Connecticut Court Reporters Association
Constitution and Bylaws
April 2006 Revision
ARTICLE I - Name
The name of this organization shall be Connecticut Court Reporters Association.
ARTICLE II - Purpose
The purpose of this organization shall be to provide an organization of shorthand reporters, captioners and CART reporters in the state of Connecticut; to promote harmony and a spirit of mutual assistance between the profession of shorthand reporting and the courts, members of the bar of the state, and the public; to program, foster and encourage the establishment of the statutes and rules, directly or indirectly affecting the profession as may be of help and assistance to reporters, members of the bench and bar, and the public and as the same may promulgate efficiency and justice in all courts; to render assistance to all reporters in the perpetual improvement of their reporting skill; and to promote lawful and proper professional ethics and compliance with all applicable laws, including the antitrust laws.
ARTICLE III - Membership
Section 1. Definition
Membership in the Association shall be open to individuals who subscribe to and support the purposes of the Association and who are skilled in the art of verbatim reporting of proceedings by the use of shorthand symbols, manually or by machine, as hereinafter provided.
Section 2. Classes of Members
The membership shall consist of four classes:
(a) Reporting Members
(b) Student Members
(c) Honorary Members
(d) Associate Members
Section 3 - Reporting Members
Any person who meets one or more of the following requirements shall be eligible to become a reporting member:
(a) Any person who is an official court or legislative reporter.
(b) Any person who is engaged in the active practice of general reporting.
Section 4 - Student Members
Any student of court reporting who is currently involved in a course of study of shorthand reporting shall be eligible to become a student member.
Section 5 - Honorary Members
(a) Any person who has attained high rank in the reporting profession as a practitioner of the art of court reporting, as an author of shorthand literature, or as a benefactor of the profession, but who is not in the active practice of shorthand reporting, upon recommendation of the Executive Committee, may be elected an honorary member.
(b) Honorary members who have not been shorthand reporters shall not vote.
Section 6 - Associate Members
(a) A teacher of shorthand or shorthand reporting, or anyone connected in an official capacity with a school or college conducting a shorthand reporting course, or anyone working under the direction of a shorthand reporter may become an associate member. Such person need not meet the requirements for skill in the art of verbatim reporting of proceedings by the use of shorthand symbols.
(b) Any person interested in the preservation, support and advancement of the field of shorthand reporting but not in any way actively engaged in the verbatim reporting of proceedings, who is not otherwise eligible for membership, may, upon application to and approval of the Executive Committee, become an associate member of the Association.
Section 7 - Privileges
(a) All classes of members shall enjoy the privileges of the Association except where certain privileges are specifically restricted to a specific class of member in this Constitution and Bylaws.
(b) Only reporting members, and honorary members who have been shorthand reporters shall be eligible to vote and hold an elected office.
Section 8 - Membership Application Procedures
(a) Applications for membership shall be submitted to the Membership Committee in such form and accompanied by such supporting documents as may be determined by the Executive Committee.
(b) Upon receipt of an application for membership in the Association, accompanied by the proper membership dues, the Membership Committee shall verify the completeness of the application, determine the class of membership to which the applicant is entitled, and, if satisfied that the applicant is eligible, admit the applicant to membership.
(c) The Executive Committee shall have the authority to overrule the actions of the Membership Committee and disapprove any application for membership, providing that two-thirds or more of the members of the Executive Committee vote for disapproval.
Section 9 - Suspension for Nonpayment of Dues
Any member whose dues are sixty days past due shall be suspended and all privileges of membership shall be terminated. Any member suspended for nonpayment of dues may be reinstated at any time prior to the close of that membership year upon payment of the full year's dues.
Section 10 - Termination of Membership
Membership in the Association may be terminated for cause. Sufficient cause for such termination of membership shall be violation of this Constitution and Bylaws or of any lawful agreement, rule or practice of properly adopted by the Association, conviction of or final adjudication of liability for any violation of the antitrust laws, or any other conduct prejudicial to the Association. No membership shall be terminated for cause without the member having an opportunity to be heard in answer to charges before the Executive Committee.
Section 11 - Membership Reinstatement
(a) A member in good standing who terminates his membership by resignation may be reinstated to his former class of membership upon written request and payment of the full current year's dues.
(b) A member suspended for nonpayment of dues may be reinstated to his prior class of membership at any time prior to the close of that membership year upon payment of the full current year's dues.
(c) A member whose membership has been terminated for nonpayment of dues may be reinstated by fulfilling the current requirements for membership.
ARTICLE IV - Dues
Section 1 - Annual Dues
(a) Dues shall be reviewed and/or amended to be determined by the Executive Committee for Reporting and Associate Members. Dues shall be set for Student Members at a rate not to exceed 20 percent of that for Reporting Members. Dues shall be set for Associate Members at a rate not to exceed 40 percent of that for Reporting Members. No dues shall be charged to Honorary Members.
