CONSTITUTION OF THE
ARTICLE I. NAME
SECTION 1. - This Association shall be known as The Pennsylvania Association for Thoracic Surgery.
ARTICLE II. OBJECT
SECTION 1. - The object of the Association shall be to encourage and stimulate investigation and study that will increase the knowledge of intrathoracic physiology, pathology, and therapy, to correlate such knowledge and disseminate it, and to act as a common bond for physicians practicing this specialty and represent them in problems related thereto.
SECTION 2. - To attain this object, the Association shall hold at least one scientific meeting each year and shall undertake such other activities as the Council or Association as a whole may decide.
ARTICLE
SECTION 1. - There shall be four classes of membership: Active, Senior, Candidate and Honorary. Admission to membership in the Association shall be by election. The qualifications for membership shall be determined by the By-Laws. Only Active and Senior members have the privilege of voting. Only Active members may hold elective office.
SECTION 2. - Election of Active, Senior and Honorary members shall be for life, subject to the provisions of Section 3, following.
SECTION 3. - Members in good standing may voluntarily terminate Membership at any time. The Council, acting as a Board of Censors, may recommend the expulsion of a member on the grounds of moral or professional delinquency, and submit his name, together with the grounds of complaint, to the Association as a whole at any of the regularly convened meetings, after giving the member so accused ample opportunity to appear in his own behalf.
ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS
SECTION 1. - The officers of the Association shall be a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, a Treasurer and three Councilors. These seven officers and councilors shall be the governing body of the Association, and shall have full power to act on all matters, except as follows:
1. They may not alter annual dues, nor levy and general assessments against the membership, except that they may, in individual cases, remit annual dues or assessments.
2. They may in no ways change the Constitution or the By-Laws.
3. They may neither elect new members nor alter the status or existing members, other than to apply the provisions of Article
SECTION 2. - Officers and Councilors shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Association, and shall take office upon the conclusion of the meeting. The President and Vice President shall be elected for a one-year term of office and neither may be re-elected to succeed himself in the same office. The Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected for a one-year term of office and may be re-elected. The outgoing President shall automatically become a Councilor for a one-year term of office. The other two Councilors shall be elected one each year, for a two-year term of office, but no Councilor may be re-elected to succeed himself.
SECTION 3. - Vacancies occurring among the officers and councilors during the year shall be temporarily filled by action of the Council, subject to approval of the Association at the next regularly convened meeting.
ARTICLE V. COMMITTEES
SECTION 1. - At the opening session of the annual meeting, the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee of three, preferably from among the past-presidents of the organization. This Nominating Committee shall select a slate of officers to be voted on in the closing session of the annual meeting.
SECTION 2. - The Council is empowered to appoint a Membership Committee, a Necrology Committee, an Auditing Committee, a Program Committee, an Economics Committee, and such other committees as may in its opinion be necessary. All such committees shall render their report at the executive session of the Association.
SECTION 3. - The Association as a whole may authorize the Council to appoint scientific or research committees for the purpose of investigating thoracic problems and may authorize the Council to support financially such committees to a limited degree.
ARTICLE VI. FINANCES
SECTION 1. - The fiscal year of the Association shall run from the beginning of one annual meeting to the beginning of the next annual meeting. The books of the Association shall be kept and audited on this basis.
SECTION 2. - The membership shall contribute to the financial maintenance of the Association through the medium of annual dues and special assessments. The amount of annual dues shall be determined by the By-Laws.
SECTION 3. - To meet the current expenses of the Association, there shall be available all revenue derived from annual dues, special assessments, and any other income to the Association.
ARTICLE
SECTION 1. - The Council and the provisions of the By-Laws shall determine the time, place, duration, and proc
SECTION 2. - A special meeting of the Association may be called on one month’s notice at the written request of twenty-five percent of the members. The specific purposes of the meeting must be stated in the request and in the official call for the meeting.
ARTICLE VIII. AMENDMENTS
SECTION 1. - This Constitution shall in no ways be changed except by a three-fourths vote of the members present at an annual meeting, and further provided that the proposed alteration or amendment shall have been moved and seconded at a previous annual meeting, and that copies of the suggested alteration or amendment shall have been circulated among the members, and that the members shall have been specifically advised that such alteration or amendment will be voted upon.
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I.
SECTION 1. - These By-Laws shall merely interpret the Constitution and specifically apply its principles. They shall set forth no principles not included in the Constitution.
ARTICLE II.
SECTION 1. - The Council may set the length of time for the presentation and discussion of scientific papers.
SECTION 2. - Members are urged to cooperate with all committees of the Association.
SECTION 3. - Attendance at annual meetings is expected.
SECTION 4. - While the scientific session of the annual meeting is held primarily for the benefit of the members of the Association, it may be thrown open to non-members who are able to submit satisfactory credentials, who register in a specific manner, and who pay such registration fee as may be determined by the Council from year to year.
ARTICLE
SECTION 1. - Applicants for membership in this Association must have completed a formal thoracic surgical training program recognized by The American Board of Thoracic Surgery. Applicants must be formally nominated and seconded, in an approved manner, by at least two Active or Senior Members. The Membership Committee must approve the application for membership and the names presented to the Association at a regularly convened annual meeting for final action.
SECTION 2. - There is no limit to the number of Active Members.
SECTION 3. - Active Members may become Senior Members upon specific request at age 65 or older, at retirement or when incapacitated by illness.
SECTION 4. - The Candidate Membership Group is for residents interested in becoming active members. They are encouraged to attend and participate in the Annual meetings. They are exempt from annual dues and voting. Residents will progress to Active Membership status upon completion of their training.
