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BYLAWS
OF THE
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR
THE STUDY OF LUNG CANCER
PREAMBLE
The International Association for the Study
of Lung Cancer (IASLC) will
·
promote the study of the etiology, epidemiology, prevention,
diagnosis, treatment and all other aspects of lung cancer;
·
disseminate information about lung cancer to the members of the
Association, to the medical community at large, and to the
public; and
-
use all
available means to eliminate lung cancer as a health threat
for the individual patient and throughout the world.
Bylaws of the International
Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.
Article I. Principal office and corporate seal.
Section 1. Principal office. The principal office and
place of business of the Association in the State of Colorado
shall be in Adams County or at such other location as the Board
of Directors may from time to time determine. Other offices and
places of business may be established from time to time by the
Board of Directors.
Section 2. Corporate Seal. The seal of the Association
shall be inscribed with the name of the Association the year of
its incorporation and the words “Colorado” and “Seal” and shall
be in a form approved by the Board of Directors which may alter
the same at pleasure.
Article II Members.
Section 1. Qualifications; Admission to and Resignation from
Membership. There shall be two classes of membership in the
Association – regular members and senior members.
- Any
physician or member of any of the health professions or any
scientist who is interested in lung cancer and who meets such
additional criteria for membership in the Association as the
Board of Directors may from time to time establish shall
become a regular member of the Association upon applying for
and being accepted into regular membership and payment of such
dues as the Board of Directors may establish from time to
time. Any such person desiring to become a regular member of
the Association shall apply for membership on such forms as
may be approved and supplied by the Board of Directors for
that purpose and such applications shall be accompanied by the
dues required for the first year of membership. Any regular
member may resign from membership at any time by delivering
written notice of resignation to the Association, but a
resigning member shall not be entitled to a refund of any dues
paid.
- Any person
who has been a regular member of the Association for ten or
more years and who has attained age 65 shall be entitled to
become a senior member. Any person desiring to become a senior
member shall apply for senior membership on such forms as may
be approved and supplied by the Board of Directors for that
purpose. Senior members shall not be required to pay dues,
shall not be entitled to vote on any matter required or
permitted by law, the Articles of Incorporation, or these
bylaws to be voted on by the membership, but shall otherwise
enjoy all the privileges of membership in the Association.
Section 2. Privileges of membership. All members shall
receive publications of the Association, shall have the
privileges of attending the Association’s meetings, and shall
enjoy such other rights and privileges not inconsistent with
these bylaws as the Board of Directors may from time to time
confer.
Section 3 Dues. The Board of Directors shall establish, and
may change from time to time, the amounts of dues required to be
paid by regular members. The membership of any regular member
whose dues are more than 90 days in arrears after having
received one reminder shall be terminated without further
notice.
Section 4. World Conference: Regular Meeting. The
Association shall hold a World Conference on Lung Cancer every
two year at a time and place determined by the Board of
Directors, after giving consideration to the international
nature of the Association. A regular meeting of the members
shall be held in conjunction with such World Conference for the
purpose of announcing the election of the members of the Board
of Directors and for the transaction of such other business as
may properly come before the meeting. Written notice of the time
and place of every regular meeting shall be delivered to each
member by mail, email, or fixed for the regular meeting.
Section 5. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the members
may be called at any time by the Board of Directors, by
one-third of the members, or by the President. Special meetings
shall be held at such time and place as may be designated by the
authority calling such meeting. If called by the Board of
Directors, written notice of the time and place of every special
meeting shall be delivered by mail, email or notice contained in
any publication of the Association at least 45 days before the
date fixed for the meeting. The purpose of any special meeting
of the members shall be stated in such notice.
Section 6. Quorum; Voting. A quorum at all meetings of the
members shall consist of ten percent of the regular members.
Less than a quorum may adjourn until a quorum is secured. Except
as provided specifically to the contrary by these Bylaws, the
act of a majority of a quorum of the members shall be the act of
the members. Any vote required or permitted to be taken by the
regular members may be taken either by mail or by electronic
means, with such election being coordinated by an independent
voting tabulation firm.
