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EXHIBIT (b)(1)
Retyped: 10/12/90
Amended: Section 2.5 10/12/90
Amended: Section 8 12/13/91
Amended: Section 11 10/09/92
Amended: Section 3.1, Paragraph 2 02/16/96
BY-LAWS
OF
COLONIAL HIGH INCOME MUNICIPAL TRUST
Section 1
Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Principal Office
1.1 Agreement and Declaration of Trust. These By-Laws shall be subject to the
Agreement and Declaration of Trust, as from time to time in effect (the
"Declaration of Trust"), of Colonial High Income Municipal Trust, a
Massachusetts business Trust established by the Declaration of Trust (the
"Trust").
1.2 Principal Office of the Trust. The principal office of the Trust shall be
located in Boston, Massachusetts.
Section 2
Shareholders
2.1 Shareholder Meetings. The annual meeting of the shareholders of the Trust
shall be held between April 1 and May 31 in each year, beginning in 1990, on a
date and at a time within that period set by the Trustees. A special meeting of
the shareholders of the Trust may be called at any time by the Trustees, by the
president or, if the Trustees and the president shall fail to call any meeting
of shareholders for a period of 30 days after written application of one or more
shareholders who hold at least 10% of all outstanding shares of the Trust, then
such shareholders may call such meeting. Each call of a meeting shall state the
place, date, hour and purposes of the meeting.
2.2 Place of Meetings. All meetings of the shareholders shall be held at the
principal office of the Trust, or, to the extent permitted by the Declaration of
Trust, at such other place within the United States as shall be designated by
the Trustees or the president of the Trust.
2.3 Notice of Meetings. A written notice of each meeting of shareholders,
stating the place, date and hour and the purposes of the meeting, shall be given
at least seven days before the meeting to each shareholder entitled to vote
thereat by leaving such notice with him or at his residence or usual place of
business or by mailing it, postage prepaid, and addressed to such shareholder at
his address as it appears in the records of the Trust. Such notice shall be
given by the secretary or an assistant secretary or by an officer designated by
the Trustees. No notice of any meeting of shareholders need be given to a
shareholder if a written waiver of notice, executed before or after the meeting
by such shareholder or his attorney thereunto duly authorized, is filed with the
records of the meeting.
2.4 Ballots. No ballot shall be required for any election unless requested by a
shareholder present or represented at the meeting and entitled to vote in the
election.
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2.5 Proxies. Shareholders entitled to vote may vote either in person or by proxy
in writing dated not more than six months before the meeting named therein,
which proxies shall be filed with the secretary or other person responsible to
record the proceedings of the meeting before being voted. Unless otherwise
specifically limited by their terms, such proxies shall entitle the holders
thereof to vote at any adjournment of such meeting but shall not be valid after
the final adjournment of such meeting. The placing of a shareholder's name on a
proxy pursuant to telephonic or electronically transmitted instructions obtained
pursuant to procedures reasonably designed to verify that such instructions have
been authorized by such shareholder shall constitute execution of such proxy by
or on behalf of such shareholder.
Section 3
Trustees
3.1 Committees and Advisory Board. The Trustees may appoint from their number an
executive committee and other committees. Except as the Trustees may otherwise
determine, any such committee may make rules for conduct of its business. The
Trustees may appoint an advisory board to consist of not less than two nor more
than five members. The members of the advisory board shall be compensated in
such manner as the Trustees may determine and shall confer with and advise the
Trustees regarding the investments and other affairs of the Trust. Each member
of the advisory board shall hold office until the first meeting of the Trustees
following the next meeting of the shareholders and until his successor is
elected and qualified, or until he sooner dies, resigns, is removed, or becomes
disqualified, or until the advisory board is sooner abolished by the Trustees.
In addition, the Trustees may appoint a Dividend Committee of not less
than three persons, who may (but need not) be Trustees.
No special compensation shall be payable to members of the Dividend
Committee. Each member of the Dividend Committee will hold office until his or
her successor is elected and qualified or until the member dies, resigns, is
removed, becomes disqualified or until the Committee is abolished by the
Trustees.
3.2 Regular Meetings. Regular meetings of the Trustees may be held without call
or notice at such places and at such times as the Trustees may from time to time
determine, provided that notice of the first regular meeting following any such
determination shall be given to absent Trustees.
