At the 103rd ALA National Convention, delegates met to debate and vote on nine amendments to the national Constitution & Bylaws. Here’s a review of the votes on each amendment and the impacts on the organization at all levels (national, department, unit):
 
Amendment 1 proposed a change to the ALA national constitution to make national chairs delegates-at-large. In this instance, delegates-at-large means that by virtue of their national position/title, they are automatic delegates to the National Convention without being chosen by their department. It also means that a national chair’s delegate seat would be in addition to the total number of delegates awarded to a department based on the delegate strength calculation. Result: Adopted.
 
Amendment 2 identified a change to the bylaws necessary to ensure foreign units that are not attached to departments are given the same experience and opportunities as all of our units. By amending the bylaws, we were able to attach the National Executive Committee to all foreign units not attached to departments, thereby giving these units stability, guidance, assistance, and, if necessary, a means for enacting rehabilitative or punitive measures. Result: Adopted.
 
Amendment 3 was a “clean-up” amendment. Nothing substantive was changed — some redundant wording was deleted that was in both the bylaws and the standing rules. Result: Adopted.
 
Amendment 4 attempted to amend the national standing rules and establish a national Past Presidents Parley Committee. This committee was officially dissolved by delegates of the 2019 National Convention; however, the submitters of this proposed amendment felt there was a renewed interest in this committee. The intent was to keep recent leadership engaged, active, and relevant. Delegates said it’s an ongoing organization-wide goal to keep all members active, engaged, and relevant. Note: Do you have a Past Presidents Parley? This vote does not remove the department or unit authority to have a Past Presidents Parley. Result: Defeated. 
 
Amendment 5 championed to amend the national standing rules and increase the number of members on the national Constitution & Bylaws Committee. Delegates to the 2019 National Convention voted to decrease the committee size from five members to two; however, renewed interest and an increased understanding of organizational governance created the opportunity for more committee members. 2024 National Convention delegates voted to increase the national C&B Committee to five members total: a chair, vice chair, and three committee members. Result: Adopted. Note: Your C&B Committee composition does not have to mirror the national composition. 
 
Amendment 6 put forth updated language for the national Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Committee’s purpose statement. The new wording more closely aligns with The American Legion’s program values while also seeking to capture the many ways the ALA can enhance the lives of not only our veterans, but their care teams (including non-familial caregivers) and those left behind when our veterans pass. Result: Adopted.
 
Amendment 7 proposed to take away a unit’s ability to expel a member — meaning the highest level of discipline would be the suspension of a member. This amendment was met with a lively debate both in the Constitution & Bylaws Pre-Convention Committee Meeting and on the convention floor. The pre-convention committee on Constitution & Bylaws voted to not recommend the adoption of this amendment. Result: Defeated. 
 
Amendments 8 and 9 were both crafted by the American Legion Auxiliary Foundation board. Their first amendment proposed additions to the national Risk & Compliance Committee’s purpose statement to include the responsibilities of reviewing (and in some cases, approving) the ALA Foundation’s financial statements, annual financial audit, IRS Form 990, internal controls, and compliance requirements. 
 
The ALA Foundation’s second proposed amendment was also to the standing rules, but the focus was on responsibilities added to the purpose statement of the national Ethical Conduct Committee. In this proposal, the ALA Foundation board members asked that the national Ethical Conduct Committee not only carry out the ALA Code of Ethical Conduct, but that they also implement the ALA Foundation’s separate Code of Ethics, specifically giving the ALA’s national Ethical Conduct Committee control to review all alleged violations to the Foundation’s code and present recommendations to the ALA Foundation board.  
 
Convention delegates believed the Foundation’s proposed amendments would assist in National’s continuous pursuit of systematic checks and balances to ensure a professional level of transparency to our stakeholders and adopted both amendments to the standing rules. Result: Adopted.