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Members approve TPA bylaws amendment

FRISCO, Texas — Texas Press Association members approved a bylaws amendment regarding rules for participating membership during the Midwinter Conference and Trade Show.
Seventy-seven percent voted to allow newspapers that do not meet the requirements of active membership to be participating members if approved by a majority vote of the board of directors.  The vote exceeded the required two-thirds majority of active members present and voting at the convention.
TPA offers four categories of membership: Active, Participating, Individual and Associate. The change relaxed the rules for participating membership and moved application approvals from the executive director to the board of directors. 
Article VII, Section 1 of the bylaws now reads “Participating membership in the Association may be extended to news publications not qualified for active membership, subject to a majority approval of the Board of Directors and subject to annual review by the board.” Section 2 states that “Participating members shall be entitled to all privileges of the Association except participation in official business, voting and holding office.”
The amendment removed the requirement that newspapers seeking membership maintain a periodical permit, giving publishers the flexibility to make business decisions regarding distribution that might otherwise jeopardize their TPA membership. Approval of membership under this section requires a majority vote of the board of directors. In addition, all existing and new participating members are subject to annual review by the board.