Bylaws (Règlement intérieur) of the ACP

Bylaw 1 - Membership

  1. There shall be two categories of membership: Member and Honorary Member.
  2. Each Member shall have one vote and will be entitled to vote with respect to the election of members of the Executive Committee and with regards to amendments to the bylaws of the Association. A Member may also stand for election to the Executive Committee.
  3. One becomes a Member of the Association by either:
    1. Paying an annual due as established by the Executive Committee, or
    2. Being designated an Honorary Member of the ACP
  4. Honorary membership is a lifetime membership. An Honorary member is designated by a vote of the Executive Committee and confirmed by a vote of the General Assembly.
  5. The term of membership for those paying annual dues shall coincide with the calendar year, beginning January 1 and ending on December 31.
  6. A Member whose conduct may have been detrimental to the good of the Association may be dropped from membership and from any office by the unanimity of the total voting membership of the Executive Committee or during the General Assembly by a 2/3 majority, provided that the member has been notified by at least twenty (20) days in advance as to the charges against him or her, and has been given the opportunity to answer the charges in person, in writing, or by an authorized representative. A person who has been dropped from membership under this bylaw can be reinstated to membership only upon majority approval of the Executive Committee or by majority vote at the General Assembly and by meeting membership requirements.
  7. Any Member may resign by sending a written resignation to the President or Secretary.

Bylaw 2 - General Assembly

  1. A General Assembly shall normally be held annually at the International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP) conference. If there shall be no meeting of this conference in any year then a General Assembly may be held at a time and place specified by the Executive Committee to be announced through normal means.
  2. The General Assembly makes valid decisions only if at least a quarter of the members of the Association are present or represented. Should this quorum not be met, the membership of the Association will be given a two month period to vote on the agenda items through electronic means such as email and web voting systems. The decisions of this electronic General Assembly will be valid whatever the number of voters. No proxies are permitted in the electronic General Assembly.
  3. A member can designate any other member as a proxy. A voting member present at the General Assembly may have a maximum of 3 proxies giving him/her a maximum of 4 votes.
  4. Voting at the General Assembly shall be by show of hands unless a secret ballot is requested by any Member. The result of any vote shall be announced before the adjournment of the meeting.
  5. Resolutions for consideration at the General Assembly may be put forward either by majority vote of the Executive Committee or upon the receipt of a resolution supported by at least fifteen (15) members.

Bylaw 3 - Manner of Voting

  1. Except at the General Assembly, all voting by the membership shall be done by mail ballot, defined as written or electronic communication.
  2. No Member shall be entitled to appoint a proxy except for votes at the General Assembly.
  3. Unless otherwise stated in these bylaws, any vote shall be decided by a simple majority.

Bylaw 4 - Executive Committee

  1. The Executive Committee (EC) of the Association shall consist of seven voting members along with whatever non-voting members the bylaws provide.
  2. Voting members of the EC shall serve four year terms, unless otherwise stated in these bylaws.
  3. The voting members of the Executive Committee shall choose amongst themselves a President who shall serve a two year term, commencing January 1 in odd numbered years. The President shall be the principal executive officer of the Association. The President shall:
    1. Supervise the affairs of the Association
    2. Chair all meetings of the Membership and of the Executive Committee. If the President is unavailable, the President may nominate any other member of the Executive Committee to chair such a meeting.
    3. Have charge of, and be responsible for, all funds and securities of the Association.
  4. No member of the EC may be elected to the EC for more than two consecutive terms.
  5. A President may be re-elected to the Presidency by the EC. A President may be replaced at any time by a vote of five voting members of the EC.
  6. All members of the EC must be Members of the Association.
  7. The EC shall fill all vacancies in its membership by majority vote of the EC. Such positions will then be filled at the next election by the Membership, with an election for the unfilled portion of the vacated term.
  8. At the end of a President's term, if the President is not reelected, then the President becomes the Past President. If the Past President is not already on the EC, then the Past President joins the EC as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the EC. If the Past President is an elected member of the EC, the Past President retains his or her membership. The Past President serves until replaced by a succeeding Past President.
  9. In addition, the Association shall have a Secretary, a Treasurer, and a Conference Coordinator who shall be appointed by the Executive Committee and shall serve for such term as the Executive Committee shall determine, not to exceed the time until a new Executive Committee or portion thereof is elected. These office-holders, if not already members of the Executive Committee, join the Executive Committee as ex-officio, non-voting members of the EC.
    1. The Secretary shall keep or cause to be kept correct and complete minutes of the meetings of the Members and of the EC, and shall keep a correct and complete register of Members entitled to vote along with their contact information.
    2. The Treasurer shall keep correct and complete books and records of accounts, receipt and give receipts for monies due and payable to the Association, make deposits in banks, trust companies or other depositories, and be the custodian of records of the Association.
    3. The Conference Coordinator shall have overall responsibility for coordinating meetings of the Association, for ensuring that conference organizers follow policies and procedures, and for liaising with organizers of co-sponsored conferences.
  10. A quorum for the purposes of the Executive Committee shall consist of five voting members of the EC.
  11. The Executive Committee shall meet once a year at the CP conference and at such other times as it shall determine. Electronic meetings and votes are permitted.
  12. The responsibilities of the EC are to:
    1. Select venues for future CP conferences,
    2. Select program and conference chairs for future CP conferences,
    3. Make decisions concerning the future of CP conferences,
    4. Promote constraint programming,
    5. Otherwise carryout the duties of the EC as outlined in these bylaws.
  13. The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the parliamentary procedure of all meetings of the EC and Membership, to the extent they are applicable and consistent with the Constitution, Bylaws, and EC actions.

