Message from the Chair of the House of Delegates

Preparations are well along for AMDA's 2001 House of Delegates (HOD) meeting. Once again delegates will convene for the luncheon briefing session on Thursday at noon, with the general session held Saturday afternoon. Delegates from each state should be registered with the AMDA office by December 15 to meet the 90-day requirement.

There are several bylaws changes to address, including recognition of regional AMDA chapters, the process for bylaws interpretation during the HOD meeting, making the ad hoc Bylaws Committee a standing committee, and development of a disciplinary process. In order to facilitate the business of the House on Saturday, we will attempt to address the bylaws amendments at the Thursday session. Due to the limited time available on Thursday, it will be imperative that delegates read over the material prior to the session and arrive early and be ready to get to work.

As I had indicated in an earlier communication, the resolutions process will be handled a bit differently this year. As has been the case previously, resolutions must be submitted to the AMDA office by January 15. This is to allow for staff to research for prior similar resolutions or position papers and attach fiscal notes, then distribute to the House's Resolutions Committee, which I will shortly be appointing. The Resolutions Committee will convene once by conference call in late January. Suggested additions, deletions, or changes will then be communicated to the originator of the resolution and the suggested changes, along with the original resolution as submitted will be distributed by February 16 to all registered delegates. Following the HOD briefing session on Thursday, the Resolutions Committee will again meet. I am asking that a duly authorized individual representing the originating state chapter or entity for each resolution plus any other interested parties be present for this meeting. The final form of the "Resolved" portion of each resolution will then be distributed to the delegates in time for discussion at the state chapter receptions on Friday night.

Due to the short time frame involved, and pursuant to the AMDA bylaws, resolutions submitted after the January 15 deadline can be given only limited discussion on the floor of the HOD prior to being submitted to an appropriate committee. I encourage all state chapters to send forward resolutions on the many hot issues out there at the grassroots level. Many such issues were addressed at the State Presidents Council and Board of Director's meeting in Denver this August. Several resolutions could come forward from this process. Group facilitators would be appropriate individuals to develop such resolutions. I look forward to a productive HOD in Atlanta.

Randall D. Huss, MD, CMD

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