Article One: Organization
1. The name of this organization shall be the Florida Association of Medical Examiners, Inc. (F.A.M.E. also referred to as the “Association”).
2. The organization shall have a seal or logo which shall prominently identify the Florida Association of Medical Examiners, Inc.
Article Two: Purposes
The following are the purposes of this Association:
1. To provide a professional organization for medical examiners and their professional staff within the state of Florida.
2. To discuss administrative, operational, career and political problems affecting medical examiner offices without offering opinions regarding specific death investigations or trials to third parties.
3. To exchange and expand the professional experiences of the medical examiners and their professional staff.
4. To consider methods of improving and promoting the medical examiner system and methods for enhancing the prestige of the medical examiner offices in order that the public may be better served.
5. To represent the interests of Florida’s medical examiners to the Legislature, the Governor and the Florida Medical Examiner Commission.
Article Three:Membership
Membership in F.A.M.E. shall comprise active, affiliate and emeritus members. Active members may hold office and vote. Affiliate members may vote and shall be represented on the Board of Directors, but may not hold office. Emeritus members may not hold office.
1. Active members shall be Florida District Medical Examiners and Florida Associate Medical Examiners as defined in Florida Statute Chapter 406.
2. Affiliate members shall be other professional employees of medical examiner offices.
Affiliate members shall be sponsored by an active member in accordance with procedures established by the Association. The sponsoring active members shall immediately report any change in status or employment by which the affiliate member becomes no longer qualified. In order to retain membership, the affiliate member must become requalified within two years of such disqualification.
3. Emeritus members shall be those active members who have been members of FAME in good standing and are fully retired as Florida Medical Examiners.
The Emeritus member shall be granted this status upon approval of the Board of Directors. Emeritus members shall pay dues, may serve on committees and vote, but may not hold office.
4. Membership applications received by the Secretary shall be forwarded to the Board of Directors for action at its next meeting. The action of the Board may be overruled by a two-thirds vote of the membership in attendance at the next annual meeting.
Article Four: Meetings
1. An annual membership meeting shall be held by the Association. The Secretary shall give the membership notice of the annual meeting.
2. A quorum of the general membership shall consist of 10 percent of the active and affiliate membership of the Association.
3. Special meetings may be called by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee and a majority of the Board of Directors.
4. Except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws, motions, resolutions and other decisions shall be approved at annual and special meetings, or via mailed ballot by a simple majority of those present and/or voting.
5. The deliberations of the Association shall be governed by parliamentary procedure.
Article 5: executive committee
1. The Executive Committee shall consist of five members: the President, President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer and Immediate Past President. All members of the Executive Committee shall serve for two years, and may serve additional consecutive or non-consecutive terms.
2. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the fiscal affairs and management of the Association.
3. The Executive Committee shall refer disciplinary matters to the Florida Medical Examiners Commission, upon recommendation by the Board of Directors.
4. The Executive Committee shall annually review, propose and report to the Board of Directors both short and long range planning objectives and goals to improve and promote the Association and to enhance the prestige of Florida's medical examiners.
5. The President shall serve as Chair of the Executive Committee.
6. The Executive Committee shall meet each year during the annual membership meeting and at such other times as it considers necessary. The committee may meet by conference call. Three members shall constitute a quorum at an Executive Committee meeting. Minutes shall be kept by the Secretary.
7. The Executive Committee shall formulate whatever Bylaws, rules or regulations it considers necessary for the conduct of its meetings and activities.
8. Final clarification or interpretation of these bylaws rests with the Executive Committee.
Article 6: Board of Directors
1. Members of the Board of Directors, other than the officers and Immediate Past President, shall be elected annually by the voting membership as defined in Article Three. The purpose of the Board shall be to formulate the broad policies of the Association and to consult with the officers and members of the Executive Committee with regard to any major problems that may arise in connection with the Association's program or activities, or any significant issues that may confront the Florida's medical examiners as a whole.
2. A candidate for the Board of Directors must be an active or affiliate member in good standing. In order to be eligible for the Board of Directors, a candidate must attend 50% of the meetings after election to the Board. Failure to satisfy these requirements shall be sufficient grounds for the member to be declared ineligible or to be suspended subject to exemption by the Board for good cause shown. For the purpose of this section, meetings shall include the sum of both regular and any special meetings.
3. The Board shall be composed of the Officers and the Immediate Past President, who shall be the Chair, and 5 other active and/or affiliate members. Each Board member, other than the officers and the Chair, shall be elected for a three year term and may be re-elected to the Board. Past officers may serve on the Board.
4. Five members of the Board shall constitute a quorum at any Board meeting.
5. The Board shall meet each year during the annual meeting and at other such times as the President may deem necessary to the aims and purposes of the Association.
