January 01, 2021

The AVMA House of Delegates will deliberate on rewritten Rules for AVMA Officer Election Campaigns as well as a proposal to expand the reduction in AVMA member dues for recent graduates.

Delegates will consider the resolutions during their regular winter session, which will be held virtually Jan. 8-9 in conjunction with the AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference.

In summer 2019, the HOD approved a resolution requesting that the House Advisory Comittee appoint a working group to review the election process for AVMA president-elect and vice president, both elected by the HOD. The HAC appointed a working group, which rewrote the Rules for AVMA Officer Election Campaigns.

The current version of the rules for officer candidates covers eligibility to run, the campaign schedule, travel expenses, and violations of the rules. The proposed version of the rules covers eligibility; campaign; expenses, funding, and reimbursement; influence and endorsements; and violations. The new version also would add guidelines on the use of social media.

Among the proposed rules under influence and endorsements are the following:

• Influence and endorsements from anyone other than AVMA members in good standing should be declined and reported to the AVMA Office of the Executive Vice President.
• It is prohibited for current AVMA officers to promote or endorse a candidate or to lobby or campaign on behalf of a candidate to HOD members.
• Campaigning on behalf of candidates is limited to members of the HOD.

Ten state VMAs originally submitted a resolution regarding an expansion of reduced dues for consideration during the 2020 HOD regular annual session this past summer. The sponsors later elected to withdraw the resolution in light of the need to hold the HOD meeting virtually for the first time because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sponsors submitted a similar resolution for the winter session.

Currently, new veterinarians receive free AVMA membership for the balance of the year that they graduate and a 50% reduction in dues for the next two consecutive renewal periods. Under the proposal, new veterinarians would still receive free membership in their graduating year. The proposal would then reduce dues to 25% of regular dues for the first full year of membership, maintain dues at 50% for the second full year, and reduce dues to 75% for the third full year.

The House Advisory Committee and the AVMA Board of Directors, the latter of which manages the finances of the Association, recommended that the HOD refer the resolution to the Board for consideration by the Strategy Management Committee and the Budget and Financial Review Committee.