the uea house of delegates directing your association through the democratic process. 1

The UEA House of

Delegates

Directing YOUR Association

through the democratic process.

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The UEA House of

Delegates

Legislative Governing Body of UEA

Sets Overall Policy

Directs Action

Approves the Budget

Follows Parliamentary Procedure2

Rules and Resolutions

Committee

Reviews and Refers Items to the House

Writes and Edits Resolutions

Reviews the Governing Documents

Holds at Least One Open Hearing

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The UEA House of Delegates

Input Process

1. Discuss and refine your Idea.

2. Write up your proposal.

3. Submit your proposal by the deadline.

4. Answer questions at the Open Hearing.

5. Speak to your proposal at the House.4

It’s an Open Process!

Any UEA member can submit items.

Any member can be elected as a

delegate.

Any delegate can speak or make

motions.5

Majority Rule

If you can convince a majority of the

delegates that your idea is a good one, it

will become the policy of the UEA.

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What types of proposals

can I make?

Resolutions

New Business Items

Legislative Program Amendments

Budget Amendments

Governing Document Amendments7

Resolutions

“A Resolution is a formal expression of opinion,

intent, belief, or position of the Association.”

In other words, the UEA Resolutions state what

we, as an organization, stand for.

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Resolutions

The Resolutions are important

because they provide direction for

the activities of the Association.

What we stand for, determines what

we do.9

It is easy to write a

Resolution

1. Use this opening: “The UEA …”

2. Pick a resolution verb: i.e. “believes,

supports, urges, affirms, encourages,

recognizes, recommends, insists, …”

3. Make your statement.10

New Business Items (NBI)

“New Business Items call for a specific

action by the Association.”

New Business Items are very powerful.

They allow the House of Delegates to

direct the UEA to do something specific.

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It is easy to write an NBI

Simply your New Business Item

with the words: “The UEA will …”

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NBI Verbs

New Business Items can direct the UEA to:

organize, sponsor, research, publish,

develop, establish, collect, maintain,

distribute, collaborate, investigate, etc.

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The UEA Legislative Program

The UEA Legislative Program guides our

Legislative Lobby Team.

It is updated annually by the Board of

Directors after appropriate hearings.

The main Legislative Program and the

“Legislative Priorities” Document are

voted on separately.14

Legislative Program

Amendments

The UEA Legislative Program and

the Legislative Priorities can be

amended by a majority vote of

the House of Delegates.

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The UEA Budget

The UEA Budget guides the Board of

Directors and our Executive Director

in managing the financial resources

of the Association.

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Budget Amendments

The Budget can be amended by a majority

vote of the House of Delegates.

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The UEA Governing Documents

The Governing Documents describe how our Association is structured and how it functions.

Any structural changes to the UEA must be done by the House of Delegates by amending our

governing documents.

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The UEA Governing Documents

Articles of Incorporation

Constitution

Bylaws

Standing Rules

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Articles of Incorporation

The Articles of Incorporation is the

document, filed with the State, that gives

us our legal status as a non-profit

corporation. It is rarely amended.

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Constitution

The UEA Constitution is the “fundamental document governing the structure and

operation of the Association.”

The Constitution defines membership and affiliation requirements, provides for officers and a Board of Directors, and

establishes the House of Delegates as the legislative body of the UEA.

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Constitutional Amendments

Amending the UEA Constitution requires

both a majority vote of the House of

Delegates and a majority vote of the

members.

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Bylaws

The UEA Bylaws “deal with the matters of the Association not covered by the Constitution.”

The Bylaws govern Association membership, dues, meetings,

elections, officers, the Board of Directors, committees, and the

UniServ program.23

Bylaw Amendments

The Bylaws can be amended by a majority

vote of the House of Delegates.

Any changes become effective at the end

of that session of the House.

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Standing Rules

The Standing Rules govern the House of

Delegates and its committees.

They are the rules and procedures by

which the House operates.

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Standing Rule Amendments

The House re-adopts the Standing rules, at

the beginning of each session.

Any amendments go into effect

immediately.

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Get Involved!

The House of Delegates meets each year

in the spring.

Please plan to attend and participate.

We need your input!

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Remember …

UEA is YOUR Association

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