Section 7. Inspection of Books and Records. The members
shall have the right, on written or oral demand, from time to
time to examine and photocopy, in person or by agent or
attorney, at any reasonable time and for any purpose, all of the
books and records of account of the Association, its last annual
and most recently published financial statement, and minutes of
all acts proceeding of the Board of Directors.
Section 8. Transfer of Membership. No member may transfer,
assign, or otherwise dispose of his or her membership in the
Association without the prior written consent of the Board of
Directors of the Association.
Article III. Board of Directors.
Section 1. Number. The Board of Directors of the Association
shall be composed of the President, the immediate
Past-President, the President-Elect, and the Treasurer of the
Association, the Congress President of the prior World
Conference, the Congress President of the next World Conference,
and 10 to 12 additional individuals. In the event that the
election of additional individuals to the Board of Directors
results in Bylaws having been previously amended to increase the
number of authorized directors shall automatically be deemed to
constitute an amendment to these Bylaws increasing the number of
authorized directors provided for in the preceding sentence to
the number of directors actually serving in such capacity.
Section 2. Elections; Tenure. Not later than 90 days prior to
the World Conference, the Nominating Committee shall nominate
candidates for election to the offices of the President (if
there is no President-Elect), the President-Elect, the
Treasurer, and the positions of such other directors whose terms
are due to expire at such World Conference, plus the number of
vacancies among the Board of Directors that have not previously
been filled. The names of the individuals thus nominated shall
be reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors and shall
then be announced in writing to the Conference, the regular
members shall be entitled to vote for the election of such
candidates. With respect to the offices of the President (if
there is no President-Elect), the President-Elect, the
Treasurer, the candidates receiving the greatest number of votes
for each position shall be elected to such position. With
respect to all other positions on the Board of Directors, if
there are more individuals nominated than positions to be
filled, then the individuals receiving the greater number of
votes shall be elected.
Officers and directors thus elected shall be elected for a term
of two years, except that the Treasurer shall be elected for a
term of four years, and shall hold office from the close of the
World Conference at which such officer or director was elected
and until the expiration of their terms and until their
successors have been elected and qualified. No officer or
director may be elected for more than two consecutive terms.
At
its regular meeting immediately following each World Conference,
the Board of Directors shall designate from among its members a
Congress President of the next scheduled World Conference. The
Congress President shall be responsible for the scientific and
social program of the next scheduled World Conference and shall
serve until the close of the World Conference for which such
individual had such responsibility and for an additional two
years.
The
Executive Director of the association shall serve ex officio as
member of the Board of Directors, shall be given notice of all
meetings of the Board of Directors, but shall not be entitled to
vote, at any meeting of the Board of Directors.
Section 3. Regular Meetings. A regular meeting of the Board
of Directors shall be held at each World Conference and
otherwise at least quarterly each year, at such place, day, and
hour as the President may determine and as shall be stated in
written notice given to each member of the Board of Directors
either by mailing such notice at least 30 days before the date
fixed for the meeting. The notice of any regular meeting need
not specify the business to be transacted at any such regular
meeting of the Board of Directors.
Section 4 Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board of
Directors may be called at any time by the President or by a
majority of the members of the Board of Directors. Special
meetings shall be held at such time the place, day, and hour of
every special meeting shall be given to each member of the Board
of Directors either by mailing such notice at least 15 days
before, the date fixed for the meeting. The notice of such
special meeting shall specify the business to be transacted at
and the purpose of any special meeting of the Board of
Directors.
Section 5. Quorum; Voting. A quorum at all meetings of the
Board of Directors shall consist of a majority of the directors
holding office. Less than a quorum may adjourn from time to time
without further notice until a quorum is secured. Except as
provided specifically to the contrary by these Bylaws, the act
of a majority of the directors present at a meeting at which a
quorum is present shall be the act of the Board of Directors.
