoring the candidate for honorary membership shall furnish the Board of Directors with a statement of the candidate's qualifications. Admission to honorary membership shall be by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. Section 4. Any member of this society whose conduct is considered detrimental to this Society may be recommended for suspension or expulsion by a majority vote of the membership. A thirty (30) days notice must be sent by registered mail to the member. This notice must be signed by a majority of the members of the Board of Directors, state the charges against the Society member, and inform the member of the date and place of the meeting at which the vote will be taken on a recommendation for expulsion/suspension. The member so charged shall have the privilege of appearing before the meeting of the membership, and may present a defense in person or through other active members of this Society. A recommendation by the membership for the expulsion of a member must be submitted to the Judicial Committee of ASCLS. Reinstatement of an expelled member shall be according to the protocol established in the code and ethics of ASCLS. Section 5. Any member in good standing of an affiliated society of ASCLS who moved to this State shall be accepted as a member of this Society without further payment of dues for the membership year, provided that the transfer request is submitted through the Secretary of his former Society or the Executive Secretary of ASCLS. Section 6. Annual dues for membership in this society shall be based on the class of membership for which the applicant is eligible. The dues for this Society are in addition to the current dues of ASCLS. Dues shall be paid at the time and in the manner prescribed.

ARTICLE V Meetings

Section 1. An annual meeting shall be held within ninety (90) days of the end of the fiscal year. The time and place shall be designated by the Board of Directors. Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the President if, in the opinion of the Board of directors, the nature of business to be transacted requires immediate action. At least fifteen (15) days notice shall be required to hold any special meeting of the Society. Section 3. The President and the Secretary shall prepare an agenda.

ARTICLE VI Delegates

Section 1. The Society shall be represented at the annual convention of ASCLS by the President, President-Elect, one (1) student delegate, plus the number of delegates to include the President Elect-Elect as provided for in the Bylaws of ASCLS. Section 2. The delegates and two (2) alternates shall be nominated and elected by the active and emeritus members at the annual meeting of this Society. Section 3. The student delegate will be the elected Student Forum Director with Board approval. In the event the Student Forum Director is unable to fulfill this function, the student delegate will be elected by the active and emeritus members of this Society from recommended student members.

ARTICLE VII Officers

Section 1. The officers of this Society shall be the President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Immediate Past President. Section 2. The President shall be the chief executive officer of this Society. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Society and of its Board of Directors; be ex-officio member of all committees; serve on the ASCLS President's Council and the Regional Council of ASCLS; appoint a chairperson for all standing committees immediately or within one (1) month of his incumbency; appoint at any time any special committee deemed necessary for the proper functioning of the Society; send to the Executive Secretary of ASCLS the names and addresses of all officers not more than two (2) weeks after their appointment, and a list of the delegates to the House of Delegates with their addresses and membership numbers at least two (2) weeks before the opening of the annual session of ASCLS; and perform all other duties customary to the office as defined by parliamentary authorities. Section 3. The President-Elect shall perform all the duties customary to the office and shall, in the absence of the President, act as chief executive of the Society. The President-Elect will serve on the Regional Council of ASCLS and chair the ByLaws and Handbook committee. The President-Elect shall serve in case of the President's absence, disability, or death. If a vacancy occurs before the end of the President's term, the President-Elect shall fill the vacancy and continue as President for the succeeding full term. Section 4. The Secretary shall prepare, have approved by the presiding officer, and keep a file of the minutes of all meetings; be responsible for the preparation and distribution of the Annual Report; notify in writing all members of this Society of the time and place of meetings at least thirty (30) days before such meetings; notify the members of the Board of Directors at least ten (10) days before a meeting of said Board; Section 5. The Treasurer shall record and have charge of all funds of this Society; deposit such funds in a bank designated by the Board of Directors; initiate an annual review of the books; report the financial condition of the Society to the Officers or Board whenever requested; receive dues of membership from the Executive Office of ASCLS. Section 6. The President-Elect and Secretary shall be elected annually. The Treasurer shall be elected biannually. Candidates must have been active members of this Society for a period of twelve (12) months prior to nomination. The official list of candidates for each office shall be presented at the annual meeting and additional nominations for each position may then be made from the floor. The election shall be held by a closed ballot majority. Section 7. Term of office of each newly-elected officer shall commence with the adjournment of the ASCLS annual meeting. For ASCLS purposes, the President-Elect shall succeed automatically to the president at the adjournment of the ASCLS annual meeting that follows the GSCLS meeting at which the President-Elect was elected. Section 8. The Secretary and the Treasurer may serve only two consecutive terms. Section 9. A. A vacancy occurring in any office, except the President, shall be filled by the Board of Directors. However, no member elected by the Board shall continue to serve as an officer without being duly elected at the next annual meeting. B. In the event of a vacancy in the Presidency, the President-Elect shall succeed to that office, and the Board of Directors shall elect a new President-Elect to serve until the next annual meeting at which time the members shall elect a new President-Elect. C. If a vacancy occurs in the office of the President-Elect only, the President-Elect elected by the Board will serve until the next annual meeting at which time the members will elect a new President and President-Elect.

