BYLAWS
The Rhode Island Association of Emergency Managers (RIAEM) is a non-profit organization incorporated by and under the laws of the US State of Rhode Island.
Section 2. Members
RIAEM shall consist of United States citizens or individuals legally residing in the US or its territories and protectorates professionally engaged or interested in the promotion of emergency management and allied fields.
The RIAEM Board of Directors shall consist of the previous three RIAEM Presidents.
RIAEM shall be known as the premier state organization for excellence in Emergency Management. RIAEM will represent this vision in all its activities.
Section 2. Mission
To serve the Emergency Management community by:
A. Encouraging the development of resilient communities to mitigate the impact of disaster.
B. Acting as a clearinghouse for information on comprehensive emergency management issues.
C. Providing a forum for creative and innovative problem-solving on emergency management issues.
D. Maintaining and expanding standards for emergency management programs and professionals.
E. Fostering informed decision-making on public policy in the emergency management arena.
Any person who meets the criteria of a membership class, established by the RIAEM, and defined in Section 2 below, who is supportive of the RIAEM’s corporate and tax-exempt purposes, and who continuously qualifies for membership based on geographic location, residence, or business address inside Rhode Island.
Dues paid cover the twelve-month (1 year) period from January 15th of the current calendar year to January 14th of the next calendar year. Dues owed in arears will be requested by formal invoice issued through USPS. The dues schedule will be included in the Association’s Administrative Policies and Procedures.
The officers of the Association shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The collection of Association Officers shall be known as the Executive Committee.
A. The President shall preside at meetings of the Association and the Board of Directors, authorizes expenditures within budget appropriations approved by the Board of Directors and perform such other duties as required and provided for in the Administrative Policies and Procedures and By-Laws of the Association.
B. The Vice president shall perform the duties of the President in the absence or disability of that officer and perform such other duties as required by the Administrative Policies and Procedures and By-Laws of the Association.
C. The Secretary shall maintain accurate records of the proceedings of all meetings of the membership, the Board of Directors, and perform such other duties as required by the Administrative Policies and Procedures and By-Laws of the Association.
D. The Treasurer shall maintain accurate up-to-date records of all monies and securities belonging to the Association in accordance with the Administrative Policies and Procedures and By-Laws of the Association.
E. The Executive Committee may create additional appointed or elected Officer positions as necessary for the good order and functioning of the Association by unanimous vote. Additional Officer position titles, responsibilities, method of selection (appointed or elected), and term of service, if elected, will be included in the Administrative Policies and Procedures.
A. To be elected or appointed to an Association office, a member shall have been an Individual member of RIAEM for a minimum of two continuous years prior to standing for election.
B. No individual may hold more than one Association office simultaneously.
C. Officer that loose eligibility during their term of office may complete their term but may not run again for any Office, regardless of term limit rules.
A. The officers shall be elected to their terms by a majority of eligible votes cast at the general membership meeting in September.
B. Voting will be in writing and anonymous.
C. Eligible voters may designate, in writing, a proxy for their vote on any officer position. Proxies do not have to be eligible to vote themselves but must be an Association member of any type in good standing.
A. The term of office for the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be two years. The terms shall commence immediately following the general membership meeting in October.
B. Officers have a two-term limit. Only full terms are considered as part of this term limit.
C. The President and Secretary shall be elected in years ending in even numbers.
D. The Vice-President and Treasurer shall be elected in years ending in odd numbers.
A. If a vacancy occurs in the office of President, the Vice President shall automatically assume the office of President. This does not preclude the Vice President from serving the term of office for which elected.
B. If a vacancy occurs in the office of the Vice President, the Treasurer shall automatically assume the office of Vice President. This does not preclude the Treasurer from serving the term of office for which elected.
C. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Treasurer, the Secretary shall automatically assume the office of Treasurer. This does not preclude the Secretary from serving the term of office for which elected.
D. If a vacancy occurs simultaneously in the office of the President and the Vice President, the Treasurer will automatically assume the office of the President and the Secretary will assume the office of Vice President. An election shall be called within 30 days to elect a new Treasurer and Secretary.
E. If a vacancy occurs simultaneously in the office of the President, the Vice President, and either the Treasurer or Secretary, the RIAEM Board of Directors shall elect a President Pro-Tempore from within the Board of Directors.
F. An election to fill any vacant Association Officer positions shall be called within 30 days of the vacancy.
Any vote of three of the four Executive Committee members will result in removal of an elected or appointed officer for cause. However, before the action becomes final, due process requires that the officer be notified, in writing, by registered mail of the charges which have been made and must be afforded not less than fifteen (15) days after receipt of said charges to reply to the allegations set forth in the charge, either in writing or by appearing before the Executive Committee or RIAEM Board of Directors with or without personal legal counsel.
The Executive Committee is the overall leadership team for RIAEM. The Executive Committee may be organized further to include others from various Standing Committees and Ad-Hoc Committees and/or Task Forces but will always include officers as defined in Article IV.
A. Within 30 days of assuming office, the Executive Committee shall meet in whole, to determine policy for the ensuing year. The Executive Committee shall meet to conduct business at such other times as the President may direct, provided that the members of the Executive Committee shall be notified at least ten (10) days in advance of such meetings.
B. The President may call a Special Executive Committee Meeting when deemed necessary or at the written request of a majority of the Executive Committee. At such special Executive Committee Meeting, only the business that necessitated the meeting shall be acted upon.
C. Assuming it may be necessary to conduct a meeting of the Executive Committee via electronic media, procedures for conducting such a meeting shall be as established in the Administrative Policies and Procedures of the RIAEM.
A majority of the members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for any overall Executive Committee Meeting.
A General Membership Meeting of RIAEM shall occur in person or virtually once a month, except for any month in which the Association hosts or co-hosts a Preparedness Conference.
With the majority approval of the Executive Committee, a Special General Meeting (SGM) of the membership may be called by the RIAEM President to address urgent matters that require the consideration of the full membership of the Association. Individual, Life and Associate members can request the RIAEM President call such a meeting. The decision to call a SGM is the RIAEM President’s however, if the request is from a majority of the Association’s membership, an SGM must be held within 60 days of the request.
Other meetings of the Association’s membership and its subunits to advance the mission of the Association are encouraged.
Within thirty (30) days after taking office, the RIAEM President shall appoint chairs and vice chairs to the standing and ad hoc committees and give a mandate to each of the Committees. The primary objectives of each committee are defined in the Administrative Policies and Procedures.
A. Standing Committees are bodies with an ongoing, operational function.
B. Five Standing Committees exist in the Association.
1. Legislative
2. Membership
3. By Laws and Policies
4. Professional Development
5. Conference
The President may appoint Ad Hoc Committees as deemed essential to the business and wellbeing of the Association. Such committees shall cease to function when their specific task has been completed.
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rule of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the proceedings of the Association in all cases not provided for in these Bylaws or in the Administrative Policies and Procedures.
No individual member or group of members representing the RIAEM shall have authority to endorse or recommend any product, service, or organization in the name of the Association, or by elected or appointed title unless so authorized by the Board of Directors.
Eligible voting members must be given 30 days to vote on potential amendments to these Bylaws Approval requires two-thirds of the votes cast.
Changes to the Bylaws will be captured on a form attached to the Bylaws that reflects the change and date approved with signature of the current President.
This document shall take effect immediately upon its passage by the membership, and supersede all constitutions and Bylaws previously adopted.