(b) The annual dues for Reporting Members, Associate Members and Student Members are due and payable on January 1 of each year.
ARTICLE V - Officers and Duties
Section 1 - Definition
The officers of the Association shall consist of a President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, who shall be elected by the members at an annual meeting and hold office until the next annual meeting, and whose duties shall be as set forth herein.
Section 2 - Duties of Officers
(a) President - The duties of the office of President shall be those pertaining to such office, to preside at meetings of the Association, to be the Chairman of the Executive Committee, to make all appointments to committees as provided under other sections of these Bylaws, to fill the vacancies occurring in any committee for the remainder of the time for which such committeepersons may have been appointed or elected, to use all reasonable means to promote the purposes for which the Association is formed, to fill vacancies occurring in any office for the remainder of the time for which such officer may have been appointed or elected, and to render a report at the next annual meeting following his/her election of his/her acts and functions during the year.
(b) President-Elect - The duties of the office of President-Elect shall be those usually pertaining to such office, to preside over and conduct meetings of the Association in the absence of the President, and to perform and discharge such duties as are assigned to him/her by the President.
(c) Vice-President - The duties of the office of Vice-President shall be those usually pertaining to such office, to preside over and conduct meetings of the Association in the absence of the President and President-Elect, and to perform and discharge such duties as are assigned to him/her by the President or President-Elect.
(d) Secretary - The duties of the office of Secretary shall be to keep minutes of the meetings of the Association, to provide all members a list of the officers elected and standing committee members appointed for the ensuing year, to keep a perpetual register of all elected officers of the Association, and to provide all members with annual reports of officers and committees.
(e) Treasurer - The duties of the office of Treasurer shall be to receive all the monies from any source paid into the Association and to pay all bills allowed and approved by the Executive Committee, the Treasurer shall, at each annual meeting, submit a report of the finances of the Association and books of the Association to the Executive Committee for inspection.
ARTICLE VI - Executive Committee
Section 1 - Definition
The Executive Committee of the Association shall be composed of the President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, the immediate Past President, and a number of committeepersons as determined by the President and voted in by the membership.
Section 2 - Powers
The Executive Committee shall have full power to act upon all matters of business requiring attention during the interval between meetings. It shall fix the place and time of the annual meeting and any other meetings of the general membership and notice shall be given to all members of the Association at the time and place so fixed and determined upon by the Executive Committee at least ten days prior to such meetings.
Section 3 - Meeting
The Executive Committee shall meet upon call by the President or upon call by any two other members thereof.
ARTICLE VII - Committees
The President of this Association shall appoint such committees as he/she finds desirable as the occasion arises. Any action taken by any committee must be voted on by the majority of the entire committee. All committees not appointed for a specific period of time shall be terminated at the expiration of the President's term of office.
ARTICLE VIII - Meetings and Voting
Section 1 - Annual Meeting
The annual meeting of the Association shall be held on a date prior to the National Court Reporters Association's Leadership Seminar, to be determined by the Executive Committee.
Section 2 - Additional Meetings
Additional meetings shall be held at the call of the President or of a majority of the Executive Committee.
Section 3 - Notice of Meetings
Notice of any meeting shall be given to the membership in writing not less than ten days prior thereto, setting forth the date, time, place and agenda for such meeting.
Section 4 - Quorum
The members attending any meeting of which proper notice was given by the Secretary shall be considered a quorum to conduct any regular business of the Association, except voting on an Amendment to the Constitution and Bylaws.
ARTICLE IX - Amendments
This Constitution and Bylaws may be amended at any meeting by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting unless otherwise required by law. All proposed amendments shall be submitted to the Secretary not less than thirty days prior to the meeting at which the said amendments are to be acted upon and ** of such proposed amendments shall be given to the membership in writing no less than ten days prior to the meeting the amendments are to be acted upon.
ARTICLE X - Parliamentary Authority
The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order shall govern meetings of this Association in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Constitution and Bylaws.
ARTICLE XI - Miscellaneous
Section 1 - Interpretation of Constitution and Bylaws
(a) The Executive Committee shall be the final authority on the interpretation of the Constitution and Bylaws.
(b) Nothing in any Article of this Constitution and Bylaws shall be construed to require or permit the Association or any of its officers or committees to participate or advise in any way, formal or informal, in the setting of rates or charges except for rates established by statute or by rule or order of Court.
Section 2 - Previous Constitution and Bylaws Superseded
All provisions of the previous Constitution and Bylaws of the Connecticut Court Reporters Association are hereby replaced by the provisions hereof.
