IAAOC Bylaws

ARTICLE I: NAME AND AFFILIATION

Section 1. Official Name.

The official name of this organization shall be the International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors, abbreviated IAAOC, a Division of the American Counseling Association.

Section 2. Use of Name.

The official name of the Association, as specified in Article 1, Section 1, shall be employed in connection with all official business and communications pertaining to IAAOC.

Section 3. Affiliation.

IAAOC shall be a division of the American Counseling Association (hereafter referred to as ACA). It shall be autonomous in the conduct of its affairs but shall be organized and always operated in compliance with the ACA Articles of Incorporation and ACA Bylaws and Policies Committee.

ARTICLE II: IDENTITY, VISION, MISSION, AND FUNDAMENTAL PURPOSES

Section 1: Identity.

The International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors is an organization of counselors who work in substance use disorder prevention, substance use disorder intervention and treatment, other addictions, correctional settings, with offender populations, and other aspects of the criminal justice field. It is governed in accordance with the IAAOC Articles of Incorporation, the IAAOC Bylaws, the Bylaws of the American Counseling Association, and the Code of Ethics of the American Counseling Association.

Section 2. Vision.

IAAOC’s vision is to be a high-quality source organization, which supports treatment research and training regarding counseling persons with addictions and/or offender issues.

Section 3. Mission.

IAAOC’s mission is to provide leadership in and advancement of the fields of addictions and offender counseling.

Section 4. Fundamental Principles.

To fulfill its mission and implement its vision, IAAOC holds the following fundamental purposes:

a. To maintain awareness that we are an organization whose ultimate goal is to provide quality service to our clients;

b. To proactively pursue public policy, attitudes, and goals that affect the members of the International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors;

c. To promote ethical and responsible behavior through the Code of Ethics of the American Counseling Association and the appropriate Standards of Practice;

d. To enhance the dissemination of knowledge through publications, conferences, and professional development workshops;

e. To provide support for the development of theory, research, professional practice, and service to clients;

f. To maintain a strong organization that supports its members.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Membership.

Any person who has an interest in counseling or otherwise working with offender populations or persons with addictions, or whose activities in an educational or training capacity contribute to such work, may become a member of IAAOC by the payment of the membership charge and being a member of the American Counseling Association.

Section 2. Types of Memberships.

a. Professional Member - A person who has earned a Master’s degree in counseling, counseling psychology, or closely related field and interest in counseling the addicted and/or offender populations.

b. Regular Member - A person who has an interest in the fields of addictions and/or offender counseling, and whose interests and activities are consistent with those of ACA, but who are not qualified as professional members.

c. New Professional Member - Status is applicable only to current student members who have graduated in the past 12 months. Status is good for one year.

d. Student Member - A student engaged in graduate study in counseling or a closely related field.

e. Retired Member - Any person retired from a position in a related counseling area.

Section 3. Rights and Privileges of Members.

a. All members of the Association shall have the right to vote on matters coming before the Association.

b. Professional members and Retired members whose education and work history would qualify them to become professional members shall be eligible for election to the office of President-elect.

c. All members of the Association shall be equally eligible for appointment to any committees or positions of the Association, except as indicated above.

Section 4. Severance of Membership.

a. Failure to pay dues as prescribed by the Association and by ACA shall be interpreted as withdrawal from membership. At that time the membership shall cease to exist. Association members disciplined or expelled from the membership of ACA for any reason will also be dismissed from IAAOC.

b. Failure to maintain membership in IAAOC will result in termination of any elected or appointed position affiliated with IAAOC.

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES

Section 1. Officers.

The elected officers of the Association shall be the President, President-Elect, Past President, Secretary, Membership Chair, and Representative to the ACA Governing Council. The Treasurer and Membership Chair shall be appointed by the President. All officers must be members in good standing of the American Counseling Association and must be voting members of IAAOC.

