Last updated 11/2020
ARTICLE I.
Name
The name of the organization shall be NEW JERSEY HOSA. However, the acronym “NJ HOSA” may be used to designate the organization.
ARTICLE II.
Object
The primary objective of NJ HOSA, organized as a non-profit organization, is to serve the needs of its members in the following ways:
A. To foster programs and activities which will develop:
1. Physical, mental, and social well-being of the individual
2. Leadership, character, and citizenship
3. Ethical practices and respect for the dignity of work;
B. To encourage self-actualization of each member which will contribute to meeting the individual’s psychological, social, spiritual, and economic needs;
C. To build the confidence of students in themselves and their work by learning to assume responsibilities and by developing personal and occupational competencies and social skills which lead to realistic choices of careers and successful employment in the field of health;
D. To promote inter-organizational relationships with professional groups, businesses, industries, and other student organizations;
E. To recognize individual achievement in scholarship, occupational skills, or services rendered by providing awards;
F. To promote involvement in current healthcare issues, environmental concerns, and survival needs of the community, the nation, and the world;
G. To promote the establishment of local student chapters and encourage local chapters to affiliate with Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA: Future Health Professionals) on the State and International levels.
ARTICLE III.
Organization
A. NJ HOSA is a student organization of affiliated local chapters under the auspices of the State Department of Education, Division of Vocational Education, each operation in accordance with a charter granted by the State and International Organizations.
B. The administration of NJ HOSA shall be vested in the State Executive Council, comprised of the State Officers and State Advisor.
C. Charters shall be issued to local chapters upon fulfilling the requirements stated in the Bylaws/Constitution.
D. A State Advisory Council may be appointed by the State Advisor and State Executive Council to provide counsel, advice, and assistance to the State Organization in carrying out its functions. The State Advisory Council may be comprised of chapter advisors, student members, alumni, and professionals as deemed beneficial and qualified by the State Advisor.
ARTICLE IV.
Members
A. Membership in NJ HOSA shall be comprised of the members of the locally chartered chapters.
B. Each local chapter shall be open for membership to all students who have paid affiliation fees, as set by NJ HOSA Executive Council and the State Advisor.
C. The membership year shall be from July 1 to June 30.
D. The membership composition of NJ HOSA is to be in accordance with the guidelines of the International HOSA Bylaws and Handbook, and is comprised of the following Divisions:
1. SECONDARY- The secondary division shall be composed of secondary students who are enrolled in a health science program, course work, or health science club who demonstrate an interest in health science careers.
2. POSTSECONDARY/COLLEGIATE- Postsecondary members shall be students enrolled in a postsecondary Health Occupations Education Program at less than the baccalaureate level. For the purposes of competitive events, the official definition of postsecondary HOSA members is as follows:
A postsecondary student is one who is
a) enrolled in a state-approved postsecondary program or college level program;
b) has received a high school diploma (or its equivalent) and/or has been out of the continuous, sequential educational system prior to the current Health Occupations Education enrollment for two or more years prior to the current year’s HOSA International Leadership Conference. Even though adult students may be enrolled in a secondary program, they may not compete in secondary competition at the HOSA International Leadership Conference. When students satisfy one or more of the criteria of being postsecondary/collegiate students, they are to be classified as members of the postsecondary/collegiate division of HOSA. They shall pay affiliation fees as established by the local, state, and international organization and shall be eligible to hold international office, participate in international activities, and, if chosen, serve as voting delegates, and represent their chapter and state in international affairs. Collegiate members are students enrolled in a health career program in pursuit of a baccalaureate degree. Active collegiate members shall be members of chapters in good standing as established by the local, state, and international organization. Collegiate members shall be eligible to hold international office, participate in international activities, and, if chosen, serve as voting delegates and represent their chapter and state in international affairs.
3. PROFESSIONAL- These shall be health professionals, alumni, or other adult members of the community who wish to assist and support the HOSA program of activities in a professional capacity. They shall pay affiliation fees, but may not vote, make motions, hold office, or compete in events.
4. ALUMNI- These shall be former active members who have legitimately separated from a Health Occupations Education program, in good standing with their chapter, and who have paid their local, state, and national fees. They have the rights and privileges of active members except the rights to vote, to hold elective office, or other competitive events.
5. ASSOCIATE- These shall be students who are not enrolled in a health occupations education program but who are interested in a career in the health professions. These may include any students who wish to affiliate with HOSA and are recommended for associate membership status by the local chapter and state association. Associate Division members shall pay affiliation fees but may not serve as a voting delegate, hold international office, or compete in international events except as specifically provided in the International Competitive Events Program for Associate Division members.
6. HONORARY- These shall be persons who have made significant contributions to the development of Health Occupations Education and/or have rendered outstanding service to HOSA. Their membership is approved by the State Executive Council.
