Constitution and By-laws
Article I: Name
The name of this organization shall be the Laboratory Animal Welfare Training Exchange (LAWTE).
Article II: Incorporation
Section 1. LAWTE shall be incorporated under the laws of the state of residence of the current Treasurer as a non-profit educational organization.
Section 2. The term for which it is organized shall be perpetual; however, in the event of dissolution of the corporation, it's property shall be distributed for educational purposes.
Section 1. This organization shall be a non-profit educational association of persons professionally concerned with laboratory animal welfare training issues.
Section 2. It shall promote fellowship and cooperation among those involved in training laboratory animal personnel in the proper care and use of these animals and the regulations and policies that govern this care and use.
Section 3. It shall cooperate with other professional organizations with related objectives in the exchange of information and coordination of effort in the area of animal welfare education and in the solution of problems peculiar to this field.
Section 4. It shall organize and make the necessary arrangements for a meeting of the membership on alternate years, and shall provide a Website and other means of fulfilling the overall objective of facilitating training in the area of laboratory animal welfare.
Article IV: Membership
Section 1. Membership in the organization shall be open to persons responsible for or who deliver training on the appropriate care and use of laboratory animals in research/educational institutions; the organization is an association of trainers, training coordinators and Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee administrators.
Section 2. Application of individuals shall be made by providing all information requested in the official membership application, either in hardcopy or electronically, and paying dues. All applications from new members must be endorsed by either a current member of LAWTE or by a member of AALAS (the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science) , and must be reviewed and approved by the Executive Committee.
Section 3. Professional organizations with related objectives, and which support the use of animals in research, may apply for membership by submitting a letter describing their organization and mission for consideration and review by the Executive Committee. Organizational members shall be exempt from payment of dues.
Section 4. An individual member, in good standing, shall enjoy all of the rights and privileges of the organization including participation in meetings, voting and holding office as provided in the Constitution and By-laws. Organizational members will receive all correspondence and may participate in meetings, but may not vote or hold office.
Section 5. A member may be expelled for actions considered contrary to the objective of this organization. Charges of adverse actions must be submitted in writing. A member so charged shall be given a hearing before the Executive Committee. If a majority of this group agrees that the charges are supported by the evidence presented, the membership will be revoked.
Article V: Officers
Section 1. The officers of the organization shall be a President, Past-President, Secretary and Treasurer. The term of office shall be for two years, with elections to be held no less than six weeks prior to the biennial meeting.
Section 2. Nominations for officers will be solicited from the general membership biennially, two months prior to the scheduled election. Nominees must be active members in good standing. Officers shall be elected by a vote of the entire membership.
Section 3. Ballots shall be mailed by the Secretary to the entire membership. Ballots shall be returned by mail to the Secretary and only ballots returned to the Secretary by the stated deadline on the ballot shall be counted. The results of the elections shall be announced at the biennial meeting, and the new officers will assume their duties January 1 of the following year.
Section 4. The term of office for each officer shall be for two years, from January 1 of one year to December 31 of the following year.
Section 5. During the absence, incapacity or disability of the President, the Past-President shall exercise all the functions of the President and when so acting, shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the duties of and restrictions upon the President. In the event that the office of the President becomes vacant, the Past-President shall succeed to that office for the remainder of the President's term or until an election can be held. A new President shall be elected at the next scheduled election.
Section 6. The Secretary, to be elected by a vote of the general membership, shall:
i. Keep the minutes of the meetings of the Executive Committee.
ii. Maintain the historical files for the organization and update the membership directory as necessary.
iii. Send notices of scheduled meetings to the Executive Committee or general membership.
iv. At the end of his/her term of office, submit a report on the activities of the organization over the two-year period, including a report of the biennial meeting.
v. Conduct the voting among the LAWTE membership for new officers in the succeeding term (President, Treasurer and Secretary).
Section 7. The Treasurer, to be elected by a vote of the general membership, shall:
i. Receive membership dues and all other monies of the organization.
ii. Pay all obligations of the organization as authorized or approved by the Executive Committee.
iii. File all applicable tax forms with the State and the Federal governments, following approval of said forms by the Executive Committee.
iv. Have charge of the financial records of the organization and shall present to the Executive Committee at each meeting thereof a statement of the current income and expenses.
v. Following the end of the fiscal year, submit a financial report showing income and expenses for the fiscal year in which they held the office.
Section 8. The President, except where otherwise directed by the Executive Committee, shall be the chief executive officer of the organization. The President shall:
i. Preside over all meetings of the organization and the Executive Committee.
ii. Administer the affairs of the organization according to the Constitution and By-laws and the policies enunciated by the Executive Committee.
iii. Notify members of the Executive Committee of meetings thereof and present to the Executive Committee all matters requiring their action.
iv. Serve as Program Chairperson for the General LAWTE Meeting during the President's term of office.
v. Oversee the voting among the LAWTE membership for new officers in the succeeding term (President, Treasurer and Secretary).
Section 9. The Past-President shall:
i. Serve as Vice-Chairperson for the General LAWTE Meeting during the President-Elect's term of office.
Section 10. In case of any vacancy in the Executive Committee, the remaining officers may at any meeting of the Executive Committee elect a successor to hold office for the unexpired term of the officer whose place shall be vacant.
Article VI: Administration
Section 1. The Executive Committee, composed of the four Officers, shall be the administrative body of this organization. It shall have charge of the property and financial affairs of the organization and shall perform such duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the By-laws.
Section 2. The President of the organization shall be the chairperson of the Executive Committee. Three members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Section 3. The Executive Committee shall:
i. Establish and recommend amendments to the By-laws as provided herein.
ii. Establish policy and provide guidance for the organization.
iii. Conduct all business of the organization except as otherwise provided by the Constitution and By-laws.
iv. Serve as the foundation of a Program Committee responsible for the organization of the biennial meeting.
Article VII - Committees
Section 1. This organization shall have such committees as may be specified from time to time by the Executive Committee.
Section 2. The President, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee, shall appoint the chairpersons of all committees, except as otherwise provided in these By-laws.
Section 3. The Program Committee shall consist of a Chairperson, who shall be the current President, and a Vice-Chairperson, who shall be the Past-President, with the remainder of the Executive Committee and other interested individuals from the general membership serving as members. The Program Committee shall be responsible for determining the program and location of the biennial meeting of the general membership.
Article VIII - Dues
Individual members shall pay dues as established by the Executive Committee.
Article IX - Meetings
At least two meetings of the Executive Committee will be held annually. Typically, these will be held by teleconference but may also include a convened meeting at a national conference attended by a quorum of Committee members. One meeting for the general membership will be held biennially.
Article X: Amendments
The Executive Committee may recommend amendments to the Constitution and By-laws, but they must be approved by a majority affirmative vote of the general membership; this shall be two-thirds of those voting, provided that at least one-third of the membership shall vote on the issue.
Revised 1/04/00