CLA WSO Bylaws

Greetings All,

Thank you for considering joining in this year’s CLA WSO Bylaws update process – a most important aspect of CLA WSO’s governance responsibilities. As we begin the next phase of updating our bylaws, your input and participation will help ensure that our governing documents are clear, current, and aligned with the way CLA WSO operates today. I hope you will decide to participate.

If you do plan to attend our first meeting, please review the latest version of the bylaws (5/31/2025) and the accompanying amendments. You may find it helpful to cross-reference the amendments with the motions list to confirm when each was officially adopted at a general meeting. Please also review the PowerPoint presentation “What’s in a Name?” on the CLA WSO page so that we begin our discussions with a common understanding of some of the issues before us.

We encourage participants to bring specific issues, proposed language, and constructive solutions so that our discussions can be productive and focused on improving the documents for the benefit of the fellowship as a whole. To help us use our meeting time effectively, please send me, at least 48 hours before the meeting, a list of:

• Sections you believe require revision
• Sections you would be willing to help draft or review
• Any new sections you believe should be researched or developed (for example, provisions addressing online meetings and voting)

I will use this information to prioritize topics and develop the agenda. To ensure that all topics receive adequate consideration, priority discussion time will be given to those submitted in advance.

As many of you know, questions have been raised regarding whether certain current practices align with our bylaws. Some of those concerns stem from procedural changes that evolved during and after the COVID period and were never fully reflected in the governing documents.

This committee’s purpose is to focus on solutions: our goal is to identify these areas where the bylaws no longer accurately reflect our operating practices or that need clarification, revision, or expansion and to develop thoughtful recommendations for consideration through the appropriate approval process. To that end, all viewpoints are welcome, particularly from those who have identified concerns. While historical context may occasionally be relevant, the purpose of this effort is not to revisit past decisions or assign responsibility for how we arrived at the current situation.

We plan to meet biweekly and have several sections ready for submission to CLA WSO for consideration by the fall. More complex revisions and any new provisions will likely require additional research and are expected to be completed by year-end. Please note that proposed bylaw changes must be submitted to CLA WSO delegates at least one month before the vote.

This document will be posted on the website, and the meeting date, time, and Zoom link will be included on the events calendar. You may let others know they can find the meeting information on the events calendar.

If you have questions or suggestions, please let me know.

Thank you for considering serving CLA WSO in this way.

In service to CLA,

Marge

Acting Chair

CLA WSO Bylaws Committee

Bill Wilson, Twelve and Twelve, P. 124