LA CAMFT CHAPTER BYLAWS and GOVERNANCE POLICIES

LOS ANGELES CHAPTER of the
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS
(Governance Policies follow Chapter Bylaws)

CHAPTER BYLAWS

Article I—NAME
The name of this chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists shall be CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS, LOS ANGELES CHAPTER, INC. (LA-CAMFT or Chapter).

Article II—OBJECTIVES AND PURPOSES
The objectives and purposes of this chapter shall be to advance marriage and family therapy as an art, a science and a mental health profession, and to assist CAMFT in furthering its objectives on a local level. The chapter may pursue such other objectives and purposes that are in the best interests of CAMFT, its members and the members of this chapter that are not in conflict with CAMFT’s Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws or Ethical Standards for Marriage and Family Therapists.

Article III—MEMBERSHIP
A. QUALIFICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP
LA-CAMFT members must be CAMFT members in good standing. Loss of membership in CAMFT shall result in loss of membership in this chapter.

B. CATEGORIES OF MEMBERSHIP
CLINICAL MEMBER: A clinical member shall hold a valid license as an MFT in California or hold a valid license in a related field of psychotherapy.

PRE-LICESNED MEMBER: A pre-licensed member is an intern or student. Interns shall be presently engaged in the process of gaining hours of experience toward licensure. Students shall be enrolled in a graduate degree program satisfying the educational requirements to sit for licensure.

C. RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF MEMBERS
All members in good standing shall have voting rights. All members have the duty to maintain their licensure or student or intern status as well as maintaining a current membership in CAMFT. All chapter members shall pay dues in accordance with the dues schedule of the chapter and shall abide by the bylaws of the chapter.

D. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP
Membership in the chapter shall terminate upon the occurrence of any of the following: resignation, non-payment of dues, or loss of eligibility.

Resignation: A member may resign from membership at any time by submitting in writing to the chapter his or her resignation. The effective date of the resignation shall be when the chapter receives the letter of resignation or at such later time as is indicated in the letter.

Nonpayment of Dues: Anyone whose dues are in default to the chapter shall be dropped from membership.

Loss of Eligibility: Any member, regardless of category or classification, who is no longer eligible for such membership due to a loss in the qualifications entitling such person to hold such membership shall be dropped from membership.

Reinstatement of Membership: Anyone who has resigned his/her membership from the chapter or has terminated his/her membership because of non-payment of dues may be reinstated to that member’s former category of membership provided that such person meets the criteria for that category of membership, is currently a member of CAMFT, has submitted a new application for membership to the chapter, accompanied by payment of appropriate dues, application or other fees.

Article IV—-NON-MEMBER AFFILAITES AND FRIENDS
Affiliates and Friends are organizations or individuals who financially support the goals of LA-CAMFT in return for specified benefits determined by the level of support. Affiliates and Friends do not have the right to vote. The benefits, duties, and responsibilities of Affiliates and Friends will be defined by the LA-CAMFT board of directors in the governance policies.

Article V—BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
A. POWERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The activities and affairs of this chapter shall be conducted under the direction of a board of directors, all of whom shall be members of the chapter. The board of directors has the power to select and remove all agents, employees and/or contractors of the chapter, fix compensation and secure faithful performance of duties prescribed. The board of directors has the authority to establish governance policies to set rules and guidelines for the management the Chapter. The rules and guidelines must in no way violate the Articles or the Bylaws that govern the chapter and must be enacted with a majority vote of the board of directors.

B. COMPOSITION OF BOARD
The board of directors shall consist of the elected officers including President, Vice- president, Secretary, Treasurer, three Directors-at-large, and chairpersons of the following committees: Membership, Involvement, Programming, Events Coordination, and 3000 Club. All board members and officers shall be clinical members of LA-CAMFT with the exception of the Chairperson of the 3000 club who shall be an intern and the Directors-at-large who may be either licensed or pre-licensed individuals. Any unfilled elected positions on the board may be filled by appointment by the President with approval from a majority of the elected members of the board.

C. TERMS OF OFFICE
The term of office for all elected officers and board members shall be two years with the exception of the Chairperson of the 3000 Club which shall be a one year term. There shall be no limitation on the number of terms that may be served by an elected officer.

