The Society's governance system operates within a democratic and
participatory framework that starts within the MMS House of
Delegates. Contact the Governance Meetings and Services Department
at MMS headquarters for more information.
Step 1
Resolutions and Reports
Any member of the Society -- whether or not a delegate -- can ask
the House to consider an item of business. Those items, called
resolutions, are drafted and submitted prior to each House meeting.
The House also considers reports from committees, membership
sections, or MMS leadership groups; often, reports cover previous
House business, information about current activities, or an item
the House has assigned to a group for review and analysis.
A resolution or report that entails an expenditure of Society
resources, e.g., funds or staff labor are required to include
fiscal notes for more complete consideration by the House.
Resolution/report deadlines for each House meeting are published
by the MMS Office of Governance Services. MMS members can also
submit resolutions online via this Web site in the members-only
area.
Step 2
Pre-Meeting Publication of House Business
All resolutions and reports for an upcoming meeting, plus any other
business before the House, are printed and mailed to all House
delegates before the meeting. MMS members can see this information
in the members-only area of this Web site.
Step 3
Appointment of Reference Committees
Before each House meeting, the Speaker of the House
appoints members of the Society to sit on reference committees. A
reference committee, with five members and two alternates, holds
open hearings on the resolutions assigned to it by the Speaker.
Reference committees meet during the first session of the House
meeting.
Step 4
House First Session
At its first session, the House determines whether to
accept any late items of business. After this, the reference
committees meet to begin hearing testimony on its resolutions.
(Resolutions are often grouped into a single reference committee by
general subject, e.g., new policies/programs.) Any member of the
Society may testify before a reference committee and the hearings
are open to all members, the public, and the media.
After all testimony is heard, reference committees deliberate
and determine whether to recommend that the House accept or reject
its resolutions. A written report of the reference committee's
recommendations is prepared for the House.
Step 5
House Second Session
During its second session, the House considers each
reference committee's report and votes whether to accept or reject
the committee's recommendation on each resolution. Once all
committee reports are heard and voted upon, the House adjourns. A
report of the House's decisions is sent to the MMS Board of
Trustees.
Step 6
Board implements the will of the House of
Delegates
The Board of Trustees prioritizes and assigns each report
or resolution from the House to a committee or MMS department for
completion. A report is provided to the House upon completion of
each item.
