As we told you earlier this month, the Texas Medical Association Disaster Board voted to conduct a virtual meeting of the TMA House of Delegates that will culminate in a live virtual session on Saturday, Sept. 12.
The limited 2020 House of Delegates meeting will use technology that will allow delegates to vote remotely in contested elections and act on essential house business.
From today through Aug. 1, all TMA members can review business items for consideration by the House of Delegates and submit written testimony via TMA’s online testimony website (login required). Only testimony submitted via this method will be considered by the Special Session Reference Committee.
Business items for consideration and testimony are limited to reports that the speakers and House Steering Caucus have determined to be essential or reasonably adopted by consent. All other reports and resolutions have been tabled to the 2021 house meeting.
After collecting written testimony and nominations, the house will conduct elections, and the reference committees will initiate business over a period of several weeks throughout August and early September. The final live virtual session of the house will take place on Sept. 12, when TMA President Diana L. Fite, MD, will deliver her address, TMA leaders will announce election results, and delegates can consider and vote on reference committee reports and resolutions deemed “essential.”
Members still can review items that have been tabled to 2021 and submit comments on the testimony website in support of referring them to the TMA Board of Trustees for consideration or action.
If you have difficulty submitting testimony or have any questions, contact the House of Delegates staff via email.
Because the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency, the TMA Board of Trustees voted in March to invoke a bylaws provision allowing it to function as a Disaster Board and to assume certain responsibilities of the House of Delegates, TMA’s policymaking body. That included overseeing and conducting elections and installations of TMA officers and other necessary business.
Due to the cancellation of TexMed 2020, TMA’s annual meeting, the Disaster Board in May acted on behalf of the house to conduct elections for uncontested positions, after postponing contested races.