BY-LAWS OF THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND INFORMATION COMMITTEE (PAIC) (Approved October 26, 2012)
I. Purpose.
The Public Affairs and Information Committee (PAIC) shall be a committee of the Institute reporting directly to the Board of Directors.
- It shall provide guidance and oversight on the Institute’s interactions with government entities.
- It shall provide to the various Institute groups (Divisions, Forums, Centers, and Industrial Technology Groups) and members information on issues of interest and concern to chemical engineers that are under consideration by government and other public entities.
- It shall be the focal point for interactions between AIChE and the United States government and its agencies.
- It shall provide advice and guidance to members and local sections on their interactions with state and local governments and, when asked, provide leadership on local issues that can have a national impact.
- It shall also provide information on issues of interest at the international and non- US level.
- It shall be responsible for providing training to the Institute’s members and constituencies on effectively interacting with government bodies.
II. Membership.
The PAIC shall consist of at least 15 and no more than 20 members (in addition to the AIChE Executive Director and President-elect) including the Chair, Vice Chair, and Past Chair.
Members may serve no more than two consecutive five-year terms. The members are subject to the approval by the AIChE Board of Directors. However, members who do not attend three consecutive meetings or in other ways are inactive may be asked by the PAIC Executive Committee to withdraw. A new member may be selected to finish an incomplete term.
Members of the PAIC shall be selected to represent the broad membership, but at least one-third shall be past or present Directors and one-third chosen from the various entities within the Institute such as the Divisions, Forums, Centers, and Industrial Technology Groups. At least one member of the PAIC shall represent Local Section interests and one shall be among the Young Professionals group.
Those entities not represented among the voting members of the PAIC may be invited to send a representative, with full voice but without vote, to the committee as liaisons with their respective entities. The Chair shall designate a member of the PAIC to be the liaison to each of the operating councils.
III. Leadership.
The PAIC shall have an Executive Committee, which may act for the PAIC between meetings as the need arises. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Chair, Vice Chair, Past Chair, and AIChE Executive Director, ex-officio.
The Chair and Vice Chair shall be approved by the AIChE Board of Directors, each to serve a two-year term.
The Executive Director shall be an ex-officio voting member of the PAIC. He or she shall be the staff liaison to the Committee but, at his/her discretion, may appoint a senior staff member to act in that role.
The AIChE President-elect shall be a voting member of the PAIC and the liaison with the Board of Directors.
IV. PAIC operations.
The PAIC shall meet at least four times each year.
Two-thirds of the voting members are required to approve going forward with any position that will promoted publicly as a position of the Institute; a simple majority is sufficient for information papers and other actions. The Chair and Executive Director shall determine what additional actions, such as approval of the Board of Directors, are required using the flow chart that is part of the PAIC’s operating guidelines.
The PAIC shall report annually to the Board of Directors on its activities, at other times when it believes that Institute policies could be impacted, and at the request of the Board of Directors.
(Note: This document will replace the Government Relations “Policy Guidelines” now in the Activities Directory.)
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For more information, contact us at PAIC@aiche.org
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