Article I: Name 

     The name of this nonprofit organization shall be Southeast Texas Nurse Practitioner Associates (SETXNP).

Southeast Texas Nurse Practitioners will include all Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) .

Article II: Purpose & Goals 

Section I: The purpose of this organization shall be to: 

1.  Advance, support, and promote the role of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in Southeast Texas.

2. Increase public awareness of the APRN’s role/contribution they make to the health care of Southeast Texas. 

3. Promote accessible, quality health care provided by nurse practitioners and other APRNs. 

Section II: The goals of this organization shall be to:

1. Provide continuing education for APRNs.

Provide resources for active members to gain continuing education for APRNs.

2. Serve as a resource of communication between APRNs, the Community and other healthcare providers. 

3.  Participate in/contribute to legislative advocacy for APRN empowerment through the Texas Nurse Practitioner Organization (TNP) and/or other similar nursing or APRN advocacy organizations if a majority of active members are in support of the organization.

4. Provide mentorship to APRN students and novice APRNs through preceptorship and professional support.

Section III Special Interest Groups

1. Within the membership of SETXNP Special Interest Groups (SIGs) may form and serve the organization with specialty NP practice networking, continuing education, case presentations, mentoring, community service, and other events as approved by the Board of Directors. Members of any SIG must be paid members in good standing with SETXNP. Each SIG member will pay $20 yearly to join the SIG. Members and associate members in good standing may join an unlimited number of SIGs. Only full members may vote.

2. Current proposed/active SIGs

• SETXNP Psychiatric Mental Health SIG

Article III: Meetings: 

Section I: Meetings shall be held monthly.  Monthly meetings will be posted on the SETXNP website and other social media as applicable.

Meetings shall be held a minimum of at least once quarterly. Meetings will be posted on the SETXNP website and other social media as applicable.

Section II: The meeting place shall be determined by a board member who is the primary contact for that meeting’s sponsor or the Education Committee and announced on the organization’s website at the earliest possible date upon sponsor confirmation prior to the scheduled meeting. 

Section III: To plan for sufficient space, all APRN paid members, APRN student members, and associate members in good standing, and member’s guests planning to attend shall RSVP before the meeting. Those with RSVP confirmed attendance before the meeting will be seated before walk-ins.

Section IV: Non-members are welcome to visit up to three meetings prior to joining the group. Non-members will be seated at meetings on a space available basis.

Article IV: Membership 

Section I: The Board of Directors will establish the cost of dues for all categories of membership. The change in dues must be approved by at least five of six (5/6) of the members of the Board of Directors present at any meeting. 

Section II: No refunds or prorate for dues will be permitted. 

Section III: Membership will be offered to all advanced practice nurses, active & retired. 

Section IV: Membership will be offered to all students enrolled in an accredited advanced practice nursing program at a reduced rate. 

Section V: Associate membership will include any licensed Nurse or Physician Assistant who is interested in promoting and supporting the purposes and goals of the SETXNP organization. 

Section VI: Active membership status in good standing requires dues to be paid annually with auto renewal being the preferred method of payment.

Section VII: The Secretary will review active members upon sign in at each meeting and facilitate notifications in person and from the organization website to members who are near expiration or expired to facilitate timely membership renewals.

Section VIII:  Delinquent members are those who have not paid their dues or assessments for more than sixty days. 

Section IX:  Members of any category may be removed from membership by a 5/6 vote of the members of the Board of Directors present at any meeting. 

Section X:  Physicians who are supportive of APRNs and invited/approved by the Board may become associate members of the organization with a yearly donation.

Article V: Membership Rights

Section I: Student and associate members in good standing shall have all the benefits of regular members except the right to vote, hold office, or serve as committee chair. 

They may, however, serve on committees and participate in volunteer and community/service events.

Section II: Regular members in good standing shall be: 

1. Permitted the right to vote.

2. Provided access to the current organization's bylaws via online access on the organization's website. 

3. Permitted to hold, run for, be elected to or be appointed to serve on the Board of Directors after one year of active membership.

4. Permitted to chair or be a member of a committee.

5. Permitted to join a SIG.

Article VI: Governance

Section I: Elected officials serving on the Board of Directors for the organization include: president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, community affairs coordinator, and committee chairman. The immediate past president will serve for one year after term in a consulting role to facilitate the transition of leadership.

