APPNA - NJ Chapter

Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America - New Jersey Chapter

CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF APPNA

PREAMBLE

Proposed Constitution and Bylaws Amendments accepted by the APPNA Council.

We the physicians of Pakistani descent, out of our conviction for our profession and motherland, do hereby proclaim the establishment of the Association of Physicians of Pakistani descent, so that collectively we all can: uphold ethical and moral values, engage in social and professional activities, support educational and intellectual pursuits, upgrade medical care and thus glorify our Association.

To this effect, we hereby set forth and enact the following laws governing the Association, which shall be binding on each and all of us in totality, until and unless properly amended by the provisions herein. So help us God. Amen.

Enacted on the 12th day of June in the year one millennium, nine hundred, and eighty-two.

Amended on the 19th day of November in the year two millennium and four.

Omar T. Atiq, President
Hussain G. Malik, President-elect
Mohammad Suleman, Chair CABL Committee

THE CONSTITUTION

1.0 NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Association of Physicians of Pakistani-descent of North America (APPNA). Hereafter, it will be referred to as "The Association."

2.0 AFFILIATIONS

The Association shall be an independent, not for profit, professional and educational organization incorporated in the United States of America, and shall have no substantial political affiliations or activities.

3.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This Association is organized for educational and scientific purposes, including for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations, which qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Service Law). The other aims shall be:

3.1 To foster scientific development and education in the field of medicine and delivery of better health care, without regard to race, color, creed, gender or age.

3.2 To assist newly arriving Pakistani physicians in orientation and adjustment.

3.3 To institute ways and means to cooperate with other medical organizations in North America.

3.4 To encourage medical education and delivery of better health care in Pakistan specifically by arranging donations of medical literature, medical supplies, and by arranging lecture tours, medical conferences, and seminars in Pakistan.

3.5 To participate in medical relief and other charitable activities both in Pakistan and in North America.

3.6 To inform and educate decision makers and opinion making leaders in problems confronted by the medical community in general and Pakistani-American physicians in particular.

4.0 MEMBERSHIP

The membership of the Association shall be of the following categories: Active, Associate, Honorary, Emeritus, Affiliate, Physician-in-Training and Student. Unless otherwise specified in the Bylaws, Active members shall be entitled to all the privileges of the Association including the right to vote and hold office.

5.0 INTERNAL STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION

5.1 General Body:

5.2 Board of Trustees:

5.3 Council:

5.4 Executive Committee:

5.5 Component Societies:

5.6 Auxiliary Organizations: Working under APPNA charter.

5.7 Affiliate Organizations: These organizations will have their own charter and independent legal status, however, will have APPNA representation in their governing body or executive body.

5.8 Allied Organizations: These will be the other established organizations who work in partnership or in alliance with APPNA.

6.0 OFFICERS AND ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES

6.1 The officers of this Association shall be the President, the President-elect, the Immediate-past President, the Secretary, and the Treasurer.

6.2 The President-elect, the Secretary, and the Treasurer shall be elected by the general body, except as otherwise provided by the Bylaws with respect to the filling of vacancies.

6.3 Councilors shall be the elected officers of those Component Societies that have received recognition from the Association. Only one councilor shall represent any one Component society.

6.4 Each officer of the Association and councilor shall maintain physical residence in North America during his/her tenure.

7.0 FINANCES

7.1 Funds for meeting and expenses of the Association activities shall be financed by annual dues, special assessments, and voluntary contributions.

7.2 Annual membership dues and assessments shall be fixed by the Council and approved by the general body.

7.3 The financial status of the Association shall be presented by the Treasurer to the general membership at its annual meeting.

7.4 No part of the net earnings of the Association shall inure to the benefit or be distributed to its members, trustees, officers, or private persons, except that the corporation shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered. No substantial part of the activities of the Association shall be the carrying on of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Association shall not campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. However, APPNA can lobby for the issues pertaining to the membership. Notwithstanding any other provision of these activities, the Association shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an association exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Code or (b) by an association whose contributions are deductible under Section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Code.

