Bylaws

Adopted: February 25, 1980, Amended: 02.05.2007

Article 1. Name and Scope.

(a) This organization will be called the Special Interest Group on ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ("SIGART") of the Association for Computing Machinery, Inc. ("the ACM").
(b) The scope of SIGART is to promote the study and application of artificial intelligence (AI).

Article 2. Purpose.

SIGART is organized and will be operated exclusively for educational, scientific, and technical purposes in its specialty. Its services will include:
(a) Collecting and disseminating information in the specialty, through a newsletter and other publications approved by the Publications Board of the ACM;
(b) Organizing sessions at conferences of the ACM;
(c) Sponsoring conferences, symposia, and workshops;
(d) Organizing working groups for education, research, and development;
(e) Serving as a source of technical information for the Council and other units of the ACM;
(f) Serving as an external technical representative of the ACM when authorized by the Council or the Executive Committee of the ACM;
(g) Working with other units of the ACM on technical activities such as lectureships or professional development seminars;
(h) Cooperating with other educational, scientific, and technical organizations to help promote the services listed in this article.

Article 3. Charter.

SIGART will exist until dissolved as provided in Bylaw 6 of the ACM.

Article 4. Officers.

(a) SIGART's officers are the Chair, the Vice-Chair, and the Secretary-Treasurer. The officers are elected for three-year terms beginning July 1.
(b) The Chair is the principal officer and is responsible for leading SIGART and managing its activities. The duties of the Chair are:
i. Calling and presiding at SIGART's Executive Committee and business meetings;
ii. Conducting SIGART's activities in accordance with the policies of the ACM; and
iii. Making all appointments and filling vacancies as authorized herein.
(c) The duties of the Vice-Chair are:
i. Assisting the Chair in leading and managing SIGART; and
ii. Presiding at meetings when the Chair is absent.
(d) The duties of the Secretary-Treasurer are:
i. Maintaining the records and correspondence of SIGART;
ii. Keeping and distributing the minutes of business and Executive Committee meetings of SIGART; and
iii. Managing SIGART's finances according to the Financial Accountability Policy of the ACM. This includes preparing the annual budget, monitoring disbursements for adherence to the annual budget, and preparing financial reports as required.

Article 5. The Executive Committee.

(a) The SIGART Executive Committee comprises the elected officers and the Past Chair. No person may hold two positions on the SIGART Executive Committee.
(b) The general duties of the SIGART Executive Committee will be to advise the Chair on all matters of interest to SIGART. Specific duties or responsibilities may be specified in these Bylaws or assigned by the Chair. All the major management policy decisions of the SIGART must be approved by the SIGART Executive Committee.
(c) All members of, or candidates for, the SIGART Executive Committee must be voting Members of ACM and of SIGART.

Article 6. Vacancies and Appointments.

(a) Should the Chair leave office before his/her term expires, the Vice-Chair will assume the duties of Chair. Should any other office or the position on the SIGART Executive Committee reserved for the Past Chair become vacant, the Chair of the SIG Governing Board may, on nomination of the SIGART Chair, fill the vacancy. Vacancies in positions appointed by the SIGART Chair may be filled according to the procedures for making the original appointments as provided herein.
(b) Should a vacancy be unfilled, either because of inadequacy of these bylaws or because of a dispute or for any other reason, the SIG Governing Board Chair may fill it.
(c) All appointments expire automatically when the Chair's term of office expires. Appointees, however, will continue to serve until a successor is appointed by the new Chair.

Article 7. Membership Publications.

(a) SIGART may publish one or more membership publications at regular intervals as determined by the Executive Committee. These publications will be made available to all SIGART's members. The publications may also be made available to nonmembers by subscription, for a per-use fee, or at no charge, as determined by the Executive Committee.
(b) With the advice of the Executive Committee, the Chair will appoint the Editor(s) of each membership publication.

Article 8. Membership, Dues, and Voting Privileges.

(a) An eligible person becomes a member only after enrolling and paying the required dues. The dues for SIGART are determined by the SIGART Executive Committee with the approval of the Chair of the SIG Board.
(b) All members of SIGART may vote in any ballot conducted with SIGART. On any ballot, the votes cast by non-ACM members of SIGART will, if necessary, be prorated downward so that their effective total cannot exceed 50% of the eligible vote.

Article 9. Reports and Records.

The SIGART Chair is responsible for filing reports about SIGART as required by the SIG Governing Board. These include:
i. An annual report, due as specified by the SIG Governing Board, on the activities of SIGART during the previous year;
ii. All reports required by the Financial Accountability Policy of the ACM; and
iii. Closing reports on conferences and symposia (co)sponsored by SIGART as required by the ACM.
The membership records of SIGART will be maintained by ACM Headquarters.

Article 10. Elections.

(a) By September 30 of each election year, if the SIG Governing Board has not exercised its option to extend the term of the SIG's current officers for an additional term, the Chair will appoint a nominating committee which will propose at least two consenting candidates for each elective office of SIGART. The slate of candidates selected by the nominating committee must be presented to all the SIGART members by the following January 31. All candidates must be members of SIGART and ACM.
(b) A petition from 1% of the voting members of SIGART will place other consenting candidates on the ballot. Petitions must be received by the Secretary-Treasurer of SIGART no later than March 15.
(c) The election will be conducted among eligible voters by ACM Headquarters by June 1, following the election procedures of the ACM, unless different procedures have been approved by the SIG Board. Of all the ballots returned in an election, the candidates receiving the largest numbers of effective votes win. The SIG Governing Board Executive Committee will resolve ties.

Article 11. Amendments.

(a) These bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the ACM Executive Committee, or by a vote of the SIGART members as provided below. With the approval of the SIGART Executive Committee and of the Executive Committee of the ACM, 2/3 of all members of the SIG Board may amend Article 1 of these bylaws without a referendum of the members.
(b) Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed by the SIGART Executive Committee, the SIG Board, or a petition from 3% of the voting members of SIGART. All proposed amendments must be approved, prior to being submitted for a vote of the membership, by the Chair of the SIG Board and by the Constitution & Bylaws Committee of ACM, after the Executive Director of ACM has provided advice.
(c) The ballot on the proposed amendment(s) will be conducted among the eligible voters by ACM Headquarters following the procedures of the ACM for voting bylaw amendments, unless a different procedure has been approved by the SIG Governing Board Executive Committee. The proposal is adopted only if at least 2/3 of the effective votes of returned ballots approve it, and only if at least 10% of the ballots are returned. The Secretary-Treasurer will send a clean copy of the amended bylaws to the Executive Director of the ACM and to the Chair of the SIG Board.

Article 12. Dissolution.

Should SIGART be dissolved, its assets will be supervised by the SIG Board.

Article 13. Meetings.

SIGART will conduct at least one business meeting each year. All meetings sponsored by SIGART must be open to all members of the ACM. SIGART may hold meetings only in places that are open to all classes of members of the ACM.

Article 14. Consistency.

The Constitution, Bylaws, and policies of the ACM and of the SIG Board take precedence over any conflicting provisions of these bylaws or internal policies of SIGART.