The CMSA Board of Directors met on a Friday afternoon and Saturday at the end of October for our annual Fall Board meeting. First, I would like to thank the 20 Board Members for their commitment to the Association and their willingness to dedicate their time to addressing important industry issues. The meetings took place at the Paradise Point Resort & Spa in San Diego, the site of our 2015 Convention. All in attendance agreed that the Board had made a wise choice last year when they selected this property as a future convention site.

The Board reviewed reports of the four standing committees and conducted discussions that are a part of the process that establishes policy and strategy moving forward. The Insurance, Government Affairs, Membership and Military Affairs standing committees, with an additional report from our Associate Member committee, encompass all areas of the Association’s influence.

The government affairs activity of the Association has remained a very active and important part to our membership. The alphabet soup of agencies addressed — CPUC, CARB, DGS, BOE, CHP and others — is all too familiar to permitted carriers and CMSA’s engagement continues to have positive impact for legal and ethical movers.

A major accomplishment of the meeting was the unanimous approval of a draft revision of the CMSA Bylaws. Over the last two years, CMSA staff and the Association’s Board of Directors have worked on updating the Bylaws. This was the first time that the Association’s Bylaws have been broadly reviewed by the Board and a significant amount of work was put in by staff and CMSA Counsel Mark Hegarty. Additionally, we retained a law group with specific expertise in advising nonprofit associations to assist with the process. Viewed from the 10,000-foot level, the amended Bylaws (if approved) would: protect the integrity of the Association, allow the Association to transact business electronically, ensure that the Board would not suffer from a shortage due to a local issue, update Bylaws to reflect changes in the law, and ensure that CMSA traditions and practices are accurately reflected in the Bylaws.

In early 2014, along with the annual board ballot, all CMSA voting members will be receiving a copy of the draft Bylaws and a Board-approved letter that more fully describes the modifications and the reasons for the changes. CMSA and the Board of Directors strongly recommend a vote in favor of the Bylaw revisions.