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Bylaws
of the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods
Scientific
Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM)
Responsibilities
of SWGDAM.......Membership, Terms, and
Vacancies
Executive Board Members' Responsibilities
Committees Empanelled by the Chairman.......Meetings
Conduct of Business.......Amendment
of Bylaws
The Scientific
Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM), formerly the Technical
Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods, has adopted the following
bylaws:
I.
Responsibilities of SWGDAM
A. The FBI
Director has charged SWGDAM with recommending revisions, as necessary,
to the Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic DNA Testing
Laboratories and the Quality Assurance Standards for Convicted
Offender DNA Databasing Laboratories.
B. SWGDAM
shall serve as a forum to discuss, share, and evaluate forensic
biology methods, protocols, training, and research to enhance
forensic biology services.
C. When necessary,
SWGDAM shall recommend and conduct research to develop and/or
validate forensic biology methods.
II.
Membership, Terms, and Vacancies
A. The membership
of SWGDAM shall consist of an Executive Board and regular members.
The term "member" shall be used to describe the Executive
Board and regular members.
B. The Executive
Board shall consist of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Executive
Secretary, and five members. All members of the Executive Board
shall have voting privileges, except the Executive Secretary.
1. The Chairman
shall be appointed by the FBI Director.
2. The Vice-Chairman
shall be appointed by the Chairman.
3. The Executive Secretary shall be appointed by the Chairman.
4. Executive
Board member selection
a. The
Chairman will nominate seven regular members to be placed
on an election ballot. The nominations will not include more
than two FBI regular members.
b. By
vote, the membership will select five of the nominated individuals.
The Chairman will vote in the event of a tie.
c. The
Executive Secretary and a two-member panel appointed by the
Chairman will count the ballots and report the results to
the Chairman. The Executive Secretary will record the results
of the election in the official minutes.
C. Regular
members shall be appointed by the Chairman based on the recommendation
of a Membership Committee.
1. The Membership
Committee shall consist of the Vice-Chairman and two Executive
Board members. The Membership Committee shall receive nominations,
in a form and manner determined by the Chairman, and make recommendations
to the Chairman for the regular member positions. The recommendations
shall, to the extent possible, provide representation from federal,
state, and local forensic laboratories as well as the geographic
regions of the United States (i.e., Northeast, Atlantic, South,
Midwest, Northwest, Southwest, and West).
2. Regular
members shall serve in a representational capacity of a federal,
state, or local forensic laboratory.
3. Regular
members shall have voting privileges.
D. The Chairman
may invite guests to participate in meetings. Invited guests shall
not be considered members of SWGDAM and shall have no voting privileges.
E. The term of the Chairman will be determined by the FBI Director.
The initial term for the Vice-Chairman, Executive Secretary, and
Executive Board members shall be three years. Regular members
shall be appointed for three-year terms. Subsequent terms of appointment
for all members shall be three years.
F. A vacancy
may occur as a result of the death of a member, resignation of
a member, resignation of a member from the federal, state, or
local forensic laboratory that nominated him/her, or completion
of a member's term. In the event of a member's absence from three
consecutive meetings without good cause, the Chairman may remove
that member from SWGDAM. A vacancy shall be filled in the manner
prescribed for the initial appointment of that member for the
remainder of that member's term.
III.
Executive Board Members' Responsibilities
A. The Chairman
shall manage the activities of the Board and perform all duties
incident to the office of Chair, including but not limited to,
scheduling meetings, preparing the agenda, presiding at meetings,
nominating Executive Board members, appointing regular members,
appointing committees, inviting guests to meetings, assigning
tasks to members or committees, acting as spokesperson for SWGDAM,
and forwarding recommendations on to the FBI Director.
B. The Vice-Chairman
shall serve as the Chairman and preside over meetings in the absence
of the Chairman, with the agenda set by the Chairman.
C. The Executive
Secretary shall perform duties assigned by the Chairman or the
Executive Board and shall perform all administrative duties incident
to the office of Executive Secretary, including but not limited
to, preparing summary minutes of the meetings, maintaining records
of meetings, and keeping custody of the records and communications
to SWGDAM. Staff provided by the FBI may assist the Executive
Secretary. The Executive Secretary will have no voting privileges.
D. The Executive
Board shall review and evaluate all recommendations made by SWGDAM
committees and vote on the recommendations. A majority of the
total number of members of the Executive Board (four) constitutes
a quorum. The affirmative vote of the majority of the members
of the Executive Board, at which a quorum is present, shall be
required to approve recommendations to be presented to the FBI
Director. A vote by the Executive Board shall be considered the
final action on a committee's recommendation.
IV.
Committees Empanelled by the Chairman
A. Committee
selection
1. The SWGDAM
Chairman will select the members of committees. Executive Committee
members may serve on committees but cannot serve as chairman
or cochairman.
2. The committee
will select a chairman and cochairman as their first order of
business by vote. The SWGDAM Chairman will vote in the event
of a tie.
B. All members
appointed by the SWGDAM Chairman to serve on a committee shall
have voting privileges with respect to committee business. A majority
of the total number of members of the committee constitutes a
quorum. The affirmative vote of the majority of the members of
a committee, at which a quorum is present, shall be an act of
the committee.
C. Committee
business
1. The committee
will report regularly to the membership on the status of their
delegated task(s).
2. The committee,
on completion of their task(s), will advise the SWGDAM Chairman.
3. The committee
will distribute a draft copy of the committee report to the
membership for technical review. The membership will have 30
working days to respond to the committee chairman. A technical
review is a written evaluation of the committee's findings and/or
report.
4. The committee
will make a final report to the SWGDAM membership after evaluating
the technical reviews.
5. The committee
will submit the final report to the Executive Board. Based on
the Executive Board's recommendations, following a successful
executive review, the SWGDAM Chairman will either:
a. Distribute
the completed report to the membership and place the topic
on the agenda for the next regularly scheduled SWGDAM meeting
for a majority vote.
or
b. Accept
the report and distribute, publish, or archive, as necessary,
without a membership vote.
6. Once
it is determined that all issues assigned to the committee by
the Chairman have been addressed, the committee shall be dissolved
by the SWGDAM Chairman.
V.
Meetings
A. SWGDAM
shall meet at least twice a year or as the Chairman directs.
B. All members
shall be notified of meetings as far in advance as feasible.
C. The FBI,
contingent on funding, shall make travel and lodging arrangements
for the members.
D. Executive
Board and regular members shall receive no compensation or honoraria
in lieu of salary or wages for time spent attending SWGDAM meetings
or working on SWGDAM business.
VI.
Conduct of Business
A. A majority
of the total number of members constitutes a quorum.
B. The affirmative
vote of the majority of the members, at which a quorum is present,
shall be an act of SWGDAM.
VII.
Amendment of Bylaws
A. Proposed
amendments to the bylaws shall be provided to members at least
30 days prior to the meeting at which they are to be voted on.
B. A majority
of the total number of members constitutes a quorum.
C. The affirmative
vote of two-thirds of the members, at which a quorum is present,
shall be required to approve amendments to the bylaws.
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