Section 6. Vacancies. Any vacancy in the Board of Directors
shall be filled by the regular members of the Association
following nomination and appointment by the board. A director
appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve for the unexpired term
of such person’s predecessor in office and until such person’s
successor is duly appointed and shall have qualified. Any
position on the Board of Directors to be filled by reason of an
increase in the number of directors shall be filled by the
regular members of the Association as soon as practicable after
the time such increase is authorized.
Section 7. Executive Committee. The Board of Directors may
by resolution authorize the formation of an Executive Committee
of the Board of Directors, which, if authorized, shall consist
of the President, the President-Elect and the immediate
Pas-President (provided that such individuals continue as
members of the Board of Directors), the Treasurer, and such
other persons, if any, determined by the Board of Directors. The
President shall be the chair of the Executive Committee. The
Executive Committee shall have the power to transact all regular
business of the Association during the period between board
meetings, subject to any limitation imposed by the Board of
Directors, by the Bylaws, or by the law. When the Executive
Committee takes any action, the action taken shall be reported
to the board at the next meeting of the board.
Section 8. Finance Committee. The Board of Directors may by
resolution authorize the formation of a Finance Committee of the
Board of Directors, which, if authorized, shall consist of such
members of the Board of Directors as may be specified in such
resolution and which review the financial records, budget, and
audits of the Association and which shall present the audit of
the association’s financial statements to the Board of Directors
at the next regular meeting of the board to the members at the
next World Conference.
Section 9. Nominating Committee. There shall be a Nominating
Committee of the Association, which shall consist of the five
individuals who shall not be members of the Board of Directors,
who shall be appointed from time to time by the President with
the approval of the Board of Directors, and who shall, after
giving due consideration to the needs for continuity in the
Association’s governance, the international nature of the
association’s membership, and diversity in gender and medical
specialty, be responsible for the nomination of candidates for
election as officers and directors of the Association.
Section 10. Bylaws Committee. There shall be a Bylaws
Committee, which shall consist of at least three regular members
of the Association appointed by the President with the approval
of the Board of Directors, after giving due consideration to the
needs for continuity in the Association’s governance, the
international nature of the Association’s membership, and
diversity in gender and medical specialty, and which shall
periodically review the Bylaws of the Association and propose
such changes as may seem necessary. Members of the Bylaws
Committee shall serve for terms of two years, and no such member
shall be eligible to serve for more than two consecutive terms.
Section 11. Other Committees. The Board of Directors of
the Association may create, by a resolution adopted by the Board
of Directors or by any committee of the Board of Directors, such
other committees as determined to be necessary or desirable for
the purpose of assisting with the conduct of the affairs of the
Association. These committees may consist of such individuals
as the authority creating the committee deems appropriate and
which shall have and may exercise such authority as shall be
provided in such resolution. No committee shall have or
exercise any authority regarding the management of the
Association or have or exercise any of the powers reserved by
law to the Board of Directors. Committees thus created will be
recognized by the term ad hoc and continued until
dissolved by the Board of Directors of the Association, or until
included as a standing committee within the Association.
Creation of Standing Committees will require change and
incorporation into these bylaws.
Section 12. Restrictions on Committees. No committee
shall have the power or authority
a.
to authorize any distributions within the meaning of the
Colorado Revised Nonprofit Corporation Act
b.
to provide or propose to the members any action that the
Colorado Revised Nonprofit Corporation Act requires to be
approved by members;
c.
to elect, appoint, or remove any director;
d.
to amend, restate, alter, or repeal the Articles of
incorporation;
e.
to amend, alter, or repeal these or any Bylaws of the
Association;
f.
to approve a plan or merger not requiring the approval of
the members;
g.
to approve a sale, lease, exchange, or other disposition
of all, or substantially all, of the purpose of the Association,
with or without goodwill, otherwise in the usual and regular
course of business subject to approval by the members;
h.
or to take any other action prohibited by law.
All committees shall keep regular
minutes of their respective transactions and shall report their
actions to the Board at the meeting of the Board next following
such actions. The Chairperson of each committee shall be
designated at the time of appointment of such committee.