Constitution and Bylaws
April 2006 Revision
ARTICLE I - Name
The name of this organization shall be Connecticut Court Reporters Association.
ARTICLE II - Purpose
The purpose of this organization shall be to provide an organization of shorthand reporters, captioners and CART reporters in the state of Connecticut; to promote harmony and a spirit of mutual assistance between the profession of shorthand reporting and the courts, members of the bar of the state, and the public; to program, foster and encourage the establishment of the statutes and rules, directly or indirectly affecting the profession as may be of help and assistance to reporters, members of the bench and bar, and the public and as the same may promulgate efficiency and justice in all courts; to render assistance to all reporters in the perpetual improvement of their reporting skill; and to promote lawful and proper professional ethics and compliance with all applicable laws, including the antitrust laws.
ARTICLE III - Membership
Section 1. Definition
Membership in the Association shall be open to individuals who subscribe to and support the purposes of the Association and who are skilled in the art of verbatim reporting of proceedings by the use of shorthand symbols, manually or by machine, as hereinafter provided.
Section 2. Classes of Members
The membership shall consist of four classes:
(a) Reporting Members
(b) Student Members
(c) Honorary Members
(d) Associate Members
Section 3 - Reporting Members
Any person who meets one or more of the following requirements shall be eligible to become a reporting member:
(a) Any person who is an official court or legislative reporter.
(b) Any person who is engaged in the active practice of general reporting.
Section 4 - Student Members
Any student of court reporting who is currently involved in a course of study of shorthand reporting shall be eligible to become a student member.
Section 5 - Honorary Members
(a) Any person who has attained high rank in the reporting profession as a practitioner of the art of court reporting, as an author of shorthand literature, or as a benefactor of the profession, but who is not in the active practice of shorthand reporting, upon recommendation of the Executive Committee, may be elected an honorary member.
(b) Honorary members who have not been shorthand reporters shall not vote.
Section 6 - Associate Members
(a) A teacher of shorthand or shorthand reporting, or anyone connected in an official capacity with a school or college conducting a shorthand reporting course, or anyone working under the direction of a shorthand reporter may become an associate member. Such person need not meet the requirements for skill in the art of verbatim reporting of proceedings by the use of shorthand symbols.
(b) Any person interested in the preservation, support and advancement of the field of shorthand reporting but not in any way actively engaged in the verbatim reporting of proceedings, who is not otherwise eligible for membership, may, upon application to and approval of the Executive Committee, become an associate member of the Association.
Section 7 - Privileges
(a) All classes of members shall enjoy the privileges of the Association except where certain privileges are specifically restricted to a specific class of member in this Constitution and Bylaws.
(b) Only reporting members, and honorary members who have been shorthand reporters shall be eligible to vote and hold an elected office.
Section 8 - Membership Application Procedures
(a) Applications for membership shall be submitted to the Membership Committee in such form and accompanied by such supporting documents as may be determined by the Executive Committee.
(b) Upon receipt of an application for membership in the Association, accompanied by the proper membership dues, the Membership Committee shall verify the completeness of the application, determine the class of membership to which the applicant is entitled, and, if satisfied that the applicant is eligible, admit the applicant to membership.
(c) The Executive Committee shall have the authority to overrule the actions of the Membership Committee and disapprove any application for membership, providing that two-thirds or more of the members of the Executive Committee vote for disapproval.
Section 9 - Suspension for Nonpayment of Dues
Any member whose dues are sixty days past due shall be suspended and all privileges of membership shall be terminated. Any member suspended for nonpayment of dues may be reinstated at any time prior to the close of that membership year upon payment of the full year's dues.
Section 10 - Termination of Membership
Membership in the Association may be terminated for cause. Sufficient cause for such termination of membership shall be violation of this Constitution and Bylaws or of any lawful agreement, rule or practice of properly adopted by the Association, conviction of or final adjudication of liability for any violation of the antitrust laws, or any other conduct prejudicial to the Association. No membership shall be terminated for cause without the member having an opportunity to be heard in answer to charges before the Executive Committee.
Section 11 - Membership Reinstatement
(a) A member in good standing who terminates his membership by resignation may be reinstated to his former class of membership upon written request and payment of the full current year's dues.
(b) A member suspended for nonpayment of dues may be reinstated to his prior class of membership at any time prior to the close of that membership year upon payment of the full current year's dues.
(c) A member whose membership has been terminated for nonpayment of dues may be reinstated by fulfilling the current requirements for membership.
ARTICLE IV - Dues
Section 1 - Annual Dues
(a) Dues shall be reviewed and/or amended to be determined by the Executive Committee for Reporting and Associate Members. Dues shall be set for Student Members at a rate not to exceed 20 percent of that for Reporting Members. Dues shall be set for Associate Members at a rate not to exceed 40 percent of that for Reporting Members. No dues shall be charged to Honorary Members.
