International Heteropterists’ Society Bylaws

Article I. Name

The name of the organization is “The International Heteropterists’ Society.”

Article II. Objectives

The objectives of the Society are to promote study of the systematics and biology of Heteroptera and to cultivate mutually advantageous relations among persons and institutions in any way interested in Heteroptera. The Society is organized and operated exclusively for scientific and educations purposes.

Article III. Membership

Section 1. Membership shall be open to any person with an interest in Heteroptera. Membership categories are: regular, life, sustaining, emeritus and honorary.

Section 2. Applications for membership shall be made to the Treasurer. They shall be accompanied by brief statements of qualification and/or interests. The name of each electee shall be reported on the World Wide Web/Bulletin Board; and, in the absence of adverse notice from the members in good standing, the electee’s name shall be approved and added to the membership list on the aforementioned media after a maximum period of one calendar month.

Section 3. Regular members are individuals who pay annual fees to the Society.

Section 4. Life members are regular members who make a one time contribution of twenty-five (25) times the current annual fee.

Section 5. Sustaining members are regular members who pay an annual fee of five (5) times the current annual fee.

Section 6. Members of 15 years or more standing not in arrears for dues or otherwise indebted to the Society when retiring from income-producing employment, may request, and be continued, with approval from the Executive Committee, as Emeritus Members without payment of dues. Members thus relieved of the payment of dues will not receive publications produced by the Society.

Section 7. The Society may elect Honorary Members in recognition of long and meritorious effort in the advancement of heteropterology. Such recognition shall require unanimously approval by the Executive Committee and two-thirds vote of members present at any regular meeting. Honorary Members shall be elected for life, shall pay no fees, and shall be accorded all privileges of members. The number of Honorary Members carried concurrently on the membership roll shall not exceed three.

Section 8. A membership list shall be maintained continuously on the World Wide Web and/or Society bulletin board.

Article IV. Fees

Section 1. The annual fees, which include membership dues and subscription fee, shall be payable by January 1. The annual membership rate is $20.00 (US) for regular members, $10 (US) for students as of January 1st. This amount may be changed by the Executive Committee.

Section 2. The Treasurer shall notify those members one year in arrears for fees. If fees have not been paid one month after notice has been sent, the member’s name shall be removed from the mailing list from the World Wide Web and/or Society bulletin board.

Section 3. A member shall be considered to be one year in arrears if he/she has not paid his/her fees by January of the year in which they are payable.

Section 4. Members dropped for non-payment of fees, or those who have resigned, may be reinstated by payment of fees for the current year and by payment at membership rate for all copies of any publications or electronic media products.

Article V. Officers

Section 1. The elected Officers of the Society, shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Treasurer, a Secretary, an Archivist, a Publication Editor, and Program Chair. Officers will be elected for a period of 4 years. Additional officers may include an Associate editor and an Internet/Bulletin Board Manager.

Section 2. The President will chair the meetings of the Society. The President will appoint any standing or special committees whose services are required in the interests of the Society.

Section 3. The President-Elect shall automatically succeed to the Presidency at the close of the international meetings of the Society, or whenever the President is unable to complete his/her term of office.

Section 4. The Secretary shall make a record of the business meetings of the Society at each of the international meetings. The secretary shall submit a record of these meetings to the Internet and Publications Editors for publication and dissemination.

Section 5. The Archivist shall have charge over the reserve stock of the Society’s publications, shall make such sales as lie within the interests of the Society, and shall be responsible for preserving such records, papers, or items of the Society as shall be deemed necessary by the Executive Committee (see below).

Section 6. The Treasurer shall have charge of and be responsible for all funds and investments of the Society, shall make routine disbursements, shall maintain the mailing list of members and subscribers together with their addresses, and shall be responsible for the communication of the financial position of the Society. Unusual disbursements and investments shall be made only at the direction of the Executive Committee. He/she shall collect all sums due to the Society from any source, notify all members and subscribers who are in arrears, and shall present to the Executive Committee an annual report on the financial status of the Society and conduct such correspondence as is necessary to carry out these duties. The fiscal year of the Society shall be January 1 to the following December 31. The Treasurer shall close his/her books at the end of the fiscal year.

Section 7. The Publication Editor shall be responsible for editing all publications of the Society and shall conduct such business as is necessary to carry out this responsibility. Publication is used to mean electronic as well as printed.

Section 8. The Associate Editor, who shall automatically succeed to the Editorship, shall normally be elected one year prior to the termination of service by the Editor.

Section 9. The Internet/Bulletin Board Manager shall have charge over the World Wide Web Home Page and the Bulletin Board and shall be responsible for overseeing any staff associated with the Home Page and Bulletin Board.

