Adopted on October 27, 2012 at meeting of the Caucus in Seattle, Washington.
Amended 7-21-2014 and 10-07-2019
PREAMBLE
Whereas the function of the NASA Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (hereinafter referred to as NASA EPSCoR) Caucus (hereinafter referred to as the Caucus) is that of a support agency for NASA’s EPSCoR program, and the Directors who are charged with the leadership of the programs within the eligible jurisdictions, and who constitute the membership of the Caucus; and
Whereas, the Caucus shares with NASA the goal of establishing an effective network of persons and institutions committed to the realization of the Nation’s fullest potential in the development and effective utilization of the Nation’s space- and aeronautics-related resources and technological and scientific competencies; and
Whereas the accomplishment of these objectives requires the establishment of orderly governance procedures by which the Directors can effectively contribute their energies and talents towards a common goal,
We, the Directors, hereby adopt these Bylaws to define governance procedures of the Caucus.
Article 1 -Meetings
1.1 The Chair shall be the presiding officer at Caucus meetings. If the Chair is unable to attend the Caucus meeting, the Chair may designate one of the members of the Executive Committee to preside over the meeting. In the event the Chair is unable to make this designation, the Executive Committee will select one of its members to preside over the meeting.
1.2 Meetings shall be held at least once each calendar year.
1.3 Other meetings may be called at the discretion of the Caucus or by the Chair at the direction of the Executive Committee.
1.4 The Directors shall be notified by the Chair or other member of the Executive Committee in writing of the time, place and proposed agenda of each meeting at least 30 days in advance. Electronic messages are an acceptable form of written communication.
1.5 A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the Caucus members.
1.6 The conduct of all meetings shall be governed by the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order. In the event of conflict between Robert’s Rules and specific terms of the Caucus Charter or Bylaws, the Charter and Bylaw terms shall prevail.
1.7 The Secretary shall provide the Chair with a suitable permanent record of the minutes of each meeting and shall act as parliamentarian.
Article 2 – Voting Procedures
2.1 Each jurisdiction shall have one vote and shall designate one Director as the official member of the Caucus.
2.2 Any Director may notify the presiding officer at any meeting of the Caucus that an alternate person from within the respective jurisdiction is to represent the jurisdiction’s directorate in all matters before the Caucus at the specified meeting, including casting votes, except that the alternate cannot serve as an officer or member of the Caucus Executive Committee.
2.3 By written proxy any Director may authorize a representative of another jurisdiction to cast a vote on behalf of the absent jurisdiction.
2.4 A simple majority of the membership shall constitute the quorum necessary for Caucus action.
2.5 The Caucus may from time-to-time conduct votes a) by written solicitation or b) by a call for response at a meeting of the Caucus or c) by email solicitation. In the event that a vote taken in a Caucus meeting is inconclusive in that the votes of those not present would be sufficient to affect the final outcome, the Chair may seek supplemental mail/phone votes from unrepresented jurisdiction to complete the balloting and to determine a definitive action by the Caucus. If there is a quorum present, then the result of the vote should be final.
2.6 Any one member in attendance at a meeting may require that a formal vote count be recorded in the minutes.
2.7 When a vote of a Director is required in a committee, subcommittee, working group, or other meeting related to EPSCoR Caucus that takes place simultaneously with other Caucus meetings, thereby preventing the Director from attending, the Director may notify the chair of the respective committee that a designated alternate from the respective jurisdiction will represent the jurisdiction’s directorate in that committee, subcommittee, working group or other meeting. Such designated alternate may serve in any capacity up to and including the chair of the committee.
2.8 The National NASA EPSCoR Caucus can assess dues from its members as necessary. The amount of such assessment must be determined by a 66% vote of the full Caucus.
Article 3 -Officers and Committees
3.1 Any member may serve as an officer or on Caucus Committees. Except as specified in Section 2.7 above, non-members may represent a jurisdiction when appointed by the Director on Caucus committees, but cannot serve as an officer or member of the Caucus Executive Committee.
3.2 The following procedures shall govern the officers of the Caucus, their duties, and their manner of selection:
3.3 Committees of the Caucus shall be Standing Committees and Special Committees.
3.4 The following procedures govern the constitution and responsibilities of Standing Committees:
3.5 Standing Committees may organize such sub-committees as they deem fit and recruit such other Caucus members or their representatives to serve on the Sub-Committees as may be necessary.
3.6 Special Committees may be authorized by the Chair or by vote of the membership for any purpose not served by a Standing Committee.
Article 4 – Amendment of Bylaws
4.1 These bylaws may be amended by written approval of at least 66% of the membership.