3.3 Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Trustees may be held at any time
and at any place designated in the call of the meeting, when called by the
president or the treasurer or by two or more Trustees, sufficient notice thereof
being given to each Trustee by the secretary or an assistant secretary or by the
officer or one of the Trustees calling the meeting.
3.4 Notice. It shall be sufficient notice to a Trustee to send notice by mail at
least forty-eight hours or by telegram at least twenty-four hours before the
meeting addressed to the Trustee at his or her usual or last known business or
residence address or to give notice to him or her in person or by telephone at
least twenty-four hours before the meeting. Notice of a meeting need not be
given to any Trustee if a written waiver of notice, executed by him or her
before or after the meeting, is filed with the records of the meeting, or to any
Trustee who attends the meeting without protesting prior thereto or at its
commencement the lack of notice to him or her. Neither notice of a meeting nor a
waiver of a notice need specify the purposes of the meeting.
3.5 Quorum. At any meeting of the Trustees one-third of the Trustees then in
office shall constitute a quorum; provided, however, a quorum shall not be less
than two unless the number of Trustees then in office shall be one. Any meeting
may be adjourned from time to time by a majority of the votes cast upon the
question, whether or not a quorum is present, and the meeting may be held as
adjourned without further notice.
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Section 4
Officers and Agents
4.1 Enumeration; Qualification. The officers of the Trust shall be a president,
a treasurer, a secretary and such other officers, if any, as the Trustees from
time to time may in their discretion elect or appoint or as the elected officers
may appoint pursuant to section 4.3 of these By-Laws. The Trust may also have
such agents, if any, as the Trustees from time to time may in their discretion
appoint. Any officer may be but none need be a Trustee or shareholder. Any two
or more offices may be held by the same person.
4.2 Powers. Subject to the other provisions of these By-Laws, each officer shall
have, in addition to the duties and powers herein and in the Declaration of
Trust set forth, such duties and powers as are commonly incident to his or her
office as if the Trust were organized as a Massachusetts business corporation
and such other duties and powers as the Trustees may from time to time
designate, including without limitation the power to make purchases and sales of
portfolio securities of the Trust pursuant to recommendations of the Trust's
investment adviser in accordance with the policies and objectives of the Trust
set forth in its prospectus and with such general or specific instructions as
the Trustees may from time to time have issued.
4.3 Election. The president, the treasurer and the secretary shall be elected
annually by the Trustees at their first meeting following the annual meeting of
the shareholders. Other elected officers, if any, may be elected or appointed by
the Trustees at said meeting or at any other time. Assistant officers may be
appointed by the elected officers.
4.4 Tenure. The president, the treasurer and the secretary shall hold office
until their respective successors are chosen and qualified, or in each case
until he or she sooner dies, resigns, is removed or becomes disqualified. Each
other officer shall hold office at the pleasure of the Trustees. Each agent
shall retain his or her authority at the pleasure of the Trustees.
4.5 President and Vice Presidents. The president shall be the chief executive
officer of the Trust. The president shall preside at all meetings of the
shareholders and of the Trustees at which he or she is present, except as
otherwise voted by the Trustees. Any vice president shall have such duties and
powers as shall be designated from time to time by the Trustees.
4.6 Treasurer and Controller. The treasurer shall be the chief financial officer
of the Trust and, subject to any arrangement made by the Trustees with a bank or
trust company or other organization as custodian or transfer or shareholder
services agent, shall be in charge of its valuable papers and shall have such
duties and powers as shall be designated from time to time by the Trustees or by
the president. Any assistant treasurer shall have such duties and powers as
shall be designated from time to time by the Trustees.
The Controller shall be the chief accounting officer of the Trust and
shall be in charge of its books of account and accounting records. The
Controller shall be responsible for preparation of financial statements of the
Trust and shall have such other duties and powers as may be designated from time
to time by the Trustees or the President.
4.7 Secretary and Assistant Secretaries. The secretary shall record all
proceedings of the shareholders and the Trustees in books to be kept therefor,
which books shall be kept at the principal office of the Trust. In the absence
of the secretary from any meeting of shareholders or Trustees, an assistant
secretary, or if there be none or he or she is absent, a temporary clerk chosen
at the meeting shall record the proceedings thereof in the aforesaid books.
