EX-3.4 3 exh3-4.htm AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS OF THE COMPANY August 27, 2008 8K Exhibit 3.4

Section 6. Advance Notice Procedures

  1.  Advance Notice of Stockholder Business.
  2. At an annual meeting of the stockholders, only such business shall be conducted as shall have been properly brought before the meeting. To be properly brought before an annual meeting, business must be brought: (i) pursuant to the Corporation's proxy materials with respect to such meeting, (ii) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, or (iii) by a stockholder of the Corporation who (1) is a stockholder of record at the time of the giving of the notice provided for in these Bylaws and on the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote at the annual meeting and (2) has timely complied in proper written form with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 6(a). In addition, for business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder, such business must be a proper matter for stockholder action pursuant to these Bylaws and applicable law. For the avoidance of doubt, clause (iii) above shall be the exclusive means for a stockholder to bring business before an annual meeting of stockholders.

    1. To comply with clause (iii) of Section 6(a) above, a stockholder's notice must set forth all information required under this Section 6(a) and must be timely received by the Secretary of the Corporation. To be timely, a stockholder's notice must be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the 45th day nor earlier than the 75th day before the one-year anniversary of the date on which the Corporation first mailed its proxy materials or a notice of availability of proxy materials (whichever is earlier) for the preceding year's annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event that no annual meeting was held in the previous year or if the date of the annual meeting is advanced by more than 30 days prior to or delayed by more than 60 days after the one-year anniversary of the date of the previous year's annual meeting, then notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so received by the Secretary not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of (i) the 90th day prior to such annual meeting, or (ii) the tenth day following the day on which Public Announcement (as defined below) of the date of such annual meeting is first made. In no event shall any adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting or the announcement thereof commence a new time period for the giving of a stockholder's notice as described in this Section 6(a)(1). "Public Announcement" shall mean disclosure in a press release reported by the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press or a comparable national news service or in a document publicly filed by the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any successor thereto (the "1934 Act").
    2. To be in proper written form, a stockholder's notice to the Secretary must set forth as to each matter of business the stockholder intends to bring before the annual meeting: (i) a brief description of the business intended to be brought before the annual meeting and the reasons for conducting such business at the annual meeting, (ii) the name and address, as they appear on the Corporation's books, of the stockholder

      proposing such business and any Stockholder Associated Person (as defined below), (iii) the class and number of shares of the Corporation that are held of record or are beneficially owned by the stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person and any derivative positions held or beneficially held by the stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person, (iv) whether and the extent to which any hedging or other transaction or series of transactions has been entered into by or on behalf of such stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person with respect to any securities of the Corporation, and a description of any other agreement, arrangement or understanding (including any short position or any borrowing or lending of shares), the effect or intent of which is to mitigate loss to or manage risk or benefit from share price changes for, or to increase or decrease the voting power of, such stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person with respect to any securities of the Corporation, (v) any material interest of the stockholder or a Stockholder Associated Person in such business and (vi) a statement whether either such stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person will deliver a proxy statement and form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Corporation's voting shares required under applicable law to carry the proposal (such information provided and statements made as required by clauses (i) through (vi), a "Business Solicitation Statement"). In addition, to be in proper written form, a stockholder's notice to the Secretary must be supplemented not later than ten days following the record date to disclose the information contained in clauses (iii) and (iv) above as of the record date. For purposes of this Section 6, a "Stockholder Associated Person" of any stockholder shall mean (1) any person controlling, directly or indirectly, or acting in concert with, such stockholder, (2) any beneficial owner of shares of stock of the Corporation owned of record or beneficially by such stockholder and on whose behalf the proposal or nomination, as the case may be, is being made (3) any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with such person referred to in the preceding clauses (1) and (2).

    1. Without exception, no business shall be conducted at any annual meeting except in accordance with the provisions set forth in this Section 6(a) and, if applicable, Section 6(b). In addition, business proposed to be brought by a stockholder may not be brought before the annual meeting if such stockholder or a Stockholder Associated Person, as applicable, takes action contrary to the representations made in the Business Solicitation Statement applicable to such business or if the Business Solicitation Statement applicable to such business contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. The chairman of the annual meeting shall, if the facts warrant, determine and declare at the annual meeting that business was not properly brought before the annual meeting and in accordance with the provisions of this Section 6(a), and, if the chairman should so determine, he or she shall so declare at the annual meeting that any such business not properly brought before the annual meeting shall not be conducted.

  1.  Advance Notice of Director Nominations at Annual Meetings.
  2. Notwithstanding anything in these Bylaws to the contrary, only persons who are nominated in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 6(b) shall be eligible for election or re-election as directors at an annual meeting of stockholders.


    Nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors of the Corporation shall be made at an annual meeting of stockholders only (i) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or (ii) by a stockholder of the Corporation who (1) was a stockholder of record at the time of the giving of the notice provided for in these bylaws and on the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote at the annual meeting and (2) has complied with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 6(b). In addition to any other applicable requirements, for a nomination to be made by a stockholder, the stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in proper written form to the Secretary of the Corporation.

