Page 18 - July Aug 2022 Newsletter Final_Neat

THE CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF THE
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PSYCHIATRIC SOCIETY
AMENDED 2022:

HOW WE GOVERN OURSELVES

At the time of the 2019 APA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, the APA conducted a peri-
odic review of our NCPS Constitution and Bylaws with the goal of providing guidelines to
update them to be compliant with APA policies. The Constitution and Bylaws reviewed by
the APA were those approved by NCPS members in 2012. After its review the APA provid-
ed NCPS with recommendations to bring our bylaws into compliance with the APA Model Bylaws recommended
for all District Branches.
The NCPS Bylaws Committee was appointed by Smita Das, MD, NCPS President in 2019-20, and work got under
way. One of the first Committee decisions was to retain the basic structure of our NCPS Constitution and Bylaws
2012 rather than to simply replace them with the APA Model Bylaws. The Committee felt it was important to main-
tain the historical precedent of the NCPS governing structure, while simplifying and updating it.
Summary of Changes in the proposed 2022 revision of NCPS Constitution and Bylaws:
1. Parliamentary rules guiding NCPS have been changed from Roberts Rules of Order (Revised) to the Standard
Code of Parliamentary Procedure by Alice Sturgis.

2. 2022 Constitution Article XI (p 4) has been simplified for approval of amendments. The 2012 version states,
“Approval by 2/3 of at least 40 percent of eligible voting members of the Society shall be required for adoption
of a proposed amendment…”. (p 4) The 2022 revision simply states, “The amendment will become effective, if
approved by a majority of the ballots returned by the specified tabulation date.” (p 5)
Both the 2012 (p 13) and the 2022 (pp 4-5) versions continue to state that an amendment can also be approved
“alternatively, by two thirds vote of the members in attendance of General Membership Meeting”.

3. Chapter 2 of the 2022 Bylaws addresses NCPS membership (pp 6-7) and is updated from the 2012 Bylaws, Chap-
ter 4 (pp 6-7). The 2022 version clarifies and simplifies Application and Election to Membership to reflect APA
procedures for membership. The 2022 version allows elimination of the 2012 “Membership Processing—Initial
Application” section. (p 6)
4. Membership Transfers and Advancement are also revised and simplified in the 2022 version (p 7) compared
with the 2012 version (p7).

5. 2022 Bylaws Chapter 3. A. 8. (p 9) clarifies that “A Chapter President is an Advisory Member of Council and as
such is a non-voting member of Council.”

6. 2022 Bylaws Chapter 3. C. (p 10) and 2012 Bylaws Chapter 5. C. (p. 9) address vacancies on the Council. Both
2022 and 2012 differ from the APA Model Bylaws “if the President is unable to function because of absence, ill-
ness, resignation or death.” NCPS Bylaws state the Vice President will assume the Presidency and serve the re-
mainder of the term. We have chosen to maintain our historical structure rather than adopt the APA Model By-
laws, which say the “President Elect would become the ‘Acting President’ for the remainder of the year and then
will begin his/her term as President.”

7. 2022 Bylaws Chapter 6 (p 13) on “Ethics and Disciplinary Procedures” adopts APA Model Bylaws language and
replaces 2012 Bylaws Chapter 9 (p 12) on “Complaint Procedure and Disciplinary Action”.

Here (2022 Bylaws) you will find a link to the proposed 2022 revision of our constitution and bylaws for your re-
view. You may compare the revisions with the older 2012 version here (2012 Bylaws). And, if you wish to review
the APA Model Bylaws you can access them here (APA Model Bylaws).

All NCPS members will be asked to vote to approve the proposed changes. Our 2012 Bylaws state that newly
amended bylaws will be adopted and effective if approved by a majority of valid ballots returned at the close of an
established voting period. With the support of the NCPS Council, the Committee asks you to approve these changes
to make us a flexible and nimble organization in the challenging years ahead.
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PSYCHIATRIC SOCIETY Page 18 July/August 2022