7. MIDDLE SCHOOL- The middle school division shall be composed of students in grades 6 – 8 who are enrolled in health science education or a health club and who intend to pursue health science career education on a secondary level.
ARTICLE V.
Voting and Elections
A. Those membership Divisions with voting privileges exercise them at the annual state and international conferences through duly elected credentialed Voting Delegates of the chartered local chapters. Voting Delegates at the State Conference Officer Elections shall consist of two delegates for the first ten members of the chartered local chapters plus an additional voting delegate for each fifteen members or fraction thereof 8 or more. A chapter with less than 10 members shall be entitled to one voting delegate. Each delegate shall have one vote and must be present to vote. Each chapter shall have no more than 6 voting delegates.
It shall be the duties and functions of the voting delegates to:
1. Enact and amend the Bylaws/Constitution, rules, and regulations necessary for carrying out the affairs and activities of the Organization.
2. Elect state officers of the organization.
3. Act upon items of business as requested by the State Executive Council, such as the selection of the NJ HOSA t-shirt design for the International Leadership Conference.
4. Have a working knowledge of parliamentary procedure and recognize his/her individual responsibilities as an elected representative of his/her chapter.
5. Attend and be punctual at all delegate meetings as required by the position.
6. Assume the above responsibilities if serving as an alternate voting delegate.
B. The names of the NJ HOSA Voting Delegates and Alternates must appear on the official membership roster and must be certified by the Local Advisor and presented to the State Advisor no less than two weeks prior to a State Meeting.
C. The official NJ HOSA Voting Delegates to the International HOSA Conference shall be selected by the State Executive Council and/or State Advisor. They shall include the State President, other elected State Officers, and two additional State
Officers as alternate voting delegates based upon the following criteria:
1. Performance summary submitted by the Chapter Advisor, State Advisor, and the NJ HOSA State President.
2. Attendance at all meetings.
3. Voting Delegate selection shall be done by the Executive Council and State Advisor.
D. State Officers shall be designated as Voting Delegates at the State Conference.
E. Voting on State Officers shall be done by closed ballot by the majority of voting delegates present at the annual NJ HOSA State Conference. Postsecondary/Collegiate Vice President elections will be conducted at the Fall Leadership Conference.
F. Postsecondary/Collegiate Voting Delegates shall consist of one if membership is between 26 and 100 members and two if membership is between 101 and 1000 members. For each additional 2000 members, there shall be one more delegate added. One alternate should be selected for each delegate.
G. If there are more than two candidates for either a Secondary or Postsecondary/Collegiate state office position and the top two candidates receive within 10% of each other’s votes, two-round system voting will be used to determine a majority victor.
ARTICLE VI.
State Officers
A. Officers for the Secondary Division of NJ HOSA shall be elected by a majority vote of the Voting Delegates at the State Conference. Postsecondary/Collegiate Vice Presidents will be elected by a majority vote of the Voting Delegates at the Fall Leadership Conference. Officers shall consist of a President, President-Elect, Secretary/Treasurer, Region 1 Vice President (Secondary), Region 2 Vice President (Secondary), Historian/Reporter, Parliamentarian, Member-at-Large, one or more Postsecondary/Collegiate Vice Presidents, and other officers as deemed necessary and appointed by the State Executive Council and/or State Advisor. The duties of each officer are as follows:
1. President: It shall be the duty of the President to preside over all meetings of the State Organization of NJ HOSA and all meetings of the Executive Council. The President may appoint committees and serve as an ex-officio member of these committees. It shall be the duty of the President to prepare and submit an agenda to the State Advisor before each Council Meeting.
2. President-Elect: The President-Elect shall assume the duties of the President in his/her absence. The President-Elect shall succeed the President at the end of each term of office.
3. Secondary Regional Vice-Presidents: It shall be the responsibility of the Regional Vice-Presidents to represent all members from their respective region at state meetings, to carry out an active regional development program which includes the Fall Leadership Conference, the Regional Leadership Conferences, and membership recruitment. The Regional Vice-Presidents serve as liaisons between the members of their respective Regions and the State Organization.
4. Secretary/Treasurer: It shall be the responsibility and duties of the Secretary/Treasurer to keep records of NJ HOSA, to keep accurate minutes of Executive Council meetings, and carry on all official correspondence, and he/she may be provided records of financial reports by the State Advisor and be ready at all times to give a report of this organization’s financial conditions.
5. Member-at-Large: It shall be the responsibility of the Member-at-Large to act as a voice for all NJ members on the Executive Council. It shall also be his/her duty to act on special committees as directed by the Executive Council and fill a vacant office on the Executive Council if requested to do so by the State Advisor.
