VABF Taskforce

Virginia Breastfeeding Taskforce

Bylaws

Article I – Name

The name of this organization shall be the Virginia Breastfeeding Task Force, and it shall include membership for all counties, cities and communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia

Article II – Purposes

The stated purposes of the Task Force shall be:

to promote and increase the incidence and duration of breastfeeding among mothers and babies in our community for the better health of our citizens; and,
to encourage, assist and support the work of local breastfeeding task forces and coalitions throughout the state and to provide them with an organizational vehicle for communication, collaboration and coordination of services.

Article III –Membership

Membership shall be open to any person residing or working in Virginia who is interested and who can contribute to the work of the Task Force. Representatives from the following areas will be encouraged to maintain membership: health care providers including hospital staff, private physicians, nurses, lactation consultants, health department personnel,dietitian and mental health professionals; social service providers; school personnel; La Leche League Leaders; community leaders and legislators; representatives of other community groups; and breastfeeding women. Membership information will be updated biannually.

There will be two levels of membership:
Nonvoting member: Those who wish to be involved in receiving information, participating in meetings, and sharing in discussion of breastfeeding issues in Virginia. They are welcome to contribute suggestions at meetings and via email. They will not be able to vote on officers, by-laws changes and other official matters requiring a vote of those present at meetings. No dues required.

Voting Member: Those who pay annual dues and maintain active involvement in the affairs of the task force. These members will pay minimum annual dues of $20.00. The minimum dues fee may be changed by a vote of members present at the November meeting of each year. The membership year will be January to December.

Article IV – Officers

Officers shall include an Executive Board, made up of Chair, Co Chair, Treasurer and Secretaries: Recording, Membership and Correspondence. The term of office for each shall be two years with elections held in even years at the fall meeting. The duties of the officers shall be as follows:
Chair:

presides over all meetings
plans and provides an agenda for each meeting
appoints all ad hoc committee chairs
approves all expenditures for the Task Force
represents the Task Force in all matters that affect it and acts as spokesperson for the Task Force

Co Chair:

carries out the functions of the Chair in her/his absence
assists the Chair with all program planning and agenda changes

Treasurer:

accounts for all funds of the Task Force including maintenance of all bank accounts
provides regular treasury reports for each meeting

Secretaries:
Recording

takes attendance at all regular meetings
records minutes of all regular meetings

Membership

provides members with notice of all regular meetings at least one week prior to those meetings
maintains up to date membership rosters and ad hoc committee lists
secures meeting place for all regular meetings and informs members of changes and directions to meeting place
distributes pertinent information via email list of members

Correspondence

responsible for drafting necessary correspondence of the Task Force
serves as liaison to the local breastfeeding task forces and assists in any coordination of their activities as needed
keeps membership informed of news and activities of the local task forces

Article V – Meetings

The Task Force shall meet quarterly in February, May, August, and November on the first Thursday of the month at a designated place. There may be additional meetings of the Board as needed. Special meetings of the membership can also be scheduled for committee work as needed and agreed upon. All meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order. A majority vote of the members present (minimum of 8 members) is necessary for passing on any issue, or issues may be passed by acclamatio

Article VI – Committees

Committees shall be appointed as needed by the Chair for any matters of business necessary. These committees shall cease to exist when the purposes have been completed.

Article VII – Bylaws

All business of the Task Force shall be conducted in accordance with the bylaws contained in this document. These bylaws maybe revised at any time by majority vote of those members in attendance (minimum of 8 members). Members will be apprised of upcoming proposed changes at least 30 days in advance of next quarterly meeting. Any bylaws changes will take place at the close of the meeting in which they are approved. These bylaws must be reviewed biannually.

Article VIII- Dissolution

The Task Force can be dissolved by majority vote of the current membership. Any assets of the Task Force will be donated to another non-profit organization that promotes breastfeeding.