The name of this organization shall be "The Los Angeles Chapter of the Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc." (hereinafter referred to as the "Chapter"). (The Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc., shall hereinafter be referred to as "RIMS" or the "Society".)
Section 1. Objectives. The objectives of the Chapter shall be:
A. To promote the discipline of risk management and enhance the image of the professional risk manager.
B. To foster the educational and professional development of risk managers, as well as others within the risk management and insurance communities.
C. To influence legislation and regulation at the federal, state and provincial levels, for the benefit of its members.
D. To develop and promote products and services which meet the needs of its members.
E. To provide forums for the free exchange of ideas and viewpoints among its members.
F. To promote a competitive insurance marketplace and the development of insurance products which benefit all insurance consumers.
G. To foster relationships with other professional societies and organizations in order to advance its objectives; and
H. To abide by the Constitution and Bylaws of RIMS.
Section 2. Powers. The Chapter shall have power to engage in any legal, ethical and moral activity to further the objectives listed above in section 1; provided, however, that the Chapter shall not have any power to incur financial or other obligations for which RIMS may be responsible without the approval of the RIMS Executive Council.
Section 1. Society Dues. Class I, III, IV, V, VI and VII members shall pay society and chapter dues directly to RIMS' principal office or an alternate location as indicated on the dues invoice.
Section 2. Chapter Dues. Chapter dues are set by the Chapter Board of Directors and shall be paid directly to the RIMS principal office at the same time as the RIMS national dues are paid. National RIMS will invoice the local chapter dues for the Los Angeles Chapter.
The Chapter's Board of Directors shall elect, at its Annual Meeting, one of its deputy members, usually someone who has previously served as a member of the Chapter's Board of Directors, to serve on the House of Delegates of RIMS for a two (2) year term. Said two-year term shall commence on the first (1ST) day of January. Delegates may be elected to successive terms. The RIMS Delegate shall serve as a voting member of the Chapter Board, as well as a voting member of RIMS House of Delegates.
A Delegate elected to be a RIMS Director or RIMS Executive Council member shall serve as such Director or Executive Council member only, and the Chapter shall designate another Delegate to complete the previous Delegate's unexpired term.
The Chapter shall advise RIMS at RIMS principal office in writing and within fifteen (15) days of election of the Delegate elected along with the name of the member in which the Delegate is an employee.
The Delegate acts as communication liaison between the chapter and the RIMS leadership, representing the chapters' concerns and interests to RIMS at large, as well as reporting on RIMS directions and activities at the local chapter level. It is the RIMS Delegate's responsibility to communicate any changes in the Chapter Constitution and Bylaws necessary to comply with constitutional changes in the RIMS Constitution and Bylaws.
In the event that a Delegate cannot be present at a meeting of the House of Delegates, the Chapter may designate an Alternate Delegate by providing written notification of the name and address of the Alternate Delegate to the Vice President & Secretary of RIMS prior to the commencement of the meeting of the House of Delegates.
Section 1. Nominating Committee. A Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the Chapter President, with the approval of the Chapter Board of Directors, at least seventy five (75) days before the annual election. The Nominating Committee shall consist of three (3) members of the Chapter. The Chapter President shall appoint a Chair of the committee from the members appointed. Vacancies on the committee shall be filled by the Chapter President. The Nominating Committee shall deliver to the Chapter Secretary, not later than forty five (45) days before the annual election the names of its nominees for each elective office. Only candidates placed in nomination by this committee, or by petition, shall appear on the ballot to be voted on in the annual election, either in person or by proxy which may be conducted by mail and/or at the annual meeting.
Section 2. Other committees. Other Committees, as may be required by the business of the Chapter, shall be established by the Chapter Board of Directors or the President, and the members of each committee shall be Class I Members of the Chapter. Class II, III, IV, and VI members can be appointed as advisors to a committee at the discretion of the committee Chair. The Chair of each committee shall be designated by the Board Member to whom the committee reports, subject to the approval of the President. The President, Chapter Board of Directors or Committee Chair shall appoint the members of the committee. Each member of a committee shall perform the duties specified in their appointment and shall serve until the commencement of the next annual term of Officers, unless sooner discharged. Except as otherwise provided by the Chapter Board, each committee shall establish its own quorum, rules and procedures.
Any notice required to be given hereunder may be waived in writing signed by the person or persons entitled to said notice, whether before or after the time stated therein. The attendance at any meeting, unless specifically noted to the contrary, shall be deemed a waiver of notice of said meeting.
Amendments to this Constitution and Bylaws shall be made only by an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the Chapter membership present and voting at the Annual Meeting. No proposition to amend shall be acted upon unless written notice fully describing the proposed amendment is given to all members of the Chapter at least thirty (30) days prior to the Chapter meeting where the vote is to be taken.
RIMS shall indemnify and defend a director or officer (person) of the Chapter against any and all judgments, fines, and amounts paid in settlement, together with reasonable expenses including attorney's fee, actually and reasonably incurred in the defense of any action, threatened action, suit or proceeding, or any appeal therefrom, brought by a third party, if such person was acting on behalf of RIMS or the Chapter for a purpose such person reasonably believed to be in the best interest of RIMS or the Chapter, and if such person had no reason to believe the conduct was unlawful.