8.0 BYLAWS

8.1 The Association shall adopt Bylaws for the conduct of its affairs in harmony with this Constitution.

8.2 The Bylaws may not restrict or alter any proviso defined in this Constitution.

8.3 Robert's Rules of Order shall be adopted for the conduct of the meetings.

9.0 AMENDMENTS

9.1 Amendments to this Constitution can be initiated by

9.2 The amendments thus initiated shall be referred to the Constitution and Bylaws Committee, which shall report to the council within 120 days and/or 30 days before the next meeting, with their recommendations.

9.3 The Council will accept, reject or amend these proposals at the first meeting after receiving them. At least two-thirds of the councilors must accept an amendment for it to be sent to the General Body.

9.4 These amendments will be circulated to the general body members at least 30 days in advance of the annual general body meeting.

9.5 The amendments rejected by the Council shall be returned to the proposer who may resubmit it with one hundred (100) additional signatures of active members of the Association in good standing in which case these amendments shall be circulated to the general membership 30 days prior to the annual meeting and will be presented to the general body for a vote.

9.6 An amendment shall be approved only when it receives more than 50% of votes of total active membership.

9.7 If an amendment fails to be acted upon in general body meeting for lack of quorum, a mail ballot shall be sent using all means within four weeks to the general membership. The membership should respond prior to the set deadline. The amendment shall become effective immediately upon adoption.

10.0 DISSOLUTION

10.1 No proposal for dissolution of the Association shall be considered unless recommended by the majority of the trustees and discussed at the next meeting of the Council and after four (4) weeks' notice in writing has been given to each member in good standing. The Association shall not be dissolved if 5% or more of the members in good standing or majority of the Trustees dissent.

10.2 Upon dissolution of the Association, the Board of Trustees shall, after paying or making provision for payment of all of the liabilities of the Association, dispose of all of the assets of the Association exclusively for the purposes of the Association in such manner, or to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Code), as the Board of Trustees shall determine. Any such assets not disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principal office of the Association is then located, exclusively for such purposes or such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.

BYLAWS

11.0 ADDRESS

The Council shall fix the address of the Association.

12.0 COMPOSITION

12.1 Component Societies:

12.2 Auxiliary Organizations:

12.3 Affiliate Organizations:

12.4 Allied Organizations: These will be independent organizations with their own charter and legal status, and will work with APPNA according to mutually agreed upon arrangements.

13.0 MEMBERSHIP

13.1 As used in these Bylaws, except as otherwise herein expressly qualified, the term "physician" means person graduated from a recognized medical, dental, or osteopathic school.

13.2 There shall be no discrimination on the basis of religion, gender, race, or ethnic origin.

13.3 Membership will be confirmed by the President-elect of the Association at the recommendation of the Chair of Membership Services Committee.

13.4 Membership year shall be from January 1 to December 31.

13.5 Membership in the Association will be suspended for a criminal conviction by a court of law or a disciplinary action by a board of Medical Examiner resulting in revocation of medical licensure.

13.6 Active Members:

13.7 Physicians-in-Training Members:

13.8 Emeritus Members: Retired physicians may apply for emeritus membership. Shall be dues exempt, shall have no vote, and shall hold no office. They may, however, be appointed as members of committees or task forces, etc.

13.9 Honorary Members: The Association may elect as an honorary member any person distinguished for services or attainments in medicine or the allied sciences, or who has rendered other services of unusual value to the Association or humanity. Shall be dues exempt, shall have no vote, and shall hold no office. They may, however, be appointed as members of committees or task forces, etc.

13.10 Associate Members: The Association may elect to give Associate membership to persons engaged in human sciences and health care related services other than medicine.

13.11 Student Members: Any student of Pakistani descent enrolled in a medical or osteopathic college in North America may be admitted to the Association.

13.12 Affiliate Membership: Physicians who are not of Pakistani descent and reside in North America may apply for affiliate membership. They shall pay 50% of the annual dues, shall have no vote, and shall hold no office. They may, however, be appointed as members of committees or task forces.

14.0 DUES AND ASSESSMENTS

14.1 Annual Dues:

14.2 Arrears: Any member whose dues are not paid by March 31st will be considered in arrears and will not be eligible to hold office in the Association that year.