Section II: Board office positions shall be held for a two-year term.

1. Elected officials may not serve more than two consecutive terms in the same position.

2. Eligibility to serve as president requires prior service on the Board.

3. The nominations and awards committee will accept nominations for Board positions president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, community affairs chairman, and committee chairman beginning in April and ending the last week in May. Terms will begin July 1st.

4. The nominations for the board beginning in April and ending the last week of May shall be accepted from any active member via email, Facebook page, or in-person to a current board member, during a scheduled meeting or a call for a vote.

5. Elections will be held in June.

Section III:   Board of Directors

The governing body of SETXNP will be the Board of Directors.  Responsibilities of the Board are to: 

1. Supervise and provide direction of the affairs of the organization to include: committees, publications, policies, SIGs and distribution of funds. 

2. Consider issues relevant to the NP profession, formulating position statements, and/or expressing an opinion on behalf of advocacy groups (TNP for example).

3. Adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of the organization’s business as deemed necessary. 

4. Board meetings will be held as deemed necessary by the Board. Members may submit concerns in writing to the Board for consideration at any time. 

Article VII: Official Responsibilities 

Section I: President Responsibilities shall be: 

1. Provide leadership to the organization.

2. Be the authorized representative of the organization. 

3. Preside over all meetings or delegate to the vice president or other Board member if unable to be present.   

4. Shall be an ex-officio member of all committees. 

5. Co-sign expenses with the treasurer within 48 hours.

• May get verbal agreement for all expenses under $500 if approved by the finance committee.
• Any expense over $500 needs general membership approval (Simple majority).
• Expenses of $250 to $500 will need approval of the finance committee.
• Expenses of $250 to $500 will need approval from the finance committee or a majority of board members.
• Expenses under $250 will need the approval of the president and treasurer before expenses are made.

6. Enforce the rules and Bylaws. 

7. Sign any agreement entered between the organization and any other organization. 

Section II: The Vice President's responsibilities shall be:

1. Attend Meetings. 

2. Chair the Bylaws committee. 

3. Serve on a standing committee. 

4. Assume the office of the president if the current president is unable to complete their term.

5. Carry out duties assigned by the President.

Section III: The past president's responsibilities shall be: 

1. Attend Meetings. 

2. Serve for one year at the end of the presidential term in a consultant role. 

3. Attend board meetings.

4. Facilitate the transition of new officers.

5. Carry out any duties assigned by the president. 

Section IV: Secretary responsibilities shall be: 

1. Attend meetings.

2. Keep a record of all proceedings at all meetings.

3. Submit minutes from monthly meetings to the Informatics committee and president within one week of the meeting, to allow sufficient time for posting on the SETXNP website.

4. Keep a record of all board and committee members and updated active members. 

5. Maintain current copies of the organization’s Bylaws.

6. Serve on the Bylaws committee. 

7. Carry out any duty assigned by the president. 

Section V: Treasurer responsibilities shall be: 

1. Attend meetings.

2. Take charge of and maintain all financial records and effects of the organization. 

3. Prepare and file all financial reports as defined by law and the membership. 

4. Sign and submit all Federal and State reports required by law. 

5. Present the fiscal year records for audit by a certified auditor. 

6. Carry out duties assigned by the president. 

7. Chair the Finance Committee 

8. Prepare a quarterly financial report for all members. 

Prepare and make available profit and loss statements for budget and tax purposes to active members upon request.

Section VII:  Community Affairs Coordinator

1. Attend meetings. 

2. Represent student APRNs in the community. 

3. Serve on the membership committee. 

4. Carry out duties assigned by the president.

5. Preside over any volunteer or community services.

Section VIII: Committee Chairman

1. Attend meetings.

2. Coordinate and serve as Co-Chair for all committees.

3. Serve as a reference for Robert’s Rules of Order.

4. Carry out all duties as assigned by the President.

Section IX:  Standing Committees:

The President will designate all Standing Committees as deemed necessary to administer the business of SETXNP when active members are willing to serve.

In the event the number of member volunteers are not adequate to form committees as detailed below, the Board of Directors will conduct committee business matters.

The term of appointment will be for two years. 

