The HHAHS Board, at the February, 2026 meeting, unanimously approved preliminary changes to the by-laws of our organization. These changes have been in the works for nearly a year and cross two different board groups. The new by-laws, if approved by the membership, as well as our current by-laws, can be viewed on our website at hhahs.org. Copies may also be obtained through the HHAHS office. The principal changes involve: 

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• Decoupling the Annual Dinner from the Annual Member Business Meeting, date for 2026 to be announced soon.

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• A reduction in the number of Board Members and their election process.

  • The proposed changes call for nine Board positions from the current 14.

  • Over the past several years it has been difficult to fill all the board positions with qualified, interested and willing candidates. Sometimes a quorum to do the business of the organization was not met and time sensitive business had to be postponed. It is hoped that this will streamline the governing body of the society and increase productivity. If approved, open board positions will be nominated by any society member and interviewed by a nominating committee (they must agree to the requirements of board membership such as being an active member, willingness to commit to meeting times, and know and agree to the legal and societal board expectations). Candidates will be voted on by current Board Members. Officers shall be elected by the board from its roster. This replaces the cumbersome requirement to hold member-wide elections any time a board position becomes open. Historically, only a very small percentage of the membership has participated in the voting of board positions.

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• A clearer delineation of duties of Board Officers and Standing Committees and their chairs. This has been a long time and shifting process. Times change and so do the Society’s needs to do business. Often duties morph to overlap and sometimes important needs have been neglected because they were not specifically assigned to a committee. It is hoped that this may help. These duties may need to be reviewed and altered as the Society shifts to meet its mission in the future. When that happens, it may be necessary to review these and create a new and a more germane list, which would then be voted on by the membership.

 

As a member, you are being asked to vote on approving the new proposed by-laws or remaining, for the time being, with the current ones. To have your vote count, please separate the ballot below and return it to the HHAHS office by April 23rd, 2026, either by mail or in person. Signing the ballot assures that only active (dues paid) members vote. Thank you for participating in this important function of the society. 

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To access a copy of the By-laws Ballot, click the link here.

If you need a Membership Renewal Form to renew your membership, click the link here. 
 

You can view the current by-laws by clicking the link here, and you can see the proprosed by-laws at the link here.

 

If you have any questions, feel free to contact our office, Tues.-Fri., 9am-12pm at 517-563-8927, or by email at office@hhahs.org