14.3 Assessments: The Council may from time to time make special assessments.

15.0 GENERAL BODY MEETINGS

15.1 Determination of Time and Place:

15.2 Actions:

15.3 Quorum:

16.0 BOARD OF TRUSTEES (BOT)

16.1 Composition: The Board shall be composed of five (5) members of the Association.

16.2 Qualifications:

16.3 Term of Office:

16.4 Election: At least one month before the Annual Session of the Association each year, the Executive Council shall submit three (3) names to the Board for consideration for election to the Board. The Board shall elect from amongst these three (3) members to fill any vacancies on the Board that year. Should the Board reject all three names submitted by the Council, the Council will submit another three new names and repeat the process until the replacement is acceptable by the Board.

16.5 Officers:

16.6 Meetings:

16.7 Powers and Duties:

17.0 COUNCIL

17.1 Composition: The Council shall be composed of officers of the Association, and elected officers of the alumni associations, regional chapters and physicians-in-training section.

17.2 Officers: The officers of the Council shall be the President, President-elect, Immediate Past President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Association.

17.3 Meetings:

17.4 Quorum: A quorum of the Council shall consist of one-third (1/3) of the council eligible to vote provided that such a quorum does include at least three (3) officers of the Association.

17.5 Powers and Duties:

17.6 Resolutions:

18.0 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

18.1 Qualifications of Officers:

18.2 President:

18.3 President-elect:

18.4 Secretary:

18.5 Treasurer:

18.6 Term of Office: Except as herein provided, officers shall take office on January 1 of each year and serve until December 31.

19.0 COMMITTEES OF THE ASSOCIATION

Standing Committees of the Association shall be appointed by the President with the advice of the Executive Council. (See Appendix A for the composition and functions of the committees).

The Committees will be:

Nominations and Election Committee
Publications Committee
Committee for Liaison with Professional Organizations
Office Management and Oversight Committee
Finance Committee
APPNA SEHAT
Long Range Planning Committee
Membership Committee
Constitution and Bylaws Committee
Committee for Social Welfare Projects
Research, Education and Scientific Affairs Committee
Disaster Relief/APPNA Medical Peace Corps.
Ethics and Grievance Committee
Hotel Selection and Negotiation Committee
Lifetime Dues Investments Advisory Committee
Social Forum
Project Evaluation Committee
Committee on Young Physicians
APPNA Youth Forum
Local Host Committee
Committee on Advocacy, Legislative and Government Affairs
Any other committee deemed necessary by the President of the Council

20.0 ELECTION

20.1 Nominations: The Nominating Committee shall seek nominations from the general membership at least three (3) months before the annual meeting. After considering the nominations so received, the Nominating Committee will submit a slate of candidates for various offices of the Association to all members at least thirty (30) days before the annual meeting along with a short resume of each candidate. There shall be at least one nominee for each position. For an office of the Association, other candidates who receive at least fifteen (15) nominations from those members who have been in good standing for two (2) consecutive years, shall be included on the ballot in addition to the nominee of the Nominating Committee. No member of the Nominating Committee will be eligible for any post on the ballot composed by the Committee.

20.2 Election: Election of officers of the Association will be held by secret mail ballot with a simple plurality required for election. No candidate shall be elected to an office of the Association for more than two consecutive terms. However, the general membership may by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of those voting, waive this restriction.

20.3 Mail Ballot: The members of the Association will cast their votes by mail. The ballot, enclosed in a separate envelope, will be mailed in an outer envelope to the Secretary of the Association. The deadline for the receipt of the ballot in the office of the Association shall be ten (10) days before the Annual Meeting. Only the outer envelope will bear the name and signature of the member; the inner envelope and the ballot will bear no identification. The Secretary, after recording the receipt of the ballot and verification of the standing of the member in the Association, will hand over the unopened ballot to the Chairman of the Nomination/Election Committee for tabulation. The ballot will be opened by the Chairman of the Nominating Committee or his nominee for tabulation on the morning of the Annual General Body meeting. The results of the election will be announced by the Chairman of the Nomination/Election Committee during the business session. In case of a tie, a run-off election will be conducted amongst the candidates receiving equal votes. No new names will be either sought nor will be added to the list of candidates indicated on the original ballot for the post under consideration. This re-election will be conducted by the same committee which conducted the original election, and new ballots will be sent only to those members who were declared as eligible voters at the time of the original election.

