Section 1. Association Name
The name of the Association shall be the Association of Southern Feed, Fertilizer and Pesticide Control Officials.
Section 2. Objective
The objective of the Association is to facilitate education and outreach programs regarding feed, fertilizer and pesticide issues, being of interest to the regulatory control officials and industry representatives, and to promote uniformity in legislation definitions, standards, and rules and regulations governing the enforcement of law relating to the manufacture, sale distribution, and use of feed, fertilizer, and pesticides within the member states .
Section 3. Membership
A. The membership of the Association shall be composed of representatives of the Federal Agencies engaged in feed, fertilizer, and pesticide control work and the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and shall consist of:
1. The officers charged by law with execution of the State and Federal laws regulating the manufacture and sale of feed, fertilizer, and pesticides.
2. The heads or Chiefs of State and Federal Experiment Stations, Bureaus, Divisions, Sections, and Laboratories charged by law with the examination of feed, fertilizer, and pesticides.
3. Such deputies as shall be duly designated by the officials named under 1 and 2 of this section.
4. Research workers employed by the State and Federal Agencies who are engaged in the investigation of feed, fertilizer, and pesticides .
B. Life Membership. The Executive Committee shall have authority to bestow life membership upon any individual who, during their membership, made an outstanding contribution to the work of the Association. Such person shall thereafter be entitled to exercise all the rights of membership.
Section 4. Dues
Each state, province, dominion or federal agency shall be expected to pay an annual membership fee. The amount of the fee shall be determined by the directors in accordance with the financial needs of the association. (amended June 2004)
Section 5. Officers
The officers of the Association shall be the president, vice-president, secretary-treasurer, and an executive committee to be elected annually by ballot at the regular meeting.
Section 6. Presiding Officers
The president, or in his absence, the vice-president shall preside at all meetings of the Association.
Section 7. Duties of the Officers
The president, vice-president, and secretary-treasurer shall perform the duties usual to such officers. The secretary-treasurer shall keep a record of all proceedings of the Association and attend to all necessary correspondence. The secretary-treasurer shall receive all money due the Association and shall keep an accurate account of all receipts and disbursements, and report with proper vouchers at each annual meeting.
Section 8. Executive Committee
The executive committee shall consist of the president, vice-president, secretary-treasurer, retiring president, and three members elected by ballot at the regular annual meeting of the Association. One member shall be elected for a term of one year, and one member shall be elected for a term of two years, and one member shall be elected for a term of three years; thereafter one member shall be elected annually to serve for a period of three years. Immediately following the annual meeting, the executive committee shall hold a organization meeting and elect a chairman, vice-chairmen, and secretary and outline activities for the following year. The duties of the executive committee shall be to consider and report on such matters as may be referred to it by the Association and its duly constituted officials, and to review and present to the Association with recommendation all the recommendations of the investigators, and special committees and such resolutions as pertain to feed, fertilizer, and pesticides.
The voting of the executive committee shall be done in executive session.
Section 8a. Executive Committee-Industry Liaisons
The executive committee may appoint industry liaisons representing feed, fertilizer & pesticide that will be elected annually at the regular meeting. Industry liaisons will serve on the Executive Committee in a non-voting capacity.
Section 9. Special Authorization
For the purpose of studying the subject of uniformity in legislation, definitions, standards, and rules and regulations, and the enforcement of laws concerning feed, fertilizer, and pesticides, the president may appoint such assistants as may be necessary. Investigators shall be appointed for one year and may be reappointed. No appointment shall be made for a period of exceeding two years.
Section 9a.
Official definitions of the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Inc., Association of American Pesticide Control Officials, and Association of American Plant Food Control Officials shall automatically become official definitions of the Association. Definitions of materials not defined by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Inc., Association of American Pesticide Control Officials or Association of American Plant Food Control Officials may be adopted by this Association in due form and manner as official and shall remain so until superseded by definitions of such materials by the Association of American Control Officials, Inc., Association of American Pesticide Control Officials or Association of American Plant Food Control Officials.
Section 10. Amendments
The constitution or by-laws may be amended at any regular meeting by a two-thirds vote of the voting membership present. All proposed amendments shall be submitted in writing on or before the first day of the meeting and in due time for consideration.
BY-LAWS
Section 1. Regular and special meetings.
