Bylaws

The Executive Committee is empowered by the Constitution (Article VIII-7) to establish Bylaws as necessary to achieve the objectives of the League, subject to their not being in conflict with the Constitution and to their ratification by the General Assembly.

The Secretary-General shall keep a book containing the current Bylaws, in which all modifications are entered as they are made.

I. Duties of Officers

1. The President shall preside at meetings of the Executive Committee and the General Assembly, and shall appoint special committees and
   commissions.
2. The President, Secretary-General and Treasurer shall act as Management Committee in between meetings of the Executive Committee. Their actions shall be subject to ratification by the Executive Committee.
3. The Vice-Presidents shall assist the President, and the First Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President in his absence. In case of the inability of the First Vice-President to serve, his place shall be taken by the Second Vice-President.
4. The Secretary-General shall conduct the affairs of the League under the direction of the Executive Committee.
5. The Treasurer shall administer the accounts of the League.

II. The General Assembly

Unless otherwise indicated, matters brought before the General Assembly shall be decided by majority of vote of those attending an official meeting. The number of votes accorded to each Delegate shall depend on the number of professional members in good standing in his chapter; the number of votes shall be determined by a gliding scale where a second vote is obtained when the membership has passed the number of 50, and where the increase of membership giving an additional vote doubles for every step. There shall be a maximum of six votes for any chapter:

• up to 50 members: 1 vote
• 51 - 150 members: 2 votes
• 151 - 350 members: 3 votes
• 351 - 750 members: 4 votes
• 751 - 1500 members: 5 votes
• above 1500 members: 6 votes

III. Epilepsia

1. The Editorial Advisory Board shall advise the editors on matters of general policies and arbitrate on matters referred to it by the Editor-in-Chief, but shall leave the day-to-day conduct of the journal entirely to the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board consisting of the editors, working with the publisher.
2. The Executive Committee shall approve or terminate any contract with the publisher. It shall determine the budget of Epilepsia.
3. The Editor-in-Chief will take all steps necessary to fulfill the aims of the League through its journal, Epilepsia. He shall conduct the day-to-day business of the journal in conjunction with the Editorial Board and the publisher, and shall have final responsibility for the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts. He may call a meeting of the Editorial Board in special situations. He shall recommend a budget for Epilepsia on request of the Executive Committee and shall render an account of expenses incurred.

IV. Special Commissions

1. Each Commission shall have a Chair appointed by the President. The Chair allocates the functions of the Commission, a Secretary and a Treasurer, and shall receive and acknowledge written instructions.
2. The term of office of each Commission shall expire at the end of the General Assembly, but it may be renewed in the same or a revised composition by the new President of the League.
3. The Chair of each Commission shall make interim reports and recommendations to the Executive Committee as deemed necessary and, at the end of the fiscal period, the General Assembly.

V. Meetings

1. The International Congress of the League shall be held ordinarily every 2 years, in conjunction with the Bureau.
2. The League may sponsor or support, wholly or in part, other meetings relevant to its objectives. Such a meeting shall not be designated as International Congress of the League.

VI. Dues Payments

The Constitution of the ILAE stipulates that the secretary of each chapter send to the Secretariat of the League, in January of each year, a list of the members of the chapter as of December 31 of the previous year. Each chapter will then receive an invoice for dues from the Treasurer of the League, based on chapter memberships, payable by April first of that year. The current rate of payment is 3% of the national membership fee per number of chapter members in good standing. As per Constitution (Article VI, sub 8), this shall be interpreted with regard to nonpayment of dues as follows: “If a chapter fails to pay for the first time, the treasurer shall request an explanation and present the case at the next meeting of the Executive Committee. When a chapter fails to pay its annual dues twice (consecutively) without the written consent of the Executive Committee, the chapter will be proposed to the General Assembly for disaffiliation.”

VII. Cooperation with the International Bureau for Epilepsy

1. Each League chapter shall cooperate with the national chapter of the Bureau to ensure maximum efficiency in promoting quality of life for people with epilepsy.
2. Each League chapter shall promote the establish- ment and/or assist in establishing a chapter of the Bureau, if such a chapter does not exist.
3. At least annually, and more frequently if possible, the Executive Committee shall meet jointly with the Executive Committee of the IBE, to consider mat ters of mutual interest and/or responsibility to both EC’s. Such a meeting shall be known in full as a Joint Meeting of the Executive Committees of the IBE and ILAE, and in brief as a JEC.
4. A JEC shall have no financial or constitutional power or existence independent of the Executive Committees of the IBE and ILAE. It is a meeting of two separate and independent Constitutionally defined bodies, not an entity in itself.
5. Matters to be considered by a JEC shall include international Epilepsy Congresses, the Global Campaign, the Epilepsy Website, the International Resource Center, and such other matters as the IBE and ILAE Executive Committees shall consider appropriate to be delegated to consideration and decision by a JEC.
6. A decision made by a JEC shall only be consid ered binding upon the Executive Committee of the ILAE if it is not in conflict with the Constitution of the ILAE, and if a majority of members of the ILAE EC have voted for it.
7. Chairing of each JEC shall be shared equally between the IBE and ILAE Presidents, or their nominees, in a manner acceptable to both. The Chair of a JEC shall not have a casting (i.e., tie- breaking) vote.
8. A quorum for a JEC shall be the presence of a majority of the members of each of the IBE and ILAE Executive Committees.
9. A JEC may be called at any time mutually accept- able to the Presidents of both the IBE and ILAE.
10. To be considered by a JEC, a motion must be moved by a member of one Executive Committee, and seconded by a member of the other.
11. Members of the Management Committee of each of the IBE and ILAE, although ex officio members of both Executive Committees, shall each have only one vote in a JEC meeting.
12. Responsibility for administration, minuting etc. of JECs shall be shared equally between the Secretaries-General of the IBE and ILAE, in a manner acceptable to both.
13. Responsibility for overseeing all financial matters considered by JECs shall be shared equally between the Treasurers of the IBE and ILAE, in a manner acceptable to both.
14. A Joint Management Committee, consisting of the Management Committees of each of the IBE and ILAE, is authorized to take actions in the name of a JEC between JEC meetings. Such actions must:

1. Be approved by a majority (i.e., two members) of each of the Management Committees of the IBE and ILAE.
2. Be in accord with policies of both the IBE and ILAE.
3. Involve neither Executive Committee in expenditure exceeding a sum to be set by each Executive Committee.
4. Be notified to each Executive Committee as soon as possible.
5. Be ratified by each Executive Committee at its next meeting.