20.4 Council: The other Council members shall be the elected Presidents or other Officers of the Alumni Associations. The names of these officers will be mailed to the Secretary of the Association within ten (10) days of the Annual Meeting.

21.0 VACANCIES

21.1 An office of the Association shall be declared vacant by the Council whence an officer resigns, or leaves North America for a period longer than four (4) months without prearrangement with the Council, or becomes unable to carry out the duties of the office for reasons of health or otherwise.

21.2 Should the office of the President become vacant, the President-elect shall succeed to the Presidency for the un-expired term.

21.3 The vacancy of the office of President-elect will be filled in the following manner:

21.4 The vacant office of Past-President shall remain vacant until the end of that term.

21.5 Should the offices of Secretary and Treasurer become vacant, Council shall fill these posts by electing from amongst the members of the Council.

21.6 The post of other Councilors will be declared vacant as specified in 22.0 of this Chapter or on recall for any reason by the component societies they represent. In such cases, the new officers elected by the societies themselves will fill the vacancies.

22.0 REFERENDUM

22.1 Referendum at Association Meeting: At any general or special meeting of this Association, the General Body shall, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting members present, order a general referendum upon any question pertinent to the purposes and objectives of the Association, provided, however, that a quorum at such general or special meeting shall consist of not less than one-third (1/3) of voting members of the Association who are in good standing.

23.2 The General body meeting of this Association can be called for a specific purpose by a petition to the Council signed by one-fourth (1/4) of the active members in good standing.

23.0 SEAL

The seal of the Association shall be a common seal. The power to change or renew the seal shall rest jointly with the Council and the BOT.

24.0 EMERGENCY

When prompt speech or action is imperative, authority to speak or act in the name of this Association is vested in the Executive body.

25.0 DEFINITION OF SESSION AND MEETING

25.1 Session: A session shall mean all meetings at any one call.

25.2 Meeting: A meeting shall mean each separate convention at any one session.

26.0 AMENDMENTS

These Bylaws may be amended in accordance with the following procedure:
26.1 An amendment may be proposed by a majority of members of the Council or Board of Trustees by submitting such proposal to the Constitution and Bylaws Committee.

26.2 The Constitution and Bylaws Committee shall submit its recommendations to the requisitioning body at least thirty (30) days before any Council or Board meeting.

26.3 Adoption of the amendment shall require the affirmative vote of 50% of the Council and the Board members eligible to vote and present at the said meeting of the Council, irrespective whether the Council or the Board initiated the request.

26.4 The amendment(s) approved by both the Council and the Board shall be presented to the general membership thirty (30) days before the next annual meeting for their approval.

26.4.1 The procedure for this action will be as described in 9.7.

APPENDIX

Committees of the Association

A. NOMINATION AND ELECTION COMMITTEE

The Committee shall develop rules and regulations for and conduct elections for the Association in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws.
Throughout the year, the Committee will seek out and evaluate and help develop future leaders of the Association.

B. PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE

The Committee will be responsible for all publications of the Association including newsletter, directory, and other publications that the Executive Council or the officers may decide to publish.
The Committee will develop mechanisms and raise funds to support the publications of the Association so that they become at least a budget neutral project.
The Committee will endeavor to publish a newsletter and a journal that is published regularly including news about and of interest to members of the Association and review articles and/or medical research papers.

C. COMMITTEE FOR LIAISON WITH PROFESSIONAL ORGANZIATIONS

This Committee shall coordinate APPNA's relationships with all other professional organizations and report the activities of these organizations to APPNA's President and Executive Council and make recommendations regarding APPNA's involvement with these organizations.
The Committee shall develop networks of APPNA members involved in other professional organizations to coordinate their activities.
The Committee shall develop programs to help APPNA members in the various professional organizations, acquire and refine leadership skills so that they may be able to play a positive role in their respective professional organizations.

