APTA: Access Committee Bylaws

As of May 6, 2007

ARTICLE I – ORGANIZATION

APTA Access Committee

The Committee shall be known as the American Public Transportation Association (hereinafter called “APTA”) Access Committee (formerly the APTA Access Committee and the Disabled Services Subcommittee) hereinafter called the “Committee.”

Mission Statement

The purpose of the Committee is to:

provide a forum to discuss the full range of paratransit and accessible transportation service issues and policies
promote the delivery of accessible transportation paratransit and other mobility services, and integrate paratransit services into existing transportation services
recognize the emergence of accessible public transportation as a significantly expanded mode among existing transit services
successfully implement the transportation provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and other related federal legislation or regulation
communicate the findings of the Committee within APTA and to others, as appropriate.

Objectives

The objectives of the Committee shall be defined in an Action Plan to be adopted each year to guide the Committee’s activities for that year. The Action Plan shall encompass a range of activities, including but not limited to the following:

review and respond to legislative, policy and/or regulatory issues pertaining to implementation of the ADA and general paratransit issues, including other related federal legislation
promote accessible transportation for persons with disabilities
promote effective delivery of non-traditional demand response transportation services
address accessibility issues emerging from the activities of APTA’s modal committees, including bus, paratransit, commuter rail, rapid transit, intercity rail and other public transportation services
facilitate information sharing on topics of interest to the membership (e.g., special technical or policy-related issues)
communicate issues, findings and recommendations to the membership (through the Executive and/or Legislative Committees) and to other interested partners including affected agencies and organizations
make recommendations to improve the status of providing accessible public transportation
monitor and report to members on the status of pending litigation involving the implementation of the ADA and other federal legislation or regulations that affect paratransit and other accessible transportation services

ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the Committee shall be open to APTA members who have an interest in accessible public transportation, including paratransit services.

Persons desiring membership shall submit a notice in writing, with the person’s name, title, organization address, telephone and fax numbers and email address to the APTA Staff Advisor for the Committee.

ARTICLE III – OFFICERS

Officers

The Committee shall have the following officers: Chair of the Committee and Vice Chair. All employees of APTA member transit systems and other member organizations in good standing shall be eligible for these positions.

Duties of Officers

The duties of the Officers of the Committee shall be as follows:

The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Committee and shall be responsible for calling all meetings of the Committee. He/she shall appoint all Subcommittee, Ad-hoc Subcommittee and Task Force members. He/she shall act as the liaison between the Committee and the Vice Chair - Bus & Paratransit Operations and other APTA Committees, as appropriate. He/she shall be responsible for taking action necessary to ensure the Committee achieves its objectives and shall perform all such other duties as usually pertaining to such office.
The Vice Chair shall preside at meetings in the absence of the Chair. He/she will support the Chair by acting as a liaison between all Subcommittees, Ad-hoc Subcommittees and Task Force members.

Each Chair and Vice Chair shall serve in that position for three years, a term which would be consistent with the three-year term of the office of Vice Chair – Bus and Paratransit Operations. After the term of the Chair expires, the Vice Chair shall become Chair. Former Chairs shall wait at least three years before being eligible for Chair or Vice Chair positions.

Vacancies

In the event the Office of the Chair becomes vacant prior to the end of the term, the Vice Chair shall ascend to that office for the remainder of the term, and be eligible to serve the full three-year term of that position. In such case, the ascending Chair will appoint a new Vice Chair for the remainder for the term.

In the event the Office of Vice Chair becomes vacant prior to the end of the term, the Chair shall appoint a new Vice Chair for the remainder of the term.

ARTICLE IV – ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Election of Officers

Election of Officers shall occur at the Committee’s Meeting during APTA’s Annual Meeting. Officers shall be elected by a majority of Committee members present and voting. Newly elected Officers shall assume office at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting at which they are elected.

Candidates interested in running for office must announce their intentions at least thirty days prior to the Business/Election Meeting by submitting a letter of intent to the APTA committee staff advisor. At the Business/Election Meeting, no nominations will be taken from the floor unless that individual has submitted his or her letter of intent thirty days prior to the meeting.

Voting Procedure for Election of Officers

Candidates for the office will be allowed to make a presentation of up to three minutes in length before the group.
After the candidates have spoken, questions will be taken from the floor.
After the questions are over, APTA staff will distribute ballots to each Access Committee member. Only APTA members who were on the Access Committee membership roster prior to the Annual Meeting may cast a vote.
APTA staff will collect the ballots and tally the results.
A majority of the ballots cast shall constitute a winning candidate. If no majority, the top two candidates shall be in a “run-off,” with the candidate receiving the most votes winning the election.

ARTICLE V – MEETINGS AND VOTING

Meetings

To minimize travel expense, whenever possible, meetings shall be scheduled so as to coincide with the major APTA Conferences. The Committee shall meet at least twice each year at APTA’s Annual Meeting and at APTA’s Bus & Paratransit Conference. Notice of meetings shall be prepared by the Chair and sent out (by mail, fax or email) to the Committee members by the APTA Staff Advisor to the Committee no less than 15 days prior to the meeting. All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, as amended.

Voting

Only members of the Committee shall be eligible to vote on issues or matters before the Committee. No proxy votes shall be permitted. All votes shall be by simple majority of members present and voting. In the event of ties, the Chair shall vote and break the tie.

Except as otherwise specified herein, all votes shall be by simple majority of voting members present and voting.

ARTICLE VI – SUBCOMMITTEES

The Chair shall appoint Subcommittees, Task Forces, or other similar groups for specific purposes from time to time. These groups will be temporary in nature and exist only until their specific charge is completed and they reported the results of their efforts back to the full Committee.

ARTICLE VII - RECORDS AND COMMUNICATIONS

Maintenance of Committee Records

The APTA Staff Advisor, along with other APTA staff as appropriate, shall maintain the Committee membership roster and all other Committee records, including meeting minutes.

Communications

All Committee notices, announcements, and other communications shall be processed and distributed by the APTA Staff Advisor, in accordance with APTA policy and in consultation with the Committee Chair.

ARTICLE VIII – AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS

Submission and Consideration of Amendments

Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed by any Committee member and must be submitted in writing to the Chair for consideration and voting at the next business meeting of the Committee that occurs at least 30 days after the submission of the proposed amendment. The Chair shall request that the APTA Staff Advisor distribute copies of any proposed amendments at least 15 days prior to the Annual Meeting.

Adoption of Amendments

Amendments to these Bylaws shall be adopted by a simple majority vote of Committee members present and voting.

ARTICLE IX – CONFLICTS WITH APTA BYLAWS OR FEDERAL OR D.C. LAW

In the case of a conflict between these Bylaws and the APTA Bylaws or Federal or District of Columbia law, the APTA Bylaws and/or the Federal or District of Columbia law shall prevail.

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