Association Bylaws

Tallahassee Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

ARTICLE I Name, Organizational Structure and Relationship

Section 1 The name of this Chapter shall be the Tallahassee Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (TAMFT). TAMFT is a Chapter of the Florida Association for Family and Marriage Therapy, which is a Division of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Section 2 This Chapter (TAMFT) is responsible to the duly elected Officers and Board of Directors of FAMFT and AAMFT and all rules and orders lawfully made there under.

            Section 3 The bylaws of this Chapter shall be consistent with those of the FAMFT and AAMFT before formal adoption by the Chapter.

ARTICLE II Purposes

            Section 1 The purposes for which this Chapter is formed are as follows:

a)      To promote the common professional interests of those who are marriage and family therapists.

b)      To fulfill other purposes stated in the FAMFT and AAMFT bylaws as those purposes may be pursued appropriately at the Chapter level.

Section 2 To further the objectives of the Chapter by meetings, clinical sessions, publications, research in the field, and other relevant activities.

Article III Membership

            Section 1 The membership of TAMFT shall be divided into two (2) classes:

a)      Voting Members. The voting membership shall be composed of Clinical Members of AAMFT.

b)      Non-Voting Members. The non-voting members shall be composed of Student Members, Associate Members and Affiliate Members of AAMFT.

Section 2 All members of the Chapter shall be in good standing of AAMFT and all AAMFT members maintaining an address of record in Florida with the AAMFT offices, shall be members in good standing of the Florida Division (FAMFT) and the Tallahassee Chapter (TAMFT).

Section 3 Members shall be governed by and abide by the bylaws of AAMFT and by the bylaws of FAMFT and TAMFT and all rules and orders lawfully made thereunder.

Section 4 All members shall pay their AAMFT, FAMFT and TAMFT dues.

Article IV Officers.

Section 1 The Officers of the Chapter shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary, a Treasurer,  and a Past-President; which shall all be Clinical Members in good standing of AAMFT.  All officers shall be Clinical Members of AAMFT.

Section 2 The President shall serve a term of two (2) years, following a term of (2) years as President-Elect. The President shall be the Chief Officer of the Chapter and of the Board and shall perform such duties as are customary for presiding officers, including making all required appointments with the approval of the Board. The President also shall serve as a member ex-officio with right to vote on all committees except the Elections Committee.

Section 3 The President-Elect shall serve a term of two (2) years, succeeding to the office of President upon completion of that term. The President-Elect shall serve as Presiding Officer of the Chapter and Board during the absence of the President. The President-Elect shall be the chairperson of the Program Committee during the two (2) years of the term.

Section 4 The Secretary shall serve a term of two (2) years. The Secretary shall keep the records of all business meetings of the Chapter and meetings of the Board, and shall direct the distribution of minutes and reports and correspondence as authorized by these bylaws and by the Board.

Section 5 The Treasurer shall serve a term of three (3) years. The Treasurer shall be chairperson of the Finance Committee, shall oversee the management of funds for duly authorized purposes of the Chapter, shall prepare the annual budget, and shall present periodic financial reports to the Board and an annual report to the membership. The fiscal year of the Chapter shall begin on January 1.

Section 6 The Past-President shall serve a term of one (1) year immediately following completion of a term office as President.

Section 7 Chapter officers shall be assumed to have resigned from office at such time as they move outside of the Chapter geographic boundaries. If any officer ceases to be in good standing the Board shall declare his/her office vacant.

Section 8 If any office, other than President or President-Elect becomes vacant, the President with the approval of the Board of Directors may appoint individuals to fill vacancies on the Board, with the exception of vacancies of President and President-Elect.

            In the event that the President is unable to complete the current term of office, the President-Elect shall assume the Presidential duties and office, and a special election shall be called to elect a new President-Elect through a ballot by the voting membership.

            In the event that the President-Elect is unable to complete the current term of office, a special election shall be called to elect a successor through a ballot by the voting membership.

Article V Board of Directors

Section 1 The Board of directors shall consist of the Officers, three (3) Directors and a Student-Associate Representative, all members of AAMFT in good standing. The Director shall serve a term of three (3) years, staggered so that one (1) Director shall be replaced each year. The Student-Associate Representative shall serve a two (2) year term. The election Committee Chairperson shall not be a member of the Board of Directors.

Section 2 The Board of Directors shall exercise all powers of the Chapter, except as specifically prohibited by these bylaws and the AAMFT bylaws. The Board of Directors shall be authorized to adopt and publish such policies, procedures, and rules as may be necessary and consistent with these bylaws and AAMFT bylaws, and to exercise authority over all Chapter business and funds.

Section 3 The Board of Directors shall meet at the call of the President at least once each year, or at the written request of at least three (3) members of the Board directed to the Secretary. A quorum shall consist of no less than one-half of the membership of the Board shall be entitled to one (1) vote and may take part and vote in person only. The meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts’ Rules of Order, revised.

Section 4 The Executive Committee shall be composed of the Elected Officers and the Past-President. The Executive Committee shall be empowered to act on behalf of the Board of Directors at other than regular Board Meetings and with Limitations established by the Board of Directors.