D. OFFICE MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

The Committee will be responsible for developing policies and procedures for the central office.
The Committee will oversee the day-to-day workings of the office.
The Committee will propose a budget for the office to the Finance Committee.
The Committee shall provide monthly reports to the President and quarterly reports to the Executive Council.

E. FINANCE COMMITTEE

The Committee shall develop policies and procedures regarding the financial affairs of the Association.
The Committee will be responsible for the overall budget of the Association.
The Committee shall oversee all the financial activities of the organization, including the office expenses, the various committee expenses, and the investment funds.
The Committee shall present a quarterly report of all the financial activities of the Association.

F. APPNA SEHAT

This Committee shall oversee and run the rural/community health projects of the Association in Pakistan.

G. LONG RANGE PLANNING COMMITTEE

The Committee will develop and recommend projects and plans for the long-term activities of the Association.

H. MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

The Membership Committee shall be responsible for development of programs for enrollment and retention of members.
The Committee will develop and organize a membership benefits package to make membership in the organization attractive for the Pakistani physicians.
The Committee will study the needs and the desires of the Pakistani physicians in general, and the membership in particular, and make appropriate recommendations to the Executive Council, so that Association programs can be adjusted to meet those needs and wishes.

I. CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS COMMITTEE

This Committee will be responsible for reviewing and developing recommendations for amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws to keep the organizational structure and function responsive to the current needs.
The Chairman of this committee will serve as a resource person to the organization for parliamentary procedure.
The Committee shall organize educational programs for the leadership of the Association regarding parliamentary procedure and conduct of meetings, etc.

J. COMMITTEE FOR SOCIAL WELFARE PROJECTS

This Committee will raise funds and material goods for charitable purposes using well organized ethical methods used by various national and international charity organizations.
This Committee will disburse the funds or material goods to the needy individuals, their families and appropriate institutions or other organizations according to the availability.
It will develop rules and regulations for its own governance.
The Committee shall develop rules and regulations and a screening process to review various requests for assistance. All of this is to be completed in a timely manner.

K. RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

This Committee shall be responsible for overseeing all major research, educational and scientific affairs and activities of the organization. This will include, but not be limited to:
Organization of the scientific sessions and educational programs at the time of the annual, as well as the regional fall and spring meetings.
It will serve as a resource organization to the various chapters for organizing their scientific educational programs.
It will be responsible for overseeing and developing the scientific sessions of the Association's meeting in Pakistan.
The Committee will also help develop programs of research and education in Pakistan in addition to the sessions conducted at the winter meetings.
The Committee will develop a network of Pakistani physicians involved in academic activities.
This Committee will serve as a resource to the Physicians-in-Training in providing them guidance and counseling and organize a mentors group to support them.
The Committee will also develop means and mechanisms for the organization to recognize and honor physicians of Pakistani origin, who have achieved academic excellence in this country at the time of the annual and regional meetings.

L. DISASTER RELIEF/APPNA MEDICAL PEACE CORPS COMMITTEE

The Committee will develop liaison with the health care entities in North America and Pakistan for the exchange of students and teachers to take place in various health care and related fields.
The Committee will develop mechanisms for APPNA to provide health care volunteers and expertise to other committees such as APPNA SEHAT and other related organizations. These services are to be provided on request only.
The Committee will develop mechanisms for provision of medical and related fields' students, opportunities for electives in hospitals, and health centers in Pakistan.
The Committee will provide guidance and experts in the field of health education, patient education, and medical education.
The Committee will undertake public health projects and provide support and development of programs in improvement in waste disposal, garbage collection, and sanitary systems.
In areas where there are committees of the organization already functioning, this Committee will serve as a resource to provide the appropriate personnel to those Committees.
The Committee will also develop a program for disaster management so that the members of the organization may be able to respond to natural or man-made calamities and disasters in the world.