Section 13. Standard of Conduct for Directors. Each
director shall perform his or her duties as a director,
including without limitation his or her duties as a member of
any committee of the board, in good faith, in a manner the
director reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the
corporation, and with the care an ordinarily prudent person in a
like position would exercise under similar circumstances. In the
performance of his or her duties, a director shall be entitled
to rely on information, opinions, reports or statements,
including financial statements and other financial data, in each
case prepared or presented by the persons designated below,
unless the director has knowledge concerning the matter in
question that would cause such reliance to be unwarranted. A
director shall not be liable to the Association or the members
for any action the director takes or omits to take as a director
if, in connection with such action or omission, the director
performs his or her duties in compliance with this Section. A
director, regardless of title, shall not be deemed to be a
trustee with respect to the Association or with respect to any
property held or administrated by the Association including,
without limitation, property that may be subject to restrictions
by the donor or transferor of such property.
The designated persons on whom a director is entitled to rely
are: a. one or more officers or employees of the corporation
whom the director reasonably believes to be reliable and
competent in the matters presented; b. legal counsel, a public
accountant, or other person as to matters which the director
reasonably believes to within such person’s professional or
expert competence; or c. a committee of the Board of Directors
on which the director does not serve if the director reasonably
believes the committee merits confidence.
Section 14. Conflicts of Interest. The Board of
Directors acknowledges that conflicts of interest may
occasionally arise and that neither the elimination from the
board of all persons who might potentially have any such
conflict nor the avoidance of all transactions involving a
conflict of interest would necessarily serve the best interests
of the Association. Nonetheless, each member of the Board of
Directors or a candidate for membership on the Board of
Directors will disclose conflicts of interest at that time and
no less than annually to the President and to refrain from
influencing the board’s action on a matter in which such
director is financially interested. It is therefore the policy
of the Association to avoid the participation of any director in
the Board of Directors’ consideration of a matter which poses a
conflict of interest for that director. The President will
present this information to the Board no less than annually, and
will publicize this information to the membership.
a.
For these purposes, a conflict of interest shall be
deemed to arise whenever a matter under consideration involves
the potential for significant benefit to a director or to any
business, financial, or professional organization of which the
director or a member of such director’s immediate family is an
officer, director, member, owner, or employee.
b.
Whenever any matter comes before a meeting of the Board
of Directors which gives rise to a potential conflict of
interest, the affected director shall make known the conflict to
the remaining directors present at such meeting, shall , after
answering any questions posed by the other directors, withdraw
from the meeting for as long as the matter is under
consideration, and shall neither be present nor cast a vote.
c.
If the withdrawal of the affected director results in the
absence of a quorum, no action shall be taken on the matter in
question until a quorum of disinterested directors can be
established.
d.
The minutes of a meeting at which a conflict of interest
arises shall reflect that a disclosure was made, the affected
director’s withdrawal from the meeting and abstention from
voting, and, if action is taken on the matter, the continued
presence of a quorum.
e.
As with all other matters coming before the Board of
Directors, the disinterested directors shall pass upon a matter
that poses a conflict of interest for another director in a
manner which they reasonably and in good faith believe to be in
the best interest of the association. The Board of Directors
shall not authorize under this Section any transaction involving
a conflict of interest that would also subject the Association
or its directors, officers, or employees to liability under
Section 4941 of the Internal Revenue Code.
Section 15 Removal. Whenever in the judgment of such
directors and regular members such removal would serve the best
interest of the Association, any member of the Board of
Directors of the Association may be removed if two-thirds of the
members of the Board of Directors recommend that the issue of
such removal be referred to a vote of the regular members and if
a majority of the regular members of the Association present at
a meeting of the regular members at which a quorum is present
approve such removal.
