The SGB Nominating Committee consists of three ACM Members, serving three-year terms ending June 30, one appointed each year by the SGB Executive Committee no later than May 31. As soon as possible after July 1 each year, the SGB Nominating Committee will elect a chair from among its members for a one-year term.
The SGB Nominating Committee will nominate at least one more candidate than the number of positions to be filled in each election. No nominee will be concurrently a member of the SGB Nominating Committee. The Committee will submit its report to the SGB no later than February 1 each year.
The candidates for the SGB Representatives positions will be the nominees of the SGB Nominating Committee, plus all petitioners for that office who satisfy the petition process requirement specified in the policies and procedures approved by the ACM Council. All candidates and all persons elected to these positions must be ACM Members and current members of at least one SIG.
The election process for the SGB Representatives is specified in Bylaw
6, Section 3.
Section 2. Purposes of SIGs. A SIG is a unit of the ACM formed by Members with the desire to pursue significant long-term activity in a technical specialty of interest to the Association. Each SIG must have a mission statement, approved by the SGB [SOR 3.1].
Section 3. SIG Governing Board. The SGB is charged with forming SIGs, with managing them and setting policies for their management, and with recommending their dissolution, as provided in this Bylaw.
The SGB is comprised of the chief executive officer or designee of each regular SIG (defined by SGB policies). The SGB will elect a Chair no later than May 31 of each even-numbered year and an Executive Committee (SGB EC) with staggered terms no later than May 31 of each year. The terms of office are two years, ending June 30. Policies and procedures governing the election of the SGB Chair and the SGB EC and defining their authority and responsibilities, other than as prescribed in these Bylaws, will be established by SGB policies.
Except for actions specified in these Bylaws or SGB policies that explicitly require SGB approval, the SGB EC has full authority to act on behalf of the SGB between its meetings. The SGB EC is bound by the SGB's actions and the SGB may override any decision of the SGB EC.
The SGB will elect four representatives to the ACM Council for two-year terms ending June 30, with nominations as specified in Bylaw 3, Section 5. The SGB Chair will serve as one of these representatives, and also will serve on the ACM EC. The other three will be elected no later than May 31, one in each even-numbered year and two in each odd-numbered year.
The SGB will decide all matters by weighted voting, as follows: Each regular SIG is entitled to one vote, plus one vote for each one-thousand voting SIG members or fraction thereof. Voting SIG membership will be calculated each July 1 for SGB votes taken during that fiscal year.
The SGB EC will review each SIG periodically and the SGB will formulate a Program Review Policy [SOR 6.0] for this purpose that specifies minimum acceptable levels of SIG activity.
One member of the SGB EC will be a Publications Advisor. This member also will be a member of the Publications Board (see Bylaw 4, Section 2), appointed by the SGB Chair with the advice and consent of the Chair of the ACM Publications Board.
Section 4. Formation and Consolidation. A SIG is formed upon approval of a petition for that purpose, in accordance with SGB policies [SOR 7.1]. The status of a SIG is either transitional or regular, as defined by SGB policies [SOR 7.2].
Two or more SIGs may be consolidated, in accordance with SGB policies [SOR x.y], with approval of the SGB.
Section 5. Structure and Management. Each SIG is governed by a set of bylaws or operating rules [SOR x.y], which defines the SIG's officers and executive committee and which contains minimal provisions agreed upon by the SGB and the ACM EC.
The chief executive officer of a transitional SIG is appointed by the ACM President on advice from the SGB Chair, for the lesser of two years or the duration of the SIG's transitional charter. This SIG officer appoints the other SIG officers, with the advice and consent of the SGB Chair.
A SIG that elects its officers does so by plurality vote of the SIG members for two-year terms beginning July 1 in odd-numbered years, unless otherwise provided for in the SIG's bylaws. At the end of a two-year term following an election, the SGB EC may exercise an option to extend the term of a SIG's officers for an additional two years. Execution of this option is subject to a Policy for Extending the Terms of SIG Officers [PP&G 17.4.2.0].
All SIG officers, all members of SIG executive committees, and all candidates for these positions must be ACM Members, as well as members of the SIG.
In the absence of provisions in a SIG’s bylaws, the SGB Chair will appoint an ACM Member to the unexpired term of a vacant office in the SIG's executive committee.
The SGB EC will by majority vote settle ties occurring in any SIG election or bylaw amendment ballot.
All SIG bylaws and all amendments thereto proposed by the SIG must be reviewed by the SGB EC, the ACM Constitution and Bylaws Committee, and the ACM Executive Director.