Bylaw 5 - Elections

  1. An Election Committee shall be appointed by the Executive Committee and shall be responsible for the conduct of elections. Unless the Secretary is a candidate in the election, the Secretary shall chair the Election Committee.
  2. Unless otherwise determined by the Executive Committee not later than July 1 in any Election Year, the Election period shall end September 1.
  3. The Election Committee shall nominate at least one person for every position falling vacant on the Executive Committee. In addition, the Election Committee will include in the nominations any nomination made by a Member of the Association, provided the nominee agrees to the nomination.
  4. The Election Committee shall circulate such nominations to the membership not less than thirty days before the Election Date.
  5. Elections shall be held only in even numbered years.
  6. Elections shall be done by approval voting by the Members, with voting being done by either ordinary or electronic means.

Bylaw 6 --- Committees

  1. The Executive Committee may appoint the following committees and such other committee(s) as it may deem appropriate:
    1. The Election Committee, as given in Bylaw 5.
    2. The Conference Committee, which shall solicit and evaluate proposals for future conferences and otherwise aid the Conference Coordinator in his/her duties. This committee will prepare recommendations for consideration by the EC with regards to site location, program and conference chairs, and conference policies. This committee will be chaired by the Conference Coordinator and will consist of the Program Chair(s) and Organizing Committee Chair(s) of the past three conferences, along with such other members selected by the EC. This committee is advisory to the EC, and all decisions are ultimately made by the EC.
  2. All decisions, policies, and procedures are effective only upon the vote of the EC.

Bylaw 7 --- Policies and Procedures

  1. The Executive Committee shall develop, maintain, and promulgate a Manual of Policies and Procedures. The Manual shall include rules for the operations of committees; procedures for meetings and conferences; procedures for awards; and any other procedures necessary for the efficient running of the Association.

Bylaw 8 --- Amendments to the Bylaws

  1. The Bylaws of the Association may be altered by majority vote of the General Assembly under the process given in Bylaw 2.

Bylaw 9 --- Transitioning

These bylaws are effective January 1, 2008. The Executive Committee as of that date will elect among themselves a President to serve until December 31, 2008. The following are the members of the Executive Committee along with the end of their term:

  • Benhamou (December 31, 2008)
  • Jussein (December 31, 2008)
  • O'Sullivan (December 31, 2008)
  • Rossi (December 31, 2008)
  • Lee (December 31, 2009)
  • Regin (December 31, 2009)
  • Schulte (December 31, 2009)
  • Trick (December 31, 2009)
  • Sellman or Michel (December 31, 2009)
  • Bessiere (December 31, 2009)

Along with two new elected members of the EC (denoted elected1 and elected2), whose terms end December 31, 2010. In 2008, an election will be held for three (3) members of the EC, elected to a four year term along with two (2) interim members to serve a two year term. The President as of December 31, 2007 shall be Past-President unless selected as President for 2009-2010. If the President is reselected as President then there will be no initial Past-President. No election before the 2008 election applies to the "no two consecutive terms rule". Any position that falls vacant in 2008 and 2009 will not be refilled, unless by not refilling the Executive Committee falls below seven members, in which case replacements will be chosen under the appropriate bylaw until there are seven members. In 2010, there will be an election for four members of the EC. In every further even year there will be an election for members of the EC to make up the seven members.

2008

  • Benhamou (December 31, 2008)
  • Jussein (December 31, 2008)
  • O'Sullivan (December 31, 2008)
  • Rossi (December 31, 2008)
  • Lee (December 31, 2009)
  • Regin (December 31, 2009)
  • Schulte (December 31, 2009)
  • Trick (December 31, 2009)
  • Sellman or Michel (December 31, 2009)
  • Bessiere (December 31, 2009)
  • Elected1 (December 31, 2010)
  • Elected2 (December 31, 2010)

2009

  • Lee (December 31, 2009)
  • Regin (December 31, 2009)
  • Schulte (December 31, 2009)
  • Trick (December 31, 2009)
  • Sellman or Michel (December 31, 2009)
  • Bessiere (December 31, 2009)
  • Elected1 (December 31, 2010)
  • Elected2 (December 31, 2010)
  • Elected3 (December 31, 2012)
  • Elected4 (December 31, 2012)
  • Elected5 (December 31, 2012)
  • Elected6 (December 31, 2010)
  • Elected7 (December 31, 2010)

2010

  • Elected1 (December 31, 2010)
  • Elected2 (December 31, 2010)
  • Elected3 (December 31, 2012)
  • Elected4 (December 31, 2012)
  • Elected5 (December 31, 2012)
  • Elected6 (December 31, 2010)
  • Elected7 (December 31, 2010)

2011

  • Elected3 (December 31, 2012)
  • Elected4 (December 31, 2012)
  • Elected5 (December 31, 2012)
  • Elected8 (December 31, 2014)
  • Elected9 (December 31, 2014)
  • Elected10 (December 31,2014)
  • Elected11 (December 31, 2014)

at which point the processes in the Bylaws will take full effect.

File attachments: