The northern emergency management assistance compact is entered with all jurisdictions legally joining the compact in the form substantially as follows:

ARTICLE I – NAME AND SCOPE 1. This compact is established as directed by the state and province emergency management assistance memorandum of agreement and brought into force by congressional consent on September 14, 2012, by the 112th Congress of the United States of America.

2.    The object of this compact shall be to facilitate cross-border emergency management assistance through mutual aid.

ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP 1.    Membership in this compact shall be open to the states and provinces having signed the state and province emergency management assistance memorandum of agreement, hereinafter referred to as party jurisdictions.

2.    Representatives from the nonsignatory states and provinces as well as the national governments of Canada and the United States shall be nonvoting members.

ARTICLE III – BOARD 1.    The policies and direction of this compact shall be directed and controlled by a board of directors, which shall consist of the directors of emergency management or measures, or their designated official substitute from the party jurisdictions. The designated official substitute shall be specified either on the jurisdiction‘s compact contact sheet or in writing to the compact co-chairs.

2.    The board may invite representatives from other governments, subject matter experts, and such other individuals as they may deem appropriate to attend the compact meetings as nonvoting participants.

ARTICLE IV – GOVERNMENT 1.    The board of directors shall act as the governing body of this compact.

2.    The following shall be the officers:

a.    A co-chair elected from the participating states; and b.    A co-chair elected from the participating provinces.

3.    The co-chairs shall be elected biennially in alternate years.

4.    In the event a co-chair is unable to fulfill the co-chair’s term, a special election shall be held at the next meeting, regular or special, to fill the remainder of the co-chair’s term.

ARTICLE V – SUBCOMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS 1.    The compact board of directors may appoint subcommittees and working groups as needed.

2.    Each subcommittee and working group shall be co-chaired by a representative of a Canadian and a United States party jurisdiction.

3.    The subcommittees and working groups shall report to this compact through the co-chairs and the co-chairs are ex officio members of all subcommittees and working groups.

ARTICLE VI – MEETINGS 1.    This compact shall meet at least once a year at locations to be determined by the board of directors.

2.    Special meetings may be held at any time by order of the co-chairs.

3.    Meetings may be held by conference call or other communication facilities that permit all persons participating in the meeting to communicate with each other, and all persons participating in the meeting by such means are deemed to be present.

4.    A jurisdiction may participate at its own cost in any meeting by telephone or other communication facilities that permit all persons participating in the meeting to    communicate with each other, and a person participating in a meeting by such means is deemed to be present at the meeting.

5.    The newest co-chair shall be responsible for creating a record of decisions for each meeting.

6.    The newest co-chair shall be responsible for distributing meeting agendas, records of decisions, and any documents slated for discussion at a meeting to the board of directors.

7.    A meeting agenda and any documents slated for discussion at a meeting should be circulated to the board of directors a minimum of thirty days prior to the meeting.

8.    All meetings shall follow a form agreed to by the co-chairs.

9.    A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of party jurisdictions that consists of at least one party jurisdiction from Canada and one party jurisdiction from the United States of America. Jurisdictions participating by proxy shall not count towards a quorum.

ARTICLE VII – VOTING 1.    Each party jurisdiction shall have only one vote on any motion or election.

2.    Motions may only be introduced or seconded by members of the board of directors present or represented by proxy.

3.    Motions arising at any meeting shall be determined by consensus. In the absence of consensus a two-thirds majority is required from each of the Canadian and United States of America party jurisdictions either present or represented by proxy. A vote given in accordance with the terms of a proxy shall be valid.

4.    If the director or designated official substitute of a party jurisdiction cannot attend a meeting of the northern emergency management assistance compact, the party jurisdiction may give a proxy to another jurisdiction. A proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the director or designated official substitute. The proxy shall be delivered to one of the co-chairs before or at the meeting. A proxy is valid for one meeting.

ARTICLE VIII – SIGNING AUTHORITY Documents or other instruments requiring the signature of the compact shall be signed by both co-chairs.

ARTICLE IX – AMENDMENTS These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote at any meeting of the compact provided that thirty days’ notice in writing be given of such meeting to the voting member of each party jurisdiction and that the notice contains the text, or the general nature, of any proposed amendments.

ARTICLE X – OPERATIONS MANUAL AND BYLAWS 1.    The most recent past co-chair shall be responsible for updating and storing a copy of the most recent version of the operations manual and bylaws.

2.    Any party jurisdiction may request that amendments be made to the operations manual and bylaws.

3.    All requests for amendments to the operations manual and bylaws shall be submitted to the past co-chair responsible for the operations manual and bylaws.

4.    Amendments to the operations manual and bylaws shall come into force on the date that the operations manual or bylaws, respectively, are approved by the board of directors or a later date as decided by the board of directors.

ARTICLE XI – TRAINING The senior co-chair shall be responsible for coordinating delivery of the compact training and exercises to party jurisdictions.