v

CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

ARTICLE I

NAME AND PURPOSE

SECTION 1

NAME
This organization shall be known as the International Association of Special Investigation Units (hereinafter referred to as IASIU).  The name of IASIU shall not be used publicly by any member without the expressed written permission of the current Board of Directors.  This shall not restrict the officers, appointees, or agents of the Association in the use of the name to carry out the purpose of IASIU.

SECTION 2

PURPOSE
The objectives of IASIU shall be: 
 
A. Bringing the world's fraud-fighting community together through education, awareness, and networking.

B. Advancing excellence in the insurance fraud-fighting community by:

1. providing education and training for investigators of insurance fraud; 
2. encouraging high professional standards of conduct; 
3. developing a greater awareness of the insurance fraud problem; 
4. promoting a coordinated effort within the industry to combat insurance fraud; and 
5. supporting legislation that acts as a deterrent to the crime of insurance fraud. 

SECTION 3

RESTRICTIONS
A. IASIU is a private, not for profit organization. 
 
B. No funds from IASIU may be used to align with any political organization or person to advance the candidacy of any individual. 

ARTICLE II

MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1

MEMBERSHIP
Applicants for membership must be engaged in anti-fraud activities and must be in conformance with the goals and objectives of IASIU. Any applicant whose professional activities or personal background are considered adverse to the objectives and interests of IASIU, as determined by the Board of Directors and/or Membership Committee, shall be deemed ineligible for membership. 
 
A. Regular membership shall be granted at the discretion of the Board of Directors and includes:

1. the privilege of voting; 
2. eligibility for election and/or appointment to the Board of Directors; and 
3. attending the annual business meeting.  

 
Should the condition of a regular member’s employment change, the regular member agrees to immediately report the change to the Membership Committee.  
 
Regular membership shall include full-time employees of an insurance company, whose primary responsibility is the full time investigation and/or supervision of insurance fraud investigation.  
 
B. Associate membership shall be granted at the discretion of the Board of Directors that includes the privilege of attending the annual business meeting. It does not include:

1. the privilege of voting; or 
2. eligibility for election and/or appointment to sit on the Board of Directors. 
   

Should the condition of an associate member’s employment change, the associate member agrees to immediately report the change to the Membership Committee.  
 
Associate membership shall include, but not be limited to:   

1. Self-insured employees: who are assigned to a Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and whose primary purpose is the full-time investigation and/or supervision of investigations of insurance fraud. 
2. Third-Party Administrator employees/General Agency Associates: who provide special expertise and/or services in the investigation and/or supervision of investigations of insurance fraud. 
3. Integral Anti-Fraud Personnel: full-time employees of an insurance company who may or may not be directly assigned to its SIU, but whose duties support the functions of SIU. This may include, but not be limited to, claims representatives, underwriting, compliance, cyber security, administrative staff and other insurance company employees who perform similar duties.
4. Retiree Associates: members who retire and are not currently employed in the insurance industry may continue membership as a Retiree Associate.
   
5. Vendor Partner: entities that an insurer utilizes to perform SIU and/or integral anti-fraud duties or functions on behalf of the insurer.
   • The Vendor Partner must provide written verification from their employer stating they are employed by a company whose primary purpose is the full-time investigation and/or supervision of insurance fraud investigations and their primary duty is the full-time investigation and/or supervision of insurance fraud investigations. 
   • The Vendor Partner and his/her employer must be in conformance with the goals and objectives of IASIU.
6. Legal Advocates who meet the following qualifications:  
   • a license to practice law in the state where membership is being sought; 
   • a nomination by an IASIU regular member with five years of active and continued membership; and
   • a letter to the Membership Committee certifying that providing representation of insurers in defense of insurance claims constitutes a majority of their practice, and they do not engage in plaintiff advocacy against insurers, except on behalf of other insurers in subrogation actions.
7. Full-time employees of the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), whose primary responsibility is the investigation and/or supervision of insurance fraud investigation. 
   
8. Full-time employees of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, whose full-time responsibility is to advocate against all forms of insurance fraud.
   
9. Lifetime memberships are awarded only by the Board of Directors to a regular or associate member with ten years of membership and distinctive service to IASIU for a minimum of five years through participation on committees and/or service as an officer or Director on the Board. The lifetime membership award does not supersede active regular member status.

