MLA Motion for Restructuring Section Council

Section Council moves that the Board approve the proposed restructuring of Section Council representatives and the changes in proxy and voting requirements

The current structure and procedures of Section Council do not permit effective use of members’ time. The model of having Representatives and Representative-elects eliminates the Alternate position which has had a limited function on the Council and provides sections with a larger pool of members to run for other offices and serve as committee chairs.

Proxy voting is not permitted under the old structure. A new process is needed under the proposed Representative/Representative Elect model since there will not a backup position (Representative-Elect) every year. A more flexible process is also needed due to the changing environment in which our members work. Frequently funding, work load, and other demands make it impossible for the elected Council members to attend Section Council meetings all three years.

For similar reasons the requirement for voting, attendance at both Council meetings, needs to be modified as well. It is often difficult for the same Section representative to attend both Council meetings since they are at the very beginning and very end of the meeting. Many Council members have difficulty being away from work for this long period of time. With the use of e-mail, communications are more effective, consistent, and continuous throughout the year. Both Council members and section officers are kept up-to-date on the issues before the Council. The Section representative or proxy attending the first Council meeting also has adequate time to discuss the issues with the representative or the appointed proxy attending the second Council meeting.

At the September 1997 meeting, the MLA Board approved the Governance Task Force’s recommendation that the structure of Section Council be altered and that related voting and proxy procedures be revised.

At the May 1998 Section Council meeting, the Council approved that the restructuring motion be forwarded to the Board.

1. Elimination of an underutilized position (Alternate) and more effective use of MLA members in other offices and roles.

2. A smaller Section Council which should facilitate communications.

3. More flexible voting and proxy procedures which enable sections to have representation while recognizing the realities of the demands and constraints on Section officers and Council members.

Section Council will change its procedures and documentation and create a new rotation schedule for elections. The MLA Bylaws Committee will need to review the proposed changes, revise the Bylaws and Standing Rules of Order as appropriate, and present the revisions to the membership for vote. Sections will need to revise their Bylaws to reflect a change in officers.

Each Section has an elected representative on Section Council. This position is called the Section Council Representative. This position represents the interests of the specific section during discussions of issues, brings motions and proposals from the Section to the Council, and has full voting rights on any issues brought before the Council.

The Representatives are elected for a three-year term. During the first year, they serve as Representative-Elects providing back-up to the existing Representative and learning the Council’s policies and procedures. They fulfill the duties of the Representative when the regular representative is unable to complete their term or attend the Council meetings. When acting on behalf of the Representative, they may vote on motions and other business before the Council.

During the second and third years, they become the full Section Council representative for their Section with all the voting rights and responsibilities of Section Council members. During the second year of the term, there is no Representative-Elect. The Representative-Elect begins their duties during the third and last term of the Representative.

Sections hold elections for Representative-Elects every two years.

When a Section Council Representative is unable to attend the meeting, the Representative-Elect, if one has been elected, may serve as the Section’s official representative to Section Council.

When neither the Representative or Representative-Elect are able to attend the Section Council’s meeting a Section may appoint an officer as the proxy who will represent the Section’s interests during discussions and may vote on Council issues. The proxy may also present motions to the Council on behalf of the Section.

Appointment of a proxy must comply with the following guidelines:

1. The proxy is appointed by the Section Chair.

2. The proxy must be a current member and officer of the Section.

3. The Section Council Chair is notified by the Section Chair of the proxy’s name, address, and other contact information. Notification may be fax or letter. If e-mail is used, confirmation must be followed by fax or letter.

4. Notification will be accepted by the Council Chair up to the official starting time of each Section Council meeting.

5. The proxy must be willing to become familiar with all motions and issues being considered by Council before the Annual meeting and discuss them with the appropriate Section officers.

6. The proxy should review information in the Council’s procedures manual describing the responsibilities of Representatives and the process for handling Council business.

7. The proxy should be prepared to attend both Council , unless the official representative or representative-elect is able to attend one of the meetings. Discussion of items being voted on will take place at the first business meeting and voting will occur at the second meeting.

8. The elected Representative should share all Council mailings and files with the proxy before the annual meeting and update the proxy on special areas of concern to the section.

Proxies must be Section officers; other section members may attend the Council meetings but may not officially represent the Section at the Council or vote on Council issues.

Motions, reports and other business items are usually submitted to Council for consideration and discussion at the first Council meeting. Voting takes place at the second meeting. Therefore, Representatives and appointed proxies should be present at both meetings in order to vote on motions.

If the Representative is unable to attend both meetings, the Section may still have a vote if the following occurs:

1. The Representative-Elect attends one or both meetings and meets with the Representative at the annual meeting for updates on issues and pending motions.

2. The proxy, who is a Section officer, meets with the Representative or Representative elect at the annual meeting for updates on issues and pending motions.

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Elections for Section Council Representatives are staggered among the Sections so that each year only a portion of the Section Council will be new. This provides for continuity between the Councils and for work on Council activities and projects.

Under the Representative-Elect structure, Sections will need to hold elections every two years. The newly elected representative serves the first year as the Representative-elect and this is a period of training. During the second-year the position takes full responsibilities as the Section’s Representative to Section Council. In the spring of that term, the next representative is elected and serves as Representative-Elective during the Representatives third and final year.

Currently Sections hold elections every three years and approximately one-third of the Sections hold elections each year. The change in the election frequency will require a change in when specific Sections hold their elections.

The following is the proposed method for implementation so section elections are evenly split between a two-year cycle. (2000/01 will be the year for implementing the new structure.

Sections scheduled to have elections in the implementation year (e.g. 2000) will hold elections only for Representatives. Representatives elected to serve that year will become full reps immediately (no representative-elect or training period) and will serve for three years. During the spring of the second term (e.g. 2002) the section will elect a Representative-elect who will start their first term after the annual meeting.

Sections scheduled for elections two years from the implementation date (e.g. 2002) will maintain their existing representatives during the first year of the restructuring and elect Representative-Elects during the next spring (e.g. 2001) who will start their first term after the annual meeting. The position of alternate will be eliminated during that year. The next election will be two years later or in the Spring 2003.

Sections scheduled for elections one year after the implementation will be split between two groups.

Group III-A will elect a Representative-elect in the Spring (e.g. 2000) and eliminate the current Alternate position. The Representative-elect will begin their term at the end of the Annual meeting held during the implementation year. Elections for the Representative-elect will be held two years later (e.g. 2002). This group’s elections will become part of the election schedule followed by the Sections in Group I.

Group III-B will maintain their existing Representative and Alternate during the first implementation year (e.g. 2000). In the following spring (e.g. 2001), Sections will only elect Representatives.

Representatives elected to serve that year will become full reps immediately (no representative-elect or training period) and will serve for three years. During the spring of the second term (e.g. 2003) the section will elect a Representative-elect who will start their first term after the annual meeting.

By the year 2003, all Sections will be holding elections every two-years for Representative-elects who will become full Representatives at the end of their first term. The Sections will be split so that approximately half of the Sections will hold elections one year, and the other half will hold elections the following year.

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Last updated on: December 5, 2001.