Section 16. Action Without a Meeting. Any action required
by law to be taken at a meeting of the Board of Directors, or
any committee thereof, or any other action which may be taken at
a meeting of directors, or any committee thereof, may be taken
without a meeting if every member of the board in writing
either: a. votes for such action or b. votes against such action
or abstains from voting and waives the right to demand that a
meeting be held. Action is taken only if the affirmative votes
for such action equals or exceeds the minimum number of votes
that would be necessary to take such action at a meeting at
which all of the directors then in office were present and
voted. The action shall only be effective if there are writings
which describe the action, signed by all directors, received by
the Association and filed with the minutes. Any such writings
may be received by electronically transmitted facsimile or other
form of communication providing the association with a complete
copy of the document, including a copy of the signature. Actions
taken shall be effective when the last writing necessary to
effect the action is received by the Association unless the
writings set forth a different date. Any director who has signed
a writing may revoke it by a writing signed, dated and stating
the prior vote is revoked. However, such writing must be
received by the association before the last writing necessary to
effect the action is received. All such actions shall have the
same effect as action taken at a meeting and may be stated as
such a document.
Section 17 Telephonic Meetings. The Board of Directors
may permit any directors (or any member of a committee
designated by the board) to participate in a regular or special
meeting of the Board of Directors or committee thereof through
the use of any means of communication by which all directors
participating in the meeting can hear one another during the
meeting. A director participating in a meeting in this manner
shall be deemed to be present in person at such meeting.
Section 18 Compensation. Members of the Board of
Directors may receive reasonable compensation for serving in
such office. The association shall reimburse any member of the
Board of Directors for reasonable expenses incurred in
connection with service on the Board.
Article IV Officers.
Section 1. Number; Qualification. The officers of the
Association shall be a President, a President-Elect, the
immediate Past-President, a Treasurer, and a Secretary. No
individual may hold more than one office. The Board of Directors
may elect such other officers as it may deem advisable, who
shall be chosen in such manner and hold their offices for such
terms and have such authority and duties as from time to time
may be determined by the Board of Directors.
Section 2. Power and Duties. The officers of the Association
shall exercise and perform the respective powers, duties, and
functions as are stated below and as may be assigned to them by
the Board of Directors.
a.
The President shall be the Chairman and a member of the
Board of Directors of the Association and shall preside at all
meetings of the Board. The President shall be the Chief
Executive Officer of the Association and shall, subject to the
general direction and control of the Board of Directors, have
the general supervision, direction, and control over the
business and affairs of the Association and its officers,
agents, and employees. The President may sign, with the
Secretary or any Assistant Secretary or any other proper officer
of the Association designated by the Board of Directors, any
deeds, leases, mortgages, deed of trust, or other documents of
conveyance or encumbrance of any real property owned by the
Association. He shall also perform all duties incident to the
office of President and such other duties as may be assigned by
the Board of Directors from time to time.
b.
The President-Elect shall be an individual who is not
currently a member of the Board of Directors and who shall serve
one two-year term in such capacity. Following such person’s
initial two-year term in such capacity, such person shall
succeed to the office of the President for a two-year term.
c.
Following the expiration of the President’s term of
office, such individual shall succeed to the office of immediate
Past-President until such person’s successor similarly succeeds
to such office or, if earlier, until such person is no longer a
member of the Board of Directors.
d.
The Treasurer shall be the principal finance officer of
the Association; shall have the charge and custody of and be
responsible for all funds and securities of the Association;
shall deposit such funds in the name of the Association in such
depositories as shall be designated by the Board of Directors;
shall keep accurate books of account and records of financial
transactions and the condition of the Association and shall
submit such reports thereof as the Board of Directors may from
time to time require; and in general, perform all duties
incident to such office and such other duties as may from time
to time be assigned to such person by the President or by the
Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall make an annual financial
report to the Association at the annual meeting of the Board of
Directors. With the approval of the Board of Directors, the
Treasurer shall be authorized to engage any firm of certified
public accountants to assist him in the performance of any of
the duties incident to the Treasurer’s office.
Assistant treasurer, if any, shall have the same duties and
powers subject to the supervision of the Treasurer.
e.
