March / April 2009

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March / April 2009

CONSTITUTION COMMITTEE REPORT:

The Amendment Process

BY LESLIE DeLONG, CHAIR

The deadline for submitting proposed Constitutional Amendments was March 28, that is, 120 days prior to the start of the Convention, per the VVA Constitution. No proposals submitted after midnight on March 28, 2009, have been accepted.

On Friday, April 24, at 4:30 p. m., the National Constitution Committee will meet in open session at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Silver Spring, Maryland. We encourage members to attend this meeting to voice support for the proposed amendments or to email letters of support to the committee chair at ldelong@vva.org

After full review and discussion of the proposed amendments, the committee will prepare its report to the membership. The report will contain copies of all the proposed amendments, along with an explanation of the committee’s recommendations regarding each one. The committee’s report will be made available via email and on the VVA web site no later than May 28, 2009.

At the Convention in Louisville, the Constitution Committee will conduct an open hearing on the proposed amendments before they are presented to the delegates for action. We encourage delegates to attend the meeting and to make their opinions known. Following the hearing, each proposed amendment reported out of the committee will be read at a General Session of the Convention, moved by the chair of the Constitution Committee, and deemed seconded by a member of the committee. Then, the motion will be open for debate by the delegates. After a motion to close debate on the proposed amendment, the delegates will vote.

Constitutional Amendments require an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the delegates present and voting in order to pass. If an amendment is referred back to the committee for any reason, the committee will review the proposed amendment and take appropriate action. The proposed amendment will then be brought before a General Session of the Convention a second time and the same process of debate, amendment, and vote by the delegates will take place.

The Constitution Committee thanks you for taking an active part in making Vietnam Veterans of America a dynamic service organization that is responsive to the needs of its members and dedicated to its founding principles.

The Constitution Committee: Leslie DeLong, Chair. Members: Bill Messer, Ben Humphries, Bob Johnston, Craig Tonjes, and Ken Holybee. Special Advisors: Barry Hagge, Bruce Whitaker, and Mary Miller. Staff Liaison: Tracie Houston.
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