CFAMFT Chapter Bylaws

CENTRAL FLORIDA ASSOCIATION FOR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY BY-LAWS REVISED AS OF July 10, 2014

ARTICLE I. Name, Organizational Structure and Relationship

Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Central Florida Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (CFAMFT) – A Chapter of the Florida Association For Marriage and Family Therapy (FAMFT) – A Division of the American Association For Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).

Section 2. This Chapter (CFAMFT) is responsible to the duly elected Officers and Board of Di-rectors of the FAMFT and all rules and orders lawfully made thereunder.

Section 3. The bylaws of the Chapter shall be consistent with those of the FAMFT and shall be approved by the FAMFT before formal adoption by the Chapter.

Section 4. Offices of the Association shall be located in Central Florida and/or such other localities as may be determined by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE II. Purposes

Section 1. The purposes for which the Chapter is formed are as follows:

a. To promote the common professional interests of those who are marriage and family therapists.

b. To fulfill other purposes stated in the FAMFT bylaws as deemed appropriately at a Chapter level.

Section 2. To further the objectives of the Division by conferences. clinical sessions, publications, research in the field, and other relevant activities.
ARTICLE III. Membership

Section 1. Only AAMFT members in good standing are eligible to be members.

Membership and participation in the Division and the Chapter will be voluntary.
The Division has determined that the geographic area for our Chapter shall be: Lee, Glades, Charlotte, Desoto, Highlands, Okeechobee, Hardee, Polk, Osceola, Orange, Lake, and Sumter Counties.
The Division will provide the Chapter with mailing lists of members in our area so that we may contact those members and provide information about local activities.
Members outside of the assigned geographic area and non-members may attend activities with the understanding that such participation does not confer membership in the Chapter.
Members who are geographically close or are without a nearby Chapter may attend activities and declare CFAMFT as their home Chapter for the purposes of voting and running for Chapter of-fices.

ARTICLE IV. Dues

Section1. Division members shall not be charged extra dues for membership in a local Chapter. Chapter members and attendees may be charged fees for continuing education units on an individual workshop or seasonal/annual subscription basis. Other fundraising activities such as tickets to social events are also permitted.

ARTICLE V. Elections of Officers within the Chapter.

Section 1. The Officers of the Chapter shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary, a Treasurer and a Past-President.

Section 2. The President shall serve a term of two (2) years, following a term of two (2) years as President-Elect. The President shall be the Chief Officer of the Chapter and of the Board and shall perform such duties as are customary for presiding officers, including making all required appointments with the approval of the Board. The President also shall serve as a member ex-officio with the right to vote on all committees except the Elections Committee. Additionally, the Chapter President will work with the Division President, or their appointee, for support and training in the responsible management of the Chapter. The Chapter President will attend in person when possible, or telephonically all Division Board meetings.

Section 3. The President-Elect shall serve a term of two (2) years, succeeding to the office of President upon completion of that term. The President-Elect shall serve as Presiding Officer of the Chapter and Board, or any other relevant duties, during the absence of the President.

Section 4. The Secretary shall serve a term of two (2) years. The Secretary shall keep the records of all business meetings of the Chapter and meetings of the Board, and shall direct the distribution of minutes and reports and correspondence as authorized by these bylaws and by the Board.

Section 5. The Treasurer shall serve a term of three (3) years. The Treasurer shall be Chairperson of the Finance Committee, shall oversee the management of the funds for duly authorized purposed of the Chapter, shall prepare the Annual report to the membership. The fiscal year of the Chapter shall begin on January 1. The Chapter Treasurer will work with the Division Treasurer as a member of the Division Finance Committee for the purposes of training and support in the responsible management of Chapter funds.

Section 6. The Past President shall serve a term of one (1) year immediately following completion of a term of office as President.

Section 7. If any Officer ceases to perform his or her duties or fails to remain in good standing with AAMFT, the Board shall declare his or her office to be vacant. Officers shall be assumed to have resigned from office at such time as they move outside of the Divisional geographic boundaries.

