CHARTER AND BYLAWS

SECTION ON ETHICS

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Preamble

The American Society for Public Administration recognizes the development of specialized areas of interest within its membership as important to the advancement of the aims and purposes of the Society. Accordingly, it has granted and approved the following Charter for the Section on Ethics. This Charter is subject to the Constitution of the Society and to official Society policies governing the creation, evaluation, and termination of sections.

ARTICLE 1. Name and Purpose

Section 1. Name: This organization shall be known as the Section on Ethics of the American Society for Public Administration.

Section 2. Purpose:

A. Within the framework of ASPA, the Section will encourage the ethical practice of public administration by academics and by practitioners; encourage new directions in theory and research; and, stimulate innovation in public administration ethics.
B. The Section is organized for exclusively charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as now in effect or as may hereafter be amended ("Code"). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, such purposes include the following.
(a) Advancing the science, processes, and art of Public administration.
(b) Advancing the equality of opportunity of all persons through public administration.
C. In furtherance of its exclusive1y charitable and educational Purposes, the Section shall have all general powers of an unincorporated association, together with the power to solicit and accept grants and contributions for such purposes.

ARTICLE 11. Activities

Section 1. General Activities:

A. To develop approaches to public service ethics based on both the regulatory and aspirational dimensions.
B. To provide service to academicians, students, and practitioners who desire to cultivate ethical practices.
C. To restore a sense of mission to the field of public service ethics.
D. To foster innovation in public sector and graduate education ethics programs.
E. To promote participation of public administration educators, students, and practitioners in local chapter activities.

Section 2. Specific Activities:

A. Encourage the publication of symposia and/or articles in Public Integrity Annual and other journals on public administration ethics.
B. Contribute articles and/or news of Section activities and developments regularly to ASPA's Public Administration Times.
C. Conduct an annual business meeting at the ASPA national conference.
D. Coordinate tracks, panels and workshops related to Section on Ethics at national and regional conferences.
E. Publish a newsletter and Public Integrity Annual for Section members.
F. Develop and maintain a web site on the World Wide Web.
G. Develop and maintain a listserv.
H. Host, as is timely, conferences or seminars on public service ethics.

Section 3. Limitations to Section Activities. No substantial Part of the activities of the Section shall be the carrying on of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation (except as otherwise. permitted by Section 501(h) of the Code), and the Section shall not participate in, or intervene (including the publishing or distribution of statements concerning) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate or public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles,, the Section shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) an organization exempt from federal income tax under Section (c)501(c)(3) of the Code, or (b) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under Section 170(c)(2) of the Code.

Section 4. Annual Report: At the completion of each -fiscal year (see Article VI, Section 2 below) the Section shall prepare and submit to the National Council an annual report on its activities at the time of the National Conference. The report will include information on Section achievements in program and budget during the previous year and projected activities and budget for the following year.

ARTICLE III: Membership

Section 1. Membership in the Section shall be open to all individual members of ASPA who desire active association with the Section and who pay the enrollment fee and the annual override to their society dues.

Section 2. All members shall have the right to vote for elective officers of the Section, to receive publications of the Section, to participate in all activities of the Section, and to receive other privileges and opportunities as appropriate.

ARTICLE IV: Officers and Elections

Section 1. The elective officers of the Section shall be the Chair, Chairperson-Elect, immediate Past Chair, and an Executive Committee of twelve members.

The term of office of the chair shall be two years. The term of office for the Chair-elect who shall automatically succeed to the office of Chair shall be one year, with the chairelect elected one year before the chair's term expires.*

Members elected to the executive Committee will serve staggered three-year terms. Any vacancies on the executive Committee of less than one year or in the office of Chairperson-Elect will be appointed by the executive committee for the unexpired term of office.

Section 2. The Executive Director of ASPA or his or her designate shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee.

Section 3. In consultation with the Executive Committee, the Chair appoints the Newsletter Editor, conference coordinators, regional and chapter liaison officers, committee and task force chairpersons. With the approval of the Committee, the chair shall appoint a Treasurer and a Secretary for the Ethics Section. These officers may be selected among section members outside of the Executive Committee.

Section 4. The Executive Committee is responsible for the overall performance and functioning of the Section. Among its responsibilities will be the following:

A. Determining section dues, subject to approval by the National Council.
B. Approving Section annual programs and budget.
C. Adopting positions on issues of relevance to Section concerns, with adoption based on consultation, as widely as is practicable, with the Section membership.
D. Accepting donations, grants, contracts for the Section, subject to ASPA policy.

Decisions shall be taken by majority vote; in case of tie, the chair's vote shall prevail. The Chair's responsibilities will include: providing Section leadership; representing the Section; chairing the Executive Committee; presiding over meetings; signing correspondence; supervising implementation of Section programs and budget; and performing such other functions as necessary for the conduct of business.

ARTICLE V. Elections

Section 1. All members of the Section shall have the right to vote for, and to be nominated to, Section elective offices.

Section 2. The following election procedures shall be followed:

A. The Chair shall appoint a Nominating Committee of five members at least six months prior to the annual Section meeting.
B. The Committee shall receive nominations and publish a slate of candidates at least four months prior to the annual meeting.
C. The Committee may receive additional nominations by petition of ten Section members up to two months prior to the annual meeting.
D. New officers shall be elected via ballot sent to all current Section members six weeks before the annual Section meeting. The Section Secretary will administer the elections and report the results.
E. Newly-elected officers shall assume office at the annual section meeting, to be held in conjunction with the ASPA National Conference.