Article VI Committees

Section 1 The Standing Committees of the Chapter shall include the following: the Elections, Ethics, Finance, Legislative, Membership, Program, and such other standing committees as shall be authorized by the Board of Directors. The Committees are responsible to the Board of Directors.

Section 2 All Committee Chairpersons shall be Clinical voting members of the Chapter, except for the Student-Associate Representative. The majority of each committee shall be composed of Clinical Members. Representatives of the public may be appointed as needed, to serve in an advisory capacity and are non-voting members of committees. Members of committees may be removed by the President with the approval of the Board, for malfeasance or non-performance of duties.

Section 3 The members of the Elections Committee shall be elected by ballot by the voting membership of the Chapter, and shall serve a term of three (3) years, staggered so that one (1) member shall be replaced each year. Following the January meeting, the President shall authorize a continuing member of the Elections Committee to convene, with the Chairperson being elected by the Committee. The Elections Committee shall prepare a slate of nominees for all elected positions, and shall oversee the elections of such positions as provided in these bylaws and in rules and procedures adopted by the Board of Elections.

Section 4 The President (with the approval of the Board) shall appoint a chairperson for all other standing committees, except as otherwise provided by these bylaws.

Section 5 The Ethics Committee shall be responsible for the education of the membership and the public regarding the AAMFT Code of Ethics. The TAMFT Ethics Committee shall not conduct investigations nor consider allegation of violations of ethical principles made against members, nor shall it issue or render advisory opinions on ethical matters but shall refer such matters to the AAMFT Ethics Committee. The AAMFT Ethics Committee shall function in accordance with the Procedures for Handling Ethical Matters.

Section 6 The Financial Committee shall assist the Treasurer in preparing the Annual Budget for approval by the Board and the membership, and shall be responsible for making recommendations to the Board and membership in matters pertaining to the finances of the Chapter.

Section 7 The Membership Committee shall be responsible for dispensing information on TAMFT membership requirements and application procedures to potential members and otherwise encouraging appropriate inquiry and application to TAMFT.

Section 8 The Program Committee shall be responsible for the planning and implementation of TAMFT meetings, events, and seminars, as approved by the Board, and maintain a current calendar of the same. The Program Committee shall maintain a current Continuing Education provider number with the appropriate State professional board.

Section 9 The Legislative Committee shall be responsible for all interactions between TAMFT and the Florida State Legislature. The committee will plan and implement promotion of legislation which the Board deems to be beneficial in supporting therapists’ work in the field of Marriage and Family Therapy, and enhances the integrity of the profession. They shall also work diligently to block legislation which limits the abilities of Marriage and Family Therapists to achieve their goals in working with clients, or undermines the integrity of the profession.

Article VII Meetings of the Membership

Section 1 The meetings of the membership of TAMFT shall be held on a date and at a location to be determined by the Board of Directors.

Section 2 Special meetings of the membership may be called by the President or a majority of the Board of Directors.

Section 3 Notice of all meetings and special meetings shall be sent to all voting members of the Chapter at least 14 days in advance of the meeting by the Board of Directors. Action at called special meetings shall be limited to those agenda items contained in the notice of the meeting.

Section 4 A quorum at all meetings and special meetings of the Chapter shall be five (5) percent of the voting membership of the Chapter, present and in person at the meeting, not including the Officers and Directors. No proxies shall be permitted.

Section 5 All meetings shall be conducted according to Roberts’ Rules of Order, revised.

Article VIII Nominations

Section 1 The nomination and election of the President, President-Elect, and Secretary shall be conducted biannually; the Treasurer every three years, and all other elected positions shall be conducted annually. All voting members of the Chapter shall have the right to vote in the election which shall be conducted by ballot. Student and Associate Members shall have the right to vote in the election of the Student-Associate Representative only. Discrimination in election and nomination procedures on the basis of gender, age, race, color, creed, national origin or sexual orientation is forbidden. Candidates who are elected shall assume office on the first day of April following their election and shall hold office for the tenure of their office, or until their successors have been elected and qualified.

Section 2 The Elections Committee shall prepare a slate containing at least two nominees for each position and shall determine the eligibility and willingness of each nominee to stand for election. Officers may not serve more than two consecutive terms. Additional nominations may be made by petition of five (5) percent of the voting members until thirty (30) days prior to the date ballots are to be distributed at which date nominations shall be closed. The Election Committee shall have the ballots distributed and counted. The candidate who receives the largest number of votes for each office shall be elected.

Article IX Dues

Section 1 Dues for the Chapter shall be established by majority vote of the Chapter’s Board of Directors.

Section 2 All dues billings, dues collections and dues distributions shall be performed by the Chapter Treasurer.

Article X Amendments

            These bylaws may be amended or repealed by two-thirds vote of the voting members by ballot. Amendments may be proposed by the Board of Directors on its own initiative, or upon petition by five (5) percent of the voting members addressed to the Board. All such proposed amendments shall be presented by the Board to the membership with or without recommendation.