A set of NCSSAR Bylaw Amendments have been approved by the Bylaws Committee, reviewed by the January 25, 2025, Board of Managers Meeting, and will be voted on at the NCSSAR Annual Meeting on April 4-5, 2025.

These Amendments, relative to the published 2021 Bylaws, are detailed here.  In summary, the changes add Chancellor and Surgeon State Officers, define an Annual Meeting Quorum as 50% of Chapters, unambiguously permit email for communication, and restructure the Conduct and Discipline Articles that were voted on at the 2024 Annual Meeting and establish supporting NCSSAR Policies .

The National Society has adopted suggested model rules for state standards of conduct and disciplinary procedures.  These standards and procedures can be either Bylaws or Policies.

It is proposed that the subjects of Article XV and Article XVI be swapped, so that Article XV would define the conduct criteria, and Article XVI would address discipline. Article XV would then reference a North Carolina SAR Code of Conduct Policy (essentially identical to the Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy currently required by Article XVI), which unambiguously applies to all members, and is open-ended in allowing additional relevant National policies without Bylaw amendment. This Policy was approved at the Winter Board of Managers Meeting, in preparation for Article XV approval at the Annual Meeting.

Article XVI would then implement an NCSSAR version of the National Society model, and define a North Carolina SAR Discipline, Procedure, and Due Process Policy, which documents the required procedures for a State Ethics Committee, customized for NCSSAR. The criteria and procedures are consistent with National Society recommendations. The goal is to have Policies, modifiable by the Board of Managers (which, in this model, is the ultimate authority in any discipline), with a structure and Board of Managers responsibilities defined by the NCSSAR Bylaws, reducing the need for future Bylaw amendments with changes in National Society recommendations, and reducing the procedural minutia in the Bylaw itself. This Policy was approved at the Winter Board of Managers Meeting, in preparation for Article XVI approval at the Annual Meeting.

Upon approval of the revised Bylaw XV and XVI, Chapter Discipline Bylaws could be simplified.