Memorandum: 2011 Call for Resolutions
To: NCIL Members
From: Kelly Buckland, Executive Director
Re: Call for Resolutions
Date: April 4, 2011
This is a call for resolutions to be presented to the NCIL Membership at the Annual Council Meeting. This will be the only call for resolutions to be presented for the 2011 NCIL Annual Council meeting. The Annual Council Meeting will be held Saturday, July 16, 2011 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC. A guide to writing a resolution is enclosed.
Annual Council Meeting Resolutions:
The purpose of resolutions is for members to be able to directly legislate what NCIL does and what NCIL stands for. The President will appoint a resolution task force to review all resolutions. Resolutions will be reviewed to determine what impact the resolution’s proposed actions would have on each of the following five areas: mission, resources, guiding principles and legislative & advocacy priorities, legal implications and budget impact. Those who submit resolutions are strongly encouraged to attend the Annual Council meeting.
The resolution task force will provide the NCIL board with a one-page summary of the resolution and the potential impact in each area. The NCIL board will make a recommendation to the membership to accept or reject the resolution. The recommendation will be in writing with a brief statement explaining the rationale for the board’s recommendation. All resolutions, including a brief statement with the board’s recommendation, will be included in the Annual Council meeting packet.
All resolutions must be received no later than Friday, May 20, 2011. No resolutions received after May 20 will be accepted. If you have any questions, please contact ncil@ncil.org.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Kelly Buckland, Executive Director
National Council on Independent Living
Guide to Resolution Writing
Developed by: Maris Burton
A resolution, according to Robert’s Rules of Order 1990 9th Edition, is a motion that is so lengthy, important or complex that it is offered in writing. A resolution consists of three parts: the heading, the preamble, and the operative clause.
The heading contains where the resolution was introduced, the subject or topic of the resolution and who the sponsor(s) of the resolution is / are.
The preamble is used to give a brief history or background of the problem or issue that is being addressed. It may cite precedents, agreements, or a specific part of a law. The preamble almost always begins with “Whereas” followed by a comma.
The preamble is followed by the operative clause or clauses. This tells the reader what action the committee should take to solve the problem set up in the preamble. This should be the strongest part of the resolution.
An example of the resolution format:
Whereas, The… [text of first preamble clause];
Whereas,… [text of the next to last preamble clause]; and
Whereas,… [text of last preamble clause];
Be it Therefore Resolved,… That [stating action to be taken];
Resolved, That… [stating further action to be taken]
As stated in Robert’s rules ”There are several variations on this format, however all formats must have a heading, preamble clause(s) and operative clause(s). The preamble is one long sentence without any periods. Each paragraph closes with a semicolon, after which a connecting expression such as ‘therefore”, or “therefore, be it”, or “now, therefore, be it” is sometimes added. When one of these phrases is included, no punctuation should follow it, and it should always be placed at the end of the preamble paragraph, never at the beginning of the resolving paragraph, thus:
Whereas, The…..[text of preamble]; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That…[state action to be taken].”
Remember to focus your energy on the action you want taken (operative clause), not the background information (preamble).