Constitution and Bylaws - Administration of GEC

Article I: Introduction

1. The Gaseous Electronics Conference (GEC) is an annual scientific conference for the purpose of promoting exchange of scientific information and viewpoint concerning basic phenomena in the field of gaseous electronics.
2. The GEC is a yearly Special Meeting of the Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (DAMOP) of American Physical Society (APS). The nature of the GEC, and of the relationship between the GEC, APS, and DAMOP, is defined entirely by the GEC Constitution and Bylaws.
3. This document provides for the continuity of the Conference through provisions for the selection of officers, duties of officers, filling of vacancies in offices, scheduling of meetings, selection of the presentation of papers and publication of abstracts.

Article II: Membership

1. Policy control of the conference as a continuing body is ultimately vested in its membership. The membership is comprised of the active participants in the GEC who have registered with the Secretary to attend one or more of the three most recent Conferences and additional persons appointed by the GEC Executive Committee. All scientists interested in gaseous electronics or related fields are eligible for membership in the GEC and registration at the conference.
2. All registrants at a given meeting of the conference become members eligible to receive announcements of the next conference. The Executive Committee is empowered to adopt any reasonable and uniformly applied method for removing the names of inactive and non-responding members from the membership.

Article III: Meetings

1. The GEC convenes annually as a scientific meeting.
2. During the Annual Meeting a short Business Session shall be held at which the Chair and Treasurer shall report on the technical and financial well-being of the Conference. Formal actions of the Conference shall be confirmed during this session by majority vote of registered members of the Conference present and voting, without specification of a quorum. If circumstances so warrant, mail or e-mail tally may be used instead, but only those attending at least one of the last two Conferences are eligible to vote.
3. The Executive Committee shall convene at least once prior to the Annual Meeting as the Abstract Selection Meeting (ASM). The ASM shall be held after the abstract deadline for the upcoming Annual Meeting and in a timely fashion to meet the deadlines for publication of the program. The time and location of the ASM will be chosen by the Secretary with approval of the Executive Committee. At the ASM, the Executive Committee will formally organize sessions for the upcoming Annual Meeting, accept or reject abstracts and see to other organizational matters as required.

Article IV: Establishment or Amendment of Constitution

1. The Constitution may be established or amended by the following procedure. A new Constitution or amendment may be introduced by submitting it in writing to the Secretary if endorsed by signatures of fifteen members and received by the Secretary before the deadline for submission of abstracts for that annual Conference. The Secretary shall include the proposed amendments in the final announcement of that Conference and the Chair shall present it to the members at the Business Meeting for consideration. An affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present at the Business Meeting shall serve to adopt the new Constitution or amendment. Amendments to the constitution shall be consistent with the rules and procedures of the APS.