C. Government Partner membership shall be granted at the discretion of the Board of Directors that includes the privilege of attending the annual business meeting. It does not include: 

1. the privilege of voting; or
2. eligibility for election and/or appointment to sit on the Board of Directors. Should the condition of their employment change, the individual member agrees to immediately report the change to the Membership Committee. 

Government Partner membership shall include, but not be limited to: 

1. local, state, federal, provincial, or similar law enforcement officers providing special expertise or services for the investigation and/or prosecution of insurance fraud. This includes any integral anti-fraud law enforcement personnel who are not sworn, but whose duties support the functions of law enforcement officers in the effort to  investigate insurance fraud; 
2. state insurance fraud bureau investigators, investigative supervisors and legal advocates, and any integral anti fraud personnel whose duties are to support the functions of the insurance fraud bureau in the effort to investigate insurance fraud; 
3. local, state, federal, provincial, or similar fire department personnel providing special expertise or services for the investigation and/or prosecution of insurance fraud; or 
   
4. state insurance fraud bureau fire investigators and/or fire investigative supervisors and any integral anti-fraud personnel whose duties are to support the functions of the insurance fraud bureau in the effort to investigate insurance fraud. 

SECTION 2

APPLICATION PROCEDURES
A. Applications for membership to IASIU shall be submitted electronically or to an address designated by the Board of Directors on an approved Membership Application Form. 
 
B. Applications for associate membership must contain the name and endorsement of a regular member as the sponsor of the applicant. 
 
C. Payment of the application fee and one year of membership dues shall be submitted with the application. Membership dues and/or fees shall not be prorated. 
 
D. All individual applicants must be at least 21 years of age at the time of application for membership. 

SECTION 3

MEMBERSHIP APPROVAL
All applications shall be reviewed for eligibility of membership and be subject to future audit.

SECTION 4

ARTICLE III

ELECTION AND TERMS OF OFFICES

SECTION 1

OFFICERS
The officers shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

SECTION 2

TERMS OF OFFICE
A. Individuals must qualify as a regular member to be eligible to hold an Officer or Director position.
 
B. In order to be eligible for election to an Officer position, an individual must first serve as a Director on the IASIU Board.

C. The terms of Officers and Directors shall be two years or until the election of the respective successors at the annual meeting. The terms of Directors shall be staggered so a portion of the Directors are elected each year. 

D. If an existing Officer or Director becomes ineligible to be a regular member during his/her term, the Officer or Director shall have the shorter of 180 days, or the end of his/her term, to requalify as a regular member and remain in office.  This provision shall also apply to life members who become ineligible to be a regular member. 

E. No person shall hold the same office of President, Vice President, Secretary, or Treasurer for more than two elected terms. 

SECTION 3

VACANCIES
Any vacancy occurring among the Officers or Board shall be filled by appointment by the President. If the office of President becomes vacant, he/she shall be replaced by the Vice President. The term shall be the remaining portion of the term vacated. 

SECTION 4

ELECTION
A. All Officers and Directors shall be elected at the annual meeting. 
 
B. All companies and/or organizations represented by regular members at the annual meeting shall have one vote per group for the purpose of election of Officers and Directors. The group shall be as defined by the most current AM Best publication. If a regular member’s company is not in the AM Best publication, notice to the Election Committee Chair is required prior to the start of the annual business meeting to allow confirmation by research of company status and verification of any Parent or Ultimate Parent Company in common with any other voting member.  
 
C. All companies or organizations of regular members must select one individual who is a regular member to cast the company’s vote during the election of Officers and Directors.  The company or organization must inform the Election Committee Chair or his/her designee of the individual authorized to cast the company vote prior to the start of the annual business meeting. 
 
D. All chapters outside of the United States represented by a member at the annual meeting shall have one vote per chapter for the purpose of election of Officers and Directors. The Chapter President must inform the Election Committee Chair or his/her designee of the individual authorized to cast the chapter vote at least 24 hours prior to the start of the annual business meeting. 

E. All votes must be in person, unless the annual meeting is held virtually. There shall be no absentee voting. 

F. In the event of a tie, a run-off election shall be held.

ARTICLE IV

GOVERNMENT

SECTION 1

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
A. The Board of Directors shall consist of 11 members, including the four Officers, and the seven Directors from the regular membership of IASIU.  
 
