Nebraska Child Support Enforcement Association

NEBRASKA CHILD SUPPORT ASSOCIATION BY-LAWS

GOALS

The members of the Nebraska Child Support Enforcement Association recognize that by working together, we can improve the enforcement of child support and the lives of Nebraska’s children. The Association will strive to assist its members and promote more effective laws and procedures relating to child support. Our primary interest is to ensure that children are supported by their parents and that the laws and agencies of Nebraska recognize and enforce that obligation.

ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of the Association shall be the Nebraska Child Support Enforcement Association. The purpose of the Association shall include, but not be limited to:

1. Encouraging the improvement of the administration of child support programs through the diligent enforcement of state and federal laws.
   
2. Providing a forum where child support professionals and those interested in the advancement of child support can exchange information and ideas for successful child support programs.
   
3. Securing the cooperation of the federal, state, and county units of government to study child support problems and devise methods that will improve and standardize child support program policies and procedures.
   
4. Providing governmental officials at all levels and the general public with information regarding child support programs.
   
5. Developing, promoting and conducting educational programs and conferences for the purpose of informing federal, state and county officials and workers of the latest techniques, procedures and practices in child support.
   
6. Promoting inter-jurisdictional agreements and arrangements for jointly providing more comprehensive approaches to child support and recovery programs.
   
7. Recommending and working for improvements in state laws to make child support programs more efficient and responsive to the needs of unsupported children.

ARTICLE II – FUNDS

The Association shall be incorporated as a non-profit organization. Contributions may be solicited from individuals, foundations or groups to help defray operating expenses.

The Board of Directors shall determine the need for annual dues and shall establish amounts, as appropriate, in all membership categories. Registration fees shall be set by the Board of Directors for the Annual Training Conference(s) held by the Association.

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP

Membership shall be limited as defined in Article III of the Constitution.

ARTICLE IV – BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors shall be comprised of members as set forth in Article IV of the Constitution. Each executive position, committee chair and region shall have one (1) vote on the Board of Directors. The vote of the President will only be counted in the instance of a tie vote occurring with the Board of Directors.

The duties of the Board of Directors shall include: development and approval of the annual budget, consideration of proposals from the Executive Committee and membership, and approval of the Executive Committee’s negotiated contracts.

ARTICLE V – ELECTION

Members of the Board of Directors shall be elected or appointed as set forth in Article IV of the Constitution. Voting regulations are addressed in Article VI of the By-Laws.

Elected positions, and those appointed by the President Elect, take effect on January 1st of the year following the conference at which they were elected.

ARTICLE VI – NOMINATIONS and ELECTIONS

Nominations for Board of Directors to be elected at the Annual Conference may be submitted to the Past President, or their designee, within the time frames determined by the committee. Deadline for nomination time frames may be any date not within four (4) weeks prior to the Annual Conference. Nomination forms will be provided to the general membership via the Association Newsletter or other means as determined by the Board of Directors. Nominations may also be made from the floor for election of officers during the business meeting at the Annual Training Conference. Nominees may be any member in good standing of the Association.

Nominations are to be made by someone other than the nominee and all qualified nominations are to be accepted by the Past President, or their designee. If a nominee receives more than one nomination, he/she must choose prior to the voting phase which nomination they wish to accept. No one member shall hold two executive committee positions.

In accordance with Article IV of the Constitution, the Past President, or their designee, shall prepare ballots listing the nominees for each elected office. Each member in good standing of the Association attending the Annual Training Conference shall receive and be entitled to cast one ballot at the Annual Business Meeting. If a member in good standing is not attending the Annual Business Meeting, they may request an absentee ballot. Members in good standing are members who are individually listed on the Association Membership List kept by the Treasurer as of the first of July in the year of the Annual Training Conference where the election will take place, or are persons who attend the Annual Training Conference.

Absentee ballots shall be requested in writing by each member wishing to vote in order to allow for the Past President to maintain the integrity of the voting process, in accordance with Article IV of the Constitution. Members requesting and receiving absentee ballots will not be allowed voting privileges during the Annual Business Meeting should they attend the Annual Training Conference. All requests for absentee ballots must be made by 5:00 pm C.S.T. of the business day that occurs one (1) week prior to the start date of the Annual Conference in an effort to aid in the monitoring process. This deadline shall be communicated to all members in good standing via the Association Newsletter or other means as determined by the Board of Directors. Nominations made from the floor for election of officers during the business meeting at the Annual Training Conference will not be reflected on the absentee ballots.

Absentee ballots from members in good standing may be submitted for counting and must be submitted to the Past President, or their designee, by the close of business on the first day of the Annual Training Conference.

ARTICLE VII – ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The Training Conference of this Association shall be held in accordance with Article V of the Constitution. The date is to be determined by the Board of Directors. The Annual Training Conference is to remain centrally located in Nebraska, unless approved on a year by year basis by a simple majority vote of the Board of Directors. Bids shall be sent each year requesting proposals for the next negotiated contract year. Reports from the President, Treasurer, and Secretary shall be given at the business meeting at the Annual Conference. Reports by Committee Chairmen and Region Representatives may also be given at the business meeting.

Resolutions may be presented to the Association and voted on by regular voting members. Election of executive officers for the following year will be held at the Annual Business Meeting. Other activities may be arranged at the instruction of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VIII – OFFICERS

The Executive Committee shall include the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian/Historian, and Past President. The duties of the Executive Committee shall include the development of the proposed annual budget, authorization of expenditures, negotiation of the site and contract for the Annual Training Conference, and supervision of the following: Non-Profit status, bulk mailing permit, annual audit of NCSEA books and investments.

SECTION I: PRESIDENT

The President shall be the presiding officer. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and at the Annual Conference. It shall also be the duties of the President to appoint all committees not otherwise provided for in the by-laws, to make appointments to all committees both special and standing, to serve as ex-officio member to all committees, to coordinate the preparation and organization of the Annual Conference, to appoint any members to the Board of Directors to replace a position left vacant with an unexpired term, and to speak on behalf of the Association when so instructed by the Board of Directors.

In the event of a vacancy occurring in the office of the President, the Vice-President shall assume his/her duties.

SECTION II: VICE-PRESIDENT

The Vice President shall perform the official duties of the President in the event of the President’s absence or inability to perform his/her duties and shall be the president-elect. It shall be the duty of the Vice President to be the Program Chairman for the Annual Training Conference, solicit Continuing Legal Education Hours for the Annual Training Conference and to perform such other duties as may be delegated to him/her by the President and/or Board of Directors. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, it shall be filled for the remainder of the term by presidential appointment with the approval of the simple majority vote of the Board of Directors. Only members who have served on the Board of Directors for at least an entire term (one full year) in the past can be elected or appointed to the position of Vice President.

SECTION III: SECRETARY

The Secretary shall keep true and accurate minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors and of the Business Meeting held at the Annual Training Conference. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to prepare and distribute meeting agendas and minutes of these meetings as directed by the President, to respond to any correspondence regarding the Association, to check the Association email weekly and respond to emails or refer correspondence to the appropriate Board Member for response, to solicit bids for the Annual Training Conference, and to keep a true and accurate copy of the Association Constitution and By-Laws. In the event of a vacancy occurring in the office of Secretary, it shall be filled by Presidential appointment with the approval of a simple majority vote of the Board of Directors.

SECTION IV: TREASURER

The Treasurer shall receive, disburse, and account for all monies received by the Association and make an annual report as to the finances of the Association at the Annual Conference and any other such reports as may be designated by the Board of Directors. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to present a report of the receipts and disbursements of the Annual Conference to the Secretary within thirty (30) days of the conference for inclusion in the Secretary’s minutes, to deposit all monies and securities in the name of the Association in such depositories designated by the Board of Directors, to manage any special contract rates for the Annual Training Conference, to track and monitor registrations at the Annual Training Conference, to facilitate the availability of the conference registration materials such as name tags and ribbons, and to keep an updated listing of the Association’s membership. In the event of a vacancy occurring in the office of the Treasurer, it shall be filled by Presidential appointment with the approval of a simple majority vote of the Board of Directors.

