Consistent with the requirements for amending the Constitution of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the following proposed amendments to the AOA Constitution, Bylaws, and Code of Ethics have been submitted to the AOA chief executive officer, who has arranged for their publication in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association before the annual meeting of the AOA House of Delegates (HOD), which will occur Friday, July 26, 2019, through Sunday, July 28, 2019, at the Chicago Marriot Downtown in Illinois.
All amendments require a two-thirds vote by the HOD for approval. Old material is crossed out and new material is capitalized.
House of Delegates Voting Rules
The following proposed amendments to the AOA Bylaws would, if approved, provide for all voting to be based on a one vote per delegate system. The amendments will be presented for final approval at the July 2019 HOD meeting.
AOA Bylaws
Article V—House of Delegates
Section 2—Voting
Each delegate shall have one vote in the House, except when one-fourth of the members present shall call for the yeas and nays on any question; the Chief Executive Officer shall, before any other motion can be made, call the roll by divisional societies and enter the yeas and nays in the record. In recording such vote each divisional society shall be given one vote for each 20 regular members of the American Osteopathic Association located in the area represented by that divisional society (or in the case of the uniformed services divisional society, one vote for each 20 regular members of the American Osteopathic Association currently serving in the uniformed services of the United States), as certified to 75 days before the annual meeting of the House of Delegates under the requirements of Section 1 of this Article, and such votes may be cast by any one of the delegation then seated or divided among the various members of the delegation as the delegation in caucus shall decide.
Article VI—Elections
Section 3—Method of Election
Election of such officers and trustees as are elected by the House of Delegates shall take place during the last day of the annual meeting. All elections shall be by ballot except as hereinafter provided in this section and a majority of all votes cast shall be necessary to elect. In recording such vote, each divisional society shall be given one vote for each 20 regular members of the American Osteopathic Association located in the area or serving in the uniformed services of the United States represented by that division, and such votes may be cast by any one of the delegation then seated or divided among the various members of the delegation as the delegation in caucus shall decide. If there shall be but one nominee for a given office or trusteeship it shall be the duty of the secretary to cast the elective ballot for that nominee. The Speaker and Vice Speaker of the House shall be elected to serve for one year or until their successors are elected and installed.
Reducing Trustee Term Limits
The following proposed amendments to the AOA Constitution would, if approved, reduce the term limit for trustees elected in or after July 2019 from the current 12-year term limit to a 9-year term limit. The amendments were presented for first reading at the July 2018 HOD meeting and will be considered for final approval at the July 2019 HOD meeting.
AOA Constitution
Article VIII—Board of Trustees and Executive Committee
Section 3—Term Limit
For all trustees ELECTED PRIOR TO JULY 2019, with the exception of the President, President-Elect and the Past Presidents for the preceding two years, the aggregate terms of Office of Trustees shall be limited to twelve (12) years, with the exception that a trustee may complete the term in which twelve (12) years or more of service is completed. FOR ALL TRUSTEES ELECTED IN OR AFTER JULY 2019, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT-ELECT, AND THE PAST PRESIDENTS FOR THE PRECEDING TWO YEARS, THE AGGREGATE TERMS OF OFFICE OF TRUSTEES SHALL BE LIMITED TO NINE (9) YEARS, WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT A TRUSTEE MAY COMPLETE THE TERM IN WHICH NINE (9) YEARS OR MORE OF SERVICE IS COMPLETED. Time served as a student member, intern/resident member, or as new physician in practice member shall not be included in calculating the twelve years of service ON THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
Postdoctoral Trainee Representatives
The following proposed amendments to the AOA Constitution and Bylaws would, if approved, change language in the AOA Constitution to refer to a “postdoctoral trainee member” rather than “intern/resident member” of the Board of Trustees (BOT), add a constitutional requirement that candidates for postdoctoral trainee member of the BOT should be members in good standing of the AOA, permit new physicians in practice to represent trainees and/or new physicians in practice in the HOD, clarify that individuals may not simultaneously serve as postdoctoral trainee/new physician in practice delegates and delegates of any other AOA group, and modernize the constitution and bylaws to refer to the Bureau of Emerging Leaders rather than the council of interns and residents. The amendments were presented for first reading at the July 2018 HOD meeting and will be considered for final approval at the July 2019 HOD meeting.
AOA Constitution
Article VIII—Board of Trustees and Executive Committee
Section 1—Board of Trustees
D. One intern/resident POSTDOCTORAL TRAINEE, TO INCLUDE AN INTERN, RESIDENT, OR FELLOW, member elected by the hHouse of dDelegateS to serve for one year. Candidates for the intern/resident POSTDOCTORAL TRAINEE position shall be enrolled in an ACGME OR AOA-approved internship, residency or, if enrolled in an ACGME-approved residency shall have applied for an AOA approval of the ACGME-Approved residency FELLOWSHIP. Candidates for the intern/resident POSTDOCTORAL TRAINEE position shall be nominated by the council of interns and residents BUREAU OF EMERGING LEADERS. CANDIDATES SHOULD BE MEMBERS IN GOOD STANDING OF THE AOA.
Section 3—Term Limit
For all trustees, with the exception of the President, President-Elect, and the Past Presidents for the preceding two years, the aggregate terms of Office of Trustees shall be limited to twelve (12) years, with the exception that a trustee may complete the term in which twelve (12) years or more of service is completed. Time served as a student member, intern/resident POSTDOCTORAL TRAINEE member, or as new physician in practice member shall not be included in calculating the twelve years of service.
AOA Bylaws
Article V—House of Delegates
Section 1—Certification of Delegates and Alternates
Part B—Specialty Colleges
Each AOA-recognized specialty college shall elect one delegate and at least one alternate to the AOA House of Delegates in a manner prescribed in its constitution and Bylaws. No specialty college delegate or alternate shall also be a member of the divisional society's delegation to CONCURRENTLY SERVE AS A DELEGATE FOR A DIVISIONAL SOCIETY AT the AOA's House of Delegates. The Secretary of each specialty college shall certify the name of its delegate and alternate to the Chief Executive Officer of the AOA at least 30 days prior to the first day of the annual meeting of the AOA House of Delegates. Each delegate and alternate must be a member in good standing of this association and his specialty college.
Section 11—Representation of Osteopathic Physicians In Postdoctoral Training TRAINEES AND/OR NEW PHYSICIANS IN PRACTICE
Osteopathic physicians in postdoctoral training TRAINEES AND/OR NEW PHYSICIANS IN PRACTICE may be represented in the House of Delegates by two individuals who, at the time of the annual meeting, shall be enrolled in postdoctoral training programs OR CURRENTLY A NEW PHYSICIAN IN PRACTICE AS DEFINED BY THE ASSOCIATION. The two individuals and their alternates shall be selected by vote of the AOA's Council of Interns and Residents BUREAU OF EMERGING LEADERS (BEL). The delegates (and alternate delegates) selected by the Council of Interns and Residents BEL shall serve as the representatives of osteopathic physicians in postdoctoral training TRAINEES AND NEW PHYSICIANS IN PRACTICE. and THESE DELEGATES shall not also be members of a divisional society or specialty college delegation to the AOA's INDIVIDUALS SERVING AS A BEL DELEGATE SHALL NOT CONCURRENTLY SERVE AS A DELEGATE FOR ANY OTHER GROUP AT THE AOA House of Delegates. The chair of the Council of Interns and Residents CHAIR OF THE BEL shall certify the nameS of its delegates and alternate delegates to the Chief Executive Officer of the AOA in writing or by electronic communication at least 30 days prior to the first day of the annual meeting of the AOA House of Delegates. Each delegate and alternate must be a member in good standing of this Association.
Vice Chair of the Department of Educational Affairs
The following proposed amendment to the AOA Constitution would remove the position of Vice Chair of the Department of Educational Affairs from the listed Executive Committee of the AOA in the AOA Constitution, consistent with the elimination of the position following significant completion of the transition to a single accreditation system. The amendment also changes a reference to the Department of Affiliate Affairs to appropriately refer to the Department of Affiliate Relations. The amendments were presented for first reading at the July 2018 HOD meeting and will be considered for final approval at the July 2019 HOD meeting.
AOA Constitution
Article VIII—Board of Trustees and Executive Committee
Section 2—Executive Committee
The Executive Committee of this Association shall consist of the President, President-elect, Past Presidents for the preceding two years, the chairs of the Departments of Affiliate Affairs RELATIONS, Business Affairs, EDUCATIONAL AFFAIRS, Governmental Affairs, Professional Affairs, AND Research, Quality, and Public Health, and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Department of Educational Affairs.
Elimination of Public Member Position From the BOT
The following proposed amendments to the AOA Constitution and Bylaws would remove the public member position from the AOA BOT. The amendments were presented for first reading at the July 2018 HOD meeting and will be considered for final approval at the July 2019 HOD meeting.
AOA Constitution
Article VIII—Board of Trustees and Executive Committee
Section 1—Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees shall be the administrative and executive body of the association and perform such other duties as are provided by the bylaws. The Board of Trustees of this association shall consist of TWENTY-EIGHT twenty-nine members.
A. Seven elected officers: The President, President-Elect, The Past Presidents for the preceding two years, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, and Third Vice-President;
B. Eighteen at-large trustees, six of whom shall be elected annually by the House of Delegates to serve for three years;
C. One new physician in practice member elected by the House of Delegates to serve for one year. Candidates for the new physician in practice position shall be osteopathic physicians who have completed their postdoctoral training within the past five years or received the DO degree within the previous ten years shall be nominated by the council of new physicians in practice;
D. One intern/resident member elected by the house of delegate to serve for one year. Candidates for the intern/resident position shall be enrolled in an AOA-approved internship or residency or, if enrolled in an ACGME-approved residency shall have applied for an AOA approval of the ACGME-Approved residency. Candidates for the intern/resident position shall be nominated by the council of interns and residents; AND
E. One student member elected by the House of Delegates to serve for one year. Candidates for the student position shall be nominated, in altering years, by the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents (COSGP) and the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA); and
F. One public member elected by the House of Delegates to serve for a three-year term, with a one-term limit. Candidates for the public member position shall not be physicians and shall be nominated by the committee on administrative personnel.
AOA Bylaws
Article VII—Board of Trustees
Section 1—Duties
The Board of Trustees shall:
g. Approve from its own membership, based on the President's appointment, the chairs of the departments. The department chairs shall direct the activities of their respective departments. However, the public member of the board shall not be eligible to serve as a department chair. The Board shall also approve, based on the President's appointment, the members of the various committees, bureaus, councils, commissions, and task forces under the departments.