EXHIBIT (2)(b)


                              ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT

     FIRST: On April 21, 2005, the Board of Trustees of each of the closed-end
funds listed in Exhibit A hereto (each a "Fund"), pursuant to the provisions of
Section 6.1 of the By-Laws of each Fund, authorized an amendment to each Fund's
By-Laws to allow for certain telephone and electronic voting of proxies.

     SECOND: Pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.1 of the By-Laws, the
following amendments to the By-Laws have been duly adopted and approved by a
majority of the Trustees of the Fund.

     Section 1.2 of each Fund's By-Laws is hereby amended to add the following
sentence at the end of such Section 1.2:

The placing of a shareholder's name on a proxy pursuant to telephone 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.