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THE 2016 NACo RESOLUTIONS PROCESS HAS BEGUN! 
Don’t forget to Register for the NACo 2016 Annual Conference

In preparation for the National Association of Counties (NACo) 2016 Annual Conference and Exposition, July 22-25 in Los Angeles County/Long Beach, California, we invite NACo members to submit policy resolutions and platform changes to be considered at the conference.

The NACo policy process provides members with the ability to participate in national decisions affecting county governments by proposing changes to NACo’s platform or policy resolutions that, if approved, will guide NACo advocacy for the next year.

Resolutions and platform changes submitted through this process will be considered during the Annual Conference by one of NACo’s 10 policy steering committees, Board of Directors and full membership at NACo’s Annual Business Meeting. 
 
The American County Platform and the association’s policy resolutions are carefully considered statements of the needs and interests of county governments throughout the nation. These policy statements serve as a guide for NACo members and staff to advance the association’s federal policy agenda before the White House, Congress and federal agencies. 

Please refer to the overview of NACo’s policy resolution process here.

NEW: HOW TO SUBMIT AND FORMAT PLATFORM CHANGES AND RESOLUTIONS

Please work with the appropriate steering committee staff liaison to adhere to the following guidelines:

All resolutions and platform changes must be submitted online through NACo’s NEW Resolutions Submission Portal by June 22.

Resolutions should be concise and no more than one page in length. Click here for a sample resolution. The standard format includes:
  • Issue: Short sentence stating the purpose of the resolution
  • Proposed Policy: Concise statement specifying a position or action by NACo and/or other entities
  • Background: 1-2 paragraph statement clearly outlining the county interest in the particular issue
  • Fiscal/Urban/Rural Impact: Short statement addressing the potential impact(s) for counties in the specific issue area
  • Sponsor: Name and contact information of NACo member sponsoring the resolution is important to include, particularly if there are questions or additional information is required
  • Cosponsor(s): Name and contact information of cosponsor(s) if applicable

IMPORTANT REMINDER: If you plan to submit a policy resolution or platform change, you (or a designated representative) must appear in person at the designated steering committee meeting at the 2016 Annual Conference to introduce and explain the resolution.

EMERGENCY RESOLUTIONS

Steering committees may also consider other resolutions that were not submitted within the 30-day period prior to the Annual Conference. However, these federal legislative or regulatory matters should be urgent in nature, meaning they could not have been foreseen 30 days prior to the conference.

Steering committees receiving emergency resolutions may only consider them if two-thirds of the steering committee members present vote to review them. This vote, as well as the vote resulting in the adoption or defeat of the actual resolution, must be tallied and reported at the conclusion of all steering committee meetings.

QUESTIONS

Please contact NACo’s Legislative Director Deborah Cox at dcox@naco.org or the appropriate steering committee liaison with additional questions or concerns. Click here to see NACo’s Legislative Department staff contact list.

You may also refer to the overview of NACo’s policy resolution process here.