Section 2. Duties of Officers.

a. President. The President shall be the chief executive officer of the organization and shall serve as Chairperson of its Executive Committee. It shall be their duty to: 1) symbolize the purposes of the Association; 2) exert leadership in the achievement of these purposes; 3) preside at all business meetings of the Association and the Executive Committee; 4) appoint all chairpersons and members of standing and special committees unless a different procedure specifies the establishment of such committees; 5) serve as ex-officio member of committees; 6) fill by appointment vacancies on the Executive Committee which may occur (between annual elections); 7) notify IAAOC candidates of election results and install newly elected officers of the Association; 8) preside until the end of the term of office for which he/she is elected; 9) call nominations and arrange for the election of President-elect or Secretary in the event of a vacancy occurring between annual elections; 10) submit all reports and other information as required or requested by ACA; and 11) perform such other duties as directed by the Executive Committee. When serving on the Executive Committee, the President shall cast a vote only when necessary to break a tie.

b. President-Elect. The President-Elect shall: 1) serve as a voting member of the IAAOC Executive Committee; 2) serve as presiding officer at all meetings of the Association and at all meetings of the Executive Committee, when the President has asked him/her to do so, when the President and Past President are absent or when succession to the Presidency has occurred; 3) assist the President whenever he/she requests it; 4) become President upon absence, death, or incapacity of the President and Past President; and 5) perform other duties as directed by the Executive Committee.

c. Past President. The Past President shall: 1) serve as a voting member of the IAAOC Executive Committee; 2) serve as Chairperson of the Nominations and Elections Committee; 3) serve as presiding officer at all meetings of the Association and at all meetings of the Executive Committee when the President has asked him/her to do so or when succession to the Presidency has occurred; 4) become President upon absence, death, or incapacity of the President; and 5) perform other duties as directed by the Executive Committee.

d. Secretary. The Secretary shall: 1) serve as a voting member of the IAAOC Executive Committee; 2) keep records of the organization and proceedings of meetings of IAAOC and the Executive Committee; 3) conduct official correspondence of IAAOC, including issuance of notices of meetings when requested by the President; 4) solicit written reports from standing and special committees for the Executive Committee and the IAAOC business meeting as called for; 5) forward records of Executive Committee meetings and the annual IAAOC business meeting to ACA and to Executive Council members in a timely manner; 6) and perform other duties as directed by the Executive Committee.

e. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall: 1) serve as a voting member of the IAAOC Executive Committee; 2) review and approve, if appropriate, requests for disbursements, which have been authorized by the IAAOC Executive Committee; 3) present reports of the financial status of IAAOC to the Executive Committee and the IAAOC membership at each meeting of these bodies and as requested by the President or Executive Committee; 4) work with the President, the Executive Committee, and the Executive Council to prepare and finalize a budget for the next fiscal year; 5) submit the approved IAAOC budget for the upcoming fiscal year to ACA; and 6) perform other duties as directed by the Executive Committee.

f. Representative to the ACA Governing Council. The Representative to the ACA Governing Council shall: 1) served as a member of the IAAOC Executive Committee within the last 5 years; 2) serve as a non-voting member of the IAAOC Executive Committee; 3) represent IAAOC on the ACA Governing Council; 4) report to the IAAOC Executive Committee and members the actions of the ACA Governing Council; and 4) perform such other duties as directed by the Executive Committee.

g. Membership Chair. The Membership Chair shall: 1) serve as a voting member of the IAAOC Executive Committee; 2) review monthly membership reports provided by ACA; 3) contact members whose memberships are due to lapse; 4) contact members whose memberships are expired; and 5) work with the President, the Executive Committee, and Executive Council to facilitate recruitment and retention efforts.

Section 3. Terms of Office

a. The term of office for the Past President, President, and President-Elect shall be a one-year term. The Secretary, Membership Chair and Treasurer shall each serve a one-year term. The Representative to the ACA Governing Council shall serve a three-year term.

b. The order of succession to the presidency in case of vacancy between annual elections shall be Past President and President-Elect.

c. The President and the President-Elect may not immediately succeed themselves in office except as allowed by Article IV, Section 4, Subsection b.

d. Each officer shall serve from the time they are installed until the successor is installed.

Section 4. Vacancies.

a. In the event of a vacancy in any office but that of the President or the President-Elect, the IAAOC Executive Council shall, by a majority vote, elect a successor to serve until the next annual election.

b. If a vacancy occurs in the office of President, the Past President shall complete the unexpired term as President and a successive term as Past President.

c. If a vacancy occurs in the office of President-Elect, the Past President shall perform the duties of the President-Elect until a successor is elected.

ARTICLE V: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Section 1. Members.

The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, President-Elect, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Chair, and Representative to the ACA Governing Council. The Committee shall be empowered to conduct the business of the Association between business meetings in accordance with these Bylaws. The Executive Council shall consist of the Executive Committee, Editor and Associate Editor of the Journal of Addiction and Offender Counseling, newsletter editor, and webmaster.

