American Automatic Control Council: Constitution

Adopted April 1, 1958.
Revised December 2, 1971.
Revised December 14, 1983; effective April 1,1984.
Revised December 16, 1991.

Article I - Name, Objectives, Functions

1.0 The name of this organization is the AMERICAN AUTOMATIC CONTROL COUNCIL (abbreviated AACC).

2.0 AACC is a federation of Member societies. Membership in AACC is open to technical and scientific societies with active interest in automatic control engineering, instrumentation, systems science, cybernetics, automation or some particular aspect of these fields.

3.0 The objectives of AACC are:

3.1 To promote cooperation among the various segments of the automatic control profession in the United States of America.

3.2 To represent the U.S. automatic control profession in international activities.

4.0 To achieve these objectives, the functions of AACC are:

4.1 To act as an advisory and coordinating agency for its Member Societies concerning automatic control matters.

4.2 To conduct on behalf of its Member Societies at least one annual American Control Conference (abbreviated ACC). To act as the financial sponsor of all IFAC Technical Meetings in the U.S.A. With the exception of the ACC, the IFAC World Congress, and the IFAC Technical Meetings in the U.S.A., the AACC is explicitly prohibited from sponsorship of technical meetings.

4.3 To represent its Member Societies in the International Federation of Automatic Control (abbreviated IFAC).

4.4 To conduct on behalf of the Member Societies exchanges of information and visits with foreign scientific and technical societies.

4.5 To carry out such other tasks as may be delegated by the Member Societies.

5.0 AACC operates within the following limitations:

5.1 It confines its activities to those which are compatible with the legal and tax status of the Member Societies.

5.2 It assumes no jurisdiction in connection with the facilities, meetings, or policies of its Member Societies.

Article II - Membership Classes, Qualifications, Admission, Termination

1.0 There are two membership classes, Sponsoring Societies and Participating Societies. The term "Member Society" in this constitution designates both classes.

2.0 The requirements for a Sponsoring Society are:

2.1 It is a non-profit membership society with headquarters in the United States of America and nationwide membership. Its structure and activities do not conflict with the legal and tax status of other Sponsor societies and of AACC itself.

2.2 It is a Professional, Scientific or Engineering Society in which a Division or Group is actively engaged in Automatic Control as defined Article I, paragraph 2.0.

2.3 It is willing and able to manage and assume financial responsibility for certain recurrent AACC activities, and to pay the specified AACC dues.

3.0 A Participating Society must meet the requirements of paragraph 2.1, must be interested in and willing to participate in a limited range of AACC activities, and pay the specified annual dues.

4.0 An applicant for AACC membership shall submit an application as prescribed in the By-Laws. Admission to Sponsoring Membership requires the approval of two-thirds of the Sponsoring Societies. Admission to Participating Membership requires the approval of the majority of the Board of Directors.

5.0 A Member Society may resign from AACC membership upon a 90-day written notice to the AACC President or Secretary.

6.0 Membership in AACC may be terminated at any time if it is found that the Member Society no longer meets the provisions of paragraphs 2 or 3 above, with the same approval as for admission, paragraph 4 above.

Article III - Government

1.0 The government of AACC resides in the Board of Directors (abbreviated Board). Day-by-day management is carried out by officers elected by the Board.

2.0 Board of Directors

2.1 The Board of Directors shall be composed of one Director appointed by each Sponsoring Society, each entitled to one vote. Each Sponsoring Society is further required to appoint one or more alternate Directors (abbreviated Alternate) who are expected to attend all Board Meetings but do not vote unless substituting for the Director.

2.2 Each Participating Society may appoint one Director who is entitled to attend and participate in all Board Meetings but without vote.

2.3 Selection of the Directors and their term of office are to be determined by each Member subject to the restriction that the appointee be a permanent resident of the USA and not a paid employee of any Member Society.

2.4 The AACC Officers shall be ex-officio members of the Board of Directors, but no AACC officer or employee may hold the position of Director representing a Member Society. Additional ex-officio Directors may be appointed as provided by the By-Laws. Ex-officio Directors are without vote.

2.5 All ex-officio Directors shall meet at least once a year as specified in the By-Laws.

3.0 The Board of Directors shall meet at least once a year as specified in the By-Laws.

4.0 Directors representing a majority of the Sponsoring Societies constitute a quorum for a Board Meeting.

Article IV - Officers

1.0 The officers of AACC shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be filled by the same person.

2.0 The officers shall be elected by the Board of Directors. They shall take office at the close of the last meeting of the calendar year during which the election is held, and they shall serve for two years or until their successors take office.

3.0 To be eligible as an officer, a person must be a member in good standing of one of the Sponsoring Societies, and a permanent resident of the United States. The President and the Vice-President shall be selected from among Directors and Alternates who represent a Sponsoring Society at the time of the election, or who have so served during the previous ten years.

4.0 Upon taking office, the officers shall cease to be eligible to represent a Society on the Board of Directors. The AACC Secretary will immediately advise the Society of any vacancy on the Board of Directors resulting from the operation of this paragraph.

Article V - Finances

1.0 The Board of Directors shall maintain a treasury into which shall be deposited all income received from any and all sources. Funds may be derived from any source approved by the Sponsoring Societies, as prescribed in the By-Laws.

2.0 In the event of dissolution, the remaining assets of AACC shall be distributed to the Societies which are Members at the time of dissolution in proportion to the cumulative total of dues and assessments contributed by each Society since the formation of AACC.

Article VI - Committees

The Board of Directors shall authorize and the AACC President shall appoint all necessary committees, as specified in the By-Laws.

Article VII - Amendments

1.0 The constitution may be amended by an affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds of the Sponsoring Societies.

2.0 Proposed amendments must first be approved by two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors, after having been read in their entirety at a Board Meeting prior to the one at which an approval vote is to take place.

3.0 Following Board approval, proposed amendments shall be submitted to an officer or office designated by each Sponsoring Society, not less than 90 days prior to the date on which they are to take effect, for official vote.

Article VIII - By-laws

1.0 The Board of Directors may adopt By-Laws to carry out the mandates of this Constitution.

2.0 The initial adoption of such By-Laws, or their total replacement by new By-Laws, requires the same approval procedure as prescribed for amendment of the Constitution.