The Secretary shall keep accurate minutes of the
proceedings of the members and of the Board of Directors and of
any committees of the Board of Directors; shall ensure that all
notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of
these Bylaws; shall be custodian of the records and of the seal
of the Association and shall attest the affixing of the seal of
the Association when authorized by the Board of Directors; and
shall perform such additional duties as are incident to such
office and as may be assigned to such person by the Board of
Directors or the President.
Assistant Secretaries, if any, shall have the same duties and
powers subject to the supervision of the Secretary.
Section 3. Selection and Terms of Offices. All officers
of the Association, other than those elected by the membership,
shall be elected by the Board of Directors at its regular
meeting held in conjunction with the World Conference and shall
hold office for one year and until their successors shall have
elected and shall have qualified.
Section 4. Compensation. Officers may receive reasonable
compensation for serving in such office. The Association shall
reimburse any officer for all reasonable expenses incurred by
such individual in connection with services rendered to or for
the Association.
Section 5. Removal. Any officer or agent elected or
appointed by the Board of Directors may be removed by the Board
of Directors whenever in its judgment such removal will serve
the best interests of the Association. Any officer or agent
elected or appointed by the members may be removed by the
members whenever in their judgments such removal will serve the
best interests of the association.
Section 6. Vacancies. A vacancy in any office because of
the death, resignation, removal, disqualification, or otherwise,
of an officer elected or appointed by the Board of Directors may
be filled by the Board of Directors for the unexpired portion of
the term.
Section 7. Standards of Conduct for Officers. Officers
shall observe the same standards of conduct as are applicable to
members of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE V – Executive
Director
Section 1. Executive Director. There shall be an
Executive Director of the Association, who shall be appointed by
the Board of Directors, who shall serve for a term of four
years, and who shall be eligible to serve no more than two
consecutive terms.
Section 2. Duties. The Executive Director shall
attend to the execution of the routine activities of the
Association between meetings of the Board of Directors,
including the publication of the membership list, the
circulation of a newsletter, providing announcements of
scheduled workshops, and performing such other tasks as may be
assigned to such person by the President or the Board of
Directors.
Section 3. Appointment to Office of Secretary.
The Executive Director shall perform the functions of the office
of the Secretary, may designate such persons as Assistant
Secretaries as the Executive Director sees fit, and may delegate
any of the responsibilities of the office of the Secretary to
such Assistant Secretaries.
ARTICLE VI – Journal
The Association
shall have an official journal, whose title, publisher, and
editor shall be selected by the Board of Directors. The
Association shall also have a Publications Committee, which
shall review the performance of the editor and publisher of the
journal. The editor of the journal shall be an individual who
shall serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. In the
event of a vacancy in the position of editor, the President,
with the approval of a Publications Committee, shall appoint a
successor. The Board of Directors shall review and approve in
advance all official publications of the Association.
ARTICLE VII – Contracts, Loan,
and Deposits
Section I. Contracts.
The
Board of Directors may authorize any officer or officers, agent
or agents to enter into any contract or execute and deliver any
instrument in the name of and on behalf of the Association, and
such authority may be general or confined to specific instances.
Section 2. Loans. No loans shall be contracted for on behalf
of the Association and no evidence of indebtedness shall be
issued in the name of the Association unless authorized by a
resolution of the Board of Directors. Such authority may be
general if confined to a specific dollar limit determined from
time to time by resolution of the Board of Directors and shall
otherwise be confined to specific instances. No loan shall be
made to any officer or director of the Association.
Section 3. Checks, Drafts, and Notes. All checks, drafts, or
other orders for payment of money, notes, or other evidence of
indebtedness issued in the name of the Association shall be
signed by such officer or officers, agent or agents of the
Association and in such manner as shall from time to time be
determined by the resolution of the Board of Directors.
Section 4. Deposits. All funds of the Association not
otherwise employed shall be deposited to the credit of the
Association as soon as practicable in such banks, trust
companies, or other custodians as the Board of Directors may
select.
Section 5. Investment Managers. The Board of Directors
shall have the authority to designate any bank, trust company,
brokerage firm, or investment advisor to manage, invest, and
maintain the custody of the assets of the Association.
Section 6. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the
Association shall end on December 31 of each year.
ARTICLE VIII – Property
The
property of the Association, unless otherwise directed by
donors, shall be held and applied in promoting the general
purposes of the Association declared in its Articles of
Incorporation. No real estate belonging to the Association shall
be conveyed or encumbered except by authority of a majority vote
of the Board of Directors of the Association. Any such
conveyance or encumbrance of real estate shall be executed by
the President of the Association in the name of the Association,
and such instrument shall be duly attested and sealed by the
Secretary or any Assistant Secretary of the Association.
ARTICLE IX –
Indemnification
Section 1. Definitions. For the
purposes of this Article:
a.
The terms "director or officer" shall include a person
who, while serving as a director or officer of the Association,
is or was serving at the request of the Association as a
director, officer, partner, trustee, employee, or agent of
another foreign or domestic corporation, partnership, joint
venture, trust, other enterprise, or employee benefit plan. A
director or officer shall be considered to be serving an
employee benefit plan at the request of the Association if his
duties to the Association also impose duties on or otherwise
involve services by him to the plan or to participants in or
beneficiaries of the plan. The term "director or officer" shall
also include the estate or personal representative of a director
or officer, unless the context otherwise requires.
b.
The term "proceeding" shall mean any threatened, pending
or completed action, suit, or proceeding, whether civil,
criminal, administrative, or investigative, whether formal or
informal, any appeal in such an action, suit, or proceeding, any
inquiry or investigation that could lead to such an action,
suit, or proceeding.
c.
The term "party" includes an individual who is, was, or
is threatened to be made a named defendant or respondent in a
proceeding.
d.
The term "liability" shall mean any obligation to pay a
judgment, settlement, penalty, fine (including an excise tax
assessed with respect to an employee benefit plan), or
reasonable expense incurred with respect to a proceeding.
e.
When used with respect to a director, the phrase
"official capacity" shall mean the office of director in the
Association, and, when used with respect to a person other than
a director, shall mean the office in the Association held by the
officer or the employment or agency relationship undertaken by
the employee or agent on behalf of the Association, but in
neither case shall include service for any foreign or domestic
corporation or for any partnership, joint venture, trust,
employee benefit plan, or other enterprise.
Section 2. General Provisions. The Association shall
indemnify any person who is or was a party or is threatened to
be made a party to any proceeding by reason of the fact that
such person is or was a director or officer of the Association,
against expenses (including attorneys' fees), liability,
judgments, fines, and amounts paid in settlement actually and
reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such
proceeding if such person [a] conducted himself in good faith,
[b] reasonably believed, in the case of conduct in his official
capacity with the Association, that his conduct was in the best
interests of the Association, and, in all other cases, that his
conduct was at least not opposed to the best interests of the
Association, and [c] with respect to any criminal proceeding,
had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was
unlawful. However, no person shall be entitled to
indemnification under this Section 2 either [a] in connection
with a proceeding brought by or in the right of the Association
in which the director or officer was adjudged liable to the
Association or [b] in connection with any other proceeding
charging improper personal benefit to the director or officer,
whether or not involving action in his official capacity, in
which he is ultimately adjudged liable on the basis that he
improperly received personal benefit. Indemnification under this
Section 2 in connection with a proceeding brought by or in the
right of the Association shall be limited to reasonable expenses
incurred in connection with the proceeding. The termination of
any action, suit, or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement,
or conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its
equivalent shall not be itself create a presumption that the
person did not act in good faith or otherwise failed to meet the
standard of conduct set forth in this Section 2.
Section 3. Successful Defense on the Merits; Expenses. To
the extent that a director or officer of the Association has
been wholly successful on the merits in defense of any
proceeding to which he was a party, such person shall be
indemnified against expenses (including attorneys' fees)
actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such
proceeding.
