Proposed amendments to the NABJ Constitution, the association's chief governing document, must be submitted no later than Friday, Feb. 1, 2013. This is six months prior to the start of the 2013 national convention in Orlando, Fla., which begins Wednesday, July 31. In accordance with Chapter 6, Article 1, of the NABJ Constitution, amendments may be proposed by affiliated chapters, regions, the Board of Directors or any full member in good standing. Proposed constitutional amendments must be submitted in writing. Proposals should specify the Article and Section that would be amended, the rationale for the change, and any fiscal impact in writing to Membership Manager Veronique Dodson (on behalf of the NABJ Parliamentarian) in the NABJ national office by 11:59 p.m. (EST) on Friday, Feb. 1, 2013.

Proposals may be sent via e-mail to veronique@nabj.org, by fax to (301) 314-1714, or by mail to: Constitutional Amendments, NABJ, Attention: Veronique Dodson, 1100 Knight Hall, Suite 3100,College Park, MD 20742. Proposals must be reviewed by the Constitution and Operating Procedures Committee and approved by a majority of the Board of Directors before they are submitted to the membership. (In addition, the Board will consider all proposals submitted by the deadline in 2012.) By June 1, the membership will be informed of any amendments approved for ballot consideration. Full members may vote on the proposed amendments during the election cycle set by the Board of Directors. For questions regarding amendment proposals, please call the national office at (301) 405-0248 or contact NABJ Parliamentarian Cindy George at (832) 549-6993 or cindy.george@chron.com.