Bylaws

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Association of Court Trainers (A.C.T.).

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

The Association is dedicated to promoting excellence in public service by developing and coordinating quality training for all court personnel.

ARTICLE III: GOALS

SECTION 1: Provide leadership and mentoring in the field of training and development in order to assist courts which are creating or expanding their training programs.

SECTION 2: Promote and provide a means for the dissemination and exchange of knowledge and skill, and encourage the value of training and development to California Courts.

SECTION 3: Encourage the participation and affiliation of individuals or groups concerned with specialized areas of activity of interests within the field of court training and activities.

ARTICLE IV: ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1: An active member shall be a person who is associated with training related activities, linked to the training function, and an employee of any local, state or federal court, or Judicial Council.

SECTION 2: An active member shall attend at least two meetings per year.

SECTION 3: An active member shall have full voting rights.

ARTICLE V: ASSOCIATE MEMBER

SECTION 1: An associate member shall be a person who is associated with training related activities, linked to the training function, and an employee of any local, state or federal court, or Judicial Council.

SECTION 2: An associate member will be designated as a member who attends fewer than two meetings per year.

SECTION 3: An associate member will not have voting rights.

SECTION 4: An associate member will receive all correspondence and training materials upon written request to the secretary.

ARTICLE VI: OFFICERS

SECTION 1: There shall be five elected officers: president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and webmaster.

SECTION 2: The officers shall be elected biannually by a majority of active members and hold office for two calendar years or until a successor is chosen.

SECTION 3: Duties of the officers shall be:

A: President. The president shall preside at all meetings and activities of the Association, be ex-officio member of all committees, represent and/or act as the liaison for the Association with other agencies and associations, and perform such other duties as pertain to the office.

B: Vice-President. The vice-president shall be ex-officio member of the standing committees, perform such other duties as are assigned by the president, and in the absence of the president, shall assume the duties of the president.

C: Secretary. The secretary shall be ex-officio member of the standing committees, keep minutes of the Association, and have charge of all records pertaining to the Association. The secretary shall develop, with input from the president, agendas for each meeting and distribute both the agendas and minutes to A.C.T. members and affiliated associations.

D: Treasurer. The treasurer shall have charge of the Association funds, deposit money in such bank(s) as approved by the Executive Committee, and act as custodian of the official financial records of the Association. The treasurer shall be ex-officio member of the standing committees and chair any finance committees, assist in the preparation of the budget, help develop fundraising plans, and provide financial reports as needed.

E: Webmaster. The webmaster shall develop, with input from the Executive Committee and members, items for posting on the ACT web site; shall obey the terms of all applicable license and copyright rules for all postings and web links; and shall maintain postings in a timely manner to ensure the accuracy of posted information.

ARTICLE VII: NOMINATING COMMITTEE

SECTION 1: The nominating committee for officers shall be appointed by the president (or designee) at the mid-year meeting.

SECTION 2: The nominating committee shall consist of three (3) active members not currently serving as officers.

SECTION 3: The nominating committee shall receive written nominations submitted (and agreed to by nominees) from active members.

SECTION 4: The nominating committee shall receive completed ballots either by mail or hand delivery prior to the commencement of the year-end meeting. They will be tallied and the results announced at the year-end meeting.

ARTICLE VIII: MEETINGS

SECTION 1: Regular meetings shall be held quarterly. The hosting court will select the day of the week for the meeting.

SECTION 2: The secretary shall mail notices of meetings at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting.

SECTION 3: A quorum for the purpose of a business meeting of this organization shall consist of 30% of the active members. For purposes of a quorum, a member shall be deemed present if attending via a teleconference or videoconference call.

ARTICLE IX: COMMITTEES

SECTION 1: A standing committee is a committee that functions year around and may not be eliminated except by amendment to these Bylaws. Committee chairs shall be appointed by the committee at the first meeting. If no chair is appointed, the president will appoint the committee chair.

SECTION 2: Standing committees shall include:

A: Planning and Training;

B: Publicity

SECTION 3: Duties of the standing committees:

A: Planning and Training. The planning and training committee shall submit short- and long-term annual training objectives and coordinate training programs provided for association members. A training agenda shall be adopted by the association annually.

B: Publicity. The publicity committee shall work to build membership and promote the association to other public agencies.

ARTICLE X: NON-DISCRIMINATION

It shall be the practice of A.C.T. to encourage and assure membership in the Association without regard to race, creed, age, national origin, gender, marital status, physical ability, religious affiliation, political affiliation, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or education.

ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1: These bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the active membership in attendance at any regular meeting.

SECTION 2: Proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to the secretary at least three weeks before a regular meeting. The secretary shall mail a copy of the proposed amendments with the agenda of the next regular meeting to all active members.

STANDING RULES

The use of e-mail and/or other electronic means of distribution shall satisfy the requirements when “mailing” is specified by these bylaws. When no electronic means are available, a physical delivery system shall be used.