by John Huffman
The 2019 conference and convention of the American Council of the Blind voted to amend two sections of the organization’s constitution and bylaws.
In Article III, Membership, Voting and Dues, the former Section E was replaced with the following:
E. Code of Conduct; Disciplinary Action: The board of directors, in consultation with competent legal counsel, is herein authorized to establish a code of conduct policy applicable to those attending national ACB meetings and/or functions, and, if warranted, to impose discipline in accordance with such policies. All ACB members so attending shall be given notice of the terms of any such code of conduct policy. Consistent with Article X of this constitution, the relevant provisions of Robert’s Rules Newly Revised respecting disciplinary procedures and actions shall govern in all cases to which they are appropriately applicable.
In Bylaw 9, following the existing subsections A and B, insert a new subsection C reading:
C. The Constitution and Bylaws committee shall be responsible for reviewing the governing instruments of an organization requesting affiliation for the purpose of determining that no inconsistencies exist between said governing instruments and ACB’s Constitution and Bylaws.
To read the 2019 ACB Constitution and Bylaws in full, or download a Word version, go to /constitution-bylaws. If you prefer a hard-copy version, contact the ACB national office.