Section 8. If any office, other than President or President-Elect becomes vacant, the President with the approval of the Board of Directors may appoint individuals to fill vacancies on the Board. In the event that the President is unable to complete the current term of office, the President-Elect shall assume the Presidential duties and office, and a special election shall be called to elect a new President-Elect through a mail ballot by the voting membership. In the event that the President-Elect is unable to complete the current term of office, a special election shall be called to elect a successor through ballot by the voting membership. In any event, the term of the presidency shall not be for less than two (2) years and not more than three (3) years.

Section 9. If an officer of the Association ceases to be in good standing by reason of non-payment of dues, or fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the Board, his or her position as an Officer shall be declared vacant by the Board.

Section 10. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the Elected Officers and the Past-President. The Executive Committee shall be empowered to act on behalf of the Board of Directors at other than regular Board Meetings and with limitations established by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE VI. Board of Directors.

Section 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the Officers, three (3) Directors and a Student-Representative; all must be members of AAMFT in good standing. The Directors shall serve two (2) year terms, staggered so that at least one (1) Director shall be replaced each year. The Student Representative shall serve a two (2) year term. The Election Committee Chairperson shall not be a member of the Board of Directors.

Section 2. The Board of Directors shall exercise all powers of the Chapter, except as specifically prohibited by these bylaws and the AAMFT bylaws. The Board of Directors shall be authorized to adopt and publish such policies, procedures, and rules as may be necessary and consistent with these bylaws and FAMFT bylaws, and to exercise authority over all business and funds.

Section 3. The Board of Directors shall meet at the call of the President quarterly, or at the writ-ten request of at least three (3) members of the Board directed to the Secretary. A quorum shall consist of no less than one-half of the membership of the Board at any given time. Each member of the Board shall be entitled to one (1) vote and may take part and vote.

Section 4. If any member of the Board ceases to be in good standing by reason of non-payment of dues, or fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the Board, his or her position on the Board shall be declared vacant. The position may remain vacant or the Board may appoint a successor to serve the remainder of the unexpired term, except that vacancies in the offices of President and President-Elect shall be filled in accordance with the provisions of Article 4, Section 8.
ARTICLE VII. Committees/ Task Forces/ Councils

Section 1. The Standing Committees of the Chapter shall include the following: Finance, Membership, Legislative, Elections Committee, Information Technology Committee, Newsletter Committee, Holiday Breakfast Committee, Ethics and Diversity and such other committees as shall be authorized by the Board of Directors. The committees are responsible to the Board of Directors.

Section 2

a. All Committee chairpersons shall be AAMFT members in good standing. Members of committees may be removed by the President with the approval of the Board, for malfeasance or non-performance of duties.
b. The President, with the approval of the Board, shall appoint a chairperson for each standing committee, except as otherwise provided by these bylaws.

c. Membership Committee

The Membership Committee Chair shall be appointed by the President and be responsible for dispensing information on AAMFT membership requirements and application procedures to potential members as well as retention activities for current members.
The Chapter Membership Committee chair will work with the Division Membership Committee chair in recruitment and retention activities.

d. Legislative Committee

The President, with approval of the Board, shall appoint a Legislative Committee chair who shall appoint a committee to maintain contact with the offices of local, state, and federal legislators.
The chair will report to the Chapter any such legislation regarding children, families, and our profession as well as work with the Division Legislative Committee chair in grassroots legislative activities relevant to the MFT profession.

e. Elections Committee
The Elections Committee Chair person will be appointed by the President with the approval of the Board. Members of this committee shall serve a term of three (3) years, staggered so that one (1) member shall be replaced each year.

Each year in April the Elections Committee Chair shall appoint a committee for the purposes of developing a slate of nominees if he/she chooses.