6. Historian/Reporter: It shall be the duty of the Historian/Reporter to gather news and report it to the State Organization for possible use in publications. The Historian/Reporter shall be responsible for providing continuity between present and future members of this organization by keeping complete records of events of importance in NJ HOSA.
7. Parliamentarian: It shall be the duty of the Parliamentarian to be well-versed in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised and to be able to settle all questions of parliamentary procedure arise.
8. State Advisor: It shall be the duty of the State Advisor to advise the Executive Council, delegates, and committees on matters of policy and assist the State Officers in conducting meetings and carrying out programs. The State Advisor is an ex-officio member of all Committees.
9. Postsecondary/Collegiate Vice President: It shall be the responsibility of the Postsecondary/Collegiate Vice President to represent all members from the Postsecondary/Collegiate Division at State meetings and to carry out an active development program, which includes aid to the production of their respective Regional and State Conferences and membership recruitment. The Postsecondary/Collegiate Vice President serves as a liaison between the Postsecondary/Collegiate members and the State Organization.
B. Individuals selected as State Officers at an annual NJ HOSA meeting will hold office until the close of the equivalent meeting the following year.
C. Candidates for State Office must have:
1. Active membership status.
2. Endorsement by their local chapter president, local advisor, school principal, and, if a minor, parental permission.
3. At least one full school year remaining if a Secondary student.
4. An interview by the Screening Committee. Interviews will take place at a specified location prior to the State Leadership Conference. Postsecondary/Collegiate interviews will be held prior to the Fall Leadership Conference.
5. Candidates for a regional vice-presidency must live in the respective geographic region they intend to represent.
6. Working knowledge of parliamentary procedure.
7. No more than five officer candidates per district.
8. The President-Elect candidate must be in his or her first two years of enrollment at a secondary or postsecondary/collegiate institution in the state of New Jersey at the time of election since this position is a two-year term.
D. Responsibilities of State Officers shall be to:
1. Attend the mandatory State Officer training meeting in May as conducted by the New Jersey Department of Vocational Education.
2. Attend the annual Fall Leadership Conference and their respective Regional Leadership Conference.
3. Attend the NJ HOSA annual State Leadership Conference.
4. Attend NJ HOSA Executive Council Meetings. State Officers who have missed two consecutive[1] State Executive Council Meetings without an excused absence will be requested to resign.
5. Participate in other meetings or duties which arise during the year.
6. Any State Officer who does not carry out his/her assigned duties and responsibilities can be requested to resign by the State Executive Council or State Advisor.
E. Officers shall serve a term of one year, with the exception of the President-Elect, who will serve two.
F. It shall be the duty and function of the State Officers on the Executive Council to:
1. Conduct business pertaining to the NJ HOSA members they serve.
2. Advise local chapters concerning the decisions of the Voting Delegates.
3. Preside over State Meetings and Conferences.
4. Call special meetings and conferences, subject to the approval of ? of its members.
5. Review proposed amendments to the Bylaws/Constitution and make recommendations to the Voting Delegates.
G. Triple Offices—Individuals may be permitted to hold a Local, State, and National office in HOSA, if in compliance with National HOSA guidelines.
H. Vacancies in State Offices—
1. Vacancy in the office of NJ HOSA State President shall be filled by the NJ HOSA President-Elect. In the event of the President-Elect’s inability to complete the second year of his term, the State Executive Council will hold a special internal election to elect a member of the council to the President position for the following year.
2. A vacancy in a State Office, other than NJ HOSA President, shall be filled by appointment by the State Advisor, with approval by the Executive Council. This member may come from either region, regardless of the region of the vacating officer, except in the case of the two Regional Vice President offices.
3. All vacancies are to be filled at the following Executive Council meeting.
4. All notices of resignation must be filed with the State Advisor.
ARTICLE VII.
Meetings
A. A State HOSA Conference for annual meetings may be held each year with the time and place to be designated by the NJ HOSA Executive Council and State Advisor.
B. A Fall Leadership Conference may also be held for additional instruction and training of chapter officers.
C. Monthly meetings may be held by the State Executive Council for the carrying on of normal business as it arises in the regular operation of NJ HOSA. The annual Reorganization Meeting shall be held following the NJ HOSA State Leadership Conference.
D. Special meetings of the Executive Council may be called at any time by the President.
E. Notice of meetings shall be given by notifying each member of the Executive Council not less than 30 days prior to any regular meeting, and not less than 10 days prior to any special meeting.
ARTICLE VIII.
Advisor
A. The NJ HOSA Advisor shall be responsible for the Association under the auspices of the NJ State Department of Education, Office of School-To-Career and College Initiatives.
B. Advisory groups to assist NJ HOSA’s growth and development (such as the State Advisory Council referred to in Article III, Section D) may be appointed as deemed necessary by the Executive Council and/or State Advisor.
ARTICLE IX.