ARTICLE VI. Finances and Administration

Section 1. Grants and Contracts: The National Council is responsible for approving, receiving, and auditing grants and contracts solicited by the Section. As a tax exempt, non-profit educational organization, ASPA is qualified to receive designated donations for the programs and activities sponsored by the Section. An overhead charge may be applied if the grant or contract is administered by ASPA.

Section 2. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Section shall end in the month of March. The employer identification number assigned by the Internal Revenue Service to this Section is: 54-1908491.

Section .3. Accounting Models: Section dues, enrollment fees and other revenues shall be collected and allocated quarterly to the Section by the ASPA Executive Director. The Section may opt to maintain its own financial records, checking and savings accounts and be responsible for all financial transactions. In this case, it shall follow such accounting procedures as may be specified by ASPA's Finance and Administration Committee and shall furnish an annual audit report to the National Council. Alternatively, it may choose to purchase such financial services from the ASPA National Office. In the latter case, the Executive Director shall maintain separate accounting records for the Section and shall provide periodic reports, at least bi-monthly, to the Section Chair, or as mutually agreed. If the Section purchases financial services from ASPA, an annual fee will be charged against the Section to defray the servicing costs; the fee shall include a flat rate levied equally on each section, plus a fixed charge for each spending transaction performed. The flat and unit-trans action rates will be determined annually by the Executive Director and announced at the National Conference for the coming fiscal year.

Section 4. Change of Accounting Model: The Section may opt to change the accounting model by decision of the Executive Committee. For the change to take effect in the following year, the ASPA Executive Director shall be notified of the desire for change at least two months before the new fiscal year begins.

Section 5. Administration and Support: The Section shall be responsible for the administration and support of its programs and activities. A program, budget, and work plan shall be prepared and approved by the Executive Committee every year for the coming year. Section responsibilities include but are not limited to the following: scheduling section meetings, conducting section elections, organizing program sessions during ASPA's national and regional conferences, preparing and distributing section brochures, producing newsletters and publications, developing and conducting membership campaigns, as well as maintaining meeting and financial records.

The Executive Director shall provide the Section with periodic membership rosters and labels, ASPA handbooks and membership brochures and application forms, officers newsletters, membership reports, and any other appropriate information.

In addition, the Executive Director shall organize workshops on section administration and development, and shall provide coordination and linkage between the Section and other ASPA organizational components.

Section 6. Purchase of Administrative Services:

A. The Section may wish to purchase specific services occasionally from the National Office (such as handling of sale of section publications for example). Services and their respective costs shall be negotiated between the ASPA Executive Director and the Section Chair, and must be approved by the Executive Committee.
B. No Part of the net earnings of the Section shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to any director or of the Section of any other private person, except that the Section shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered to or for the Section and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth hereinabove.

Section 7. Dissolution or Final Liquidation of Section. In the event of dissolution or final liquidation of the Section, after paying or making provision for the payment of all of the liabilities and obligations of the Section and necessary expenses thereof , all remaining assets and property of the Section shall be distributed to the American Society for Public Administration provided it remains organized and operated exclusively for charitable or educational purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Code, and if not, to an organization which does not qualify. In no event shall of such assets or property be distributed to any director or officer or to any private individual.

ARTICLE VII. Meetings

Section 1. General Membership Meetings: A general membership meeting of the Section shall be held at least annually at each national ASPA conference.

Section 2. Executive Committee Meetings : The Executive Committee shall meet at each national ASPA conference and at such other times and places as may be conveniently arranged by the Chair.

Section 3. Other Meetings : The Executive Committee may arrange for regional, special or other meetings of the section or its committees at such times and places as appropriate. Funding for all such meetings shall be limited to amounts budgeted unless special additional funds are made available from other sources.

ARTICLE VIII. Amendments

Section 1. Consistent with inclusion of this Section in the group federal income tax exemption ruling of the American Society -for Public Administration (identified by the Internal Revenue Service as Group Exemption Number 3155), all amendments to the Section Charter which may be made in time to time shall be submitted to the American Society for Public Administration for its approval

Section 2. Substantive changes in this Charter may be approved by the membership at the annual section meeting or by mail ballot, and shall then be referred to the National Council for final approval. If interim action is required, the Section Executive Committee may submit amendments to the National Council.

RESOLUTION

FOR ASPA GROUP EXEMPTION RULING INCLUSION

Resolution One

RESOLVED: That, the Section Charter shall be and hereby is amended and restated in its entirety as set forth in the attached document, retroactively effective as of the date the Section was originally created, and the Secretary shall cause to be produced a copy of the Charter for insertion in the records of the Section and to be made available per written request.

Resolution Two

RESOLVED: That the Section authorizes the American Society for Public Administration to include and/or to continue to include the Section in the group federal income tax exemption ruling of the American Society for Public Administration (identified by the Internal Revenue Service as Group Exemption Number 3155).

I, the undersigned Secretary of the ASPA Ethics Section, duly certify that, in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Section Charter prior to amendment, and by action required by the Council and the membership, which actions were concluded on November 1, 2000, the Section has adopted the foregoing two resolution and that this constitutes a true and correct copy of said resolutions.

Signature:

Printed Name: Melvin J. Dubnick

Secretary, AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION ETHICS SECTION

Date Signed: 11/16/00

Amended April 2001