Bylaws of a transitional SIG may be amended by the SGB EC. The bylaws of a regular SIG may be amended by a vote of the SIG members as specified in the SIG's bylaws or by a majority vote of the ACM EC.
At the request of the SIG by referendum, the SGB may change the name or amend the mission statement of a regular SIG, with the approval of the ACM EC. Without a referendum, the SGB may by two-thirds vote change the name or amend the mission statement of a regular SIG, with the approval of the ACM EC.
Section 6. Membership, Dues, and Voting Privileges. All members of a SIG must pay dues as determined by the SIG's executive committee. For all services for which fees are charged, SIGs will offer rates in accordance with the following relational formula, unless otherwise provided by SGB policies:
Section 7. Finance. The responsibility for collecting, holding, and disbursing funds is delegated to all SIGs under the terms of a Financial Accountability Policy [PP&G 17.7.1.0 and 17.7.2.0]. Should there be disagreement on the interpretation of such a policy, the ACM EC interpretation will prevail unless changed by the ACM Council.
All SIG assets are the property of the ACM. Should a SIG be dissolved, the SGB EC will supervise the distribution of its assets.
The SIGs collectively will be financially self-supporting in accordance with the Financial Accountability Policy. SIG collective fund balances, beyond any required reserves [SOR 8.4], may be used for non-SIG ACM activities only with the approval of the SGB or of two-thirds of all members of the ACM Council.
Section 8. Reports and Records. The chief executive officer of each SIG is responsible for filing reports about the SIG as required by the SGB EC. These reports include:
Section 9. Removal of Officers. For just cause by two-thirds vote, the SGB EC may remove specific officers or members of a transitional SIG's executive committee. For just cause by two-thirds vote, the ACM EC may remove specific officers or members of a regular SIG's executive committee. If the ACM EC removes all the officers of a regular SIG, that SIG will automatically return to transitional status with a two-year charter.
Grounds for removing officers include, but are not limited to: failure to comply with the ACM Constitution and Bylaws, with the SIG’s bylaws, with the directives of the ACM Council, ACM EC, or SGB, or with the ACM policies; failure to adequately carry out the prescribed duties of office; or mismanagement.
During any official deliberations on a proposal to remove from office, the affected individuals have the right to participate or to send witnesses. Should they fail to exercise this right, votes may be taken in their absence.
Section 10. External Relationships. A SIG must have prior approval to establish an obligatory relationship with any group or organization outside the ACM. A relationship is "obligatory" if it commits ACM's services, assets, or name. Special relationships--those for which the ACM has no pro forma approval procedure--must be approved by the SGB and the ACM EC. The proposal must specify the nature and duration of the ACM's obligations. The ACM Council must be notified of all special relationships approved [PP&G 8.7.4.0].
Section 11. Dissolution. A SIG may be dissolved only upon recommendation of the SGB and approval by the ACM Council. Any proposal to dissolve a SIG must include a reasonable plan for accommodating unfulfilled commitments to the SIG's members.
The reasons for considering the dissolution of a SIG include, but are not limited to: the majority recommendation of the SIG's executive committee; failure to maintain sufficient activity or member support; and failure to comply with bylaws and ACM policies over an extended period.
At least sixty days prior to formal action on a SIG dissolution proposal, the SGB Chair will publish notice of the proposed action to all ACM members. If one percent of ACM Members, or five percent of the voting members of the subject SIG, challenge the proposal, the SGB EC will extend transitional status for six months to allow the challengers an opportunity to undertake a revitalization plan.
During any official deliberations on a proposed dissolution action, the subject SIG has the right to have a representative participate. If the SIG fails to exercise this right, votes may be taken in the absence of a representative.
Section 12. Newsletters. ACM authorizes the publication of SIG newsletters. The SIG organization and newsletter names are listed in Appendix A of the ACM Policy and Procedures Guidelines Manual.
The annual subscription cost for each SIG newsletter is included in the SIG member dues. For each SIG newsletter that is mailed via second-class, nonprofit rate, the SIG member dues and the cost of the subscription are published on the inside front cover of each SIG newsletter and on the membership application, and are reflected in the official ACM budget as a separate schedule, as approved by the ACM Council.
Section 13. Authority. In case of conflict, this Constitution and Bylaws, the policies set by the ACM Council, the policies set by the ACM EC, and the policies set by the SGB take precedence (in the order stated) over any provisions of a SIG's bylaws or internal policies.