Bylaws

CONGRESS OF CHIROPRACTIC STATE ASSOCIATIONS
BYLAWS

ARTICLE I
Name, Mission, Purpose

Section 1: Name

This organization shall be known as the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations, hereinafter referred to as “ChiroCongress.”

Section 2: Mission:
ChiroCongress connects and empowers chiropractic state associations.

Section 3: Purpose

  1. To be an effective coalition of official chiropractic state organizations.
  2. To serve as a forum and clearing house to help solve mutual state concerns on a non-partisan basis.
  3. To cooperate with other organizations in the advancement of natural health and chiropractic.
  4. To assure that chiropractic attains its rightful place within the professional healing arts.
  5. To initiate, encourage, and support programs and projects for the advancement of the chiropractic profession.
  6. To enable each state organization to provide input in matters affecting the chiropractic profession.

ARTICLE II
Membership, Delegates, Voting

Section 1: Membership

A: Membership Eligibility:

Membership is composed of Chiropractic State Associations and other individuals who meet eligibility criteria established by the Board of Directors and outlined in the Policy Manual.

B. Regular Membership:

Regular membership is limited to qualified Chiropractic State Associations who pay applicable dues ​and meet criteria established by the Board of Directors and outlined in the Policy Manual.

C. Other Membership Classes:

The Board of Directors may establish other membership classes.

D. Resignation:

A member may resign by filing a written resignation. Resignation does not relieve a member from liability for the full annual dues or other obligations accrued and unpaid as of the date of resignation.

E. Expulsion:

A member is automatically expelled without action of the Board of Directors for failure to pay applicable dues or failure to meet the eligibility requirements for membership. A member may be expelled by the Board of Directors for other reasons if the member is provided with advance written notice including the reason for the proposed expulsion. Member will have an opportunity to contest the proposed expulsion in writing, or in person, to the Board of Directors within one year of the effective date of the expulsion. Member will be provided a final written notice of the Board’s decision.

F. Voting:

Regular Members are eligible to designate one delegate to vote at the annual business meeting on behalf of their association. All other classes of membership do not have voting rights.

ARTICLE III
Board of Directors, Executive Director, Parliamentarian

The Board of Directors shall consist of the Executive Committee and five (5) District Directors. The Board of Directors will create policy for ChiroCongress.

Section 1: General Eligibility

  1. A Regular Member association leader who has served for at least two (2) years as a current or past board member, liaison, active committee member, or is currently and is directly employed as the Executive Director (or similar Chief Staff Executive) by a Regular Member Association.
  2. Must provide a letter of support from the Regular Member association they are employed by or are a member of.
  3. Special approval to waive eligibility criteria can be requested in writing and would require a 2/3 approval vote of Board of Directors for an individual with an established track record of leadership/service to the profession.

Section 2. Executive Committee Eligibility

To be eligible to serve on the Executive Committee, candidates must have served at least two (2) years as a ChiroCongress Board Member. The Executive Director at Large position is exempt from this requirement but must meet other eligibility requirements as set forth below.

  1. President, First Vice President, and Second Vice President:
  2. Must be a Doctor of Chiropractic.
    1. May be a Doctor of Chiropractic with a license in good standing and must be a member of a Regular Member association.
    2. May be Doctor of Chiropractic employed as an Executive Director (or similar Chief Staff Executive) and must be currently and directly employed by a Regular Member association.
  3. Secretary and Treasurer:
  4. May be a Doctor of Chiropractic with a license in good standing and must be a member of a Regular Member association.
  5. May be an Executive Director (or similar Chief Staff Executive) and must be currently and directly employed by a Regular Member association.
  6. Executive Director at Large:
  7. Must be an Executive Director (or similar Chief Staff Executive) and must be currently and directly employed by a Regular Member association.
  8. Must have served at least two (2) years as an Executive Director (or similar Chief Staff Executive) for a Regular Member association.
  9. Immediate Past President
    1. The last serving President, or if unable, another previous President.

Section 3. District Directors Eligibility

  1. May be a Doctor of Chiropractic with a license in good standing and must be a member of a Regular Member association.
  2. May be an Executive Director (or similar Chief Staff Executive) and must be currently and directly employed by a Regular Member association.

Section 4: Executive Committee Positions & terms

The Executive Committee of ChiroCongress will consist of the President, First and Second Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Executive Director at Large, and Immediate Past President. See Policy Manual for detailed job descriptions.

  1. President
    1. Shall conduct all ChiroCongress meetings.
    2. May be elected to serve a maximum of two (2) consecutive one-year terms.
  2. First Vice President
    1. Shall conduct all ChiroCongress meetings in the absence of the President.
    2. May be elected to serve a maximum of two (2) consecutive one-year terms.
  3. Second Vice President
    1. Shall conduct all ChiroCongress meetings in the absence of the President and First Vice President.
    2. May be elected to serve a maximum of two (2) consecutive one-year terms.
  4. Secretary
    1. Shall be the recording and corresponding officer of ChiroCongress.
    2. May be elected to serve a maximum of three (3) consecutive one-year terms.
  5. Treasurer
    1. Shall oversee the accounting of all receipts, monies, funds, securities, and expenditures of ChiroCongress.
    2. May be elected to serve a maximum of three (3) consecutive one-year terms.
  6. Executive Director at Large
    1. The Executive Director at Large will be elected by the Regular Member association Executive Directors at the annual meeting.
    2. The Executive Director at Large may be elected to serve a maximum of two (2) consecutive one-year terms.
    3. The Executive Director at Large serves as a representative of the Executive Directors of the member associations.
  7. Immediate Past President
    1. Shall be a member of the Executive Committee with all rights and privileges.

Section 5: District Directors Positions & Terms

  1. There shall be one Director elected from each of the five (5) geographical districts.
  2. District Directors shall be elected at their annual District meeting to serve two-year terms and may be re-elected for up to three (3) consecutive terms.

Section 6. Vacancies

  1. If the President is unable to continue in their position, the First Vice President shall ascend to the position of President.
  2. If the First Vice President is unable to continue in their position, the Second Vice President shall ascend to the position of First Vice President.
  3. If the Second Vice President, Treasurer, or Secretary is unable to continue in their position the President shall appoint an eligible individual, with the approval of the Board, to serve in the position until the next annual convention/business meeting.
  4. If an Executive Director at Large is unable to continue in their position, the President shall select a new eligible Executive Director at Large, with the approval of the Board, from a Regular Member Association to serve the remainder of the term.
  5. If the immediate Past President is unable to continue in their position the President shall select a previous Past President, with the approval of the Board, to serve in the position for the remainder of the term.
  6. If a District Director is unable to continue in their position the President, with the approval of the Board, will select an individual from that respective district to fill the remainder of that term.

Section 7: Removal

  1. Removal of a member of the board of directors shall be conducted in accordance with governing law in the state where ChiroCongress is incorporated and as outlined in Policies and Procedures.

Section 8: Executive Director

  1. The Executive Director is the chief executive officer of the Corporation and is subject to the direction of the Board of Directors. The Executive Director shall be responsible for the general operation of the Corporation and any subsidiaries. The Executive Director shall not be a member of the Board of Directors and shall have no vote.

Section 9: Parliamentarian

The Parliamentarian, appointed by the President, shall rule on all questions of order and appeals. They shall be governed by Parliamentary Procedure as described in Article X, in all cases not covered by these Bylaws.

ARTICLE IV
Standing Committees & Task Forces

The Board of Directors shall establish standing committees to assist with managing the affairs and activities of ChiroCongress. Committees shall be led by committee Chairpersons appointed by the President within sixty (60) days of induction into office subject to ratification by the Board of Directors. The duties and responsibilities of each committee shall be set forth in policy.  A Task Force may be appointed by the President at any time to address an issue not covered by a standing committee.  See the Policy Manual for committee names and descriptions.

ARTICLE V
Quorum

Section 1:

A quorum of ChiroCongress shall be one-third (1/3) of all Regular Member associations.

Section 2:

A quorum of the Board of Directors shall be a simple majority of the members of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VI
Order of Business

Section 1:

This Order of Business for the annual business meeting will be set by the President, or presiding officer, as the specific needs of the annual meeting dictate.

ARTICLE VII
Expenses

Section 1:

Necessary travel, lodging, and meals of the Board of Directors may be paid by the ChiroCongress (funds permitting) for ChiroCongress-related meetings if these expenses are not reimbursable from another source.

Section 2:

Other duly appointed staff, committee members, and/or speakers may be reimbursed for expenses as approved by the Board of Directors through the annual budget process or by majority vote of the Board of Directors if not included in the annual budget.

ARTICLE VIII
Amendments of Bylaws

Section 1:

Any proposed changes, amendments, or revisions to the Bylaws shall be sent to all Regular Member associations thirty (30) days prior to the annual meeting.

Section 2:

All changes will require a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting members present at the annual convention/business meeting.

Section 3:

These Bylaws may be amended or revised at any time by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board of Directors if the amendments or revisions relate to the status of ChiroCongress before any federal or state regulatory body.

ARTICLE IX
Meetings

Section 1: Annual Meeting

A. Annual meetings are to be scheduled at least one year in advance. The annual regular meeting of ChiroCongress will be held in the last quarter of each calendar year, or at such other designated time as determined by the Board of Directors. The location, date, and time are to be approved by the Board of Directors after receiving a recommendation from the duly appointed committee chair or Executive Director. A minimum of sixty (60) days’ notice will be given to all state organizations of the date and location of the meeting.

B. If the annual meeting must be rescheduled due to unforeseen circumstances, notice shall be provided to members of the new location, date, and time not less than sixty (60) calendar days in advance of the rescheduled meeting.

Section 2: Special Meetings

Special Meetings may be called by the President, if they deem it necessary, or by any five (5) members of the Board of Directors, giving reasons for such meetings and a minimum of thirty (30) day’s notice of same.

Section 3: Board Meetings

The Board of Directors will meet at least two (2) times annually, and at such other times as the Board of Directors determines necessary.

Section 4: Conducting Meetings
Any ChiroCongress meeting may be conducted in-person, by teleconference, or by other telecommunication means in which all members may hear one another.

Section 5. Action without a meeting

ChiroCongress board may take action without a meeting provided all board members are given the opportunity to participate in voting. Actions will be decided by a simple majority vote provided that the majority (50 percent plus one) of the board has cast their vote by the stated deadline.

ARTICLE X
Parliamentary Procedures

Section 1: Rules of Order

Roberts Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern all parliamentary procedures when not in conflict with these Bylaws and is hereby adopted as the parliamentary manual for ChiroCongress.

Log of Bylaw Actions

This document upon ratification by ChiroCongress will be in full force until changed, amended, or revised.

  1. This document was ratified by the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations, on November 5, 1999.
  2. This document was amended by the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations on November 4, 2005.
  3. This document was amended by the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations on November 6, 2010, at the annual business meeting.
  4. This document was amended by the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations on November 9, 2012, at the annual business meeting.
  5. This document was amended by the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations on November 12, 2016, at the annual business meeting held at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield, AZ.
  6. This document was amended by the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations on November 3, 2018, at the annual business meeting held at the Hyatt Regency in Austin, TX.
  7. This document was amended by the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations on November 9, 2019, at the annual business meeting held at the Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego, CA.
  8. This document was amended by the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations on November 12, 2022, at the annual business meeting held at the Hilton at the Ballpark in St. Louis, MO
  9. This document was amended by the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations on November 16, 2024, at the annual business meeting held at the Grand Hyatt Denver, in Denver, CO.

 

Download Bylaws