Bylaws

Article I—Name

The name of this organization shall be the Northern California Regional Chapter of the Society of Toxicology, hereinafter designated as the Regional Chapter.

Article II—Objectives and Purpose

The objectives of the Regional Chapter shall be as follows:

1. To serve as the focal point for toxicological interests in Northern California, a region extending in an approximate line from Fresno to Monterey and northward to the California/Oregon border
2. To encourage interactions among toxicologists in government, industry, academia, and independent research organizations.
3. To conduct and sponsor scientific and educational programs in toxicology.
4. To foster a broader understanding of the science of toxicology with public, governmental, and private sectors.
5. To act as a resource for the Society of Toxicology.

No part of the net earnings of the Regional Chapter shall inure to the benefit of or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the Regional Chapter shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes herein-above set forth.

No substantial part of the activities of the Regional Chapter shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation and the Regional Chapter shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Article III—Membership

Section 1. Members in good standing of the Society of Toxicology shall become Members of the Chapter upon payment of the Chapter dues.

Section 2. Any person having a professional interest in toxicology may become a member of the Chapter upon submission and acceptance of Regional Chapter membership application and payment of the required dues.

Section 3. Membership may be extended to full-time students attending area colleges or Regional universities and having an interest in toxicology.

Article IV—Officers, Councilors, and Representatives

Section 1. The Officers of the Regional Chapter shall be the President, Vice President, Vice President-Elect, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and three Councilors, one of which is Immediate Past President. Only Full, Associate, Retired, or Emeritus members in good standing of the Society of Toxicology and the Regional Chapter shall be eligible to serve as Officers in the Presidential or Treasurer Chain.

Section 2. There shall be a Student Representative and a Postdoctoral Representative, who shall act as liaisons between the students and the postdoctoral fellows, respectively, and the Executive Committee. Student and Postdoctoral Representative shall be elected from the Regional Chapter membership. Eligibility during the term requires current enrollment in a graduate program for Student Representatives and engagement in a formal mentored postdoctoral position for Postdoctoral Representatives.

Section 3. Officers, Councilors, and Representatives shall begin their terms of office on May 1 following the SOT Annual Meeting at which their election is announced or one month after the Annual Meeting if it is held, any year, after April 1.

Article V—Election of Officers, Councilors, and Representatives

Section 1. The President shall serve for a term of one year, becoming immediate Past President in the following year. The President shall preside at all meetings.

Section 2. The Vice President shall become the President of the Specialty Section after serving one year as Vice President. The Vice President shall serve in the absence of the President.

Section 3. The Vice President-Elect shall be elected annually by a vote of the membership and shall become the Vice President of the Regional Chapter for one year after serving one year as Vice President-Elect, becoming President and Immediate Past President in the two subsequent years. The Vice President-Elect shall serve in the absence of the President and the Vice President.

Section 4. The Secretary shall be elected bi-annually. The Secretary shall be chosen by a vote of the membership for a term of two years.

Section 5. The Treasurer shall be elected bi-annually. The Treasurer shall be chosen by a vote of the membership for a term of two years.

Section 6. There shall be three Councilors, of which two shall be elected by vote of the membership for a term of two years. One shall be elected each year. The third Councilor shall be the Immediate Past President (see Article V, Section I).

Section 7. There shall be Student Representative(s) and Postdoctoral Representative(s), These Representatives may be elected from the Chapter membership or appointed by the President. The Representatives may serve at least one year, and a maximum of two years as status allowed.

Section 8. In the event of a vacancy in an elective office, other than the Presidency or Vice Presidency, the Regional Chapter's Executive Committee may make an appointment or may provide for a special election to fill the vacancy until the unexpired term is completed. In the event of a vacancy in the Presidency, the Vice President accedes to that office until the unexpired term of the Presidency is completed and shall serve as President the following year; similarly, the Vice President-Elect accedes to the office of Vice President, should that office become vacant, until the unexpired term of the Vice Presidency is completed and shall serve as Vice President the following year. A special election must be held to fill the office of Vice President-Elect should this office become vacant; however, the Executive Committee may make an appointment to fill the vacancy until such time that an election can be conducted.

