The TXSRT Board of Directors voted to approve the following amendments to the TXSRT By-laws on September 13, 2023.    

All active members (technologists and students) and life members present at the business meeting on October 21, 2023, will be eligible to vote.

Proposed By-law Amendment One
ARTICLE VI: EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
SECTION 3: VACANCY OF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
ADD SECTIONS E and F
E. If a vacancy of any office cannot be filled before the expiration of the term of the vacant
office, the Board may divide the duties of the office in question among the officers on the
Board. If the office of President remains vacant, the Board Chair shall fulfill all ceremonial
and ambassadorial functions of the office of President.
Rationale: The current by-laws do not discuss what would happen if the Board was unable to
appoint someone to fill a vacancy.
F. During any time of vacancies on the Board, the remaining Board members may execute
any reasonable actions necessary to preserve TXSRT. If the Board exercises this authority, it
must notify the membership by email within seven days of the action(s) taken. Any action(s)
taken must be disclosed in the Board minutes and posted to the website.

Rationale: There may be unforeseen circumstances not covered by the By-laws, in which case
the Board must have the discretion to take appropriate and reasonable actions in order for
TXSRT to function. However, there must be transparency in all the Board’s actions, which is why
there is a requirement to notify the membership of any actions the Board takes under this new
section.

Proposed By-law Amendment Two
ARTICLE VIII: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
SECTION 2: TSRT EXECUTIVE BOARD AND ELECTIONS
ADD SECTION E
E. In the event there are no nominations for an office by the closing date of nominations, the
Board shall reopen nominations for that office. The membership shall be notified by email,
and the new closing date shall be no less than fourteen (14) days from the date the email was
sent. If, after this second call for nominations, there is no qualified candidate, then the Board
shall declare the position vacant as of the expiration date of the current office holder. The
Board shall then take appropriate actions as detailed in Article VI, Section 3 of these By-laws.

Rationale: The current election rules in the By-laws have no mechanism to cover what would
happen if there were no nominees for an office. It is not unusual to only have one candidate for
office, and it is conceivable that there may be a time when there is no nominee for an office.

Proposed By-law Amendment Three
ARTICLE X: TSRT EXECUTIVE BOARD
SECTION 3: MEETINGS
ADD SECTION F
F. Offices that are vacant shall not be considered when establishing a quorum. However, in
the event there are only two offices filled, a quorum shall be both officers present, and any
votes must be unanimous for passage.

Rationale: The By-laws only state that a majority of the Executive Board shall constitute a
quorum. Section E does not consider any vacancies of offices and leaves what constitutes a
quorum open for interpretation. This amendment would clarify Section E.