Annual Reports & Bylaws

Article I—Name

The name of this organization shall be the Carcinogenesis Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology hereinafter designated as the Specialty Section.

Article II—Objectives and Purpose

The objectives of the Carcinogenesis Specialty Section are:

1. To serve as the focal point for interaction of members of the Society of Toxicology interested in carcinogenesis.
2. To conduct programs and educational activities which emphasize the latest developments in carcinogenesis.
3. To relate those developments to the activities of the Society of Toxicology and to stimulate new growth in carcinogenesis as it relates to the science of toxicology.
4. To act as a resource to the Society in the area of the Specialty Section’s interest.

No part of the net earnings of the Specialty Section shall inure to the benefit of or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the Specialty Section 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 Specialty Section shall be the carrying on of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence public legislation and the Specialty Section 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

All members in good standing of the Society of Toxicology shall become members of the Carcinogenesis Specialty Section upon payment of Specialty dues. A member of the Carcinogenesis Specialty Section will be dropped from membership if dues are not paid on an annual basis or if they are not a member in good standing of the Society of Toxicology.

Article IV—Officers, Councilors, and Representatives

Section 1. The Carcinogenesis Specialty Section officers shall be President, Vice President, Vice President-Elect and Secretary-Treasurer. There shall be three Councilors. Only Full, Associate, Retired, or Emeritus Members in good standing of the Society of Toxicology and the Specialty Section shall be eligible to serve as Officers in the Presidential, Councilors, or Secretary-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. Eligibility requires current enrollment in an appropriate graduate or mentored postdoctoral program, and membership in good standing with the Carcinogenesis Specialty Section.

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 office of the Presidency shall be 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. A Vice President-Elect shall be elected by a majority vote of the ballots cast and shall become Vice President of the Specialty Section 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-Treasurer shall be chosen by vote of the membership for a term of two years.

Section 5. There shall be three Councilors who, together with the officers, comprise the Executive Committee. Two of these Councilors shall be chosen by a vote of the membership for a term of two years, with one Councilor being elected each year. The third Councilor shall be the immediate Past President, who will serve a term of one year.

Section 6. A Nominating Committee consisting of not less than three members of the Specialty Section shall be appointed by the Executive Committee within two months following installation of officers. This Committee shall provide a slate of candidates for each election.

Section 7. Elections shall be held annually by electronic ballot in a format deemed appropriate by the Society of Toxicology prior to the SOT Annual Meeting.

Section 8. In the event of a vacancy in an elective office other than Presidency, Vice Presidency, the Specialty Section’s Executive Committee may make an appointment or 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; similarly, the Vice President-Elect accedes to the office of Vice President should that office become vacant.

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. Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Representatives shall be elected by vote of the membership. The Student Representative shall serve for a two-year term, and the Postdoctoral Representative shall serve a one-year term.

Article VI—Administration

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

Section 2. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers, Councilors, and Representatives. The President of the Specialty Section shall be the Chairperson of the Executive Committee. Five members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Section 3. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Specialty Section and of the Executive Committee and shall perform such duties as may be directed by the Executive Committee. In the President’s absence, the succeeding order of Officers shall preside.

Section 4. The Specialty Section shall comply with the following provisions in order to retain its status as an authorized body within the Society of Toxicology.

1. The Specialty Section 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 the required date of each year.
2. Annual reports shall be reviewed by the SOT Council, which shall consult with the Specialty Section as necessary.
3. Specialty Section policy statements must be reviewed and approved by the Society of Toxicology Council prior to release.

Section 5. The Secretary-Treasurer shall have fiduciary responsibilities for all monies of the Specialty Section and pay authorized bills incurred by the Specialty Section as directed by the Executive Committee. All funds of the Specialty Section shall be held by the Society of Toxicology. The Secretary/Treasurer shall transmit to the successor in office all property of the Specialty Section in his/her possession. The Secretary-Treasurer shall record all transactions of all meetings of the Specialty Section and the Executive Committee, shall be responsible for the correspondence of the Specialty Section, and shall maintain a list of members and their status.

No funds shall be expended by or in the name of the Specialty Section 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 Specialty Section funds or other property remaining at the time of termination or abandonment, or dissolution of the Specialty Section shall be turned over to the Society of Toxicology and shall become 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 the Specialty Section.

Article VII—Meetings

Section 1. Meetings shall be held at least annually according to Council approved Specialty Section procedures and guidelines and shall be communicated to the membership at least two 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 by the presentation to the President of a petition signed by 20% of the membership in good standing of the Specialty Section.

Section 3. A quorum shall consist of 20% of the membership of the Specialty Section.

Section 4. Executive Committee meetings shall be held at the discretion of the President provided that each of the members of the Committee is notified at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting.

Article VIII—Dues

The dues are established by SOT Council and are the same for all Specialty Sections. A request for variance from the established rate shall be directed to SOT Council. Special fees outside of the dues structure can also be collected if pre-arranged through the Specialty Section Council Contact.

Article IX—Committees

Section 1. The Vice President-Elect shall be Chairperson of the Program Committee whose members are appointed by the President. The Program Committee shall develop scientific and educational programs consistent with the objective of the Specialty Section and provide copies of the programs to the Secretary-Treasurer who will, in turn, notify the Membership.

Section 2. The President shall appoint other Committees as required and shall automatically act as an ex-officio member of such committees. Members of such committees shall 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 Specialty Section or at any special meeting called for that specific purpose. They shall be presented in writing and shall be offered to the membership present at the 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 Specialty Section Staff Liaison to be circulated with a ballot to all members in good standing of the Specialty Section. A two-thirds affirmative vote of the ballots returned within the specified time frame shall be necessary for adoption of any amendment.

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