M. ETHICS AND GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE

The Committee will receive and review and give an opinion on all grievances brought forward by any of the members of the organization.
This Committee will also review and make recommendations to the Executive Council and the Board regarding any questions of ethical conduct that may be raised about any of the members of the organization.
The Committee will develop guidelines, policies and procedures regarding the performance of above functions and insuring the rights of each member and proper due process and present these guidelines to the Executive Council for approval.

N. HOTEL SELECTION AND NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE

The Committee will review and evaluate the sites for the various future meetings of the Association, both annually and quarterly.
The Committee will provide help and guidance to the Local Host Committee in negotiating their contracts with the local hotels for the different meetings.
The Committee will review all of the previous contracts that the Association has assigned and develop guidelines for the future for the Association's negotiations and contracts with various hotels.

O. LIFETIME DUES INVESTMENTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

This Committee shall oversee the investments of the Lifetime Dues Endowment Fund.
The Committee's Chairman will be a member of the Finance Committee of the Association and will present regular reports to that committee.
The Committee will develop policies and guidelines regarding the management of the endowment/investment funds and present those for approval to the Executive Council.

P. SOCIAL FORUM

Te membership of the Social Forum shall consist of single members of APPNA and single family members.
The Committee will seek out members in this group who have organizational abilities and potential from family members of APPNA members who are 18 years and older.
Social Forum shall institute ways and means to encourage its members to play an active role in APPNA's projects in the United States as well as Pakistan.
Social Forum shall serve as a medium through which communication and understanding may be exchanged between the members.
Social Forum shall maintain cultural integrity. It is imperative that the members socialize within their cultural society, thus creating possibilities of further relationships in the future.
The Social Forum is to be used to foster greater understanding of the pertinent issues of that particular time and to encourage its members to be an integral part of the Society, and to get involved in community affairs while maintaining their own religious beliefs and ideology.

Q. PROJECT EVALUATION COMMITTEE

This Committee will develop guidelines and advise the Executive Council of APPNA's participation in all non-APPNA projects that require use of APPNA's financial or personnel resources.
These guidelines will become effective when approved by the Executive Council.
This committee will evaluate all projects proposed to APPNA that require the use of APPNA's financial or personnel resources and make its recommendations to the Executive Council.

R. COMMITTEE ON YOUNG PHYSICIANS

This Committee will develop a database and information system regarding all Pakistani Physicians-in-Training in North America.
The Committee will provide support for the physicians-in-training to help them develop a Physicians-in-Training Section within the organization.
The Committee will assess the needs of the physicians in training and develop programs in the Association to help meet those needs.
The Committee will develop a network of senior physicians working in conjunction with the Research, Education and Scientific Affairs Committee to provide guidance and to provide mentors to the physicians in training.
The Committee will seek out members in this group who have organizational abilities and potential for leadership and help them develop their skills so they can help run the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America in the future.

S. APPNA YOUTH FORUM

This Committee will be responsible for developing guidelines for youth programs sponsored by APPNA and its Component Societies.
The Committee will develop programs for youth of all ages.
The Committee will coordinate the activities of the other committees and component societies for developing programs and activities for the youth.
LOCAL HOST COMMITTEE
This Committee will assist the officers in the local arrangements for the APPNA annual and regional meetings. This assistance will include but not be limited to site selection, hotel negotiations, budget development, fund raising, etc.

T. LOCAL HOST COMMITTEE

This Committee will assist the officers in the local arrangements for the APPNA annual and regional meetings. This assistance will include but not be limited to site selection, hotel negotiations, budget development, fund raising, etc.

U. APPNA COMMITTEE ON ADVOCACY, LEGISLATIVE AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

This Committee will serve to provide APPNA and its membership guidance and management with respect to the advocacy, legislative and government affairs in the United States, which may have an impact on the organization and its membership.
This Committee will address issues of concern to the APPNA members, such as:
Preservation of Civil rights and liberties in the United States.
Immigration related issues, especially with respect to new physicians coming to the United States.
Professional/practice issues.
Developing understanding and working relationship to promote good will and understanding with other strategic organizations.
Other relevant issues.

V. ANY OTHER COMMITTEE DEEMED NECESSARY BY THE PRESIDENT OR THE COUNCIL