In all instances, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Bylaws, Constitution, RAB Operations Manual and IEEE Policy and Procedures will prevail when there is a conflict between these documents and Section Bylaws.

Article I – Name

Sec. 1.       This organization shall be known as the Mississippi Section of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE).

Article II – Organization and Scope

Sec. 1.       It is the object of this Section to further the aims and ideals of the IEEE as set forth in the Constitution.

Article III – Territory

Sec. 1.       The territory of the Mississippi Section, AS APPROVED BY THE REGIONAL ACTIVITIES BOARD (RAB), includes the following:   The State of Mississippi exclusive of Alcorn, Itawamba, Prentiss, Tishomingo, Benton, Desoto, Lafayette, Marshall, Panola, Quitman, Tate, Tunica, George, Jackson, Hancock, Harrison, Pearl River, and Stone counties.  This may be revised as provided in the Section Constitution by action of the IEEE Executive Committee.

Sec. 2.       Subsections, Group Chapters and/or Technical Groups (not affiliated with Group Chapters) may be formed and function within the Mississippi Section consistent with the IEEE and Section Constitution and Bylaws.

Article IV – Membership

Sec. 1.       Section members are defined as members of all grades of the IEEE in good standing with IEEE mailing address within the Section territory.  Privileges and rights of members are described in the Constitutions and IEEE Bylaws.

Article V – Finances

Sec. 1.       The Section fiscal year shall extend from January 1 through December 31.  All expenditures of Section funds must be approved by the Executive Committee.

Sec. 2.       The Section books will be reviewed annually, as of December 31, by an audit committee appointed by the Section Chairman.  The Audit Committee will report the results of the review as an item of business at the Section annual meeting.  The Treasurer-elect will be a member of the audit committee.  Without prior authorization of the IEEE Executive Committee, Section funds can be used only for normal operations of the Section.

Sec. 3.       All Section standing committees requiring moneys shall prepare annual budgets for approval by the Executive Committee by March 1.

Sec. 4.       All funds received by the Section shall be deposited in a bank approved by the Executive Committee.  The signature of either the Secretary-Treasurer or the Chairman shall be required for all withdrawals from this account.

Article VI – Officers

Sec. 1.       The officers of the Section shall be:

(1) Chair

(2) Vice Chair

(3) Secretary

(4) Treasurer

Sec. 2.       The Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be elected annually for a term of one year, January 1 through December 31.  All officers are eligible for reelection, except no officer can succeed himself twice (one cannot remain in the same office more than 2 years).

Sec. 3.       The duties of the elected officers shall be as described in the IEEE Bylaws and in the Section Operations Guide.

Article VII – Management

Sec. 1.       The management of the Section shall be by the Section Executive Committee which shall consist of the elected officers (Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer), the Past Section Chair, and the following:

(1) Chair of the Section Standing Committees

(2) Chair of the Subsection.

The number of voting members elected by the Section members must be at least one greater than those appointed.

Sec. 2.       A majority of the Section Committee shall constitute a quorum, provided that delegates elected by the Section membership are at least one greater in number than delegates appointed to the Committee.

Sec. 3.       A majority of the Section Executive Committee present shall be necessary in the conduct of its business.

Sec. 4.       Meetings of the Section Executive Committee ordinarily will be held monthly and will be called by the Section Chair or by a request of any three (3) members of the Section Executive Committee.

Sec. 5.       The fiscal year of the Section shall be 1 January through 31 December.

Article VIII – Standing Committees

Sec. 1.          Section Standing Committees will be as follows:

Program Committee

Membership Development Committee

Professional Activities-PACE Committee

GOLD Committee

       Awards and Recognition Committee

Educational Activities/Student Activities Committee

Publicity/Newsletter Editor/Webmaster Committee

Technical Group Activities Committee

Sec. 2.       The Chair of the Standing Committees will be appointed by the Section Chair with the approval of the Section Executive Committee, and their term will expire at the end of the fiscal year, December 31.

Sec. 3.       Each Standing Committee Chair will appoint the Committee members, with the approval of the Section Executive Committee, and their term will expire at the end of the fiscal year, December 31.  Duties of the Standing Committees will be available from the Regional Activities Department (RAD), in the RAB Operations Manual and IEEE Bylaws.

Sec. 4.       The Secretary shall keep minutes of Section and Section Executive Committee meetings and shall in general discharge the duties of the Section Secretary as directed in the Constitution.  The Secretary shall prepare and submit requires reports and information to the IEEE in the required form and within the required time.  The Treasurer shall collect and, under the direction from the Executive Committee, disburse the funds of the Section and keep a regular account thereof.  The Treasurer shall submit all Section accounts to audit when directed by the Chair or Section Executive Committee.

