BY-LAWS
NATIONAL
COUNCIL OF CHINESE INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERS -USA
Rectified on June 18, 1995
ARTICLE I:
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the
National Council is to coordinate and support activities
which are of national or international nature, and to
foster unity and fellowship among the engineering
professionals of all local chapters.
ARTICLE II: MEMBERS
The National Council Members are representatives from
local chapters according to the number of subscribed
members of each local chapter:
Number of Members
Number of Representatives
to the National Council
25 to 35
one
36 to 100
two
101 to 200
three
201 to 300
four
more than 300
six
The Council members are, representing the local chapter
members to propose and vote on issues which are to the
interest of the members of the Chinese Institute of
Engineers, USA. The Council members are also to
elect or be elected the Officers of the National Council
or special committees appointed by the National Council
to carry out the duties described in Article IV or tasks
approved by the Council to the benefit and on behalf of
the Chinese Institute of Engineers, USA.
Change in the number of representatives from a local
chapter as a result of change in the number of local
chapter members, including newly established local
chapter, needs to be reported to the Chairman of the
National Council one month before the next Council
meeting and to be approved by the National Council at
the meeting. The change in representative number,
upon the approval of the Council will take effect
immediately after the conclusion of the meeting.
Substitution of individual representative from a local
chapter should be reported to the Chairman of the
National Council one week before the next Council
meeting.
ARTICLE
III: LOCAL CHAPTER DUES
The annual contribution from each local chapter to the
National Council shall be determined by the National
Council. However, the chapter membership dues are
waived for the new chapter in its first year of
operation. The local chapter dues to the National
Council for the previous year must be paid in full at or
prior to the first National Council meeting each year
beginning January 1st. If the local chapter dues
are not paid in full, the representatives from that
local chapter shall cease to exercise their right at the
National Council.
ARTICLE IV:
MANAGEMENT
The National Council management team should consist of
four officers: Chairman, Vice? Chairman, Secretary, and
Treasurer. The duties and authorities of the
officers are:
Chairman- the principle executive officer of the
National Council to preside the National Council
meeting, to execute and supervise all business affairs
prescribed by the Council. Be a custodian of the
National Council records, including all meeting minutes
and correspondences, and maintain a current Council
member roster.
Vice-Chairman- in the absence of the Chairman or in the
event of his inability or refusal to act, the
Vice-Chairman shall perform the duties of the Chairman.
Secretary- to take notes and draft the meeting minutes
of each National Council meeting and such other duties
as from time to time assigned by the Chairman. The
meeting minutes of the previous National Council meeting
should be mailed to members at least one month before
the next meeting for proofreading prior to the final
approval of the minutes at the meeting.
Treasurer- have charge and custody of and be responsible
for all funds of the National Council; receive and give
receipts for moneys due and payable to the Council, and
deposit all such moneys in the National Council bank
account. The Treasurer will prepare and submit a
financial report to the Council Members at each National
Council meeting. Any single expense item exceeding
five hundred dollars ($500) is subject to approval by
the Council unless the expense item is explicitly
described in this bylaws.
The National Council should appoint special working
committees for METS ( Modern Engineering and Technology
Seminar and SATEC (Sino-American Technology and
Engineering Conference), and other working committees,
such as Public Relation, Fund Raising, and Membership
Committees from time to time to carry out specific tasks
as prescribed by the Council. The two special
working committees, METS and SATEC are to work with
their counterparts in Taiwan and mainland China in
preparing and holding the biennial METS and SATEC
conferences. The National Council shall elect the
Officers of these special working committees when
necessary as determined by the Council. The METS
and SATEC officers have the sole authority and
responsibility independent from the National Council
officers to act upon the committee afairs on behalf of
the Institute. However, any documents regarding
SATEC and METS should be copied to the National Council
Chairman for record keeping. If the expertise of
the National Council Chairman fits the technical agenda
of METS or SATEC being held during the term of the
Chairman, the National Council Chairman will
automatically serve on the Advisory board. It is
also appropriate to recognize and introduce the Chairman
of the National Council and Presidents of local chapters
at the opening ceremony of the SATEC and METS if the
National Council Chairman or Presidents of local
chapters are present.
There are also two advisory councils to the National
Council: Honorary Advisor Council and Advisor Council.
The number and term of the Honorary Advisors are not
limited. The term of the Advisors is two years and
the number of Advisors should not exceed five at any
given time.
Any form of communication, such as gifts, awards, or
statements, which bear the official name of CIE/USA, by
the Officers of the National Council or the two special
working committees shall be approved by the National
Council.
Any workshop or seminar conducted outside of USA by the
local chapter shall be presented and approved by the
National Council.
ARTICLE V:
ELECTION
At the first National Council meeting of each year,
beginning January 1, new officers should be elected by
secret ballots from the attending members.
However, only members present at the meeting can be
nominated. The outgoing Chairman, Vice-Chairman,
Secretary, and Treasurer should transfer their
authorities and duties, including the signature
authority of the bank account to the newly elected
officers immediately after the election. The
election of Officers for the working committees should
follow the same rules as the election of National
Council Officers.
ARTICLE VI:
APPOINTMENT OF ADVISORS AND HONORARY ADVISORS
The immediate past Council Chairman automatically
becomes an advisor. An Honorary Advisor or an Advisor
other than the immediate past council Chairman should be
nominated by a local chapter president and appointed by
at least two thirds (2/3) of the attending council
members.
The nomination of Advisor or Honorary Advisor candidate
should be submitted to the National Council Chairman at
least one month before the next Council meeting, so it
can be included in the official meeting agenda and
allows full discussion by the Council members.
ARTICLE
VII: COMPENSATION
The Members and Advisors of the National Council shall
serve without compensation. However the members
are entitled to reimbursements for travel expenses for
carrying out their duties. Individual
reimbursement shall be limited to $300 annually. In case
of chapter reimbursement, the President should furnish a
request with the names of the representatives attending
each National Council meeting listed to the Treasurer.
In either cases, the total amount of travel expense
reimbursement to each chapter shall not exceed 80% of
the local chapter's contribution. However,
reimbursement for reasonable administrative expenses to
the Officers of the National Council and working
committees are not included
ARTICLE
VIII: MEETINGS
The National Council shall meet at least twice a year.
The meeting shall be held at such places where a local
chapter annual convention is held or as may be
determined by the National Council. More than
fifty percent of the members shall constitute a quorum
at any meeting of the National Council.
ARTICLE
IX: AMENDMENTS
These By-Laws from time to time may be altered, amended
or repealed by a two-thirds vote of the National Council
members present and voting, provided, however, that such
action shall only be taken if notice thereof is set
forth in the notice of the meeting at which the proposal
is to be considered; and further provided that all
amendments of these By-Laws at any time made, in order
to be valid, must be consistent with the objectives of
the Council, as contained in its original charter.
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