ACBS Chapters are required to have by-laws.
General Information about By-Laws
(adapted from "Association Law Handbook, 4th Ed., p.17-20")
By-laws are rules adopted and maintained by a Chapter to define and direct its internal structure and management. They are subordinate only to the articles of incorporation (if the Chapter is incorporated). By-laws are best used to detail how the Chapter is formed and how it is run.
By-laws may be viewed as constituting the terms of an agreement between a Chapter and its members. This 'agreement' is generally legally enforceable.
By-laws should be specific enough to help the running of the Chapter, but general enough that the organization can function easily without violating/contradicting the by-laws in actual practice. By-laws establish continuing, generally-applicable policies or procedures basic to the structure or management.
In matters in which changes can be anticipated over the lifespan of the Chapter (such as dues structure, functions of board members, etc.) the by-laws should give only general guidance or set minimal requirements. Specific decision on these matters may more conveniently be
- left to resolution by Chapter board of directors, or
- left to resolution by the chapter membership, or
- based on another governing document, such as a Chapter's manual of policies and procedures.
Amendments to Chapter by-laws are purposefully difficult and should be made rarely.