EX-3.1 2 d72122_ex3-1.htm AMENDED BY-LAWS

Exhibit 3.1

EXHIBIT A

Quality Systems, Inc.

 

Corporate Governance Provisions

(as made part of Bylaws)

 

1.

At least a majority of the members of the board of directors (the “Board”) shall be independent directors as defined below.

An “independent director” means a person other than an executive officer or employee of the Company or any other individual having a relationship which, in the opinion of the Board, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. The following persons shall not be considered independent:

 

(a)

a director who is, or at any time during the past three years was, employed by the Company;

 

 

(b)

a director who accepted or who has a family member who accepted any compensation from the Company in excess of $100,000 during any period of twelve consecutive months within the three years preceding the determination of independence, other than the following:

(i) compensation for Board or Board committee service;

(ii) compensation paid to a family member who is an employee (other than an executive officer) of the Company; or

(iii) benefits under a tax-qualified retirement plan, or non-discretionary compensation.

 

Provided, however, that in addition to the requirements contained in this paragraph (b), audit committee members are also subject to additional, more stringent requirements under Nasdaq Rule 4350(d).

 

 

(c)

a director who is a family member of an individual who is, or at any time during the past three years was, employed by the Company as an executive officer;

 

 

(d)

a director who is, or has a family member who is, a partner in, or a controlling shareholder or an executive officer of, any organization to which the Company made, or from which the Company received, payments for property or services in the current or any of the past three fiscal years that exceed 5% of the recipient’s consolidated gross revenues for that year, or $200,000, whichever is more, other than the following:

(i) payments arising solely from investments in the Company’s securities; or

(ii) payments under non-discretionary charitable contribution matching programs.

 



 

(e)

a director of the Company who is, or has a family member who is, employed as an executive officer of another entity where at any time during the past three years any of the executive officers of the Company served on the compensation committee of such other entity; or

 

(f)

a director who is, or has a family member who is, a current partner of the Company’s outside auditor, or was a partner or employee of the Company’s outside auditor who worked on the Company’s audit at any time during any of the past three years.

A “family member” for these purposes means a person’s spouse, parents, children and siblings, whether by blood, marriage or adoption, or anyone residing in such person’s home.

2.

There shall be an Audit Committee of the Board, composed entirely of independent directors, which shall oversee the Company’s financial reporting process and internal controls, review compliance with laws and accounting standards, recommend the appointment of public accountants, and provide a direct channel of communication to the Board for public accountants, internal auditors and finance officers. The Audit Committee shall be responsible for reviewing all related-party transactions involving the Company.

3.

There shall be a Nominating Committee of the Board, composed entirely of independent directors, which shall be responsible for the evaluation and nomination of Board members.

4.

There shall be a Compensation Committee of the Board, composed entirely of independent directors, which shall be responsible for (i) ensuring that senior management will be accountable to the Board through the effective application of compensation policies, and (ii) monitoring the effectiveness of both senior management and the Board (including committees thereof). The Compensation Committee shall establish compensation policies applicable to the Company’s executive officers. A fair summary of such policies and the relationship of corporate performance to executive compensation, including the factors and criteria upon which the Chief Executive Officer’s compensation was based, shall be disclosed to shareholders in the Company’s proxy statement for the annual meeting.

5.

There shall be a Transaction Committee of the Board, composed entirely of independent directors, which shall be responsible for considering and making recommendations to the full Board with respect to all proposals involving (i) a change in control, or (ii) the purchase or sale of assets constituting more than 10% of the Company’s total assets. Additionally, the Transaction Committee shall be responsible for reviewing all transactions or proposed transactions that trigger the Company’s Shareholder Rights Plan, if any.

6.

If at any time the Chairman of the Board shall be an executive officer of the Company, or for any other reason shall not be an independent director, a non-executive Lead Director

 

 

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shall be selected by the independent directors. The Lead Director shall be one of the independent directors, shall be a member of the Audit Committee and of the Executive Committee, if there is such a committee, and shall be responsible for coordinating the activities of the independent directors. He shall assist the Board in assuring compliance with these corporate governance procedures and policies, and shall coordinate, develop the agenda for, and moderate executive sessions of the Board’s independent directors. Such executive sessions shall be held immediately following each regular meeting of the Board, and may be held at other times as designated by the Lead Director. The Lead Director shall approve, in consultation with the other Independent Directors, the retention of consultants who report directly to the Board. If at any time the Chairman of the Board is one of the independent directors, then he or she shall perform the duties of the Lead Director.

7.

The foregoing provisions are adopted as part of the Bylaws of the Company and cannot be amended or repealed without either (a) approval by the shareholders of the Company, or (b) approval by a two-thirds majority of all the authorized number of directors of the Company including two-thirds of the independent directors. Any inconsistent provisions of the Bylaws are hereby modified to be consistent with these provisions. The foregoing provisions, insofar as they establish eligibility to serve as a director or as a committee member, shall not have the effect of removing any director or committee member from office but shall be given effect at the next election of directors and the next selection of committee members, as the case may be. The foregoing provisions shall not be construed to limit or restrict the effective exercise of statutory cumulative voting rights by any shareholder, but the Nominating Committee shall not nominate candidates for election to the Board except as may be consistent with such provisions, and no corporate funds may be expended for the solicitation of proxies which are inconsistent with the foregoing provisions.

 

 

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