Section 2. Functions of the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee shall: 1) serve as a board to carry out the plans and purposes of the Association; 2) make all necessary decisions on behalf of the Association during the interim between business meetings; 3) serve as a standing committee on the Bylaws, submitting to the Association proposed amendments if it deems them necessary; 4) formulate policies for the accomplishment of the purposes of the Association and recommend such policies to the Association for adoption; 5) promote and coordinate cooperation and affiliation with its state divisions, regional organizations, other divisions of ACA, and other organizations concerned with like interests; 6) promote regional and local conferences for the achievement of the purpose of the Association; 7) provide for the selection and motivation of leadership for such regional and local conferences; 8) make provisions for all meetings held at the national level; 9) conduct election polls of the membership as occasion may arise; 10) have the final responsibility for all business meetings of IAAOC at the national level; and 11) consider all proposed amendments to these Bylaws.

Section 3. Functions of the Executive Council.

The Executive Council shall: 1) meet with the Executive Committee at least annually; 2) provide input to the goals and directions of the organization; 3) provide input and feedback on issues before the Executive Committee when requested by the Executive Committee; and 4) perform other tasks as requested by the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE VI: MEETINGS

Section 1. Executive Committee.

The IAAOC Executive Committee shall meet at least once each year. Additional meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held as deemed necessary and in format deemed necessary by the Executive Committee or the President. At least two-thirds of the members of the IAAOC Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum throughout any meeting of the IAAOC Executive Committee at which official business is conducted.

Section 2. Membership.

An annual meeting of the IAAOC membership shall be held yearly at the ACA Convention for the purpose of hearing summary of reports from officers and committees and conducting such business of the Association as deemed necessary by the Executive Committee. An Executive Committee Officer of IAAOC shall preside at the meeting. All members voting and present shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE VII: COMMITTEES, TASK FORCES, AND REPRESENTATIVES

Section 1. Standing Committees.

The Standing Committees of the Association shall be the following: Executive, Nominations and Elections, Ethics, and Membership.

a. Executive Committee.

i. The Executive Committee shall consist of President, President-Elect, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, and the Representative to the ACA Governing Council.

ii. The Executive Committee shall conduct the business of the Association between official business meetings.

b. Nominations and Elections Committee.

i. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall conduct the nominations and elections of the Association and review and recommend procedures for conducting the annual election. The election dates shall be consistent with ACA procedures.

ii. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall consist of four members, including the Chairperson.

iii. The Immediate Past President of the Association shall serve as the chairperson. Other members of the committee shall be appointed by the President.

iv. The term of office for the members of the Nominations and Elections Committee shall be one year. No member of the Nominations and Elections Committee shall be a candidate for any office.

c. Ethics Committee.

i. The Ethics Committee shall address any ethics concerns of import to IAAOC.

ii. The Ethics Committee shall refer and follow-up on issues referred to the ACA ethics committee.

iii. The Ethics Committee shall prepare and maintain the IAAOC Standards of Conduct.

d. Membership Committee.

i. The Chairperson and the members of the Membership Committee shall be appointed by the President and approved by the Executive Committee.

ii. The Membership Committee shall recruit and maintain members for the Association.

e. Other Standing Committees.

i. There shall be such other Standing Committees as may from time to time be established by the IAAOC Executive Committee to deal with matters of a continuing and recurring nature related to the accomplishments of the general purpose of IAAOC.

Section 2. Ad Hoc Committees and Task Forces.

a. The IAAOC Executive Committee or the President alone may establish special committees to deal with matters of an immediate or non-recurring nature related to the specific purposes of IAAOC.

b. The President shall appoint the chairperson and the members of special committees, subject to the approval of the Executive Council.

c. 3. The term of service of these special committees shall expire when the duties of the committee are completed.

Section 3. Representatives to Other Bodies.

The standing representatives to other bodies shall be the following: Representative to ACA Governing Council and other representatives to other bodies as appointed.

Section 4. Selection and Terms of Representatives.

a. The Representative to the ACA Governing Council shall be elected by the IAAOC membership.

b. All other standing representatives to other bodies as referenced above shall be appointed by the IAAOC Executive Council.

Section 5. Committee, Task Force, and Representative Meetings and Reports.

a. Meetings of the committees and task forces shall be called by the Chairperson.

b. The Chairperson of each committee and task force shall submit a written report of the committee or task force activities and recommendations to the IAAOC Executive Committee as requested.