B. The Board of Directors may appoint up to two individuals annually to serve as legal advisors to IASIU with approval by a majority vote. Legal advisors must be members of IASIU. 

C. The Board of Directors may appoint one NICB advisor and/or one Coalition Against Insurance Fraud advisor annually to IASIU with approval by a majority vote. NICB and Coalition Against Insurance Fraud advisors must be members of IASIU.  
 
D. The current President may appoint the President Emeritus as a non-voting consultant to the Board of Directors for a period of up to one year after leaving office          

SECTION 2

DUTIES AND POWERS
A. The Board of Directors shall have full power to initiate and transact the business necessary to the existence of IASIU in observance of its purpose as stated in Article I, Section 2.  The Board shall have the general powers to direct, control, and supervise the affairs of IASIU in support of the membership. 
 
B. A simple majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum.  Each member of the Board of Directors shall have one vote. 
 
C. The Board shall determine the time and location of the annual meeting and inform the membership, in writing, at least 30 days in advance.

SECTION 3

PRESIDENT
The President is the Chief Executive Officer. It shall be his/her responsibility to supervise and coordinate the activities of IASIU. The President shall preside at meetings, including Board of Directors meetings, and shall appoint appropriate committees responsible for the activities of IASIU. It shall be the responsibility of the President to convene a meeting at least quarterly of the Chapter Presidents.

SECTION 4

VICE PRESIDENT
The Vice President shall preside in the absence of the President.  It shall be the duty of the Vice President to assist the President in any matter of IASIU business.

SECTION 5

SECRETARY
The Secretary shall keep the records and minutes of meetings in executive session.

SECTION 6

TREASURER
A. The Treasurer shall be the custodian and depositor of funds of IASIU. Funds shall only be disbursed as authorized and approved by the Board of Directors by a two-thirds vote.  
 
B. The Treasurer shall make a complete reporting at the annual meeting and to the Board of Directors at each Board meeting. The Treasurer shall make all reports available to the membership.

SECTION 7

PRESIDENT EMERITUS
A. The President Emeritus shall provide advice and knowledge to the current Board of Directors and is a non-voting Board position. 

B. This position may or may not be filled at the discretion of the current President.  
 
C. The President Emeritus may remain a member of the Executive Board for up to one year following his/her presidential term.  
 
D. The President Emeritus must maintain their regular member status, or that of a retiree.

SECTION 8

ADMINISTRATOR
A. The Board of Directors may, by two-thirds majority vote, appoint an individual or firm to act as Administrator of the IASIU. The Administrator shall have the title of Executive Director. The rate of reimbursement for the Administrator shall be determined by the Board of Directors.  
 
B. The duties and responsibilities of the Executive Director shall be determined by the Board of Directors. 

SECTION 9

LEGAL ADVISOR(S)
A. The Board of Directors may, by majority vote, appoint up to two individuals annually to serve as legal counsel to IASIU.   
 
B. The duties and responsibilities of the appointed legal counsel shall be determined by the Board of Directors

SECTION 10

ADVISOR(S)
A. The Board of Directors may, by majority vote, appoint one NICB advisor and/or one Coalition Against Insurance Fraud advisor annually to serve as industry advisors to IASIU. 

B. Other advisors may be added by vote of a majority of the Board. 

C. The duties and responsibilities of the industry advisors shall be determined by the Board of Directors. 

SECTION 11

COMPENSATION
Members of the Board of Directors shall not receive any salary for their services. A fixed sum for expenses of attendance to any Board meetings may be allowed. 

ARTICLE V

MEETING

SECTION 1

ANNUAL MEETING
A. The annual business meeting of IASIU shall be held in conjunction with the annual conference.  The date, time, and location, either in person or virtually, shall be determined by the Board of Directors. 

B. IASIU may, when required, conduct the annual meeting via conference call, videoconferencing, voice-over-internet protocol, or other means that would allow members to attend and participate without physical presence and by which all Directors participating may simultaneously hear each other. 

C. The annual business meeting shall be conducted in accordance with the Robert’s Rules of Order.

D. All regular members shall have the right to cast individual votes on all other IASIU business placed before them at the annual business meeting, other than the election of Officers and Directors.

SECTION 2

BOARD OF DIRECTOR MEETINGS
A. The Board of Directors shall meet a minimum of four times during a calendar year.  One of these meetings may occur at the annual meeting and conference.  The Board may elect to hold additional meetings to  conduct business of IASIU.  The Board, by majority vote, shall determine the date, time, and location of any Board meeting. 
 