SECTION V: LIBRARIAN / HISTORIAN

The Librarian/Historian shall maintain the Association scrapbooks, written records, and the Association’s Videotape Library. The Librarian/Historian shall have the duties of advertising training materials available for training in the Association’s Newsletter, maintain a system for obtaining and returning of training materials, be in charge of any fees the Association may find necessary to charge for the use of the training materials, and postage and handling of the training materials. In the event of a vacancy occurring in the office of Librarian/Historian, it shall be filled by presidential appointment with the approval of a simple majority vote of the Board of Directors.

SECTION VI: PAST PRESIDENT

It shall be the duty of the Past President to chair a committee responsible for the solicitation and selection of Annual Awards, to solicit nominations for election of Executive Committee members following the procedures in Article VI of these Bylaws, to present a panel of potential committee chairpersons to the President Elect prior to the Annual Training Conference, to monitor the election process and results as provided in Article VI of these Bylaws, and to act as a mentor for Region Representatives. It shall also be the duty of the Past President to coordinate the judging and presentation of the Regional Excellence Award as well as the Region Participation Award at the Annual Conference. In the event of a vacancy occurring in the office of Past President, it shall be filled by the most recent former past president. If the former past president is unable to complete the duties, it shall be filled by Presidential appointment with the approval of a simple majority vote of the Board of Directors. Every effort should be made to fill the vacancy with a Past President of the Association.

ARTICLE IX – REGIONS

Each region shall choose up to two (2) of its own Regional Representative(s) and only members from that region shall vote on who their Representative(s) shall be. The seven (7) regions are designated as follows:

Region I:	Douglas County.
Region II:	Butler, Fillmore, Gage, Jefferson, Johnson, Lancaster, Nemaha, Otoe, Pawnee, Polk, Richardson, Saline, Saunders, Seward, Thayer and York Counties.
Region III:	Antelope, Boone, Burt, Cedar, Colfax, Cuming, Dakota, Dixon, Dodge, Knox, Madison, Nance, Pierce, Platte, Stanton, Thurston, Washington and Wayne Counties.
Region IV:	Adams, Blaine, Boyd, Brown, Buffalo, Clay, Custer, Franklin, Furnas, Garfield, Gosper, Greeley, Hall, Hamilton, Harlan, Holt, Howard, Kearney, Keya Paha, Loup, Merrick, Nuckolls, Phelps, Rock, Sherman, Valley, Webster and Wheeler Counties.
Region V:	Arthur, Chase, Cherry, Dawson, Dundy, Frontier, Grant, Hayes, Hitchcock, Hooker, Keith, Lincoln, Logan, McPherson, Perkins, Red Willow and Thomas Counties.
Region VI:	Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan and Sioux Counties.
Region VII:	Cass and Sarpy Counties.

It shall be the duty of each Region Representative to encourage attendance at the Annual Conference, to serve as liaisons and represent members of their region at the meeting of the Board of Directors and to handle regional membership matters. In the event of a vacancy in any of the Regional Publicity and Activities Committee

ARTICLE X – COMMITTEES

There shall be six (6) standing committees, namely:

1. Steward Committee
   
2. Promotional Committee
   
3. Fundraising Committee
   
4. Publicity and Activities Committee
   
5. Outreach Committee
   
6. Conference Committee

The committee members shall be appointed at the Regional Meetings held at the Annual Training Conference. Each region will appoint up to two (2) members to each Committee. Each committee chairperson shall be appointed by President elect prior to the start of his/her term as President. Appointed Chairpersons begin their term when the President elect assumes the term of the President. The President shall serve on all committees as an ex-officio member. Each committee shall have one vote on the Board of Directors. In the event of a vacancy occurring which leaves a committee without a chairperson, the chair shall be filled by Presidential appointment.

It shall be the duty of the Steward Committee to recommend and work for improvement in State Laws that make child support programs more efficient and responsive to the needs of the dependent membership, to support and campaign for proposed legislation as directed by the Board of Directors, and to provide a synopsis of Federal and State Legislative proposals or changes to the Board of Directors.

It shall be the duty of the Promotional Committee to explore, develop and utilize ways to promote membership in this Association and increase revenue and attendance at the Annual Conference through sales items and office promotions.

It shall be the duty of the Fundraising Committee to solicit sponsorship for the Annual Training Conference, explore, develop and utilize sources of funding such as raffles for Association projects as approved by the Board of Directors, to increase revenue and to promote membership in this Association and attendance at the Annual Conferences.

It shall be the duty of the Publicity and Activities Committee to coordinate and implement all special projects of the Association as a whole, such as an Association booth at the State Fair, and to promote any other activities for increasing the public awareness of this Association and child support in the State of Nebraska. It shall also be the duty of this committee to solicit items for, and to facilitate and monitor the Hospitality Room at the Annual Training conference. Members of this committee should also help to provide a welcome to new members of the Association.

It shall be the duty of the Outreach Committee to prepare a newsletter to Association members at least three times per year or more often as directed by the Board of Directors and to maintain the Association’s website.

It shall be the duty of the Conference Committee to assist the Vice President in the physical set-up of conference by attending Executive Committee meetings as requested, meeting with the hotel prior to conference to ensure meeting areas and meals are organized and set to the requirements of the Association, and ready and prepare conference packet materials. This committee is also responsible to organize the volunteer room monitors at the Annual Training Conference.

ARTICLE XI – AWARDS

Annual Awards many be given at each Annual Training Conference for: Judicial Office of the Year, Member of the Year, Appreciation, and Lifetime Service Awards. The Past President will chair a committee comprised of Region Representative who will solicit nominations for the Annual Awards and select winners based upon the following criterion:

1. Judicial Officer of the Year
   
   • Juvenile or district court judge, referee, or clerk
   • Demonstrated interest and concern about child support as evidenced by:
     • writing articles for professional or popular publication
     • giving professional child support presentations and/or training
     • drafting and/or testifying on behalf of child support legislation
     • participating in child support related committee for HHS or professional associations
   • Not a reward for judicial rulings
   • Presented as appropriate – not necessarily every year
   
   
2. Member of the Year
   
   • Any member of two or more years who has displayed:
   • Outstanding service to child support during the past year(s)
   • Presented as appropriate – not necessarily every year
   
   
3. Lifetime Achievement Award
   
   • At least 10 years professional experience in child support
   • Record of leadership, innovation and dedication
   • Preference to retired or soon-to-retire persons
   • Presented as appropriate — not necessarily every year
   
   
4. Appreciation Award
   
   • Not a person or organization working primarily in child support (i.e. legislator, educator, journalist, advocacy group or business)
   • Significant contribution toward the improvement of child support functioning in Nebraska
   • Presented as appropriate — not necessarily every year

Nominations for each of the aforementioned awards must contain the nominee’s name, address, phone number, and brief description of why the nominator feels the nominee should be considered for the award. Submissions containing the name and address of the nominee only will be refused.

ARTICLE XII – VOTING

Amendments to the Constitution and by-laws can be made by a simple majority vote of the regular voting members present at the Annual Meeting and those voting by way of absentee ballot if such amendments are available prior to the Annual Meeting.

ARTICLE XIII – MEETING PROCEDURES

Meetings of the Board of Directors will be conducted by the President of the Association or his/her representative. No business can be completed without a quorum of the Board of the Directors. Any new order of business will be brought forth by means of motion and seconded before a vote can be taken. In order for any new business to be passed it must receive a simple majority of those eligible to vote.

ARTICLE XIV – MEETING DATES

The Board of Directors shall, in addition to meeting at the Annual Conference, meet in at least one month following the Annual Conference but prior to the beginning of the President elects term as President and shall in addition meet not less than three months preceding the Annual Conference, or as deemed necessary by the President.

ARTICLE XV – PUBLICATIONS

The Association Logo and any public service announcement, advertisement, or artwork created for use by the Association shall be considered the property of the Association. Any member may use any of the above named items for Association sanctioned events provided they have received approval by a majority vote of the Board of Directors and provided they make no change to the design, content, or context of the items. Members of the Board of Directors may use any of the above items for Association sanctioned events without Board Approval provided no changes in design, content, or context is made.