Article V: Committees

1. Names. The continuing business of the Conference is conducted by two committees, the Executive Committee and the General Committee. In addition, a Local Committee may be appointed by the Secretary to assist him or her in the conduct of the Conference. The Executive Committee and General Committee of the GEC are distinct and separate from the Executive Committee of DAMOP except as described below.
2. General Committee. The GEC General Committee is responsible for nominating candidates for and electing from among themselves by majority vote the officers and other members of the GEC Executive Committee except as described below. In addition, the General Committee determines policies with respect to location, time, and nature of future conferences, including further definition of subject matter and scope of the conferences. The General Committee consists of the Executive Committee and up to six additional members. The additional members are selected from the attendees of the annual Business Session by being nominated from the floor and being elected by majority vote of the members present. The term of each General Committee member is one (1) year. It starts at the General Committee Meeting following his/her election and ends before the next General Committee Meeting. The General Committee meets once each year during the Conference.
3. Executive Committee. The Executive Committee is responsible for the financial matters and for the preparation and conduct of the Conference in accordance with guidance provided by the General Committee. This shall include the invitation of speakers, the selection of papers, time for presentation and discussion, arrangement of the program, coordination with DAMOP and APS, supervision of the Local Committee in matters such as approval of registration fee, approval of sponsors other than the host institution, and all other decisions which must be made in the interval between conferences, including appointing ad hoc committees as may be required.
   1. The Executive Committee consists of ten (10) elected members and up to four (4) appointed members. All members of the Executive Committee are voting members.
   2. The elected members are: Chair, Chair-Elect or Past-Chair, Secretary, Secretary-Elect, Past-Secretary, Treasurer, and four General Members. Four members are elected each year: Secretary-Elect, either Chair-Elect or Treasurer and two General Members.
   3. A Chair-Elect is elected each odd-numbered year and serves a four-year term; a one-year term as Chair-Elect, then a two-year term as Chair, then a one-year term as most recent past Chair or Past-Chair.
   4. A Secretary-Elect is elected each year and serves a three-year term; a one-year term as Secretary-Elect, then a one-year term as Secretary, then a one-year term as Past-Secretary. 
   5. The other five elected members serve two-year terms. One of these members is the Treasurer and the other four are General Members. The Treasurer is elected on even-numbered years. Two new General Members are elected each year.
   6. The term of each Executive Committee Members starts after the General Committee Meeting where he/she was elected and ends after the General Committee in the year, when his/her term expires.
   7. General Members shall not succeed themselves in the same capacity although an additional consecutive term in another capacity is permitted. The Past-Chair (Past-Secretary) may serve an additional consecutive term in another capacity, although not as Chair-Elect (Secretary-Elect). The Treasurer may serve two consecutive terms, not to exceed four years total as Treasurer.
   8. Any Officer save the Chair and the Treasurer may fill two offices at the same time in which case additional General Members may be either elected or appointed by the elsewhere-defined procedures for Filling of Vacancies. 
   9. The presence of a majority of the voting members shall constitute a quorum. A committee member not able to attend a meeting in person, may attend a meeting electronically when the Chair judges such attendance is appropriate. Alternatively, a member who cannot be present at a particular committee meeting may be represented at that meeting by an alternate for that meeting, subject to the approval of the Chair.
   10. The Chair may appoint up to three additional General Members at any time. The terms of the Appointed Members end when a new Executive Committee is elected.
   11. One additional General Member may be appointed by the Executive Committee of DAMOP, as described in the By-Laws.

Article VI: Duties of Executive Committee Members

1. The duties of the Executive Committee Members are as described in the By-Laws of the GEC.

Article VII: Filling of Vacancies

1. If a vacancy occurs in the position of Chair or the Chair is unable to perform his or her duties, the Chair-Elect (if any) shall succeed and shall complete the term as well as his or her own term. If a vacancy occurs in the position of Chair or the Chair is unable to perform his or her duties during a year when there is no Chair-Elect, the Past-Chair shall succeed and shall complete the term. 
2. If a vacancy occurs in any office other than Chair, the Executive Committee shall appoint someone to complete the term.
3. If a vacancy occurs in the General Members of the Executive committee, the Executive Committee may appoint someone to fill the position until the next meeting of the General Committee. At that time, the General Committee shall elect a person to complete the term if at that time the term has not expired. 

Article VIII: Compensation

1. The officers and other members of the Executive Committee shall not be compensated for their time, but out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them on account of attendance at the ASM may be paid by the Conference at the discretion of the Executive Committee. This may include, but not exceed, reasonable travel and local expenses. Each year the General Committee will set a limit on the amount that will be paid to any one person for the subsequent year’s meeting. 

Article IX: Removal of Officers

1. An officer can be removed from office for noncompliance to the rules laid out in the Constitution and By-Laws by unanimous save one vote by the Executive Committee. A petition for removal endorsed by ten members may be introduced by submitting it in writing to the Chair. The Chair shall then send a copy of it to each member of the Executive Committee along with a secret ballot. The office shall be filled by the normal procedure for Filling of Vacancies. 