B. The Board of Directors’ meetings shall be open to duly elected Presidents of chartered chapters of the IASIU. However, the Presidents of chapters shall not vote on any issues presented to the Board. 

C. The Board of Directors, by a majority vote, may hold executive sessions of the Board and exclude any individual not duly elected as an Officer or Director of IASIU. 

D. IASIU   may,  when   required,   conduct   meetings  of  the  Board  via   conference  call, videoconferencing,   voice-over-internet   protocol,   or   other  means  that  would   allow members to  attend and participate without physical presence and by which all Directors participating may simultaneously hear each other. 
 
E. Minutes of all Board meetings shall be kept by the IASIU Administrator, and after the minutes have been read and approved by the Board, they shall be open for inspection by any member of IASIU.

F. Board Action via Electronic Consent: the Association may, when required, take action in lieu of a meeting by means of electronic transmission.  In this case, an electronic transmission (e-mail or another form) describing a possible Board action may be sent to all Directors of the Association; and such transmission must include a description of the situation, actions recommended, and instructions for all Directors to reply to the transmission with their comments and/or answer.  Once the answers are collected, the Directors must be informed of the results and said results must be filed with the Board minutes.

SECTION 3

NOTIFICATION
Notification of the annual meeting is outlined in Article 4, Section 2, C.

ARTICLE VI

FINANCE

SECTION 1

FEES AND DUES
Application fees and annual dues for each class of membership shall be set by majority vote of the Board of Directors. Dues shall be submitted with a membership application in addition to the application fee and shall not be prorated.

SECTION 2

FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year shall be the calendar year from January 1 to December 31.

SECTION 3

GRANTS
Any grant or financial aid received shall be handled within the terms of the grant.  No grant or financial aid will be accepted that is not compatible with the goals and purposes of the IASIU.

SECTION 4

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
IASIU is organized and shall be operated for charitable and/or educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501 (c) (6) of the Internal Revenue Code.

ARTICLE VII

AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1

REQUIREMENTS
A. Amendments for this Constitution and Bylaws may be proposed at any quarterly Board of Directors’ meeting or in writing, if outside the regularly scheduled meetings. If approved by the Board with a two-thirds vote, the proposed amendment shall be sent to the membership through an IASIU publication allowing at least 30 days for review. Following the review period, a vote shall be disseminated to the regular membership requiring: 

1. a two-thirds vote of the responding regular members to pass; and 
2. a form consistent and without conflict with the remainder of the Constitution and 
   Bylaws of IASIU. 

B. Regular members shall vote in a manner designated by the Board of Directors.  
 
C. All ballots must have the regular voting member’s name, member ID number, address and phone number, and must be returned in the form designated by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VIII

CHAPTERS

SECTION 1

APPLICATION
A. Upon written petition signed by at least 10 regular members, the Board may authorize the formation of a chapter of the Association in any geographic area, to perform such functions and to exercise such rights and powers as the Board may determine to be consistent with the Constitution, Bylaws, and Purpose of IASIU. 

B. Upon written petition signed by at least 10 members and endorsed by an existing IASIU member, the Board may authorize the formation of a chapter of IASIU outside the United States to perform such functions and to exercise such rights and powers as the Board may determine to be consistent with the Constitution, Bylaws and Purpose of IASIU. 
 
C. Rules or regulations for the control, guidance, or continuance of such chapter may be enforced, fixed, or changed by two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors of the IASIU. 
 
D. All chapter members must qualify and maintain a membership to IASIU, with the exception of sworn local law enforcement and fire personnel who shall be eligible for membership in the chapters without IASIU membership.
 
E. Chapters must be reapproved by the International’s Board of Directors on an annual basis. 

SECTION 2

ANNUAL REPORT
A. Chapters must submit  an Annual Report,  within 30 days  of  the  local  chapter’s annual meeting during which Officers and Directors of the chapter are elected.   
 
B. The  Annual Report  of the  local chapter  shall  be  electronically mailed to the chapter’s Committee Chair and the IASIU Executive Director. 
 
C. Failure to submit the Annual Report within 30 days of the local chapter’s annual meeting may result in the suspension and/or the revocation of the local chapter charter.