D. DUTIES OF OFFICERS
1. President: The president shall, subject to the control of the board of directors, generally supervise, direct and control the business of the chapter. He/she shall preside over all meetings of the chapter and at all meetings of the board of directors. He/she shall recommend to the board of directors for appointment committee chairpersons. The president shall be an ex-officio member of all committees, but shall have no right to vote when serving in an ex-officio capacity. He/she may have such other duties and powers as may be prescribed by the board of directors or these bylaws.
2. Vice-president: He/she shall in the absence of the president or in the president’s inability to serve, perform the duties of the president. He/she shall also perform those duties assigned to him/her by the president and/or the board of directors.
3. Secretary: The secretary shall keep or cause to be kept, at the office of the chapter or such other place as the board of directors may direct, a book of minutes of the proceedings of its members, board and committees of the board, with the time and place of holding, whether general or special, and, if special, how authorized, the notice given, the names of those present at such meetings, the numbers of members present or represented at such member’s meetings, and the proceedings of such meetings.
The secretary shall give or cause to be given, notice of all meetings of the members and of the board of directors required by the bylaws to be given. The secretary shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the board of directors or the bylaws. In the event of the secretary’s absence, his/her duties may be performed by any member appointed by the president.
4. Treasurer: The treasurer shall keep and maintain, or cause to be kept and maintained, adequate and correct books and records of accounts of the properties and business transactions of the chapter, including accounts of its assets, liabilities, receipts, disbursements, gains, losses, capital, retained earnings, and any other matters customarily included in financial statements. The books of account shall be open to inspection by any board member at all reasonable times. The treasurer shall deposit, or shall cause to be deposited, all money and other valuables in the name and to the credit of the chapter with such depositories as may be designated by the board of directors; shall disburse, or cause to be disbursed, the funds of the chapter as may be ordered by the board of directors; shall render at such regular meeting of the board, or at such other times as directed by the board, an account of his/her transactions as treasurer and of the financial condition of the chapter; shall prepare or cause to be prepared a proposed annual budget to be presented to the board of directors and shall have such other powers and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the board of directors or the bylaws.

E. REMOVAL OF OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS
The board of directors, by a vote of a majority of its members, shall have the authority to recommend, for approval by the membership, removal from office for cause any one of its members after having given that member an opportunity to appear before the board of directors to answer the charges.

F. ORDER OF SUCCESSION
In the absence of the president from a meeting over which he/she should preside or in the permanent absence of the president, the order of succession shall be: Vice-president, Secretary, and Treasurer.

G. MEETINGS
1. Number of Meetings: The board of directors shall meet at least eight (8) times during each fiscal year. The board of directors shall establish dates for these board meetings. Meetings of the board of directors shall be held at any location within the area served by the chapter as designated from time to time by the board.
2. Notice of Meetings: Meetings of the board shall be held upon not less than ten (10) days written notice.
3. Special Meetings: Special meetings of the board of directors shall be called by the president upon the written request of a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

H. QUORUM
A majority of the number of directors authorized in these bylaws shall constitute a quorum of the board for the transaction of business. Every act or decision made by a majority of the directors present at a meeting duly held at which a quorum is present is the act of the board, except when a greater or lesser number is required by applicable law or by these bylaws. A meeting at which a quorum is initially present may continue to transact business notwithstanding the withdrawal of directors.

I. COMPENSATION
No compensation shall be paid to any member of the board for performing the duties for which he or she was elected. Nothing in this section shall prevent board members from receiving reimbursement for expenses as may be determined by resolution of the board of directors to be just and reasonable.

J. ELECTIONS
1. Elections shall be held each year for one-half of the board seats according to the following formula. The President, Treasurer, Membership Chairperson, Involvement Chairperson, 3000 Club Chairperson, and one Director-At-Large will be elected in one year. The Vice President, Secretary, Programming Chairperson, Events Coordination Chairperson, 3000 Club Chairperson, and two Directors-At-Large will be elected in the other year.

2. The board of directors shall appoint, upon recommendation of the President, a Nominating Committee consisting of at least three clinical members of the chapter, none of whom shall be eligible for nomination. The Nominating Committee’s function is to nominate qualified members and certify the eligibility of the candidates for election to the board of directors. The committee shall inform all nominees of the duties of the offices for which they have been nominated and secure their consent to serve. Names of nominees shall be announced in writing to voting members at least thirty days prior to the election.

2. No person shall be eligible for election until he or she has been a voting member in good standing of the chapter for at least one year upon taking office.

3. Election procedures will be established through the governance policies set by the board of directors.

Article VI— COMMITTEES
The board of directors will determine the structure and power of the committees through the governance policies. With the exception of the standing committees, the board of directors will establish or dissolve committees. Standing committees are those that are essential to the mission of the chapter:

  • Membership Committee
  • Elections Committee
  • Nominating Committee
  • Involvement Committee
  • Programming Committee
  • Events Coordination Committee
  • 3000 Club

Article VII—FINANCES
A. FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year of the chapter shall begin January 1 of each year and end December 31 of each year.

B. DUES
The establishment of dues and the procedures for collecting dues shall be set in the governance policies.

C. BUDGET
The Chapter budget will be set in the governance policies

ARTICLE VIII—RECORDS AND REPORTS, INSPECTION
A. MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION OF BYLAWS
The chapter shall keep at its selected office in California the bylaws of the chapter as amended to date, which shall be open to inspection by the members at all reasonable times. The chapter shall provide CAMFT with a copy of the chapter bylaws and any amendment(s) thereafter made.

B. MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION OF OTHER RECORDS
The accounting books, records and minutes of proceedings of the members of the board of directors and any committee(s) of the board of directors shall be maintained in the selected office for the chapter or with the treasurer and/or secretary of the chapter. The minutes and the accounting books and records shall be kept in written or typed form. The minutes, accounting books and records shall be open to inspection on the written demand of any member, at any reasonable time for a purpose reasonably related to the member’s interests as a member. The inspection may be made in person or by an agent or attorney, and shall include the right to copy and make extracts.