SECTION 5. - Honorary Membership shall be reserved for such distinguished persons as may be deemed worthy of this honor by the Council with concurrence of the Association.
SECTION 6. - The report of the Membership Committee shall be rendered at the annual executive session of the Association.
ARTICLE IV.
SECTION 1. - The President of the Association shall perform all duties customarily pertaining to the office of the President. He shall preside at meetings of the Association and Council. The President shall be elected from the Active Members of the Association.
SECTION 2. - The Vice President of the Association shall perform all duties customarily pertaining to the office of Vice President. The Vice President shall be elected from the Active Members of the Association.
SECTION 3. - The Secretary of the Association shall perform all duties customarily pertaining to the office of Secretary. The Secretary shall be elected from the Active Members of the Association.
SECTION 4. - The Treasurer of the Association shall perform all duties customarily pertaining to the office of Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be elected from the Active Members of the Association.
SECTION 5. - The Councilors of the Association shall hold office as specified in the Constitution. They shall be elected from the Active Members of the Association.
SECTION 6. - In the event of a vacancy occurring in the office of President, the Council shall advance the Vice President to the Presidency and appoint a new Vice President under the provisions of Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution.
ARTICLE V.
SECTION 1. - The Membership Committee shall consist of five Active Members appointed in accordance with the provisions of Article V, Section 2, of the Constitution. The Council may appoint no more than one of its own members to serve on this committee. The duties of the Membership Committee are to investigate all candidates for membership in the Association and
to report their findings to the Council. Appointment to this committee shall be for a period of one year and not more than three of the members may be re-appointed to succeed themselves. A member may not serve more than two years in succession unless he is to serve as Chairman of the committee in his third and fourth years.
SECTION 2. - The Auditing Committee shall consist of three Active or Senior Members appointed in accordance with the provisions of Article V, Section 2, of the Constitution. None of these may be selected from the officers or councilors of the Association. Their duty shall be to audit the accounts of the Association at the end of each fiscal year and render their report to the Association. Appointments to this committee shall be made for a one-year term.
SECTION 3. - The Program Committee shall consist of three or more members, chosen from the Active Membership. The President and Secretary shall be ex officio members of this committee.
SECTION 4. - The Economics Committee shall consist of five members chosen from the Active Membership. (A.) These five members shall constitute the members of the Advisory Committee to the Pennsylvania State Medical Society. (B.) Members of the Advisory Committee to the Pennsylvania State Medical Society will be recommended by the acting President of the Pennsylvania Association for Thoracic Surgery following the annual meeting.
SECTION 5. - The Necrology Committee has been incorporated into the Membership Committee and shall consist of two members.
SECTION 6. – A Director of Governmental Affairs shall be elected from the Active Members of the Association. The Director, for continuity and familiarity with Government Affairs and Representatives shall be elected for a two-year term of office and may be re-elected.
SECTION 7. - When scientific or research committees are authorized by the Association, the Council shall appoint the chairman of these committees, with power to organize their committee in any way best calculated to accomplish the desired object, subject only to the approval of the Council. Financial aid rendered to such committees shall not succeed such annual or special appropriations as may be specifically voted for such purpose by the Association as a whole.
ARTICLE VI.
SECTION 1. - Honorary Members of the Association are exempt from all dues and assessments.
SECTION 2. - Annual dues for Active Members shall be set at the annual meeting as recommended by the Council.
SECTION 3. - The Council shall recommend that any Active Members whose dues are in arrears for three years shall have his membership terminated, provided that prior notification has been forwarded to the member by the Secretary of the Association.
SECTION 4. - Senior Members are exempt from all dues and assessments.
ARTICLE
SECTION 1. - When the Association convenes for its annual meeting, it shall immediately go into executive session, but the business at this session shall be limited to:
(1.) Appointment of committees
(2.) Miscellaneous business of an urgent nature
SECTION 2. - The second executive session of the annual meeting of the Association shall be held as the final session of the meeting and the order of business shall be as follows or as the President elects:
(1.) Reading of the minutes of the preceding meeting of the Association or Council.
(2.) Report of the Treasurer for the last fiscal year
(3.) Report of the Auditing Committee
(4.) Report of the Program Committee
(5.) Report of the Economics Committee
(6.) Report of the Necrology Committee
(7.) Action on amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws
(8.) Action on recommendations emanating from the Council
(9.) Unfinished business
(10.) New Business
(11.) Report to the Membership Committee
(12.) Election of new members
(13.) Report of the Nominating Committee
(14.) Election of officers
ARTICLE VIII
SECTION 1. - These By-Laws shall in no ways be changed, except by a two-thirds vote of the members present at the annual meeting of a properly convened meeting of the Association, and further provided that the proposed action or amendment shall have been moved and seconded by not less than three of the members in a properly convened annual or special meeting of the Association.
SECTION 2. - These By-Laws shall be superseded in whole or in part for a period of not more than twelve hours by unanimous vote of those present at any regularly convened meeting of the Association.
CONSTITUTION OF THE
FIRST, The Pennsylvania Association for Thoracic Surgery (Association) is organized exclusively for charitable,
SECOND, no part of the net earnings of the Association shall insure the benefit of or be distributed to its members, trustees, directors, officers, or other private persons, except that the Association shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of Section 501(c)(3) purposes. No substantial part of the activities of the Association shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Association shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office.
Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the Association shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an organization exempt from Federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or corresponding section of any future Federal tax code) or (b) by an organization, contributions to which are d
THIRD, upon the dissolution of this Association assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or corresponding section of any future Federal tax code), or shall be distributed to the Federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose.