NEBRASKA CHILD SUPPORT
ENFORCEMENT ASSOCIATION
BY-LAWS
Revised September 2008
GOAL
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:
A. Encouraging the improvement of the administration
of child support programs through the diligent enforcement of state and federal laws.
B. 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.
C. 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.
D. Providing governmental officials at all levels
and the general public with information regarding child support programs.
E. 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.
F. Promoting inter-jurisdictional agreements
and arrangements for jointly providing more comprehensive approaches to child support and recovery programs.
G. 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 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.
ARTICLE VI – NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
Nominations
for Board of Directors to be elected at the Annual Conference may be submitted to the Nomination Committee Chairperson(s)
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 Nominating Committee
chair. 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 votes.
In accordance with
Article IV of the Constitution, the Nominating Committee chairperson(s) or their designees 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.
Absentee ballots
shall be requested in writing by each member wishing to vote in order to allow for the Nominating Committee 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 Nominating Committee chairperson(s)
or their designee by the close of business on the first day of the Annual 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, Liaison Officer, 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 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 assist the Treasurer in maintaining the Membership List for the Association, 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 provide
the mailing labels for the Association’s Newsletter, 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: LIAISON OFFICER
The Liaison Officer
shall establish and maintain contacts with regional and national organizations and associations, which are committed, in whole
or in part, to the enforcement of child support laws. These organizations and
associations shall include, but not be limited to, the National Child Support Enforcement Association, the National Institute
for Child Support Enforcement, the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement, the National Conference of State Legislatures,
the American Bar Association, and the Young Lawyers Division Child Support Enforcement Office in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Liaison Officer shall serve as an advisor to the Board of Legislation and National Child Support Enforcement projects,
which may affect the State of Nebraska. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the Liaison Officer, the position shall be filled by presidential
appointment with the approval of a simple majority vote of the Board of Directors.
SECTION VI: 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 video tapes and other 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 VII: PAST PRESIDENT
It shall be the duty of the Past President to chair the Annual Awards Committee.
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
elect up to two (2) of it’s own Regional Representative(s) and only members from that region shall vote on who their
Representative(s) shall be. The six (6) regions are designated as follows:
Region I:
Douglas and Sarpy Counties.
Region II: Butler, Polk, Saunders, Lancaster, Cass, Otoe, Gage, Johnson,
Nemaha, Pawnee, Richardson, York,
Seward, Fillmore, Saline, Thayer and Jefferson Counties.
Region III:
Knox, Cedar, Dixon, Dakota, Antelope, Pierce, Wayne,
Thurston, Boone, Madison, Stanton, Cuming, Burt, Nance, Platte,
Colfax, Dodge and Washington Counties.
Region IV: Keya
Paha, Boyd, Brown, Rock, Holt, Blaine, Loup, Garfield, Wheeler, Custer, Valley, Greeley, Sherman, Howard, Buffalo, Hall, Gosper,
Phelps, Kearney, Adams, Furnas, Harlan, Franklin, Merrick, Nuckolls, Clay, Hamilton and Webster Counties.
Region V:
Lincoln, Keith, Perkins, Chase, Hayes, Frontier, Dundy, Hitchcock, Red Willow,
Arthur, McPherson, Logan, Grant, Hooker, Thomas, Cherry, and Dawson Counties.
Region VI: Scotts Bluff, Banner, Cheyenne, Kimball,
Morrill, Garden, Deuel, Sioux, Box Butte, Dawes and Sheridan
Counties.
Each Region shall elect its own Regional Representative(s) and only members from that region shall
vote on who their Representative(s) shall be.
ARTICLE X – COMMITTEES
There shall be ten (10) standing chairs, namely:
1. Legislative
6. Registration
2. Finance – Sales/ Office 7. Nominating
3. Finance – Fundraising
8. Hospitality
4. Publicity and Activities
9. Region Representative Coordinator
5. Newsletter
10. Vice President’s 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 of the following: Legislative, Finance-Sales/Office, Finance-Fundraiser,
Publicity and Activities, Newsletter, Registration, Nominating, Hospitality and Vice President’s Committee. The Region Representative Coordinator committee will be comprised of the Region Representatives appointed
by the members of each Region at the Regional Meetings held during the Annual Training Conference. 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 Legislative 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, to provide a synopsis of Federal and State Legislative
proposals or changes to the Board of Directors, to meet as a committee at least twice per year and submit a written report
to the Secretary and the general membership at the Annual Conference.
It shall be the duty of the Finance – Sales/Office 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 Finance – Fundraising Committee to solicit, explore, develop
and utilize sources of funding 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 be the duty of the Newsletter Committee to compile, edit, print and mail a newsletter
to Association members at least three times per year or more often as directed by the Board of Directors.
It shall be the duty of the Registration Committee to assist the Treasurer with registrations
at the Annual Training Conference and/or mini-conferences, to facilitate the availability of conference materials such as
name tags, ribbons and packets; and help the Treasurer in any manner he/she deems necessary.
It shall be the duty of the Nominating Committee to solicit nominations for election of Executive
Committee members following the procedures in Article VI, to present a panel of committee chairpersons to the Vice President
prior to the Annual Training Conference and to monitor the election process and results as provided in Article VI.
The Nominating Committee shall also, under the direction of the Past President, be members of the Annual
Awards Committee who will solicit nomination, determine the winner and present the Judicial Officer of the Year, Member of
the Year, Appreciation, and Lifetime Service Awards. Criteria for the awards
are as follows:
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