SECTION 3

REQUIREMENTS
Within 30 days of the local chapter’s annual meeting, the following shall be required to be 
submitted to the IASIU Board of Directors: 

• Minutes of the local chapter annual meeting 
• Changes to the Constitution and Bylaws 
• Current list of Officers, Directors, and members
  

SECTION 4

INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL STATUS
A. The Directors, Officers, and members of the local chapters are responsible for the financial affairs of their chapter. 
 
B. The IASIU Board of Directors shall not review and/or audit the finances of any chapter without cause. 
 
C. The IASIU Board of Directors shall not provide legal fees or insurance coverage, of any type, for the local chapters. 

SECTION 5

TAX-EXEMPT STATUS
A. The local chapters are not permitted to use the Federal Tax Exemption Number of IASIU.

SECTION 6

INDEMNIFICATION
A. IASIU shall not indemnify or hold harmless the local chapter for any negligence or breach of contract. 

B. The local chapters are required to indemnify and hold harmless IASIU for all claims, causes of action, demands, or costs arising directly or indirectly from the negligence or breach of any local chapter, or its Officers or Directors. 

C. The local chapter shall be required to submit a Hold Harmless Agreement in a form approved by the IASIU Board of Directors each year at the time the annual report is submitted.

SECTION 7

AUTHORITY TO BIND THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION
IASIU does not grant any implied, express, or apparent authority or permission to the local chapters to bind the International Organization in any way, shape, or form. 

SECTION 8

CHAPTER SUPPORT
A. IASIU may, upon a two-thirds vote, grant financial support to a local chapter treasury in an amount determined by the IASIU Board of Directors to defray expenses involved with establishing a chapter of IASIU. This amount shall be fixed according to the number of members in the local chapter.   

B. If requested, IASIU can collect and distribute dues on behalf of a local chapter. No fees shall be payable by the local chapter to IASIU for this service; however, IASIU may require the benefiting chapters align their membership calendar with IASIU. 

ARTICLE IX

COMMITTEES AND APPOINTMENTS

SECTION 1

COMMITTEES
A. The following shall be committees of IASIU:  

1. Membership  
   
2. Education & Certification  
   
3. Constitution & Bylaws  
   
4. Ethics   
   
5. Editorial
   
6. Laws & Legislation
   
7. Conference & Sponsorship
8. Awards
   
9. Elections
10. Website & Communications 
11. Organizational Improvement 

B. The Board of Directors may, by majority vote, modify committees as deemed necessary to the operation of IASIU. 

SECTION 2

APPOINTMENTS
A. The President shall appoint an IASIU member as chairperson for each of the committees to serve for one year. 
 
B. Each committee shall consist of the chairperson and a minimum of two members of IASIU. 
 
C. The chairperson of the committee may appoint any member to the committee for a period of one year. The chairperson shall provide to the Board of Directors the names of the members appointed to their committee. 
 
D. The chairperson may be removed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. 

SECTION 3

SPECIAL COMMITTEES
A. The President or Board of Directors, by majority vote, may appoint a Special Committee, as needed. 
 
B. The  Special Committee  shall dissolve at the conclusion of their assigned project and/or assignment or upon majority vote of the Board of Directors. 
 
C. The  Special Committee  shall consist  of a  chairperson  appointed by the  President or Board of Directors, by majority vote, and a minimum of two members of IASIU. 
 
D. The chairperson shall provide to the Board of Directors the names of the members appointed to their Special Committee. 

SECTION 4

POWERS
A. All committee members serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors. 
 
B. The committees shall have the power to act on behalf of IASIU upon majority approval of the Board of Directors. 
 
C. No committee shall be empowered to enter into and/or execute contracts or incur any debt without the written approval of the Board of Directors. 
 
D. The committee chairperson may remove any member of their committee for neglect of duty.  

ARTICLE X

PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

SECTION 1

APPLICATION OF RULES
The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern meetings as long as there is no conflict with the Bylaws, rules of order, or other rules of IASIU.

(Revised September, 2002)
(Revised September, 2004)
(Revised September, 2005)
(Revised December, 2007)
(Revised September, 2009)
(Revised May, 2012)
(Revised March, 2013)
(Revised September, 2014)
(Revised September, 2015)
(Revised April, 2019)
(Revised August 2020)
(Revised May 2023)