(b) The annual dues for Reporting Members, Associate Members and Student Members are due and payable on January 1 of each year.
ARTICLE V - Officers and Duties
Section 1 - Definition
The officers of the Association shall consist of a President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, who shall be elected by the members at an annual meeting and hold office until the next annual meeting, and whose duties shall be as set forth herein.
Section 2 - Duties of Officers
(a) President - The duties of the office of President shall be those pertaining to such office, to preside at meetings of the Association, to be the Chairman of the Executive Committee, to make all appointments to committees as provided under other sections of these Bylaws, to fill the vacancies occurring in any committee for the remainder of the time for which such committeepersons may have been appointed or elected, to use all reasonable means to promote the purposes for which the Association is formed, to fill vacancies occurring in any office for the remainder of the time for which such officer may have been appointed or elected, and to render a report at the next annual meeting following his/her election of his/her acts and functions during the year.
(b) President-Elect - The duties of the office of President-Elect shall be those usually pertaining to such office, to preside over and conduct meetings of the Association in the absence of the President, and to perform and discharge such duties as are assigned to him/her by the President.
(c) Vice-President - The duties of the office of Vice-President shall be those usually pertaining to such office, to preside over and conduct meetings of the Association in the absence of the President and President-Elect, and to perform and discharge such duties as are assigned to him/her by the President or President-Elect.
(d) Secretary - The duties of the office of Secretary shall be to keep minutes of the meetings of the Association, to provide all members a list of the officers elected and standing committee members appointed for the ensuing year, to keep a perpetual register of all elected officers of the Association, and to provide all members with annual reports of officers and committees.
(e) Treasurer - The duties of the office of Treasurer shall be to receive all the monies from any source paid into the Association and to pay all bills allowed and approved by the Executive Committee, the Treasurer shall, at each annual meeting, submit a report of the finances of the Association and books of the Association to the Executive Committee for inspection.
ARTICLE VI - Executive Committee
Section 1 - Definition
The Executive Committee of the Association shall be composed of the President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, the immediate Past President, and a number of committeepersons as determined by the President and voted in by the membership.
Section 2 - Powers
The Executive Committee shall have full power to act upon all matters of business requiring attention during the interval between meetings. It shall fix the place and time of the annual meeting and any other meetings of the general membership and notice shall be given to all members of the Association at the time and place so fixed and determined upon by the Executive Committee at least ten days prior to such meetings.
Section 3 - Meeting
The Executive Committee shall meet upon call by the President or upon call by any two other members thereof.
ARTICLE VII - Committees
The President of this Association shall appoint such committees as he/she finds desirable as the occasion arises. Any action taken by any committee must be voted on by the majority of the entire committee. All committees not appointed for a specific period of time shall be terminated at the expiration of the President's term of office.
ARTICLE VIII - Meetings and Voting
Section 1 - Annual Meeting
The annual meeting of the Association shall be held on a date prior to the National Court Reporters Association's Leadership Seminar, to be determined by the Executive Committee.
Section 2 - Additional Meetings
Additional meetings shall be held at the call of the President or of a majority of the Executive Committee.
Section 3 - Notice of Meetings
Notice of any meeting shall be given to the membership in writing not less than ten days prior thereto, setting forth the date, time, place and agenda for such meeting.
Section 4 - Quorum
The members attending any meeting of which proper notice was given by the Secretary shall be considered a quorum to conduct any regular business of the Association, except voting on an Amendment to the Constitution and Bylaws.
ARTICLE IX - Amendments
This Constitution and Bylaws may be amended at any meeting by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting unless otherwise required by law. All proposed amendments shall be submitted to the Secretary not less than thirty days prior to the meeting at which the said amendments are to be acted upon and ** of such proposed amendments shall be given to the membership in writing no less than ten days prior to the meeting the amendments are to be acted upon.
ARTICLE X - Parliamentary Authority
The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order shall govern meetings of this Association in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Constitution and Bylaws.
ARTICLE XI - Miscellaneous
Section 1 - Interpretation of Constitution and Bylaws
(a) The Executive Committee shall be the final authority on the interpretation of the Constitution and Bylaws.
(b) Nothing in any Article of this Constitution and Bylaws shall be construed to require or permit the Association or any of its officers or committees to participate or advise in any way, formal or informal, in the setting of rates or charges except for rates established by statute or by rule or order of Court.
Section 2 - Previous Constitution and Bylaws Superseded
All provisions of the previous Constitution and Bylaws of the Connecticut Court Reporters Association are hereby replaced by the provisions hereof.