BYLAWS

Article I - General Section 1 - This organization shall be known as the Houston Area Nurse Practitioners. Section 2 - HANP Mission: HANP is the resource for advanced practice nurses in the Houston area. We support professional collaboration, education, networking, and legislative awareness. Section 3 - HANP Vision To inspire and lead advanced practice nurses to pursue active participation in their professional practice. Section 4 - Core Values   Leading   Education and   Active participation   Dedicated to   Excellence   Respect and   Supporting our members Article II - Membership Section 1 - Membership shall be composed of registered nurses who are prepared as advanced practice nurses. Section 2 - Associate members shall be any persons interested in fostering the purposes of the organization. Section 3 - Membership fees shall be due annually. Dues shall be set by vote of the membership. Board and Committee members will not be required to pay dues. Section 4 - Termination of membership shall automatically stem from resignation of the member, revocation of the member’s nursing license, or nonpayment of dues. Article III - Meetings Section 1 - Regular meetings shall be held bimonthly in January, March, (May), September, and November at a time and place designated by the membership. Section 2 - The Annual Meeting shall be held in May to include annual reports from officers and committees, bylaws revision(s), and the election and installation of new officers. Article IV - Executive Committee Section 1 - The executive committee (Board of Directors) shall consist of the officers of the organization. Section 2 - The executive committee shall conduct business in accordance with the bylaws, rules, and regulations of the organization. Article V - Officers Section 1 - The officers shall be the President, President Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Past President. Section 2 - The officers shall be elected by the membership, and shall hold office for a term of two years. The President shall assume this position after serving one year as the President Elect. The term of the President shall be one year. No officer shall hold the same office for more than two consecutive terms. Section 3 - If an office becomes vacant during the year, the executive committee shall appoint an interim officer until the next election. Section 4 - The President shall preside at all meetings and, along with the Secretary and Treasurer, be responsible for the correspondence and other administrative matters. Section 5 - The President Elect shall perform the duties of the President in her/his absence or in her/his inability to act. Together with the Educational Programs Committee, the President Elect shall be responsible for the coordination of the educational programs. Section 6 - The Secretary shall be responsible for all the meeting notices, minutes, and all official correspondence. Business meeting minutes shall be recorded and posted on the web site for members to review. Section 7 - The Treasurer shall be responsible for all the budgetary matters, membership roles, and financial affairs. The Treasurer shall be responsible for reports on the financial condition of the organization at the request of the executive committee or the membership. Article VI - Elections Section 1 - The officers shall be nominated and elected by the membership. Section 2 - A nominating committee shall consist of three members. Members interested in serving on the nominating committee will be solicited at the November meeting. Current officers will not serve on the nominating committee. Members of the nominating committee are eligible to run for office. Section 3 - The Recruitment and Retention Committee will accept nominations and compose a ballot of at least two candidates (if possible) for each office prior to the Annual Meeting. A call for nominations of officers will be placed in January on the HANP web site (www.hanp.org), along with a request for nominations to be returned to the nominating committee by mid February. Individuals may be self-nominated or nominated by another member. If nominating a member, verification that they are willing to run must be obtained prior to submitting their name for office. Section 4 - Nominees' bios will be posted on the website in March for review by the membership. Ballots will be provided to members in good standing (Active Members) at the May meeting. Section 5 - At the May meeting, the Executive Committee shall appoint two impartial active members to tally the votes. Section 6 - A meeting of the Executive Committee with the incoming Executive Committee will be held in August. New officers will assume office September 1. Article VII - General Provisions Section 1 - The fiscal year will begin September 1 and end August 31. Article VIII - Bylaws Amendments Section 1 - These bylaws shall be reviewed annually by the executive committee and the proposed amendments shall be presented for vote at the Annual Meeting. Section 2 - The proposed amendments(s) shall be submitted to the membership in writing, or posted on the web site at least three weeks prior to the meeting and shall be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the membership in attendance at the meeting. Section 3 - These bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the membership provided that the guidelines in Section 2 are followed. Article IX - Board of Directors Section 1 - The Board of Directors shall consist of the executive committee. The power, authority, and responsibility to manage the affairs and property of the organization shall be vested in the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall be subject to the orders of the organization and none of its acts shall conflict with action taken by the organization. A CNAP representative will be appointed by the Board of Directors to participate in the executive committee but will have no voting power. Section 2 - A quorum shall be a simple majority of the Board of Directors. Each member shall have one vote. Section 3 - The Board of Directors shall meet at least quarterly. Article X - Committee Structure Section 1 - The standing committees of this organization shall be: Educational Programs Committee Community Relations Committee Scholarship Committee Web Site Committee Legislative Committee Recruitment and Retention Committee The chairperson of each committee will be invited to participate in the Board of Directors meetings. Section 2 - Ad hoc committees may be appointed by the President. The membership and functions or tasks designated shall be specified at the time of formation. Ad hoc committees shall function only as long as necessary to complete the designated function or tasks. Section 3 - The standing and ad hoc committees shall: develop specific goals for the committee in accordance with the strategic plan appoint a chairperson meet as necessary to fulfill assigned functions annually evaluate and report the activities for the year in relation to the goals established Article XI - Educational Programs Committee Section 1 - Determine the educational needs of the membership on an annual basis. Section 2 - Develop and implement bimonthly educational programs for the organization. Section 3 - Refer potential sponsorship for the bimonthly educational programs. Section 4 - Provide information on the bimonthly educational offering to the Webmaster for inclusion on the website, one month prior to the offering. Section 5 – Plan and implement an annual CME program hosted by HANP. Article XII - Community Relations Committee Section 1 - Assess the needs of the community that may be met in part by the organization on an annual basis. Section 2 - Propose community projects to the organization. Section 3 - Solicit members for participation in organization approved community projects. Section 4 - Arrange for media coverage of HANP community projects, including increasing visibility during NP week.. Article XIII - Scholarship Committee Section 1 - Promote financial assistance to deserving Houston area advanced practice nurse students. Section 2 - Establish criteria for scholarships. Section 3 - Review student applications and select recipients for scholarships. Section 4 - Establish a scholarship fund from the general funds and individual donations with the approval of the organization and assist in fund-raising activities that benefit the scholarship fund. Article XIV - Web Site Committee Section 1 - The Webmaster shall be responsible for maintaining and updating the organization's web site. (www.hanp.org) Section 2 – Educate members on website features. Article XV – Legislative Committee Section 1 – The chairperson shall serve as the legislative liaison on behalf of HANP to affiliates. Section 3 – Promote and increase legislative awareness. Section 2 – The chairperson shall delegate a legislative committee member or other HANP member to attend affiliate legislative meetings. Section 4 – Present quarterly updates at HANP meetings and on the HANP web site. Article XVI – Recruitment and Retention Committee Section 1 – Promote retention of current members and recruitment of new members. Section 2 – Develop welcoming committee to greet attendees prior to each HANP general membership meeting. (Revision 5/08)