APHA Info > Rule Change Proposals
Rule Change Proposals
Any member of the APHA, a standing committee, the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee or the APHA staff may submit a rule change, addition or deletion to the Official APHA Rule Book.
When a change in the Rule Book is proposed, the rule, with the reason for the proposed change, should be directed to the APHA office well in advance of Workshop, postmarked no later than January15 and received no later than January 20. All rule change proposals, after having been thoroughly researched and reviewed by the Association staff, the Ways and Means Committee, the Association attorney, and the Executive Committee, shall then be reviewed by the Rules Committee for completeness and placed in proper and legal wording.
The Rules Committee cannot change the intent of the rule as it was received from its original source.The proposed change, legally and properly worded, will be presented for consideration on the agenda of the appropriate standing committee at Workshop. The Board of Directors may not vote on a change to the Rule Book until that change has been reviewed and approved by a standing committee.
Exception: if a proposed rule change has been defeated in committee, it may be brought to the floor for consideration by presenting a petition signed by 51 eligible directors to the Executive Committee President. This petition must be presented to the President at the same Workshop the proposed change was defeated in a committee, and before the proposed changes are read in the Standing Committee Report Session for amendments.
If the proposed rule is approved by the standing committee, the chairperson of that standing committee will be required to read the proposal to the Board of Directors. The rule may be amended by the Board of Directors at the same time. However, any amendment must be closely related to or have a direct bearing on the rule. The presiding officer or parliamentarian may choose to accept or refuse an amendment if he or she deems it inappropriate. If the amendment receives a motion and a second, then it must be voted on by the board.
If the amendment is approved, the rule must return to the Rules Committee for review and any necessary rewrites. The Rules Committee may not alter the intent of the rule as amended. Once the rule proposal is approved out of the committee, it is forwarded to Convention where it will be presented for a vote by the Board of Directors.
All rule change proposals to be voted on will be published in the Paint Horse Journal and on the APHA website. If the rule receives a positive vote, it will be incorporated into the next Rule Book. If the rule receives a negative vote, it may be resubmitted for consideration by committee or the originator as if it were a new proposal in the following calendar year. After the Convention, all passed rule changes will be published in the Journal and on the Web site prior to the new Rule Book taking effect, along with any rule clarifications approved by the Rules Committee or actions of the Executive Committee, such as fee changes.
In a few instances, a rule change, addition or deletion may be considered of such extreme importance to a standing committee that the change must be acted upon immediately. In this case, the proposal must be presented to the Executive Committee prior to any regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors. If, in the opinion of the Executive Committee, approving the rule is in the best interest of the Association and the rule is given emergency status, it may allow a standing committee chairperson to present the rule to the board for a vote. If the board approves the proposal, it may become effective immediately.