C. INSPECTION BY DIRECTORS
Every director shall have the right at any reasonable time to inspect all books, records and documents of every kind and the physical properties of the chapter. This inspection by a director may be made in person or by an agent or attorney, and the right of inspection includes the right to copy and make extracts of documents.

ARTICLE IX—LIABILITY OF MEMBERS
No member, regardless of the class or category of membership held, and whether or not a voting member, shall be personally or otherwise liable for any of the debts, liabilities and/or obligations of the chapter. Nothing in this article shall be construed to relieve any person of any liability imposed by the California Non-profit Corporation Laws.

Article X—PROPERTY
The chapter, through its board of directors, shall hold the title to all property, funds and assets of the chapter and they shall have complete control over the acquisition, administration, and disposition of any property, funds or assets. The chapter may accept gifts, legacies, devises, donations, and/or contributions in any amount and in any form upon such terms as may be decided by the board of directors.

Article XI—USE OF NAME
No member shall speak in the name of the chapter without authorization from the president or board of directors.

Article XII—AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS
A. Amendments to the bylaws may be initiated by any member of the board of directors.

B. Adoption of Amendments: Proposed amendments which have received a majority vote of the board of directors present shall be recommended to the membership for ratification by ballot. A copy of the proposed amendment or amendments shall be sent to all voting members of the chapter at least three (3) weeks prior to the time of voting. There shall be specified on the ballot a deadline for return of the mailed ballot.
A three-quarters (3/4) majority of ballots returned shall be required for ratification of the proposed amendment.

CERTIFICATION OF SECRETARY
I, the undersigned, certify that I am presently elected and acting secretary of the ____________________________Chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and the above bylaws are as adopted at a meeting of the board of directors held __________________ and a meeting of the membership held___________________________.

________________________________
Signature of Secretary
________________________________
Secretary (type or print)
________________________________
Date

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GOVERNANCE POLICIES

Membership Categories

Members of LA-CAMFT can be registered as “Clinical,” “Prelicensed,” “Community Partner,” and “Corporate.” Community Partner and Corporate members, while considered members in good standing of the chapter, do not vote nor hold office or a position on the board of directors.

Membership Dues

Membership dues are $50 per year ($30 for a prelicensed membership), due on January 1 every year. A sixty-day grace period will be allowed for members to renew their memberships. After sixty days, unpaid memberships are considered delinquent.

Members who join the chapter on or after October 1 have their dues prorated for the remaining months of that calendar year. They will be charged $75 ($50 for prelicensed memberships), and will be considered paid members through the end of that calendar year, and through the duration of the following year.

Chapter Budget

The Treasurer will be responsible for drafting an annual budget at the end of the first quarter of the fiscal year. The board will ratify a finalized budget in May of every year, in anticipation of the changing of board members every June 1.

Election Procedures

All board terms begin on June 1, and are two-year terms with the exception of the Chairperson of the 3000 Club, who serves a one-year term. Elections will begin with a call for nominations on March 1, when the President will work with the Board of Directors to appoint the Nominating Committee. Nominations will close on April 1. The Nominating Committee will review, and approve or dismiss applications during the first two weeks of April. On April 15, the Nominating Committee will submit approved names to the Elections Committee, who will compose the ballot. The ballot will be distributed to the membership within 48 hours. The election will close on May 1, and the Elections Committee will send notification letters to elected members as well as announcements to the larger membership in a timely fashion.

Committee Functions

The Vice President has the duty of overseeing the functions of both the standing committees and the non-standing committees and special interest groups. The non-standing committees and special interest groups are:

  • Advocacy
  • Ways & Means
  • Divorce & Mediation
  • Newsletter
  • Trauma Response
  • Expressive Arts
  • Membership Credit Policy

All registrants for monthly chapter meetings must be members in good standing of LA-CAMFT in order to receive the registration discount. Registrants who are not members in good standing are not eligible for the discount. Non-members who are registered for a chapter meeting who then join the chapter on or before that day will be eligible for a $10 discount on their membership fees.

Literature Distribution Policy

Literature at monthly chapter meetings can only be distributed in one of two ways: (1) inclusion in the folders, in which case advance distribution to the Event Coordinating Committee is required, or (2) placement on the literature table. There are only three ways for literature to be included in the folders: (1) the material is event/speaker specific; (2) the material is from a sponsor or advertiser; or (3) the material has been previously approved by the board. All other literature must be placed on the literature table, and does not need advance notice.

Advertising Policy

All advertising requests, questions, and concerns will go through the Administrative Assistant.

Participation List Use Policy

The Participation List is distributed at each chapter meeting and is intended for networking purposes (for example, personal email databases). Users of this list are expected to adhere to ethical practices and refrain from exploiting email addresses. All registered participants of any given chapter meeting will be listed on the Participation List along with their phone numbers and email addresses, unless they invoke one of the following four “opt-out” choices:

  • Name and phone number only, but no email address
  • Name and email address only, but no phone number
  • Name only
  • No name, phone number, or email address

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