Section 9. Elections shall be held annually by electronic ballot in the format deemed appropriate by the Society of Toxicology prior to the SOT Annual Meeting.

Article VI—Administration

Section 1. The Regional Chapter shall be governed by the Executive Committee except as otherwise herein expressly provided.

Section 2. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Regional Chapter and of the Executive Committee and shall perform such other duties as may be directed by the Executive Committee. In the President's absence, the succeeding order of Officers shall preside. The President should keep in contact with developments in the field of toxicology and guide the Chapter in the formulation of constructive activities.

Section 3. The Regional Chapter shall comply with the following provisions in order to retain its status as an authorized body within the Society of Toxicology:

1. The Regional Chapter shall provide annual reports of its activities for the current year as well as plans of programs, activities, and finances for the following year. Annual reports shall be submitted to the Society of Toxicology by August 1 of each year.
2. Annual reports shall be reviewed by the SOT Council, which shall consult with the Regional Chapter as necessary.
3. Regional Chapter policy statements must be reviewed and approved by the Society of Toxicology Council prior to release.

Section 4. The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all transactions of all meetings of the Regional Chapter and of the Executive Committee; shall carry on the correspondence of the Regional Chapter; and shall keep an accurate list of the members and their status.

Section 5. The Treasurer shall have fiduciary responsibilities for all monies of the Regional Chapter and shall authorize all disbursements as appropriate. The Treasurer shall transmit to the successor in office all property of the Regional Chapter in their possession. The Treasurer of the Regional Chapter shall be authorized to draw against Chapter funds. An annual report shall be submitted to the Chapter in such form as may be determined by the Executive Committee. No funds shall be expended by or in the name of the Regional Chapter to the extent that the expenditure, if made by the Society of Toxicology, would represent use of funds for a purpose or purposes not within the Society's exempt purposes under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Section 6. Any Regional Chapter funds or other property remaining at the time of termination or abandonment or dissolution of the Regional Chapter shall be turned over to the Society of Toxicology and shall become a part of the Society's general funds; no part of any such funds or property shall inure to the benefit of any member or officer of, or person associated with the Chapter

Article VII—Meetings

Section 1. Regional Chapter meetings shall be held at least annually and as dictated by the scientific and educational programs of the Regional Chapter. The time and place of each meeting shall be established by the Program Committee and be communicated to the membership at least four weeks before each meeting.

Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the President at any time with the approval of the Executive Committee or the presentation of a petition to the President, signed by a quorum of at least 20% of the members of the Regional Chapter in good standing.

Section 3. Executive Committee meetings shall be held at the discretion of the President at any time during the year provided a notice of at least ten (10) days is given.

Article VIII—Dues

The dues will be established by a majority of the Executive Committee, after which they may be changed subject to vote by members of the Chapter.

Article IX—Committees

Section 1. There shall be one standing committee of the Regional Chapter: a Program Committee.

Section 2. The Vice President shall be designated as the chairperson of the Program Committee, whose members are appointed by the President. The Program Committee will develop scientific and education programs and will complete arrangements for speakers and for meeting places and provide the Secretary with the program, who will, in turn, notify the membership.

Section 3. The President shall appoint any other committees (e.g., Awards Committee, Nominating Committee, Membership Committee) as required by the Bylaws and shall automatically become an ex-officio member of such committees. Members of such committees serve at the discretion of the President.

Article X—Amendments

Section 1. Amendments to these Bylaws may be presented by any member in good standing at any regular meeting of the Regional Chapter or any special meeting called for that specific purpose. They shall be presented in writing and shall be offered to the membership present at that meeting on motion for consideration and circulation to the membership. A simple majority shall be necessary to pass the motion.

Section 2. Amendments accepted for future consideration shall be forwarded to the Regional Chapter Staff Liaison to be circulated with a ballot to all members in good standing. A two-thirds affirmation vote of the ballots returned within 30 days shall be necessary for adoption of any amendment

Section 3. Amendments to these Bylaws must be approved by the SOT Council before they become effective. This is done to ensure that future changes in these Bylaws will have the same force as the original, which was so approved.