Section 10. The Program Chair shall be responsible for arranging the program of international meeting of the Society.

Article VI. Executive Committee

Section 1. The activities of the Society shall be guided by an Executive Committee. The Committee membership shall consist of all officers and the last available past president.

Section 2. The Executive Committee shall assume the responsibility for, and shall conduct the activities of, the Society, direct finances, and provide for meetings and publications. The Committee will resolve questions regarding the content of the Internet site and Bulletin Board. As provided elsewhere in the Bylaws, the Committee shall report fully to the Society annually, on its conduct of the Society’s business, either through the different officers or by a specially approved representative. The report shall include an approved audit of the Treasurer’s accounts. The Committee shall also consider and present to the Society proposals for changes or improvements, and shall transact all other business requiring attention and not otherwise assigned. This will include a report of officers.

Section 3. The Executive Committee shall hold such meetings as are required to transact the business of the Society during the year. These can be conducted by electronic mail, telephone, or other methods. Other meetings of the Executive Committee may be called at any time by the President, his/her substitute, or any three members of the committee other than the presiding officer. The presence of four members of the Executive Committee at any meeting shall establish a quorum.

Article VII. Society Committees

Section 1. Committees of the Society shall consist of the Program Committee, Publication Committee, and the Nominating Committee. New non-elective members of these committees shall be appointed by the incoming President of each year.

Section 2. The Program Committee will consist of at least three members whose responsibilities are to organize the international meeting.

Section 3. The Nominating Committee of three members shall prepare a list of candidates comprising one nominee for each office, except the office of President, for presentation to the membership at the international meetings.

Section 4. The Publication Committee shall consist of three members and shall offer advice and consent regarding Society publication projects.

Article VIII. Meetings

Section 1. The Society will have a general business meeting and conference every four years. The business meeting will be chaired by the President.

Section 2. The Executive Committee will meet as required and business can be conducted through electronic means. Business meetings conducted by electronic mail will require a quorum of six members of the Executive Committee. Business meetings will be conducted as follows:

Section 3. The order of business at the general meeting of the international conference shall be as follows:

  1. Reading and approval of minutes.
  2. Presentation by the President of a summary report on the state of the Society and the work of the retiring officers.
  3. Election of new officers.
  4. Miscellaneous business.
  5. Presentation of announced topics.
  6. Installation of newly elected President
  7. Adjournment.

Article IX. Publications

Section 1. The Society may publish a journal. It will contain the Proceedings of the Society and such papers as are accepted for publication in it, or other special publications as may be deemed desirable. Each member in good standing, except Emeritus Members, is entitled to one copy of each issue of the Proceedings.

Section 2. Financial support of the Proceedings shall be provided by subscription revenues, from the sale of complete or partial sets of the Proceedings, from the fees of life and sustaining membership, from editorial charges, and from such other funds as the Executive Committee shall determine.

Section 3. The publications of the Society shall be of the highest quality and content. To ensure this the Editor shall require review of all manuscripts before their acceptance for publication.

Article X. Electronic Media

A World Wide Web Home page shall consist of a newsletter, which shall contain current activities of its members, announcement of meetings, listing of research opportunities and the like. The site will include various products that will be available freely to all members. These will include a membership list, biographical sketches, bibliographies, catalogs, etc.

Article XI. Dissolution

If the Society should be dissolved or terminated, all its assets remaining after payment of all liabilities of the Society shall be transferred by the Executive Committee and approved by the membership of the Society, to one or more nonprofit organizations that have scientific and educational purposes, preferably with the same object as the Society.

Article XII. Limitation and General Prohibitions

Section 1. The objectives of the Society are listed in Article II of the Bylaws. Lobbying or activities specifically designed to influence legislation are not among the objectives of the Society and no official group within the Society shall engage in such activity.

Section 2. Unless otherwise stated in the Bylaws:

a. no part of the net earnings of the Society shall be used for the private benefit of any member or other individual;
b. the Society shall not be organized or operated for profit;
c. the Society shall not:

  1. lend any part of its income or corpus without the receipt of adequate security and a reasonable rate of interest;
  2. pay any compensation, in excess of a reasonable allowance for salaries or other compensation for personal services actually rendered;
  3. make any part of its services available on preferential bases;
  4. make any purchase of securities or any other property for more than adequate consideration;
  5. sell any securities or other property for less than adequate consideration.

Article XIII. Amendments

These Bylaws may be amended at any general business meeting at the International conferences by a two-thirds vote of the members voting, if the total number voting represents a quorum, provided that such amendment has been passed by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee and presented to the membership in written or electronic form prior to the meeting at which the vote is taken.

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