A I P
C O M M U N I C AT O R SUMMER
2020
President’s Message: Trying Times! Important Announcements! Please Read By Al Gage CPP, PRP, PAP
TABLE OF CONTENTS President’s Letter
1
Message from the Education Director
2
Calendar of Events
3
AIP Officers
3
Deadline Dates - Communicator
3
Notices of Candidacy
3
Proposed Bylaws and Standing Order Amendments
4
Annual Session Information
7
Annual Session Program
8
Call for Authors
11
AIP/NAP
11
Notice of Joint Code of Ethics Revision
12
Message from the Youth Committee
15
New Members
16
Amazon Smile
17
As we grapple with a global pandemic the likes of which none of us alive today have witnessed, these are very trying times for us personally and professionally. They are also very trying times for AIP, and for the many organizations we represent professionally, and those we have joined as members outside the parliamentary world. It seems very disappointing to consistently give the advice that “No, your organization is not authorized to meet electronically even in an emergency” or “Yes! you may meet electronically but that action will not be legitimately adopted unless you ratify it later at an in-person meeting.” It is my firm belief that neither of the major parliamentary authorities ever contemplated either the progress that has been made in the area of electronic meeting platforms or the onset of a pandemic which would prohibit inperson meetings for 3-6 months at a time. Many, many organizations find themselves caught between organizational requirements to act within a specific time frame and compliance with Executive Orders, concerns for the safety of their members and/or the bylaws or parliamentary authorities prohibiting them from meeting. In most cases bylaws, even ones that I have written, do not contemplate a pandemic and lockdown of this nature. One thing that most organizations do not realize is that doing nothing is not an option, either. They must attempt to hold the convention and if no quorum appears, they have satisfied the requirement to hold the convention or meeting. This still does not solve problems related to defined terms of office such as “officers shall serve for a term of two years.” At this point there is likely no way to correct that and unless state law somehow intervenes, many of these organizations simply have no officers or will be forced to operate outside their bylaws. I have been flooded with calls where the board voted to extend their own terms or remain in office for another year -- which they clearly did not have the power to do. Many organizations are having to take the steps to either hold an electronic meeting (without the authorization to do so) or take steps to change their rules to allow for electronic meetings (in the absence of the specific authority to do so) and then ratify those changes later to become binding. This process is not without risk; the underlying body may choose not to ratify those actions later. Many parent organizations are authorizing their subordinate bodies to meet electronically and in some cases, it is unclear whether they have the authority to do so. To me, most of this falls under the question and answer section of Parliamentary Law Question 107 which says that, faced with no other alternative, an organization has to do “the next best thing.” Continued on following page
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS Page 1
SUMMER
Summer 2020
2020
AIP Communicator