1. Bylaws Committee:  The purpose of this committee is to review the Bylaws and make recommendations to the Board of Directors and membership for amendments.  The committee will include a minimum of 3 members, one of which is the vice president who will serve as chair. 

The purpose of this committee is to review the Bylaws and make recommendations to the Board of Directors and membership for amendments.  

The committee will include a minimum of 4 members, one of which is the Vice President who will serve as chair, and a second who is the Secretary.

2. Education Committee:  The purpose of this committee is to plan and coordinate the Annual SETXNP Conference, and all monthly meetings. The president will serve as a coordinator who oversees the communication between the local conference planning committee, the conference management group, and the Board. The chair(s) of this planning committee must be SETXNP members and approved by the Board. 

3. Finance Committee:  The purpose of this committee is to develop and review the fiscal procedures of SETXNP, and make recommendations to the Board of Directors to ensure that the organization remains fiscally sound.  This committee will develop fundraising strategies to provide additional revenues for the organization.  This committee will include a minimum of three members, one of whom is the treasurer who will serve as chair. 

4. Membership Committee:  The purpose of this committee is to recruit and retain SETXNP membership. A minimum of two Board members will be appointed to this committee.

5. Nominations and Awards Committee:  The purpose of this committee is to coordinate SETXNP’s elections and awards, along with special nominations for Honorary and Lifetime membership awards. A minimum of two Board members will be appointed to this committee. 

6. Legislative Committee:  The purpose of this committee is to serve as the advocate for nurse practitioner issues before the government in coordination with Texas Nurse Practitioners, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, or other official nursing or APRN organizations. A minimum of two Board members will be appointed to this committee. 

7.  Informatics Committee:  The purpose of this committee is to maintain the SETXNP website. There will be a minimum of two Board members appointed to this committee.

8. Public Relations Committee:  The purpose of this committee is to facilitate the education of the public regarding health care, and the role of the APRN. The community affairs coordinator will chair the committee. 

Article VIII: Liaisons 

Liaisons will include but are not limited to: the American College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP), Coalition for Nurses in Advanced Practice (CNAP), Texas Nurse Practitioner (TNP), American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), Board of Nurse Examiners (BNE APN – Advisory) Representative, Texas Nurses Association (TNA), and Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA).

Article IX: Resignations 

Section I: Resignation of any elected official shall be submitted in writing to the president or Board indicating the date the resignation is effective. 

Section II: In the event of the resignation or loss of the President, the Vice President will succeed. In the event of both the President and Vice President, the succession will be Secretary and then Treasurer. 

Section III: In the event of the resignation or loss of any Board Member position, except for president, nominations will be accepted for the position, and a special election will be held. Any position elected by special election will assume the remainder of that term.

Section IV: In the event any member of the Board of Directors is found to be unable to fulfill their assigned duties or have been found to be unprofessional or unethical in their Board Member Role, they can be removed from their position by a majority vote of the remaining Board of Directors.

Article X: Quorum

Two officers and 10% of the active members shall constitute an organization meeting.

Article XI: Bylaws 

Section I: Amendment of Bylaws  

1. Substantive Changes. These Bylaws of SETXNP may be altered, amended, supplemented, or repealed. All changes must be approved by the Board and submitted to the membership for vote. 

Notice of the proposed changes will be presented to members before voting. 

The vote may be conducted in person at the annual meeting, by mail, or by electronic means. 

A majority of active members must approve the Bylaw amendments by vote.

1.2 Non-substantive Editorial Changes.  Editorial changes to the Bylaws may be made by a unanimous vote of the Board of Directors. If the Bylaws are altered, amended, or supplemented in this manner, the changes will become effective on the first day of the following month after voting and posting of updated Bylaws to the SETX NP ENP website.

Bylaws will be reviewed every two years, and revisions must be approved by the general membership.

Article XII: Dissolution

Upon the dissolution of the corporation, the Board of Directors shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of all liabilities of the corporation, dispose of all of the remaining assets of the corporation to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes as shall at the time quality as an exempt organization under Section (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law), as the Board of Directors shall determine.

 Approved by the Bylaws Committee November 21, 2018 Joe Dodd, Chairperson

 Approved by the Board of Directors January 17, 2019 Byron Young, President

 Approved by the Board of Directors November 19, 2024 Kristen Bradley, President