|
The USPSA Bylaws were amended at the BOD meeting held in Kansas City in April 2004. The effort to update the bylaws had been ongoing for at least three years. I served as the committee chair after having been appointed approximately six weeks prior to the meeting. This document is an overview of the significant changes.
One of the goals of the amendments was to update the bylaws to reflect the current structure of USPSA or to modernize that structure to reflect common organizational and business practice. This goal was focused in two distinct areas: One was the combined position of Vice President and Director of NROI. The other area was related to the duties and authority of Area Directors. I will address each in turn.
Vice-President and Director of NROI -- Original
The combined position of Vice-President (VP) and Director of NROI (DNROI) had evolved over many years and suffered from several inherent weaknesses.
-- It had become a non-elected position which was filled at the sole discretion of the President.
-- Should the President leave office, the VP would succeed the President for up to two years, meaning that a non-elected individual would run the organization.
-- There were no minimum requirements concerning the qualifications of the DNROI - one of the most important positions in USPSA.
-- Due to the mix of multiple Board motions over the years, a salary was paid to the VP (a largely ceremonial position), whereas the actual critical work was done by the DNROI.
-- That salary was directly keyed as a percentage of the salary of the President, meaning that compensation was not affected by job performance - good or bad.
Solution
Separate the combined positions of VP and DNROI.
Vice-President -- New
-- The VP will be appointed annually by the President from one of the sitting Area Directors.
-- Cost-neutral solution - no additional expenses for BOD meetings, elections, etc.
-- No salary.
-- More readily available to chair meetings in the absence of the President or meetings which procedurally exclude the President.
DNROI - New
-- The DNROI will be selected from a pool of applicants by the BOD.
-- Minimum qualifications for the position have been established.
-- The salary is now solely related to the individual holding the position.
Special Note:
As a result of the separation of the VP and DNROI, and in recognition that the incumbent in those positions was appointed by the President to serve until the end of the President's current term (Dec 31, 2007), the Board passed a unanimous resolution which allows the incumbent to continue in those positions through the end of that term. Should either position become vacant prematurely, the provisions of the bylaws will be in full effect regarding both positions.
Area Directors
When the position of Area Director (ADs) was created, the bylaws did not include the AD in the line of responsibility between the President and the Section Coordinators (SCs).
-- The AD is now clearly in the line of responsibility and authority between the President and the SCs.
Miscellaneous Changes
-- Multiple generic formatting changes.
-- Simplification of the various membership descriptions.
-- Detailed requirements concerning suspension and/or termination of memberships and the addition of right of appeal.
-- Amendments to reflect the VP/DNROI split.
-- Clarified the procedures for appointments or elections of vacant offices (President and ADs).
-- Updated legal indemnification, conflict of interest, and liability of officers.
-- Relatively minor adjustments to the various job descriptions.
-- Committee Chairs must be filled by ADs.
-- Update match level terminology to reflect the new 2004 rules.
-- Specific procedures for selection of National Team members and for allocation of slots to National Championships are removed from the bylaws. These are policy items which are necessarily subject to adjustment by the Board from time to time.
-- NROI is now specifically chartered in the bylaws.
George Jones
Area 8 Director
Chair - Bylaws Committee
May 2004 |
