RICHMOND, Va. – The Executive Council of the Virginia National Guard Association, VNGA, will convene for special virtual meeting to emplace new officers, vote on budget changes and approve several bylaw changes for vote by the membership.
The virtual meeting is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 25, 2020.
According to the existing bylaws, new officers are emplaced by July 1 of the same calendar year immediately following the annual conference at which they are elected. Similarly, committee chairpersons are also required to be appointed by July 1.
The term of office for the elected officers is currently one year.
“This meeting is more than a formality,” explained Maj. Andrew J. Czaplicki, President Elect. “Not only do we have an obligation to our members to install the association’s leadership, but also meet the needs of today’s officers.”
Czaplicki further explained that one of the agenda items to be discussed is to vote on a proposed budget amendment for this fiscal year.
“We had budgeted several thousands of dollars to participate in the annual National Guard Association of the United States General Conference and Exhibition,” said Czaplicki. “Unfortunately, that event has shifted to being a virtual conference.”
The proposal is to shift the majority of the funds that were earmarked for the NGAUS conference to supporting membership engagement in the coming year. The remainder would be used to pay for current expenses or placed into the association’s savings account.
The third item for consideration by the council are a series of comprehensive bylaws amendments. The bylaws amendments were presented to the Constitution and Bylaws Committee March 28, 2020, and are being voted by the council prior to dissemination to the membership for a vote later this year.
“The bylaws need to be continually worked and developed to match the needs of the association,” said Czaplicki. “First and foremost, there are a number of formatting and heading changes that have been recommended. This will aid future amendment proposals identify exact chapters, paragraphs and language.”
Another proposed change is removes term limits for elected positions.
“Officers of the association need to be elected and this amendment doesn’t change that,” Czaplicki explained. “The change would allow talented officers to continue serving and making a difference beyond twelve months. I don’t think anyone believes that one or two people will become entrenched in their positions.”
The current proposed language stipulates that officers’ terms are for one year, but are subject to renewal by a majority vote. There are no term limits on committee chairs.
In addition to the term limits and formatting changes, the proposed bylaws amendments modernize the association’s terminology and reduce the conditions to form a quorum.
“It was pretty evident during our annual legislative reception that our units’ training schedules have a direct impact on our ability to muster our members in support of association activities,” Czaplicki said. “Reducing the number of conditions to form a quorum of the membership gives us flexibility. Back in January, we hosted an annual legislative reception in Richmond, but because of military training requirements, almost 20 percent of our membership wasn’t able to attend. We need to streamline the requirements so that we can effectively lead and rapidly adjust to changing conditions.”
Any bylaw amendments must be put forward to the general membership at either the annual meeting or at a special meeting for vote. The bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present if a quorum is present.
Unit representatives and members of the association may participate the special meeting by submitting a request to contact@vnga.us to receive the log-in and dial-in information.