Section 4. Determination of Right to Indemnification. Any
indemnification under Section 2 of this Article (unless ordered
by a court) shall be made by the Association only as authorized
in each specific case upon a determination that indemnification
of the director or officer is permissible under the
circumstances because such person met the applicable standard of
conduct set forth in such Section 2. Such determination shall be
made [a] by the Board of Directors by a majority vote of a
quorum of disinterested directors who at the time of the vote
are not, were not, and are not threatened to be made parties to
the proceeding, or [b] if such a quorum cannot be obtained, by
the vote of a majority of the members of a committee of the
Board of Directors designated by the board, which committee
shall consist of two or more directors who are not parties to
the proceeding (directors who are parties to the proceeding may
participate in the designation of directors to serve on such
committee), or [c] if such a quorum of the Board of Directors
cannot be obtained or such a committee cannot be established, or
even if such a quorum is obtained or such a committee is so
designated, but such quorum or committee so directs, then by
independent legal counsel selected by the Board of Directors in
accordance with the preceding procedures, or [d] by the regular
members. Authorization of indemnification and evaluation as to
the reasonableness of expenses shall be made in the same manner
as the determination that indemnification is permissible, except
that, if the determination that indemnification is permissible
is made by independent legal counsel, authorization of
indemnification and evaluation of legal expenses shall be made
by the body that selected such counsel.
Section 5. Advance Payment of Expenses; Undertaking to Repay.
The Association shall pay for or reimburse the reasonable
expenses (including attorneys' fees) incurred by a director or
officer who is a party to proceeding prior to the final
disposition of the proceeding if [a] the director or officer
furnishes the Association a written affirmation of his good
faith belief that he conducted himself in good faith, [b] the
director or officer furnishes the Association with a written
undertaking, executed personally or on his behalf, to repay the
advance if it is determined that he did not conduct himself in
good faith, which undertaking shall be an unlimited general
obligation of the director or officer but which need not be
secured and which may be accepted without reference to financial
ability to make repayment, and [c] a determination is made by
the body authorizing indemnification that the facts then known
to such body would not preclude indemnification.
Section 6. Reports to Members. In the event that the
Association indemnifies, or advances the expenses of, a director
or officer in accordance with this Article in connection with a
proceeding by or on behalf of the Association, a report of the
fact shall be made in writing to the members with or before the
delivery of the notice of the next meeting of the members.
Section 7. Other Employees and Agents. The Association shall
indemnify such other employees and agents of the Association to
the same extent and in the same manner as is provided above in
Section 2 with respect to directors and officers, by adopting a
resolution by a majority of the members of the Board of
Directors specifically identifying by name or by position the
employees or agents entitled to indemnification.
Section 8. Insurance. The Board of Directors may exercise
the Association's power to purchase and maintain insurance
(including with limitation insurance for legal expenses and
costs incurred in connection with defending any claim,
proceeding, or lawsuit) on behalf of any person who is or was a
director or officer of the Association against any liability
asserted against him or incurred by him in any such capacity or
arising out of his status as such, whether or not the
Association would have the power to indemnify him against such
liability under the provisions of this Article.
Section
9. Nonexclusivity of Article. The indemnification provided
by this Article shall not be deemed exclusive of any other
rights and procedures to which one indemnified may be entitled
under the Articles of Incorporation, any bylaw, agreement,
resolution of disinterested directors, or otherwise, both as to
action in such person's official capacity and as to action in
another capacity while holding such office, and shall continue
as to a person who has ceased to be a director or officer, and
shall inure to the benefit of such person's heirs, executors,
and administrators.
ARTICLE X – Parliamentary
Authority
The
rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of
Order, Newly Revised, shall govern the Association in all case
to which they are applicable and in which they are not
inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules of order
the Association may adopt.
ARTICLE XI – Amendments
These Bylaws may be amended, altered, or repealed and new Bylaws
may be adopted by a vote of the regular members, provided that
notice of the proposed amendment, alteration, or repeal shall
have been delivered to each regular member of the Association
with the notice of the meeting at which the proposed amendment,
alteration, or repeal will be presented to the regular members
for action.
The
above Bylaws were approved and adopted by the Board of Directors
of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer
and approved by its members, on the 5h day of June, 2007.
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