    1. To comply with clause (ii) of Section 6(b) above, a nomination to be made by a stockholder must set forth all information required under this Section 6(b) and must be received by the Secretary of the Corporation at the principal executive offices of the Corporation at the time and in accordance with the final three sentences of Section 6(a)(1) above.
    2. To be in proper written form, such stockholder's notice to the Secretary must set forth:
      1. as to each person (a "nominee") whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election or re-election as a director: (i) the name, age, business address and residence address of the nominee, (ii) the principal occupation or employment of the nominee, (iii) the class and number of shares of the Corporation that are held of record or are beneficially owned by the nominee and any derivative positions held or beneficially held by the nominee, (iv) whether and the extent to which any hedging or other transaction or series of transactions has been entered into by or on behalf of the nominee with respect to any securities of the Corporation, and a description of any other agreement, arrangement or understanding (including any short position or any borrowing or lending of shares), the effect or intent of which is to mitigate loss to or manage risk or benefit of share price changes for, or to increase or decrease the voting power of the nominee, (v) a description of all arrangements or understandings between the stockholder and each nominee and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the nominations are to be made by the stockholder, (vi) a written statement executed by the nominee acknowledging that as a director of the Corporation, the nominee will owe a fiduciary duty under Delaware law with respect to the Corporation and its stockholders, and (vii) any other information relating to the nominee that would be required to be disclosed about such nominee if proxies were being solicited for the election of the nominee as a director, or that is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A under the 1934 Act (including without limitation the nominee's written consent to being named in the proxy statement, if any, as a nominee and to serving as a director if elected); and
      2. as to such stockholder giving notice, (i) the information required to be provided pursuant to clauses (ii) through (v) of Section 6(a)(2) above, and the supplement referenced in the second sentence of Section 6(a)(2) above (except that the references to "business" in such clauses shall instead refer to nominations of directors for purposes of this paragraph), and (ii) a statement whether either such stockholder or

        Stockholder Associated Person will deliver a proxy statement and form of proxy to holders of a number of the Corporation's voting shares reasonably believed by such stockholder or Stockholder Associated Person to be necessary to elect such nominee(s) (such information provided and statements made as required by clauses (i) and (ii) above, a "Nominee Solicitation Statement").

    1. At the request of the Board of Directors, any person nominated by a stockholder for election as a director must furnish to the Secretary of the Corporation (i) that information required to be set forth in the stockholder's notice of nomination of such person as a director as of a date subsequent to the date on which the notice of such person's nomination was given and (ii) such other information as may reasonably be required by the Corporation to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as an independent director of the Corporation or that could be material to a reasonable stockholder's understanding of the independence, or lack thereof, of such nominee; in the absence of the furnishing of such information if requested, such stockholder's nomination shall not be considered in proper form pursuant to this Section 6(b).
    2. Without exception, no person shall be eligible for election or re-election as a director of the Corporation at an annual meeting of stockholders unless nominated in accordance with the provisions set forth in this Section 6(b). In addition, a nominee shall not be eligible for election or re-election if a stockholder or Stockholder Associated Person, as applicable, takes action contrary to the representations made in the Nominee Solicitation Statement applicable to such nominee or if the Nominee Solicitation Statement applicable to such nominee contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. The chairman of the annual meeting shall, if the facts warrant, determine and declare at the annual meeting that a nomination was not made in accordance with the provisions prescribed by these bylaws, and if the chairman should so determine, he or she shall so declare at the annual meeting, and the defective nomination shall be disregarded.

  1.  Advance Notice of Director Nominations for Special Meetings.
    1. For a special meeting of stockholders at which directors are to be elected pursuant to Section 7, nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors shall be made only (i) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or (ii) by any stockholder of the Corporation who (A) is a stockholder of record at the time of the giving of the notice provided for in these bylaws and on the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote at the special meeting and (B) delivers a timely written notice of the nomination to the Secretary of the Corporation that includes the information set forth in Sections 6(b)(2) and (3) above. To be timely, such notice must be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such special meeting or the tenth day following the day on which Public Announcement is first made of the date of the special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the Board of Directors to be elected at such meeting. A person shall not be eligible for election or re-election as a director at a special meeting unless the person is nominated (i) by or at the direction of

      the Board of Directors or (ii) by a stockholder in accordance with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 6(c). In addition, a nominee shall not be eligible for election or re-election if a stockholder or Stockholder Associated Person, as applicable, takes action contrary to the representations made in the Nominee Solicitation Statement applicable to such nominee or if the Nominee Solicitation Statement applicable to such nominee contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

    1. The chairman of the special meeting shall, if the facts warrant, determine and declare at the meeting that a nomination or business was not made in accordance with the procedures prescribed by these bylaws, and if the chairman should so determine, he or she shall so declare at the meeting, and the defective nomination or business shall be disregarded.

  1.  Other Requirements and Rights.
  2. In addition to the foregoing provisions of this Section 6, a stockholder must also comply with all applicable requirements of state law and of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth in this Section 6, including, with respect to business such stockholder intends to bring before the annual meeting that involves a proposal that such stockholder requests to be included in the Corporation's proxy statement, the requirements of Rule 14a-8 (or any successor provision) under the 1934 Act. Nothing in this Section 6 shall be deemed to affect any right of the Corporation to omit a proposal from the Corporation's proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 (or any successor provision) under the 1934 Act.

Section 7. Special Meetings.

  1.  A special meeting of the stockholders, other than those required by statute, may be called at any time by the Board of Directors acting pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the Whole Board, but a special meeting may not be called by any other person or persons. For purposes of these bylaws, the term "Whole Board" shall mean the total number of authorized directors whether or not there exist any vacancies in previously authorized directorships. The Board of Directors acting pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the Whole Board may cancel, postpone or reschedule any previously scheduled special meeting at any time, before or after the notice for such meeting has been sent to the stockholders.

  2.  The notice of a special meeting shall include the purpose for which the meeting is called. Only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of stockholders as shall have been brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the Whole Board. Nothing contained in this Section 7(b) shall be construed as limiting, fixing, or affecting the time when a meeting of stockholders called by action of the Board of Directors may be held.