Sec. 1. (a) The Board shall be the governing body of the Corporation and, except as otherwise provided by applicable law, the Restated Certificate of Incorporation, or these By-Laws, shall be vested with all powers necessary for the management and administration of the affairs of the Corporation and the promotion of the Corporation's welfare, objects, and purposes. In the exercise of such powers, the Board shall have the authority to:
(i) adopt for submission to the membership, as hereinafter provided, such By-Laws and changes or additions thereto as it deems necessary or appropriate;
(ii) adopt such other Rules of the Corporation and changes or additions thereto as it deems necessary or appropriate, provided, however, that the Board may at its option submit to the membership any such adoption, change, or addition to such Rules;
(iii) make such regulations, issue such orders, resolutions, exemptions, interpretations, including interpretations of these By-Laws and the Rules of the Corporation, and directions, and make such decisions as it deems necessary or appropriate;
(iv) prescribe rules for the required or voluntary arbitration of controversies between members and between members and customers or others as it shall deem necessary or appropriate;
(v) establish rules and procedures to be followed by members in connection with the distribution of securities issued by members and affiliates thereof;
(vi) require all over-the-counter transactions in securities between members, other than transactions in exempted securities as defined in Section 3(a)(12) of the Act, to be cleared and settled through the facilities of a clearing agency registered with the Commission pursuant to the Act, which clears and settles such over-the-counter transactions in securities;
(vii) organize and operate automated systems to provide qualified subscribers with securities information and automated services. The systems may be organized and operated by a division or subsidiary company of the Corporation or by one or more independent firms under contract with the Corporation as the Board may deem necessary or appropriate. The Board may adopt rules for such automated systems, establish reasonable qualifications and classifications for members and other subscribers, provide qualification standards for securities included in such systems, require members to report promptly information in connection with securities included in such systems, and establish charges to be collected from subscribers and others;
(viii) require the prompt reporting by members of such original and supplementary trade data as the Board deems appropriate. Such reporting requirements may be administered by the Corporation, a division or subsidiary thereof, or a clearing agency registered under the Act; and
(ix) engage in any activities or conduct necessary or appropriate to carry out the Corporation's purposes under its Restated Certificate of Incorporation and the federal securities laws.
(b) In the event of the refusal, failure, neglect, or inability of any Governor to discharge such Governor's duties, or for any cause affecting the best interests of the Corporation the sufficiency of which the Board shall be the sole judge, the Board shall have the power, by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Governors then in office, to remove such Governor and declare such Governor's position vacant and that, subject to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation, such position shall be filled in accordance with these By-Laws; provided, that during the Transitional Period, (i) a Governor that is a member of the NYSE Group Committee may only be removed by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Governors who are members of the NYSE Group Committee and (ii) a Governor that is a member of the NASD Group Committee may only be removed by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Governors who are members of the NASD Group Committee.
(c) To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Restated Certificate of Incorporation, and these By-Laws, the Corporation may delegate any power of the Corporation or the Board to a committee appointed pursuant to [Article IX, Section 1], the NASD Regulation Board, the NASD Dispute Resolution Board, or the Corporation's staff in a manner not inconsistent with the Delegation Plan; provided, that during the Transitional Period, no such delegation shall occur without the prior affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Governors then in office.