Article X: Change of By-Laws

1. The By-Laws of the Conference may be modified by majority vote of the Executive Committee but such changes must then be presented to the members at the next Business Meeting for approval.

Article XI: Relationship of the GEC with APS and DAMOP

1. The relationship between the GEC, the APS, and the DAMOP is described in the By-Laws of the GEC.

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BYLAWS

Revised 7 November 2018

Article I - Duties of the Officers of the GEC

1. Duties of the Chair. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of both the General Committee and the Executive Committee. The Chair shall represent the Conference externally and shall perform such other functions as may be explicitly provided in the Constitution or mandated by the Executive Committee. The Chair shall preside at the Business Meeting. The Chair shall retain a current version of the Constitution and the By-Laws, assure conformance to their provisions, and give a copy to each new member of the Executive Committee. 
2. Duties of the Chair-Elect. In years when the GEC has a Chair-Elect, the Chair-Elect shall act in place of the Chair if the latter is unable to perform his or her duties. The Chair-Elect shall perform such other functions as may be requested by the Chair. 
3. Duties of the Past-Chair. In years when the GEC has a Past-Chair, the Past-Chair shall act in place of the Chair if the latter is unable to perform his or her duties. The Past-chair shall perform such other functions as may be requested by the Chair. 
4. Duties of the Secretary. The Secretary shall serve as the principal administrator of the Conference held during his or her term. The Secretary shall make arrangements for that year’s Conference, supervise the Local Conference Committee and staff and notify members of the time, place, and program for the upcoming conference. The Secretary shall maintain the records of that year’s Conference; including minutes of the Business, General Committee and Executive Committee meetings. The Secretary shall maintain the membership list. The Secretary shall coordinate the preparation of proposals for partial support of that year’s Conference and transmit them to the appropriate people. He or she shall insure that liability insurance is in force in the amount set by the Executive Committee, some or all of which may be covered by the general liability policy of the American Physical Society (APS). The Secretary shall distribute a copy of the coverage form of the insurance policy to all the Executive Committee members. The Secretary shall maintain financial records of the Conference held during his or her term. The Secretary shall conform to the policies set forth by the Executive Committee governing the expenditure of Conference funds by the Local Committee. The Secretary may request and receive funds from the Treasurer prior to the Conference in order to meet obligations. The Secretary shall establish financial accounts for that year’s Conference. Within six months following the Conference he or she, as the Past-Secretary, shall make an accounting to the Treasurer on how the registration fee and other funds received were used and transmit any unused balance to the Treasurer. The Secretary shall perform such other duties as the Executive or General Committee may assign. 
5. Duties of the Secretary-Elect. The Secretary-Elect shall act in place of the Secretary if the latter is unable to perform his or her duties. The Secretary-Elect is responsible for publicity of the Conference held during his or her term. The Secretary-Elect shall petition APS to approve the next year’s Conference (the one in which he or she will act as Secretary), and shall request inclusion of the Conference in the calendars of the Bulletin of the APS and other journals. The Secretary-Elect shall perform such other duties as the Secretary may assign. 
6. Past-Secretary. The Past-Secretary shall assist with the duties of the Secretary-Elect if the latter is unable to perform his or her duties. The Past-Secretary shall update the Operations Procedure Manual for the Conference based on material produced and experience gained during his or her term as Secretary and send a copy to both the Secretary-Elect and the Chair-Person. Unless otherwise directed by the Executive Committee, the Past-Secretary shall prepare the abstracts of the Conference held during his or her terms as Secretary for submission to the Bulletin of the American Physical Society for publication. This shall be done in accordance with the standard APS procedures. He or she shall prepare a final financial report for the Conference held during his or her term as Secretary and present it to the Treasurer no later than six months following that Conference. The Past-Secretary shall fulfill all obligations to government and corporate sponsors of the Conference held during his or her term as Secretary. The Past-Secretary shall perform such other duties as the Chair may assign. The Past-Secretary shall be responsible for the APS-maintained GEC website. (revised October 2012)
7. Duties of the Treasurer. The Treasurer is responsible for the funds of the Conference and reports annually on receipts, and expenditures during the past year, and on current accounts balances (in writing to each member of the Executive Committee, and verbally at the Business Meeting). The funds of the Conference shall be deposited in the name of the Conference in an account held by the APS or in financial institutions approved by the Executive Committee and by the APS Treasurer. The APS treasurer shall be a co-signatory on all Conference accounts. Checks and other documents shall be signed, endorsed, or otherwise authorized on behalf of the Conference by the Treasurer or other persons designated by the Executive Committee. He or she shall prepare a financial report as of the time of the Conference Organizing Meeting and at that time give it to the Past-Secretary, who will audit it. The audited report shall be transmitted to each member of the Executive Committee and the APS Treasurer prior to the time of the upcoming Conference and presented to the members at the Business Meeting for approval.
8. Duties of the General Members of the Executive Committee: The General Members of the Executive Committee shall attend and participate in all meetings of the Executive Committee and General Committee unless excused by the Chair, and shall carry out the work of the Committee.