ARTICLE VIII Board of Directors

Section 1. A. The Board of Directors shall consist of the President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, immediate Past President, the elected District Directors representing the geographic sections of the State of Georgia as defined by these Bylaws, the First Year Professional Director, and the chairperson of the Student Forum to be elected by the Student Forum. B. The President of the Society shall be the presiding officer of the Board of Directors and the Secretary shall serve as Secretary to the Board. In the absence of the President, the President-Elect shall assume the responsibilities of the presiding officer. Section 2. The Board of Directors shall represent the Society when the membership is not assembled. The yearly business of this Society is the responsibility of the Board of Directors. All business transacted by the Board shall be reported to the membership. A. There shall be a meeting of the Board before each assembly of the membership of the Society to review and arrange business to be presented to the membership. B. There shall be a meeting of the Board immediately after each assembly of the membership to arrange for execution of all business approved. C. There may be additional meetings as determined to be necessary by the President or a majority of the Board. D. Business may also be conducted by mail or other methods of communication. The President or any member of the Board shall submit the matter for action as a written motion to the members of the Board, requesting that they vote thereon. Unless otherwise recommended by parliamentary authority, a majority vote of all the directors present, once a quorum has been established, shall be necessary for the transaction of any business.

ARTICLE IX District Directors

Section 1. There shall be nine (9) District Directors. A. Each elected District Director shall represent members within a geographic section of the State of Georgia with sections being defined in these Bylaws. B. An active or emeritus member of this Society shall be eligible for election to the position of District Director provided: 1. The member has been a member of the Society for at least one (1) year before election. 2. The membership address of the District Director is within the district boundaries for which elected. Section 2. A. Each member of the Society may submit the name of one or more nominees for each position of Director to the Nominations Committee. District Directors shall be elected by the entire membership at the annual meeting. B. The term of office of an elected Director shall be two (2) years commencing with the adjournment of the ASCLS annual meeting. An elected Director shall serve no more than two (2) consecutive elected terms. C. In the event an elected Director is unable to complete the elected term, a successor will be appointed by the Board of Directors to serve until the next annual business meeting. D. The responsibilities of the District Director include close liaison and representation between the membership within the District and the Board of Directors of the Society. E. In the event a Director is unable to attend a regularly scheduled meeting, a proxy may be sent if consent is given by the President. The proxy must meet Director qualifications. Section 3. A. There shall be nine (9) districts as follows: 1. District One shall be the following counties: Burke, Columbia, Emanuel, Glascock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, McDuffie, Richmond, Screven, Warren, and Washington. Major city is Augusta. 2. District Two shall be the following counties: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Bryan, Bulloch, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Effingham, Evans, Glynn, Jeff Davis, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Pierce, Tattnal, Toombs, Ware, and Wayne. Major cities are Savannah and Brunswick. 3. District Three shall be the following counties: Baker, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Calhoun, Colquitt, Cook, Crisp, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Grady, Irwin, Lanier, Lee, Lowndes, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth. Major cities are Albany and Valdosta. 4. District Four shall be the following counties: Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Crawford, Dodge, Hancock, Houston, Jasper, Jones, Laurens, Monroe, Montgomery, Peach, Puleski, Putnam, Telfair, Treutlen, Twiggs, Wheeler, Wilcox, and Wilkinson. Major city is Macon. 5. District Five shall be the following counties: Chattahoochee, Clay, Dooley, Harris, Macon, Marion, Meriwether, Muscogee, Pike, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, Troup, Upson, and Webster. Major cities are Columbus, LaGrange, and Americus. 6. District Six shall be the following counties: Butts, Carroll, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Haralson, Heard, Henry, Lamar, Paulding, and Spalding. Major cities are Atlanta and Marietta. 7. District Seven shall be the following counties: Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Murray, Pickens, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield. Major city is Rome. 8. District Eight shall be the following counties: Banks, Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Franklin, Gilmer, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, and White. Major cities are Dalton and Gainesville. 9. District Nine shall be the following counties: Barrow, Clarke, DeKalb, Elbert, Greene, Gwinnett, Jackson, Lincoln, Madison, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Rockdale, Taliaferro, Walton, and Wilkes. Major cities are Atlanta, Decatur, and Athens. B. Reconsideration of the district divisions shall be made by the Board of Directors at least every five years, beginning in 1990. Adjustment of boundaries shall require approval of the membership at the next annual business meeting.

