In Philadelphia, a constitutional amendment was introduced in the AVMA House of Delegates, and the HOD approved two bylaws amendments.
Constitutional amendments are introduced one year and voted on the following year. The amendment introduced this July was one that the Executive Board recommended in April—to strike the AVMA's current constitution to allow adoption of a new bylaws document.
The amendment was introduced so that the Association can align its practices with the current practices of other progressive associations by revising the AVMA Constitution and Bylaws to create a single, cohesive document.
The effort to streamline the governing documents began in July 2003, when the Executive Board established a task force composed of members from the board and House Advisory Committee. During its review, the task force identified many redundancies and ambiguities, along with information that should be transferred to other governing documents.
After consulting the AVMA parliamentarian, the task force decided to create a single document that will be called the AVMA Bylaws. It is anticipated that the HOD will vote on the revised bylaws in July 2005.
Of the two proposed bylaw amendments that the HOD approved this year, one related to accreditation and the other to student chapters. First, the HOD approved revisions to the current AVMA Bylaws to expand the Council on Education's charge to include accrediting international veterinary programs.
Second, the HOD approved deletion of a provision in the student chapters section of the bylaws relating to reasonable assurance, because it is not applicable once a school or college accepts its first class. 
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