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Delegate Assembly
In 1971, the Delegate Assembly replaced the MLA annual business meeting and since then has met once a year during the annual convention. The assembly elects two members of the Executive Council and five members of the Delegate Assembly Organizing Committee; elects the Nominating and Elections Committees; elects honorary members and fellows; determines the dues structure of the association, subject to confirmation by the Executive Council; receives reports from committees and commissions; recommends actions to the Executive Council regarding the conduct of association business and the association's direction, goals, and structure; approves amendments to the MLA constitution; and supervises its own organization and operation. See article 9 of the MLA constitution for additional details about the responsibilities of the Delegate Assembly.
There are 276 members of the assembly, as follows: (a) 86 delegates representing each of the present MLA divisions, each of whom is elected by the executive committee of the division he or she represents; (b) 108 regional delegates, distributed to accord with the proportion of the MLA membership in seven regions (New England and Eastern Canada, New York State, Middle Atlantic, Great Lakes, South, Central and Rocky Mountain, Western US and Western Canada) and elected by the membership in each region; (c) 54 special-interest delegates, who ensure representation of special-interest constituencies of the MLA's membership and who are elected by the MLA membership; and (d) 28 ex officio delegates, including voting members of the MLA Executive Council and of the Delegate Assembly Organizing Committee and official representatives of each of the six regional MLAs.
Divisional, regional, and special-interest delegates serve for terms of three calendar years. The elections of regional and special-interest delegates are supervised by the Elections Committee. See article 10 of the MLA constitution for additional details about the composition and election of the Delegate Assembly.
Placing an Item on the Agenda of the Delegate Assembly
The Delegate Assembly meets once a year during the annual convention, and items for the assembly's consideration must be placed on its agenda by 1 October. The Delegate Assembly Organizing Committee, which prepares the agenda for meetings of the assembly, strongly urges members who wish to raise issues to communicate with the committee early in the year to determine the best way to present their concerns. The committee is eager to facilitate members' access to the assembly and to help members frame issues in ways appropriate to a formal parliamentary body like the assembly. Members should write to the chair of the Organizing Committee or to the coordinator of governance.
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