6. The Board shall perform the following duties:
a.) review and accept, reject or defer applications for membership; render a report of the status of the membership at each annual meeting;
b.) review and approve, reject or modify all educational material prepared and published for the general public by F.A.M.E.; review requirements and practices of continuing medical education as they may relate to medical examiners and their professional staff; report to the membership at the annual meeting or as frequently as may be necessary; oversee the scientific program of the annual meeting;
c.) review and make recommendations to the Executive Committee in all questions of unethical practice as such practice may be performed by members of the Association; make recommendations to the Executive Committee when charges have been brought against any member in accordance with these Bylaws;
d.) review the budget and make recommendations regarding the fiscal policy of the Association; render a report at the annual meeting; arrange for periodic independent audits;
e.) promote recognition of the Florida Medical Examiners in other national or statewide professional organizations such as the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME), the SIDS foundation, the Florida Medical Examiner Commission (MEC) and the Florida Medical Association (FMA) in order to enhance, improve and promote the medical examiners of Florida in order that the public may better be served.
Article 7: officers
1. The officers of the Association shall consist of the President, President-elect, Secretary and Treasurer.
2. The President shall:
a.) Preside at all membership meetings.
b.) Present and publish an annual report on the work of the Association at each annual meeting.
c.) Appoint all committees, temporary and permanent, with the approval of the Executive Committee.
d.) Appoint active or affiliate members, as appropriate, to fill vacancies in the roll of officers, Board of Directors, or committees except for the Executive Committee.
e.) Insure that all books, reports and certificates as required by law are properly kept or filed.
f.) Be one of the two officers empowered to sign the checks and drafts of the Association.
g.) Have such other powers as are customarily construed as belonging to the chief executive
officer of a membership Association.
h.) Serve as Chair of the Executive Committee.
3. The Immediate Past President shall serve as Chair of the Board of Directors.
4. The President-elect shall perform all the functions of the President in the absence of the latter or in the event the latter is unable, because of ill health or any other reason, to fulfill the duties of the President.
5. The Secretary shall:
a.) Keep the minutes and records.
b.) Serve as the official custodian of the seal of the Association.
c.) Attend to all general correspondence.
d.) Perform all the other duties usually associated with the office of Secretary.
6. The Treasurer shall:
a.) Be in charge of all monies belonging to the Association.
b.) Be one of the two officers with the power to sign the checks and drafts of the Association.
c.) Render a written account of all finances at the annual meeting and at such times as the Executive Committee shall require.
d.) Perform all the other duties usually associated with the office of Treasurer.
7. Each officer shall be elected at an annual meeting for a two year term and may succeed consecutively within the same office for subsequent terms.
8. All four officers shall, by virtue of their office, be members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.
9. No officer shall, because of the office, receive any salary or compensation from the Association. The officer may, however, be reimbursed for expenses incurred in the performance of duties provided the amount of such compensation is specified and approved in advance by the Executive Committee.
Article 8: support personnel
1. Payment of fees for contractual services provided by other support personnel must have the approval of the Executive Committee.
Article 9: committees
1. The President shall appoint the following permanent committees with the approval of the Executive Committee and any other ad hoc committees which may be deemed necessary or desirable:
The Nominations Committee, consisting of three members, shall be appointed at least three months before the annual membership meeting. This committee shall be appointed with the approval of the Executive Committee. The purpose of the Nominations Committee shall be to nominate candidates for the four principal offices of the Association and any positions on the Board of Directors that may become vacant at each meeting.
2. Permanent committees shall be dissolved after six years unless reappointed by the Board of Directors. Ad hoc committees serve at the discretion of the President.
Article 10: ethics
The physician members of the Association shall conform to the published ethics of, and their interpretation by, the American Medical Association.
All members shall abide by the recommendations of the Ethical Advisory Committee of the Medical Examiner Commission as set forth in their 1997 Report.
Each and every member shall refrain from professional or personal conduct adverse to the best interests of the Association.
Article 11: dues
1. The annual dues of the Association shall be established by the Executive Committee with the approval of two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors. Dues shall be payable on or before March 1st of every year.
2. Members who fail to pay their dues by July 1 will be notified of impending suspension and will not receive the benefits of membership. Members who fail to pay all dues for which they are in arrears during the next year ending June 30 shall be automatically removed from the membership rolls by the Secretary and must pay all dues for which they are in arrears before they may be reinstated to membership.
Article 12: amendments
1. These Bylaws may be amended at any annual membership meeting by two-thirds of those present and voting, or by mail ballot of the membership of the Association. Any member may propose an amendment or amendments by writing to the Secretary at least three months before the annual meeting. The Secretary must then give the membership written notice of the proposed amendment or amendments at least two months before the annual meeting, except in the case of those amendments submitted at an annual meeting. Those will be voted on at the following annual meeting, or at the next special meeting, if more than two months succeeding the last annual meeting.