The name of the Association shall be the National Association of Sentencing Commissions and shall be referred to hereinafter as the "NASC."
The Association shall be charted and incorporated as a nonprofit organization under the laws of the State of Delaware. The Association shall not have as its purpose pecuniary gain or profit, incidental or otherwise, for any of its members.
The duration of the Association shall be perpetual.
The Association may solicit and receive funds and grants to aid in carrying out its aims and purposes. No funds shall be received without the expressed authorization of the Executive Committee.
ASSOCIATION MISSION
The mission of the Association is to facilitate the exchange and sharing of information ideas, data, expertise, and experiences and to educate on issues related to sentencing policies, sentencing guidelines, and sentencing commissions.
MEMBERSHIP
Membership is open to any individual who works or serves on a sentencing commission or similar governmental body charged with sentencing policy responsibilities, or works for any other government agency directly involved in the development of state or federal policy, and any other academic, public or private employee, student, or other individual interested in sentencing.
MEMBERSHIP DUES
The Executive Committee may designate dues for all categories of membership payable on the anniversary date of membership each year. The amount of dues and the method of payment shall be determined by the Executive Committee and may be changed from time to time as necessary.
Any member in arrears for non-payment of dues in excess of six months shall be removed from the membership.
The Treasurer shall be responsible for the collection of dues and for the accounting of all monies received and expended.
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
There shall be a meeting of the full membership each year. At the annual meeting, the members of the Executive Committee shall be elected and installed and the members of all other Committees shall be appointed. At the annual meeting, the site and time for the Association's next annual meeting shall be recommended by the Executive Committee and approved by the voting membership. Each member of NASC shall have a vote on all matters before the membership.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Executive Committee of the Association shall consist of seven voting members elected from the membership at each annual meeting. The Executive Committee shall include a Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and members at large. The United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) shall select a representative of the USSC to serve as an ex-officio member on the Executive Committee when one is not on the Executive Committee. In addition, the Chair of the Program Committee, if not on the Executive Committee, shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee. Members of the Executive Committee must be either current or former staff or members of a sentencing commission or similar governmental body. Each state and the United States Sentencing Commission shall have no more than a single member serving on the Executive Committee.
Nominations for the Executive Committee shall be made by the voting membership except for the first election of the Executive Committee. For the first election of the Executive Committee, nominations shall be made by a Nominating Committee selected by the interim Executive Committee. Election shall be by written ballot and voting members may vote for as many nominees as there are vacancies. Nominees receiving the most votes shall serve on the Committee.
Following adoption of the bylaws, the four members of the initial Executive Committee who receive the most votes shall serve three year terms and the remaining three members shall serve two year terms. All subsequent terms will be for two years. No member of the Executive Committee shall serve more than two consecutive terms.
The Executive Committee shall elect a chair and vice-chair to serve in a leadership capacity. The Executive Committee shall elect a treasurer to manage the Association's finances. The Executive Committee shall elect a secretary to maintain records of the Association's business.
The Executive Committee shall conduct the business of the Association. The principal duties of the Committee will be to manage the budget and finances of the Association, establish committees as needed, and appoint a Program Committee to plan the annual membership meeting.
When a vacancy occurs in the Chair, the Vice-Chair shall assume the capacity of the chair for the balance of the term. The Chair of the Executive Committee will preside at all Executive Committee meetings.
The Executive Committee shall act on behalf of the Association and shall have such powers as authorized in the bylaws.
The Executive Committee shall meet at least twice each year. One meeting will be at the annual membership meeting for the purpose of organization, approval of committees, review and approval of the budget, and other business as necessary. At this meeting, the Executive Committee shall also recommended a site for the next annual membership meeting. The second meeting shall be held between annual membership meetings to review the preceding year and to prepare for the next annual membership meeting. The Chair of the Executive Committee may call additional meetings as needed. The meeting requirements of this section may be satisfied by telecommunications conference.
The Executive Committee SHALL APPROVE AN ANNUAL BUDGET NO LATER THAN THE FIRST MEETING OF THE CAlendar year. The fiscal year shall be established as January 1 through December 31 of each year.
The Executive Committee may expend such funds within the approved budget as necessary for the operations of the Association including the hiring staff and/or the contracting of outside services.
Quorums for the Executive Committee meeting require a majority of the Executive Committee members to be present and all actions taken by the Executive Committee must be approved by a majority of the members constituting a quorum. For purposes of this section, members participating by telecommunications conference are considered to be present.
OTHER COMMITTEES
In addition to the Executive Committee, the Association shall maintain a Program Committee and may create additional committees as necessary to carry out the business of the Association. Any member of the Association may serve on these committees.
The Executive Committee shall annually appoint a Program Committee and Chair. The Program Committee shall have a minimum of three members. The Chair of the Program Committee shall be a representative of the host site, if possible. The Program Committee shall:
a. plan, coordinate and host the annual membership meeting;
b. prepare the program content for the annual membership meeting; and
c. recommend to the Treasurer a budget for the annual membership meeting.
The Executive Committee may appoint additional committees as requested by the membership. Any member of the Association may request that the Executive Committee appoint additional committees to address issues relevant to the Association and to make recommendations for review by the membership.
The Chair of the Executive Committee shall:
a. preside at all meetings of the Association and the Executive
Committee;
b. serve as an ex-officio member of all committees;
c.
approve, in conjunction with the Treasurer, all vouchers for disbursements from
any fund of the Association;
d. appoint, with the approval of the Executive
Committee, any vacancies occurring in the Executive Committee or other
committees;
e. appoint the chairs of all committees;
f. have the power to
initiate additional meetings of the Executive Committee; and
g. plan the
agenda for all Executive Committee meetings in consultation with the
Vice-Chair.
The Vice-Chair shall:
a. preside at Association meetings in the absence of the Chair;
b.
chair the Executive Committee in the absence of the Chair;
c. serve as a
member of the Executive Committee;
d. serve as the acting Chair, if the
Chair should become vacant, for the balance of the term of the Chair;
e.
serve as an ex-officio member of all committees; and
f. plan the agenda for
all regularly scheduled Executive Committee meetings in consultation with the
Chair.
The Treasurer shall:
a. receive, maintain accurate records of, and bank all monies due the
Association;
b. notify all members when their dues are in arrears;
c.
submit a written financial report to the Executive Committee at every regularly
scheduled meeting and shall make a financial report to the full membership at
the annual meeting;
d. expend Association funds as prescribed in the bylaws
and by specific Executive Committee actions;
e. submit the Association's
financial books for a financial report;
f. develop a yearly budget for the
Association;
g. prepare an annual financial summary statement, which will be
forwarded with records to the incoming Treasurer; and
h. prepare and submit
all financial reports as required by law.
The Secretary shall:
a. record and maintain the minutes of all Executive Committee meetings
and the Association's business meeting at the annual membership meeting;
b.
serve as a custodian of all Association documents; and
c. maintain a current
membership list.
AMENDMENTS
These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the voting membership present at the annual membership meeting.