Regular meetings of the Association shall be held at least once each year. Special meetings shall be held as appointed by the officers of the Association, or on request of the members of the Association representing at least five separate states.
Section 2. Resolutions
Resolutions shall be presented without debate, and in writing to the secretary-treasurer and referred to the executive committee, which shall provide a place for them on the program.
Section 3. Order of Business
The following items of business shall be included on the agenda of each regular meeting. The specific order on the agenda will be determined by the President, Program Committee and Secretary.
1. Reading of the minutes of the preceding meeting.
2. Report of the Secretary-Treasurer.
3. Roll Call by states.
4. Announcements and appointments of committees.
5. President's address.
6. Special address.
7. Reports of investigators and special committees.
8. Report of the credentials committee.
9. Special topics for executive session.
10. Resolutions referring to feed, fertilizer, and pesticides.
11. Report of the executive committee.
12. Report of the auditing committee.
13. Report of the resolutions committee.
14. Unfinished business and new business.
15. Report of the nominating committee and election of officers.
Section 4. New matter-tentative-official
A new definition or standard, or any change in a definition or standard, must be adopted at two (2) annual meetings of the Association before it can become official. A definition or standard becomes tentative when adopted and remains tentative until adopted as official or rejected.
Section 5. Procedures on new matter
New definitions, standards, and amendments of official definitions and standards must be referred to the executive committee for consideration and recommendation before being acted upon by the Association.
Section 6. Petitions
This Association may petition the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Inc., Association of American Pesticide Control Officials, and the Association of American Plant Food Control Officials by resolution or by committee or by usual form for consideration of changes in their continent policy and plan of the two Associations.
Section 7. Policy
It shall be the policy of this Association to work in cooperation and harmony with the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Inc., the Association of American Pesticide Control Officials, and the Association of American Plant Food Control Officials.
Section 8. Voting
Each State and the combined Federal Agencies shall be entitled to one vote on matters relating to the management of the Association. For those States having one or more agencies administering the feed, fertilizer and pesticide acts, a 1/3 vote shall be allotted to the agency to agencies on matters relating to general association business. On matters relating to the specific act, the agency having jurisdiction over the specific act or that portion of the specific act shall cast the State's one vote. The combined Federal agencies shall appoint one representative to cast the combined Federal agencies one vote.
Section 9. Election of officers
All officers shall be elected by ballot and shall hold office until the adjournment of the annual meeting next following their elections or until their successors are elected. In event of a vacancy occurring in any office, except that of president or vice-president in which event the executive committee may fill the vacancy until the next election, the president may fill the vacancy by appointment and shall continue until the close of the next regular meeting of the Association, at which meeting the unexpired term shall be filled by election in the usual way.
GUIDELINES FOR LIFE MEMBERSHIP
The Life Membership Committee recommends the following guidelines for awarding life membership to the Southern Feed, Fertilizer and Pesticide Control Officials.
To qualify for life membership in the Association of Southern Feed, Fertilizer, and Pesticide Control Officials, a candidate must have met the following criteria or have performed meritorious service to the Association or to have principals of regulatory control determined by the Executive Committee to be the equivalent of such criteria.
FIRST
(1) The candidate shall be proposed by the member agency of which the candidate was employed during his to her tenure as feed, fertilizer, and or pesticide control officials.
(2) The candidate may be proposed by standing committee or special committee appointed by the President to evaluate life membership candidates.
(3) The Executive Committee may on its own motion nominate candidates for life membership.
SECOND
(1) The candidate shall have completed a minimum of eight (8) years active committee, task force or officer service; or a minimum of fifteen (15) years tenure in a member agency with semi-active or indirect service to the Association.
(2) The candidate shall have terminated his or her tenure as a control official and shall not have accepted a position in any control regulated business, trade or professional association servicing the feed, fertilizer or pesticide industries.
THIRD
(1) The Executive Committee shall, when considering a candidate for life membership, evaluate the merits under which prior memberships were awarded; avoid awards which tend to disenfranchise the values of life membership; disregard personal friendships, personalities and social factors and protect the past, present and future honor of Life Membership.
FOURTH
(1) The proponent of a candidate for life membership shall provide a resume outlining the candidate's term of employment, service to the Association, contributions to regulatory programs, basis for leaving and a current mailing address and telephone number.
Revised 2006