The Elections Committee shall solicit nominees for the available positions. All regional/declared members of the local Chapter at all levels of AAMFT membership are eligible to serve in any office. The Elections Committee shall choose at least two nominees for each available position, unless no other candidates present.

Each year on or about the first Thursday in May, the slate shall be distributed to all members of the region the Chapter serves. The length of time allowed for return of the ballots shall be approximately 30 days. Ballots will no longer be received after the first Thursday in June.
The ballot shall be sent to and tallied by an unaffiliated group or individual as appointed by the Elections Committee Chair. The candidate who receives the largest number of votes for each office shall be elected.

Within 30 days of the election, the Chapter must notify FAMFT in writing of the results of the election and contact information for all winners.

ARTICLE VIII. Meetings of the Membership.

Section 1. Regular meetings shall be held at a date and location to be determined by the Board of Directors.

Section 2. Special Meetings. The President or a majority of the Board of Directors may call special meetings of the membership, at the written request of at least three (3) members of the Board directed to the Secretary.

Section 3. All meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order,
revised edition.

ARTICLE IX. Nominations and Elections.

Section 1. The nomination and election of all open elected positions shall be conducted annually. All voting members of the Chapter shall have the right to vote in the election. Discrimination in election and nomination procedures on the basis of gender, age, race, color, creed, national origin or sexual orientation is forbidden. Candidates who are elected shall assume office on the first day of January following their election and shall hold office for the tenure of their office, or until their successors have been elected.

Section 2. The Division will determine a specific dollar amount for the Chapter’s use in funding their annual by-mail election.

ARTICLE X. Representatives as Division Board Members

Sections 1. Chapter Representatives may not serve as voting members of the division board of directors.

Section 2. The following participation on the Division level shall be at the cost of the Chapter. Chapter shall, in as much as financially possible:

Send a representative to every FAMFT Board meeting.
Send at least one representative to lobby in Tallahassee once a year.
Send at least one representative to the FAMFT Annual Conference.
Notify FAMFT in writing by January 15th the results of elections.

Contribute to the FAMFT annual conference through financial donations, book sales, silent auctions and/or other methods.
Notify the Division Legislative Chair annually any legislative contacts and activities performed by the Chapter.
Provide to the Division an annual report of their previous years activities and proposed activities for the coming year, due by a date determined by the Division.
Require President and President-elects to participate in quarterly conference call with the Division President and President-elect.
Provide an annual fiscal report to the Division Treasurer by a date determined by the Division

ARTICLE XI. Financial Management

Section 1. The Chapter will hold and manage our own funds, establish contracts, or make obligations, outside of Division responsibility or monitoring.

Section 2. The Chapter shall:

Have our own EIN
Have our own bank account with the Treasurer’s and President’s signature.
Maintain all financial records
Maintain a business log of income and expenses
File tax information with IRS.

Section 3. The Chapter may not charge an additional membership fee. The Chapter may charge for CEU’s, and/or other services, trainings and events and may choose to raise funds.

ARTICLE XII. Disbanding

Section 1. To insure that chapters comply with the above policies, the Division has developed a formal mechanism for disbanding a chapter.

Chapter shall submit a “Form for Disbanding” to FAMFT and the
Chapter shall submit to FAMFT all financial records and checkbook.
Chapter must submit last known contact information for the most current officers.

Section 2. The Chapter is in agreement with disbanding when these conditions are met:
a. Approved by the Board of Directors
b. Approved by two-thirds vote of the voting members by ballot returned within thirty (30) days of the date by which members can reasonably be presumed to have received the ballot.

ARTICLE XIII. Amendments

These bylaws may be amended or repealed by two-thirds vote of the voting members by ballot returned within thirty (30) days of the date by which members can be reasonably presumed to have received the ballot. Amendments may be proposed by the Board of Directors on its own initiative, or upon petition by twenty (20) percent of the voting members addressed to the Board. All such proposed amendments shall be presented by the Board to the membership with or with-out recommendation.