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Section 5
Resignations and Removals
Any Trustee, officer or advisory board member may resign at any time by
delivering his or her resignation in writing to the president, the treasurer or
the secretary or to a meeting of the Trustees. The Trustees may remove any
officer elected by them with or without cause by the vote of a majority of the
Trustees then in office. Except to the extent expressly provided in a written
agreement with the Trust, no Trustee, officer or advisory board member
resigning, and no officer or advisory board member removed, shall have any right
to any compensation for any period following his or her resignation or removal,
or any right to damages on account of such removal.
Section 6
Vacancies
A vacancy in any office may be filled at any time. Each successor shall
hold office for the unexpired term, and in the case of the president, the
treasurer and the secretary, until his or her successor is chosen and qualified,
or in each case until he or she sooner dies, resigns, is removed or becomes
disqualified.
Section 7
Shares of Beneficial Interest
7.1 Share Certificates. Each shareholder shall be entitled to a certificate
stating the number of shares owned by him or her, in such form as shall be
prescribed from time to time by the Trustees. Such certificate shall be signed
by the president or a vice president and by the treasurer or an assistant
treasurer. Such signatures may be facsimiles if the certificate is signed by a
transfer agent or by a registrar who is not a Trustee, officer or employee of
the Trust. In case any officer who has signed or whose facsimile signature has
been placed on such certificate shall have ceased to be such officer before such
certificate is issued, it may be issued by the Trust with the same effect as if
he or she were such officer at the time of its issue.
In lieu of issuing certificates for shares, the Trustees or the
transfer agent may either issue receipts therefor or may keep accounts upon the
books of the Trust for the record holders of such shares, who shall in either
case be deemed, for all purposes hereunder, to be the holders of certificates
for such shares as if they had accepted such certificates and shall be held to
have expressly assented and agreed to the terms hereof.
7.2 Loss of Certificates. In the case of the alleged loss or destruction or the
mutilation of a share certificate, a duplicate certificate may be issued in
place thereof, upon such terms as the Trustees may prescribe.
7.3 Discontinuance of Issuance of Certificates. The Trustees may at any time
discontinue the issuance of share certificates and may, by written notice to
each shareholder, require the surrender of share certificates to the Trust for
cancellation. Such surrender and cancellation shall not affect the ownership of
shares in the Trust.
Section 8
Record Date and Closing Transfer Books
The Trustees may fix in advance a time, which shall not be more than 90
days before the date of any meeting of shareholders or the date for the payment
of any dividend or making of any other distribution to shareholders, as the
record date for determining the shareholders having the right to notice and to
vote at such meeting and any adjournment thereof or the right to receive such
dividend or
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distribution, and in such case only shareholders of record on such record date
shall have such right, notwithstanding any transfer of shares on the books of
the Trust after the record date; or without fixing such record date the Trustees
may for any of such purposes close the transfer books for all or any part of
such period.
Section 9
Seal
The seal of the Trust shall, subject to alteration by the Trustees,
consist of a flat-faced circular die with the word "Massachusetts" together with
the name of the Trust and the year of its organization, cut or engraved thereon;
but, unless otherwise required by the Trustees, the seal shall not be necessary
to be placed on, and its absence shall not impair the validity of, any document,
instrument or other paper executed and delivered by or on behalf of the Trust.
Section 10
Execution of Papers
Except as the Trustees may generally or in particular cases authorize
the execution thereof in some other manner, all deeds, leases, transfers,
contracts, bonds, notes, checks, drafts and other obligations made, accepted or
endorsed by the Trust shall be signed, and all transfers of securities standing
in the name of the Trust shall be executed, by the president or by one of the
vice presidents or by the treasurer or by whomsoever else shall be designated
for that purpose by the vote of the Trustees and need not bear the seal of the
Trust.
Section 11
Fiscal Year
Except as from time to time otherwise provided by the Trustees,
President, Secretary, Controller or Treasurer, the fiscal year of the Trust
shall end on December 31.
Section 12
Amendments
These By-Laws may be amended or replaced, in whole or in part, by a
majority of the Trustees then in office at any meeting of the Trustees, or by
one or more writings signed by such a majority.
