Dear Member, 

At the 2024 ARRL Annual Meeting held in January, the Board of Directors unanimously voted to approve the establishment of a committee to assure the existence of a set of ethical standards and guidelines for Board Members as called for in ARRL By-Law 42. In addition, the committee was tasked to review By-Laws 42 (Ethics and Elections Committee) and 46 (Conflict of Interest Policy) for possible revision. 

I was selected by President Rick Roderick, K5UR, to chair the ARRL Special Committee on By-Law 46 Revisions. I am writing to share an update on our efforts. The committee scrutinized By-Laws 42 and 46 for revisions, and incorporated feedback from legal counsel. After diligent work, the committee has finalized its recommendations and, earlier today, presented its report and proposed By-Law revisions at a meeting of the Committee. All of the ARRL Board Members were invited to participate in that meeting. 

All of our committee’s work, including our report and documents pertaining to proposed By-Law revisions, is readily available for your review at www.arrl.org/by-laws-update. I encourage you to consider reviewing the documents to help develop your own perspective on these issues. 

Why This Matters: As ARRL is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, it is imperative that our governance structure meets the legal and ethical requirements of a well-governed organization. We will reinforce trust and accountability with our members by establishing ethical standards and an independent adjudication process. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Division Director.

73,
Rod Stafford, W6ROD, Chair of the Special Committee on Bylaw 46

ARRL International Affairs Vice President

This information was shared with ARRL Members via email on November 19, 2024.