ARTICLE X First Year Professional

Section 1. The First Year Professional Director (FYP) shall be appointed at the discretion of the President for a term of one year. The Student Forum Director will assume the FYP position unless he/she is unable or unwilling to accept the responsibilities of the position. In such case, the President shall fill this position by appointment. The FYP shall: Insure communication between the Regional FYP and the ASCLS Society New Professionals Committee (The New Professionals Committee represents the interests of those in the profession for fewer than 5 years). Attend the Society Board of Director’s meetings. Attend the Society’s Annual meeting and the National ASCLS Annual meeting, if possible, in order to participate in the New Professionals Committee activities. Assist the Society Student Forum Director as necessary.

ARTICLE XI Committees

Section 1. This shall be the elected committee: A. The Nominations and Election shall be an elected committee with members nominated and elected in the manner prescribed for other elective positions. In addition to the Chair, it shall consist of four (4) active members with the immediate Past-President serving as chair. The term of office for elected members shall be two (2) years with two (2) members elected annually. In the event of the Past President's ineligibility or inability to serve, the President shall select a chairperson from the previous past-presidents. The duties of the Nominations and Elections Committee are as follows: 1. Publish at least ninety (90) days before the annual meeting the names of all officers and directors whose term of office will expire at the adjournment of the meeting and requesting names of proposed candidates for such offices. 2. Selection of two (2) candidates for each office at least thirty (30) days before the annual meeting, and the distribution of the list of those candidates to the membership. No member's name shall be entered on the list of candidates until a consent to serve, if elected, has been received by the committee. The committee shall recognize nominations from the floor at the annual business meeting provided the member is present to give consent. 3. The election shall be held at the annual business meeting by closed ballot majority. Section 2. These shall be the following Standing Committees: A. Bylaws and Handbook, Awards, Convention, Finance, Government Affairs, Membership Development, Professional and Public Relations, and Publications, usually consisting of three (3) to five (5) members each. B. Immediately or within thirty (30) days following the annual meeting, at which the installation occurs, the President shall appoint a member of this Society to serve as chairperson of each of these committees with the exception of the Bylaws and Handbook Committee. The chair of an appointed committee, with the concurrence of committee members and the knowledge of the President, may appoint chairs of subcommittees. The President-Elect of this Society shall be the Chairperson of the Bylaws and Handbook Committee.. C. The duties of the appointed committees are as follows: 1. Bylaws and Handbook a. Examination of all proposed amendments to the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws of this Society, and making such changes as necessary to put the proposed amendments in proper form without effecting any change in meaning. b. A copy of proposed amendments should be sent to the Bylaws Committee of ASCLS at least sixty (60) days before the opinion of said committee is desired. c. Distribution of proposed amendments to the membership thirty (30) days before the meeting at which they are to be voted upon in the case of amendments to the Articles of Incorporation and fifteen (15) days before the meeting at which they are to be voted upon in the case of amendments to the Bylaws. d. Reporting the adoption of any amendments to the Chair of the Bylaws of ASCLS within two (2) weeks after its adoption. e. Furnishing of all members of the Society with a copy of these Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. f. This Committee shall have the responsibility and authority to amend the Bylaws and Society Regulations of this society without adhering to all the above provisions when such changes are necessary to maintain conformity with the Bylaws and Society Regulations of ASCLS. Such amendments and modifications must have approval of the Board of Directors of this Society and of the Bylaws Committee of ASCLS before their enactment. 2. Awards a. Responsible for conducting the Awards program of this Society. b. Provide information concerning available awards to the membership of this Society. c. Administration of the Society's scholarship programs. 3. Convention Responsible for the preparations for the annual meeting of this Society other than the scientific program. The Chair shall be the General Chair of the convention and shall appoint members to be responsible for all aspects of the meeting. 4. Finance a. Preparation of the annual budget of this Society. b. Recommendation of means to support special activities. The Treasurer shall cooperate with this committee in the preparation of reports and statements necessary to perform its duties. 5. Government Affairs a. Any matter concerning legislation about clinical laboratory science. b. Any legal matter about this Society. 6. Membership Development a. Recruitment of new members. b. Retention of present members. c. Reactivation of lapsed members. 7. Professional and Public Relations a. The improvement of the public image. b. Communication in media, such as radio, television, and newspaper. 8. Publications (Webpage and Newsletter) a. Publication and maintenance of the official website for the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science-Georgia. b. Publication and distribution to the membership an official publication of the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science - Georgia c. The Chair shall serve as editor. d. An editorial staff shall exist consisting of the President, Past-President, President-Elect, and the Newsletter Editor. It is their responsibility to review, before publishing, the contents and any change to the webpage and the contents of the newsletter to insure that it follows accepted standards. D. Special and/or ad hoc committees shall be appointed by the President on authority given by the Board of Directors or the membership of this Society.