Section 6. Committee, Task Force, and Representative Composition.

a. Tenure and number. The number of members and the tenure of committee members of standing committees will be established by the Executive Committee.

b. Diversity. Special attention will be given to geographic, ethnic, racial, and other types of diversity when making appointments to ensure that the committee, task force, representative, and leadership structure, when taken as a whole, is representative of the composition of IAAOC members.

ARTICLE VIII: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

Section 1. Procedures.

a. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall canvas the voting members of IAAOC for nominations for elective offices of IAAOC.

b. Guided by the nominations, the Nominations and Elections Committee shall prepare a slate of candidates for each office to be filled. The slate of candidates will be presented to the Executive Committee for approval and if necessary, reduction to a maximum of two candidates for each position to be filled.

c. The Executive Council shall select nominations to appear on the slate on the basis of qualifications for office, number of nominating votes received from the IAAOC membership and consideration of geographical location, cultural diversity, and the consent of the nominee.

Section 2. Voting.

The candidate receiving the largest number of votes for each office shall be elected to that office. In the event of a tie, the voting procedures implemented by the American Counseling Association (ACA) will be implemented and initiated by the ACA.

ARTICLE IX: STATE & REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS DIVISIONS

Section 1. General Guidelines

IAAOC encourages state and regional organizations related to addiction and offender related research, counseling, and advocacy. However, there shall be no state or regional organizations recognized an IAAOC affiliate or chapter. IAAOC is not liable or responsible for organizations with closely aligned names or missions.

ARTICLE X: BUSINESS AFFAIRS

Section 1. Severable or Transferable Interest.

No member shall have any severable or transferable interest in the property of the Association.

Section 2. Control and Management.

All property of the Association shall be subject to the control and management of the Executive Committee. Any accumulation or disposal of real property, except upon dissolution of the Association, must be approved in advance by the Executive Committee.

Section 3. Disposal Upon Dissolution.

Upon dissolution of the Association, none of its property shall be distributed to any of the members and all of such property shall be transferred to such other organization or organizations as the Executive Committee shall determine to have purpose and activities most nearly consonant with those of this Association, provided that such organizations shall be exempt under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code or corresponding provision of the Internal Revenue laws.

Section 4. Appropriation of Association Funds

a. The Executive Committee shall adopt an annual budget.

b. No appropriations of Association funds shall be made except pursuant to the authority of the Executive Committee and within the limitations of the established budget.

Section 5. Association Year.

The fiscal year and the governance year of the Association shall run concurrently with ACA. All amendments are subject to the approval of the ACA Bylaws Committee and the ACA Governing Council.

Section 6. Guidelines.

Meetings of the Association and its substructures shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts: Rules of Order. Latest edition.

ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Qualified Amendment Proposal Entities.

Amendments may be proposed by the IAAOC Executive Committee or by the Bylaws Committee, or by a petition signed by twenty-five (25) voting members of IAAOC sent to the Secretary of IAAOC at least one hundred twenty (90) days in advance of an IAAOC membership meeting. Copies of all proposed amendments other than those initiated by the Bylaws Committee shall be submitted by the Secretary to the Bylaws Committee for study and recommendation.

Section 2. Appropriate Forum/or Approval of Amendments.

Amendments to these Bylaws may be adopted at the annual Membership Meeting of the organization or by the vote upon individual ballots sent to all voting members of IAAOC.

Section 3. Amendments with Previous Notice.

If amendments are presented in writing to all members of the Association at least two weeks before the annual membership meeting at which their adoption is proposed or by ballots mailed to the membership, such amendments may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the members present at that meeting or voting of the membership on the proposition.

Section 4. Amendments without Previous Notice.

If amendments are presented at the annual meeting without their having been submitted to the membership two weeks or more in advance of the annual meeting, three-fourths vote of the membership present at the meeting shall be required for adoption.

ARTICLE XII: NONDISCRIMINATION

Section 1. Nondiscrimination.

IAAOC does not and shall not discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, cultural background, economic status, education or illness, or other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

- Bylaws approved by IAAOC membership: April 27, 2022

- Bylaws determined to be “Substantially in Compliance” with ACA Bylaws by ACA

- Bylaws and Policies Committee

- ACA Governing Council, March 29, 2023

- This revision of the IAAOC bylaws supersedes all previous versions.