By-Laws

Monroe Professional Engineers Society
A Chapter of the New York State Society of Professional Engineers
By-Laws

BYLAW I  –  ADMINISTRATIVE AND FISCAL YEAR

Section 1

The Administrative and fiscal year for the purposes of terms of officers, directors and committees for budget and for accounting shall be from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.

BYLAW II  –  MEETINGS

Section 1

At least six regular membership meetings shall be held each year. The last meeting held in the administrative year shall be designated as the Annual Meeting.

Section 2

Special meetings shall be called by the President at the request of the Board or at the written request of at least ten members.

Section 3

The order of selection of Directors of NYSSPE shall be President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, or others as appointed by the President until the required number for full attendance at meetings called by NYSSPE is met.

Section 4

Members attending the NYSSPE membership meeting shall be certified by the Secretary to represent the Chapter and to cast the votes allotted to the Chapter.

BYLAW III  –  ORDER OF BUSINESS

Section 1

Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the procedure at meetings when not in conflict with this Constitution and Bylaws.

Section 2

The order of business for the Annual Meeting shall be:

  1. Roll Call of Officers and Directors.
  2. Approval of minutes of last Annual Meeting
  3. Reports of Officers and Committees.
  4. Unfinished business.
  5. Report of tellers.
  6. Introduction of newly elected Officers and Directors.
  7. New business.

Section 3

A quorum of ten percent of the voting members shall be required for all membership meetings to conduct business.

BYLAW IV  –  FINANCIAL, LIFE AND RETIRED MEMBERSHIP

Section 1

The Board shall adopt a budget yearly.  Any expense above the budget or any change from the budget shall be approved by the Board.

Section 2

The approved budget constitutes approval to the Treasurer to make disbursements within the budget.

Section 3

The Treasurer shall be bonded at the expense of the Chapter.

Section 4

Chapter dues shall be established by the Board within the limits of Article IV of the Constitution.  All non-routine dues shall be collected by the State Society; all routine renewals shall be collected by the National Society.

Class of Member Chapter Effective 2004
Maximum (Approved 6/6/03)
Licensed Member $30.00 $20.00
Member $30.00 $20.00
Student Member $5.00 $5.00

Section 5

The Treasurer shall submit a report for the Annual Meeting.  The President shall appoint two members to audit this report and the accounts of the Treasurer at the end of the fiscal year.

Section 6

Reasonable expenses incurred by the Chapter of NYSSPE in attending state meetings may, with Board approval, be paid by the Chapter if not paid by NYSSPE.

Section 7

A member shall become eligible for Life Membership with waiver of dues if (a) the person has been a member above Student Grade for a period of 40 years or (b) if the member has retired from a full-time employment and is working no more than 20 hours per week, and is at least 60 years of age and has been a member above the Student Grade for a continuous period of 30 years.

Application for Life Membership may be made personally, by the member’s chapter, or by the member’s state society.

Section 8

A member shall become eligible for Retired Membership if the member has retired from full-time employment and is working no more than 20 hours per week, is at least 60 years of age and has paid dues above the student level for ten (10) consecutive years preceding application for retired membership.  One-half dues shall be paid annually until Life Membership requirements are met.

Applications to NSPE for Retired Membership shall be made by the member’s state society.

Section 9

A member may be nominated for Fellow Member by submittal of the NSPE Letter of Endorsement by NYSSPE, signed by the President and approved by the Board of Directors. The selection of Fellow Member(s) shall be as defined in the NSPE Constitution and Bylaws.  A member designated as Fellow Member by NSPE and NYSSPE will automatically be granted MPES Fellow Member Status.

Section 10

Chapter dues may be waived for a period of one year in hardship circumstances, including unemployment.  Application for such waiver shall be approved by the NYSSPE Membership Committee.

Section 11

After ten years of continuous membership, a written application for waiver of chapter dues because of disability of a total and permanent nature may be made by a member.  After five years of continuous membership, a member may apply for a waiver of one-half chapter dues for the same reason.  Such application shall be subject to approval by the chapter and final approval by the NYSSPE Board.

BYLAW V  –  DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1

The President shall preside at all meetings of the Chapter or the Board.  The President shall appoint committee chairmen and shall be, ex-officio, a member of all committees.  The President shall assist the committee chairmen in selection of committee members.

Section 2

The President-Elect shall assume the duties of the President if required and in order of precedence.  The President-Elect shall direct the work of groups of committees as designated by the President in order to accomplish the overall functions of the Chapter.

Section 3

The Secretary shall record the proceedings of the Chapter and the Board, conduct correspondence and have custody of all official papers and records. The Secretary shall issue all calls and notices ordered by the President or the Board.

Section 4

The Treasurer shall maintain a set of records showing receipts and expenditures of the Chapter.  The Treasurer shall make all disbursements except that the Treasurer shall arrange the checking account with one other officer as designated by the President as alternate signature in case of emergency. The Treasurer shall serve as chairman of the Finance Committee.

BYLAW VI  –  PUBLICATIONS

Section 1

The Chapter shall maintain communication with its membership by some regularly scheduled publication.

BYLAW VII-  COMMITTEES

Section 1

To accomplish the objectives of the Chapter there shall be the following standing committees, if required:

Program Membership Scholarship
Legislation Public Relations Publication
Finance Education Ethics

Section 2

The President shall appoint each committee chairman.  The chairman may appoint committee members subject to the approval of the president.

Section 3

Special committees shall be appointed by the President subject to the approval of the Board.

Section 4

A nominating committee shall be appointed as indicated in Article VI of the Constitution.  The chairman shall be the immediate Past President.

Section 5

A Historian may be appointed by the President whose duty shall be to review Chapter proceedings and activities each year and record a summary.

BYLAW VIII  –  DUTIES OF COMMITTEES

Section 1

The Program Committee shall develop for each meeting the presentation of subject material and interchange of ideas consistent with the desires and needs of the members.  In general, the subjects should be such as to accomplish the objectives of the Chapter as set down in Article II of the Constitution.

Section 2

The Membership Committee shall be concerned with the quantity and quality of Society membership to include such areas as membership retention, promotion and qualification.  The Membership committee shall also maintain an up-to-date roster and address list.

Section 3

The Scholarship Committee shall implement the details of any scholarship plans offered by NYSSPE, NSPE or the Chapter; recommend to the Board any other means of offering aid for engineering education.

Section 4

The Legislation Committee shall be concerned with all legislation matters affecting the profession.

Section 5

The Public Relations Committee shall promote ways to bring before the public the activities of the engineering profession; promote cooperation of engineering, civic, educational and other organizations; stimulate engineering leadership in civic problems and public affairs, and promote awareness and the pursuit of engineering as a career among students.

Section 6

The Publication Committee shall be responsible for the preparation and distribution of the Chapter publication.

Section 7

The Finance Committee shall prepare the yearly budget and submit it to the Board not later than September 15; recommend disposition of funds and financial policy to accomplish the Chapter program and activities.

Section 8

The Education Committee shall organize or promote activities providing opportunities for members to earn Professional Development Hours (PDHs) meeting the requirements of the Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) regulations, and organize or promote review courses leading to license examinations.  The Education Committee shall also oversee the Mathcounts and Teams/Jets programs.

BYLAW IX  –  DISSOLUTION

In the event of dissolution of the Chapter, all funds will be placed in the educational account to be dispersed as scholarships to deserving local high school seniors who will pursue a course in engineering at the undergraduate level.  These scholarships will be awarded by a scholarship committee appointed by the President to selected candidates, based on scholastic aptitude, leadership capabilities, and financial need.