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Bylaws

Article 1. NAME. The official name of this Section shall be “Policy Section of the Ecological Society of America.”

Article 2. The objectives of this Section shall be to (1) foster interaction among ecologists that have worked or currently work in public policy positions, or have the desire to communicate with those members that do have public policy experience; (2) form a database of members that have policy experience that can be utilized by the Governing Board, ESA Sections and Chapters, Public Affairs, Science, and Education Offices, and standing ESA committees; (3) facilitate collaborative links among members through symposia, organized oral sessions, special sessions, and social events in Washington DC and regionally; and (4) work with the PAO to facilitate the participation of students in training exercises and one-on-one interactions with policy makers. The Policy Section shall be a subdivision of the Ecological Society of America and shall be governed in all of its operations by the Constitution and Bylaws of that Society.

Article 3. MEMBERSHIP. Any member of the Ecological Society of America may become a member of the Policy Section upon payment of the designated dues.

Article 4. OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS. The officers of the Section shall be a Chairperson, a Chairperson-Elect, and a Secretary. Any members nominated by email thirty days before the elections shall be eligible for nomination as an officer. Officers will be selected by a majority of members voting via email when solicited by the executive committee of the Section.

Article 5. DUTIES OF THE CHAIRPERSON. The Chairperson shall preside at the business meeting of the Section, shall authorize expenditures of Section funds, and shall promote in every reasonable way the interests of the Section. The Chairperson shall serve for a term of one year and shall be eligible for reelection. The Chairperson shall represent the Section on the Council of the Society, and shall appoint committees as required to promote the interests of the Section. Such committees shall serve until the next annual meeting of the Section and may be reappointed at the discretion of the Chairperson.  The Chairperson may appoint a Webmaster.

Article 6. DUTIES OF THE CHAIRPERSON-ELECT. The Chairperson-Elect shall arrange the program for all meetings and activities of the Section, and shall assume the duties of the Chairperson whenever that person is unable to act. The Chairperson-Elect is to assume the position of the Chairperson after one year’s duty unless the active Chairperson is reelected. The Chairperson-Elect shall serve for a term of one year and shall be eligible for reelection.

Article 7. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY. The Secretary shall keep the records of the Section, including a current membership and mailing list. The Secretary will communicate Section activities through an electronic newsletter. The Secretary shall serve for a term of one year, and shall be eligible for reelection.

Article 8. FINANCES. Necessary expenses of the Section shall be paid from the treasury of the Society, but in no year shall the total expenses of the Section exceed the sum of the amount allotted for this purpose in the annual budget of the Society plus the amount, if any, collected as dues by the Society on behalf of the Section. No officer or member of the Section shall have authority to incur expenses in the name of the Society, except as specified above.

Article 9. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. A Section Executive Committee, consisting of the officers of the Section, may act on behalf of the Section during intervals between annual meetings.

Article 10. MEETINGS. The Section shall either meet with the Society at their annual meeting, or may organize Section meetings at other times and places at the call of the Executive Committee, or when requested by ten members of the Section. A business meeting of the Section shall be held at the annual meeting and the members present shall constitute a quorum. Notice of the annual meeting shall be given each member of the Section at least sixty days in advance of each annual meeting, and it is understood that publication of a notice of the meeting in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America shall constitute adequate notice.

Article 11. AMENDMENTS. These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members consulted by electronic means, provided that notice of the proposed amendment has been supplied to the members of the Section at least thirty days prior to consultation.

Article 12.  SECTION REVIEW. The purpose of the Section should be reviewed and renewed every five years by two-thirds vote of those members present at any annual meeting of the Section, provided that notice has been given to all members sixty days in advance, or by a two-thirds vote in a ballot sent to all Section members.