Article 1

NAME: The name of this organization shall be the Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials (NASTO).

OFFICE: The office of the organization shall be office of the Treasurer of the Association unless otherwise designated by the Board of Directors.

PURPOSE: The purpose of NASTO shall be the advancement of transportation policies and practices beneficial to the Northeast Region of the United States and the Eastern Provinces of Canada, and to the United States and Canada as a whole. NASTO shall serve as a focal point for discussion and research on transportation issues of interest to its members, with an emphasis on promoting cooperation and partnership among its members.

Article 2

MEMBERSHIP: The Members shall be the Transportation Departments (or equivalent) and their employees in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Rhode Island and Vermont. Members shall have the privilege of taking part in discussions, serving on committees and voting on matters before the Association.

Article 3

DUES: Dues shall be assessed annually, to be paid at the beginning of each fiscal year. Annual dues are assessed against member departments, not individual members. Dues for member Departments are $1,500.00 per year. Dues may be adjusted upon agreement of the majority of the Board of Directors.

Article 4

OFFICERS: The officers of the Association shall be the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary and the Treasurer.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Governance of the Association shall be vested in the Board of Directors, which board shall consist of one representative from each of the member departments, including the President and Vice-President. Directors shall be the Chief Executive Officer, or equivalent of each member department, or such person as may be designated by each Executive Officer to serve.

ELECTION: The Board of Directors shall elect the President, the Vice-President and the Treasurer. The Treasurer need not be a Chief Executive Officer, but may be an individual elected by the Board of Directors. The Secretary also need not be a Chief Executive Officer. The Secretary shall be appointed annually by the President and shall rotate each year with the Office of the President.

TERM: Directors shall serve during the period of their service in the Departments of the member states or provinces which they represent. The term of the President, the Vice-President and the Secretary shall begin at the close of the annual meeting and shall continue for a period of one year, or until a successor is duly elected and installed. The term of the Treasurer shall continue until a successor is duly elected and installed.

VACANCIES: Vacancies in office shall be filled by the Board of Directors, except that if the office of President becomes vacant, it shall be filled by the Vice-President.

Article 5

MEETINGS: The annual meeting, of the Association, shall be hosted by one of the member departments, at a time and location approved by the Board of Directors. There shall be at least two Board of Directors’ business meetings held each year. The President may call additional meetings throughout the year as needed.

VOTING: The voting power in the organization shall be limited to the Board of Directors.

RESOLUTIONS: Resolutions shall be adopted by the Board of Directors.

Article 6

COMMITTEES: The President, each year shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of at least three members. Such members need not be CEO’s, but the CEO of the department of the member should be notified, and agreed to the designation.

The Board of Directors may establish committees of the Association which will parallel and enhance the work of committees of AASHTO.

Committees may also be established by the Board of Directors or the President which are deemed necessary to carry out the objectives of the Association.

Article 7

BY-LAWS: The organization at its discretion may adopt By-Laws which shall be for the guidance of the officers and members.

Article 8

DISSOLUTION: The Association may be disbanded at any time with the consent of the majority of its members. If the Association is disbanded, any uncommitted funds shall be returned to each Member in a proportion equal to the share of funds contributed by each Member.

Article 9

AMENDMENTS: Amendments may be made to the Constitution by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

Article 10

NASTO Policy Committee Mission Statement: The Transportation Policy Committee shall perform in an advisory role to the Board of Directors.  The role of the committee is to provide guidance and recommendations on regional, national or international transportation policy from a regional (multi-state/province) perspective, including impacts of proposed legislation or rulemaking, as well as new industry initiatives, financial impacts, opportunities for collaboration, and other issues as they arise, or as requested by the Board.  The goal of the committee shall be to pursue policy matters where regional consensus may be achieved in order to amplify the region’s perspective and messaging regarding policy issues impacting the NASTO region states, provinces and member departments. 

The Committee shall take its direction from the NASTO Board of Directors.  Draft policy initiatives or engagement opportunities shall be recommended to the Board for review and approval prior to the Committee advancing its policy work.  The Committee shall meet regularly to review, discuss, and report on transportation policy issues, including legislation for authorization or appropriations of transportation programs and to develop and make recommendations on policy directions for the Board’s consideration.  At the request of the Board, the Committee may advance policy recommendations through the development of reports and white papers on various transportation related topics and compile briefing materials for the Board’s use on those issues that may impact the NASTO region’s transportation networks and systems.

The committee may also serve as a forum for information exchange and communication among the policy committee members of NASTO.  Policy committee forums (in conjunction with NASTO or other convenings) may be organized along with a social media networking framework to share ideas, issues, and policy discussions in between committee meetings.   

Committee membership shall be comprised of representatives from NASTO member departments appointed by their CEO.  The Chairman and the Vice Chairman of the Committee shall be elected by the committee members.  Meetings may be called by the Chair, or Vice Chair if the Chair is absent/unavailable, in response to requests from the Board of Directors or Policy committee members. NASTO CEOs will be invited to participate at their own discretion.

(Approved by Board of Directors 10/29/06)