Article IX – Nomination and Election of Officers

Sec. 1.       The Section Chair shall select, with the approval of the Section Executive Committee, a Nominating Committee of three (3) Section members, who are not then officers. The Nominating Committee will be appointed no later than September 1.  The Committee shall proceed to form a slate of nominees for Section offices and shall submit this slate to the Secretary not later than September 21.

Sec. 2.       The nominations of the Nominating Committee will be announced to the Section membership, and, following this, a minimum of 28 days allowed for additional nominations by petition.  To be valid, the petition must be signed by 10 or more voting members.  Nominations by petition will close on November 1.

Sec. 3.       If only one nomination is made for each office, the election will be made at the Annual Meeting; November Section meeting.  If additional nominations are made, election will be by ballot. The Secretary shall prepare a ballot bearing all nominations properly received and mail to the membership no later than November 9.  The vote will be counted by a Tellers Committee appointed by the Section Chair.

Sec. 4.       Ballots to be included in the count for election must be received by the Secretary on or before December 1.  The Secretary shall then deliver the ballots to the Tellers Committee on or before December 4.

Sec. 5.       The Section Chair shall appoint a Tellers Committee by the time of the last Section Executive Committee meeting before December 4. The Tellers Committee shall not include any nominee for office in the election.  It shall be the duty of this committee to count the votes and report the results of the count to the membership-at-large at the next Section meeting.

Sec. 6.       A plurality of votes cast shall be necessary for election.

Sec. 7.       The elected officers shall take office on January 1, BUT, IN ANY CASE, THE OUTGOING OFFICERS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THEIR SUCCESSORS ARE DULY ELECTED AND TAKE OFFICE.

Sec. 8.       Any vacancy occurring during the year shall be filled by a majority vote of the Section Executive Committee.

Article X – Meetings

Sec. 1.       A meeting of the newly elected Section Executive Committee shall be held during January by the direction of the Section Chair.  Meetings of the Section Executive Committee ordinarily will be held monthly and will be called by the Section Chair or by a request of any three (3) members of the Section Executive Committee.

Sec. 2.       Fifteen (15) members shall be present to constitute a quorum at a Section Meeting called for the transaction of business.  Except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws or the Constitutions or IEEE Bylaws, an eligible majority vote of the members present and voting is sufficient to carry a resolution.

Sec. 3.       A  majority of members of the Section Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum to conduct its business at all meetings of the Section Executive Committee.

Article XI – Subsections

Sec. 1.       Subsections shall be governed by the Bylaws of the Section.  Subsection’s structure shall be basically the same as the Section.

Article XII – Technical Groups

Sec. 1.       The Section shall encourage formation of Chapters and membership in Technical Groups.

Sec. 2.       Technical Groups may be constituted on a Section or local basis with the approval of the Section Executive Committee.  Such groups should strive to define and implement its scope of interest corresponding to some Group of the Institute and should actively engage in growth and program to affiliate with the Group as a Chapter.

Sec. 3.       The Section shall recognize the existence of such a Technical Group when it is composed of five or more Institute members and duly approved.  All Technical Group meetings shall be reported to the Secretary-Treasurer on forms supplied for the purpose.

Sec. 4.       The Technical Group shall select at least a Chair who shall have responsibility for maintaining relationships with the Section Executive Committee and adherence to IEEE and Section Constitution and Bylaws.

Article XIII – Amendments

Sec. 1.       Amendments to these Bylaws shall be proposed by the Section Executive Committee acting upon their own recommendation or a petition signed by at least ten (10) eligible IEEE members in the Section.  A proposed amendment may be approved by mail ballot within three (3) months of receiving the proposal or at a regularly convened meeting of the Section within two (2) months after the receiving of the proposal.

Sec. 2.       A favorable vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present and voting at any regular meeting is required to enact an amendment. Provided that the proposed amendment has been posted in writing for consideration to the Section membership at least fifteen days prior to the meeting along with an announcement of the date, time, and place of the meeting.

Sec. 3.       Without changing the import, the Section Executive Committee may direct or proceed to renumber sections of these Bylaws so as to serve the purpose of more ready reference or clarification.

Sec. 4.       Amendments to or revocation of these Bylaws shall be in accordance with IEEE Bylaws, RAB Bylaws and RAB Operations Manual.

SECTION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE APPROVAL SIGNATURES:

CHAIR_____Monroe B. “Joe” Savage, Jr., P.E._____________________

VICE CHAIR___Ray Franco, P.E., PhD___________________________

SECRETARY___Carl Hovermale________________________________

TREASURER___Steven Daniel, P.E., PhD_________________________

DATED_______31 MAY 2001________

Richard Riddle

REGION DIRECTOR SIGNATURE                                                  DATED

Approved by the IEEE Regional Activities Board (RAB) at its meeting of
22 June 2001 in New Brunswich, New Jersey