Article II - Relationship of the GEC with the American Physical Society (APS) and the APS Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (DAMOP)

1. Administrative
   1. The GEC will be afforded the same rights and privileges within the APS as a Special Meeting of DAMOP. The GEC may utilize the Bulletin of the American Physical Society, utilize the electronic abstract submittal process and web displays, have meetings announced in APS News and Meeting Announcements and on the APS Homepage, be afforded the same tax-free number and accounting services as other APS entities, and enjoy other rights and privileges as may apply. The fees paid to APS for these services will be the same as the fees required of regular APS Divisions
   2. The requirements of APS membership for submitting abstracts and a registration rate for the GEC that is different for non-APS members will be waived.
   3. Unless explicit exception has been made, the GEC activities will conform to the procedures and rules of the APS.
2. Executive
   1. The chair of the DAMOP Executive Committee will appoint one voting member to the GEC Executive Committee. This appointee will report regularly to the DAMOP Executive Committee. If the appointee is not already a member of the Executive Committee, the appointee will serve until the second Executive Committee election after the appointment. If the appointee is already a member of the GEC Executive Committee, then the membership of the GEC Executive Committee will not change as a result of the DAMOP appointment.
   2. The GEC Chair will appoint a representative from the GEC to be a non-voting member the DAMOP Executive Committee. If the GEC representative is already a voting member of the DAMOP Executive Committee, that status will not change by virtue of this appointment. At the yearly DAMOP Executive Committee Meeting, there will be a report from the GEC appointee as to the state of the GEC treasury, a summary of the previous year's GEC meeting, and the plans for future meetings.
3. Financial
   1. The GEC treasury will be recorded as a subaccount of DAMOP for the exclusive use for GEC activities.
   2. The GEC Treasurer will provide the APS Treasurer with copies of the monthly statement for any separate accounts held by the GEC and will provide monthly reports of all checks written or authorized by the GEC Treasurer.
   3. The GEC will not modify its Constitution and By-Laws without the advice and consent of APS, and consultation with DAMOP through its representative to the GEC Executive Committee.
   4. The GEC should maintain a minimum balance in the treasury at least equal to one half of the average cost of the prior three conferences. The GEC Treasurer will notify the APS Treasurer and the DAMOP Secretary/Treasurer if the total GEC treasury drops below this amount.
4. Organizational
   1. The DAMOP program committee will arrange at least one session at the GEC in a fashion consistent with the manner that other sessions at the GEC are organized. 
   2. News of the GEC shall appear routinely in the DAMOP Newsletter. This should include, a short summary of the most recent GEC meeting, announcements regarding future meetings and an outline of the scientific program (invited sessions) when available for an upcoming meeting. There shall be links established between the DAMOP homepage and the GEC website.