ARTICLE XII Scientific Assembly Sections

Section 1. There shall be sections of the Scientific Assembly to serve the academic, scientific, and vocational interests of members of this Society. The following sections may be organized: Biochemistry, to include Urinalysis, Cytotechnology, Education, Hematology-Hemostasis, Histology, Immunology/Immunohematology, Industry, Laboratory Administration, Microbiology, Ligand Immunoassay, and Phlebotomy. Section 2. The duties and responsibilities of a section may include: A. Preparation and presentation of programs, seminars, and workshops at the annual meeting of this Society, or at area meetings. B. Research program development. C. Technical consultation. D. Sponsoring lectureships.

ARTICLE XIII Student Forum

Section 1. The Student Forum shall coordinate the involvement and interest of students of clinical laboratory sciences in this Society. An active or emeritus member of this Society shall serve as an advisor to the Student Forum. Section 2. The Student Forum shall be governed by guidelines which shall be submitted to the Board of Directors of this Society for approval. The advisor shall be appointed by the President of this Society with the approval of the Board of Directors. Section 3. The Student Forum will consist of the Student Forum Director, Vice Chair, and Secretary and shall be elected at the Society’s annual meeting from current Society student members. The Student Forum Director shall insure communication between the Regional Student Forum representative and the state student members. The Student Forum Director, Vice Chair, and Secretary should attend the Board of Directors Meetings. The Student Forum Director shall be a delegate to the ASCLS Annual National Meeting. If unable to attend the Director shall inform the President so an alternate can be chosen. The Student Forum Director will assume the FYP office for a one year term following the Student Forum Director Term. The FYP position is an appointed position, and is appointed at the discretion of the President.

ARTICLE XIV Constituent Societies

This Society may establish affiliated and subordinate constituent societies. Section 1. The membership of the constituent society shall follow the qualifications outlined in the Bylaws and Regulations of ASCLS. Section 2. The constituent society shall never in any matter adopt any policy contrary to the policies of this Society, except as may be required to abide by the laws of this State. Section 3. The Bylaws of each constituent society shall be submitted to the Board of Directors of this Society for approval and reviewed annually by the Chair of the Bylaws Committee of this Society. Section 4. Each constituent society will be represented on the Board of Directors of this Society by the President of the constituent society.

ARTICLE XV Fiscal Year

The fiscal year shall be from April 1 to March 31 inclusive.

ARTICLE XVI Parliamnetary Authority

Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern the business proceedings of this Society except when otherwise specified in these Bylaws.

ARTICLE XVII Quorum

A quorum at the annual meeting shall be the number of active and emeritus members in good standing present. In case of a special meeting the membership will be duly notified and a quorum will constitute five percent (5%) of active and emeritus members. At a meeting of the Board of Directors, the President or President-Elect and five (5) additional voting members of the Board will constitute a quorum. When other methods of communication such as mail, fax, e-mail, or phone are used to conduct business, the President or President-Elect and two-thirds (2/3) of the additional voting members of the Board will constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE XVIII Amendments

These Bylaws may be amended by a majority of members present at any meeting of the Society, providing there is a quorum and provided all active members have been notified in writing of the proposed amendment at least fifteen (15) days before the meeting.