The National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference is a little over a month away – February 29 – March 4 – and the deadline to submit interim policy resolutions is next Wednesday, January 29.

From NACo’s website:

The NACo resolutions process provides members with the ability to participate in national policy decisions affecting county governments. During the Legislative Conference, NACo’s ten policy steering committees and Board of Directors consider legislative and policy resolutions that will guide NACo advocacy until the NACo Annual Conference in July 2020.

Interim policy resolutions provide an opportunity for members to address policy issues at the Legislative Conference that were not discussed at the previous Annual Conference. Interim resolutions may not overturn existing policy resolutions, and will expire at the 2020 Annual Conference in Orange County/Orlando, Fla.

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 Congress, the White House and federal agencies. Please refer to the comprehensive overview of NACo’s policy resolution process here.

Resolutions should be concise and no more than one page in length. The standard format includes:

• • Issue: Short sentence stating the purpose of the resolution and how the issue impacts counties
  • 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. It is important to include contact information so that the NACo staff can follow up if there are any questions or additional information required

All resolutions and platform changes must be submitted electronically (preferably as a Word document) via email to resolutions@naco.org by January 29, 2020. Submissions MUST identify the title and issue area in the email subject line (e.g. Social Services Block Grant, Human Services and Education).

Additional information on how to format and submit resolutions, including a sample resolution, can be found on NACo’s website.