Section Council on Preventive Medicine

Article 1.

PURPOSE:

1.1  To provide a caucus for the preventive medicine specialty organizations which have delegate status in the AMA House of Delegates.

Article 2.

MEMBERSHIP

2.1  There shall be three categories of Membership:  Member,
Associate Member and Affiliate Member.

2.2  Membership of the Section Council on Preventive Medicine (SCPM) shall include the four preventive medicine specialty organizations having delegate status in the AMA House of Delegates (see 2.6 below).  These organizations shall be represented by their delegate, alternate delegate, and two additional representatives.  The to additional representatives will be designated by the preventive medicine specialty society and may include young physicians representing the specialty in the Young Physicians Section and the Resident Physicians Section.

2.4  Affiliate Membership shall include those organizations that have prevention objectives but do not have  delegate status in the AMA House of Delegates.  Affiliate Members shall have all the rights and privileges of Membership, except they will not hold office.  Affiliate Members shall have one representative to the SCPM.

2.5  Membership File:  The name, address, telephone/fax numbers, and e-mail address of each representative to the SCPM shall be sent to the ACPM staff and to the SCPM shall be sent to ACPM staff and to the AMA Office of Affiliate Organizations by the society delegate, or by an individual designated to do so by the participating organization.  This notification shall be sent prior to July 1st of each year.

2.6  Preventive medicine specialty societies holding delegate status in the AMA House of Delegates:

Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA)

American Association of Public Health Physicians (AAPHP)

American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM)

American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM)

2.7  Organizational Membership in SCPM shall be determined by election (see 3.2.2 below) upon application of the prospective organizational member.  Application shall be in such form as is from time to time designated by the SCPM.  The application will include a clear definition of the preventive medicine objectives of the applicant organization and such other criteria as shall be adopted by SCPM from time to time.

Article 3.

RULES AND PROCEDURES:

3.1  Meeting Participation:  All SCPM meetings are open to other delegates, alternate delegates, staff members of the specialty societies, the AMA, medical students, residents, and others with special interest in public health and preventive medicine.  Other individuals may attend meetings of the SCPM upon the invitation from any SCPM member.

3.2  Voting:  Only members of the SCPM shall have privilege of voting on items brought before the Council.  On those items requiring a clear sense of the Section Council, the following rules shall apply:

     3.2.1 Voting shall be as follows on items that come before
     the SCPM:

     3.2.1.1  Members shall each have four (4) votes on each
     item to come before the Section Council.

     3.2.1.2  Associate Members shall each have two (2)
     votes on each item to come before the Section Council.

     3.2.1.3  Affiliate Members shall each have one (1) vote
     on each item to come before the Section Council.

     3.2.2  Voting for admission of applicants for membership
     on the SCPM shall be by a simple majority vote of only
     the Members of the Section Council as defined in Articles
     2.2, 2.6, and 3.2.1.1

3.3  Rules of Order:  The deliberations of the SCPM shall be governed by the same rules of order governing the AMA House of Delegates (currently, Davis' Rules of Order), except where they differ from these Rules and Operating Procedures, in which case these rules shall apply.

3.4  Quorum:  A quorum for the SCPM shall consist of one or more of the authorized delegates or alternate delegates from a majority (three) of the specialty societies holding Membership status.  Items approved by a quorum of the SCPM are advisory to the delegates and are not binding upon their votes on the floor of the House of Delegates.

Article 4.

OFFICERS:

4.1  Officers shall be a Chairperson (Chair) and a Vice-Chair.

4.2  Duties:

     4.2.1  Chair:  The Chair shall preside over the meetings of
     the SCPM, establish the location of all meetings, and
     appoint members to ad hoc groups or committees as
     required or requested by the membership.  The Chair,
     with the assistance of ACPM staff, shall prepare and
     distribute minutes of the meetings of the SCPM; be kept
     apprised of funds collected by ACPM on behalf of the
     SCPM; and, as needed, present at the SCPM meeting a
     report of funds collected, distributed, spent, and
     remaining.

     4.2.2  Vice-chair:  The Vice-chair shall preside over
     meetings in the absence of the Chair and shall succeed to
     the office of the Chair at the completion of the Chair's
     term.

4.3  Elections and terms of office:

     4.3.1.  The Chair shall be elected every two years to a
     two-year term to commence on the first of the month
     following the annual (June) meeting of the AMA.

     4.3.2  The Vice-chair shall assume the office of the Chair
     upon completion of the two-year term.

     4.3.3  Under normal circumstances, the Vice-chair shall be chosen from among the delegates of the four specialty societies with Membership status in alphabetical order as listed in Article 2.6

Article 5

MEETINGS:

5.1  Regular meetings of the SCPM shall be held in the cities where the AMA House of Delegates is meeting.

5.2  The initial meeting of the SCPM shall be held on the Saturday prior to the Sunday opening meeting of the House of Delegates unless specified otherwise by the Chair three weeks in advance of the meeting.

5.3  Subsequent meetings of the SCPM during the week of the House of Delegates meeting shall be set by the Chair with advice and guidance of the membership.

5.4  Special meetings at times and places other than during the House of Delegates meeting may be called by the Chair with at least one week's advance notice.

Article 6.

AMENDMENTS:

6.1  These rules and operating procedures may be revised by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the membership of the SCPM as defined in Article 2 and upon approval by the AMA Board of Trustees.  (Proposed for amendment:  June, 2000)

6.2  Proposed amendments shall be sent to the SCPM membership at least 30 days in advance of the vote, which would take place at the SCPM meeting in conjunction with the House of Delegates.