Committees
A. There shall be two types of committees—Standing and Special, which may be established as deemed necessary by the Executive Council and/or State Advisor. It shall be the responsibility of the NJ HOSA President and State Advisor to appoint members to these committees with the approval of the Executive Council. These appointments are not to exceed the President’s term of office.
B. The President and State Advisor shall serve as ex-officio members of all Committees.
ARTICLE X.
Procedure for Determining the Standing of Local Chapters and Members
A. A local chapter shall be considered to be in good standing with the state organization when the following general conditions are met:
1. All current State and National affiliation fees have been paid by the specified date determined by the State and National Organization to the State Organization.
2. A Program of Work from each local chapter has been submitted to the State and National Organizations.
3. The Local Chapter Bylaws are not in conflict with the State and National Bylaws, and any changes to the Local Chapter Bylaws are reported to NJ HOSA Headquarters.
4. Activities of local chapters are in harmony with the purposes of the State Organization.
5. A list of newly elected chapter officers is submitted to NJ HOSA Headquarters at the beginning of the school year.
6. An annual chapter report on forms furnished by the State Organization giving such data as status, activities, and progress as deemed necessary by the State Advisor is submitted.
B. An active member shall be considered in good standing when the member attends local chapter meetings, pays his/her affiliation fees, and takes an active part in the affairs of the chapter.
C. Local chapters that fail to pay current State and National affiliation fees or conference registration fees by the end of the fiscal year (i.e. June 30), except in cases of financial hardship, may be subject to loss of good standing. Local chapters shall be restored to good standing once said outstanding fees are paid.
D. Loss of good standing shall entail:
1. Suspension of chapter membership, if affiliation fees are not paid by the specified date, including voting rights at conferences
2. Suspension of conference participation for the following year, if conference registration fees are not paid by the specified date
3. Ineligibility of local chapter members to seek state office, unless state and national membership dues have been paid by the member seeking office or financial hardship has been explicitly expressed to the state office
ARTICLE XI.
Finances
A. Local chapters will be responsible for State and National affiliation fees according to their respective number of individual members. Annual chapter membership affiliation fees shall be fixed by a majority vote of the State Executive Council following the recommendations of the State Advisor.
B. All HOSA finances should reflect sound accounting procedures and follow the State of New Jersey and Career and Technical Student Organization treasury accounting procedures.
C. The budget shall be prepared by designated members of the Executive Council and/or the State Advisor. The proposed budget shall be submitted to the Executive Council for approval.
D. The fiscal year shall be July 1 through June 30.
E. Dissolution/liquidation should conform with regulations as stated in the charter issued to the State Organization by the National Organization.
F. Books and records of the Organization may be inspected by any member or his/her agent or attorney at any reasonable time.
G. An audit will be conducted by the State Department of Education. A copy of this report will be presented to the NJ HOSA Executive Council.
ARTICLE XII.
Emblem and Colors
A. The emblem of HOSA is the word “HOSA” horizontally written in the color
navy with a maroon-colored incomplete circle partially surrounding the letters “H,” “O,” “S,” and a tan-colored triangle contained within the letter “O” followed by the words “Future Health Professionals” written in the color maroon.
B. The colors of HOSA are navy blue, maroon and white.
C. The HOSA tagline is “HOSA-Future Health Professionals.
ARTICLE XIII.
Location
The principal office of NJ HOSA shall be located in a facility approved by the State Department of Education, Division of Vocational Education.
ARTICLE XVI.
Procedure for Issuing Charters to Local Chapters
A. The State Organization may issue a charter to a Local Chapter when:
1. An application has been filed in the office of the State Organization and approved by the State Advisor. The application shall be signed by the Chapter President, Chapter Advisor, and School Principal.
2. A list of names of members and officers has been filed in the office of the State Organization.
3. A copy of the proposed Local Chapter Bylaws has been filed in the office of the State Organization.
4. A copy of the Program of Work has been filed in NJ HOSA Headquarters.
5. Current State and National affiliation fees have been paid.
ARTICLE XV
Parliamentary Authority
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the proceedings of NJ HOSA in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws or any special rules of order that NJ HOSA may adopt.
ARTICLE XVI.
Amendments
The Bylaws may be amended as follows:
A. A proposed amendment must be presented in writing to the State Advisor 60 days prior to a State meeting.
B. Amendments must be submitted by the State Advisor to each Local Chapter as soon as possible, but not less than 45 days before the annual NJ HOSA State meeting. It must then be presented for vote at an official business meeting of the Voting Delegates at the NJ HOSA State Leadership Conference.
C. Amendments to the NJ HOSA Bylaws/Constitution shall be adopted upon a two-thirds affirmative vote of the Voting Delegates.
D. No amendment shall contradict the Bylaws/Constitution of the National Organization.