Update

As we go to press, the 107th Congress, having finished work on only two of the 13 appropriations required to fund the federal government (Defense and Military Construction), and passed yet another continuing resolution (this one to see the rest of the government through the 22 November), has headed home to get in some last-minute campaigning before the off-year elections on 5 November. All of the House and one-third of the Senate is up for re-election this year. Which party will have control of the House and/or Senate is considered too close to call at this point, as is the length of the lame duck session after the election.

The Congress left behind a scene of legislative gridlock that has enmeshed our tax bill and the FY03 NDAA and its concurrent receipt provision (the House leadership did not want to embarrass the president by forcing him to veto the NDAA over the concurrent receipt provision, so it never finished the conference or brought the bill to the floor for approval). There had been progress on the tax bill, and we remain hopeful that we will have good news after the Congress returns 12 November.

Concurrent Receipt. In a move that seems inexplicable except as blatant election-year politics, the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and later the full House Appropriations Committee, approved a provision of the VA-HUD Appropriations bill (HR 5605) that if signed into law, would exclude present and future service members from being able to file new disability claims in the event Congress approves the concurrent receipt language contained in the FY03 NDAA (or presumably any other future legislation). House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) has blocked the House approval process for the NDAA because it contains a provision ending the disability compensation offset to military retirement that the White House has said it will veto if approved by Congress (the Senate is in favor of the plan). With the delay in the process, the president will not be put in the embarrassing position of having to veto the bill before the November election while preparing for action against Iraq. The provision in HR 5605 looks like another verse from the same old sheet of music.

We need to send a strong and unequivocal message to all of the members of the House letting them know in no uncertain terms that this kind of action is totally unacceptable to the military community, particularly in light of the impending action against Iraq.

To send a message to your representative urging him or her to support concurrent receipt, just click on the link below and then scroll down to "Elected Officials," type in your ZIP code and click GO. Highlight "Make Concurrent Receipt a Reality Now," and follow the prompts. Please click on http://capwiz.com/roal/today. Thanks very much for your help and loyalty.

LEGISLATIVE AGENDA-BUILDING SEASON

It's that time of the year again when we ask our members to tell us what's on their minds legislatively. The 107th Congress may be going out like a relative lamb, but you may be sure that the 108th will come in, fresh from the mid-term election, like the proverbial lion. Literally, we put together our legislative agenda as follows: We review our resolutions, which serve as mandates for our work on the Hill.

We ask our members to tell us what's on their minds and what they think needs looking at and remedying.

We ask various officials at the Pentagon to identify critical issues.

We discuss legislative priorities with members of the Military Coalition's Guard and Reserve Committee.

We look at our agenda for the last year or two to see what must still be accomplished (legislative agendas are iterative and, like ice-bergs, move slowly and incrementally).

When we've finished talking, we have the raw material to forge a legislative agenda that we will work during the next Congress. We will prepare fact sheets for the top three or four issues that we will distribute to Mid-Winter Conference attendees who will then visit their congressional representatives while in D.C. Look for these fact sheets on the ROA Web site in advance of Mid-Winter.

Limiting the number of issues we focus on serves us better than presenting a list of 25 issues to discuss. The items that "don't make the cut" are not lost, because we also present a full list to congressional committee staffers who are always looking for good ideas for their bosses' legislative efforts.

It's now your opportunity to influence the action. Send us an e-mail giving us the particulars of your legislative need. A paragraph or two will do, telling us why it needs to be addressed and how to resolve it. The e-mail address is [email protected]. This is your chance to be a player. Make the most of it.

THINGS RESOLUTIONARY

The dearth of legislative issues to mull over this month has provided us with an ideal opportunity to remind our members of the whys and wherefores of our association's resolutions process. As you are aware, ROA's resolutions become our association mandates and the basis for legislative action here on the Hill. The policies and procedures published below lay out the rationale and the directions for moving a good idea through the procedural wickets to final approval by ROA's governing bodies.

POLICY

1. Importance of Resolutions. The general policies of ROA are established by the resolutions adopted as mandates by the national convention, the national council, or the national executive committee. ROA's principal activity is legislative action, and the effectiveness of this program depends to a large degree on the quality of the entire package of current resolutions. Our association is judged by many members of Congress on the quality of its resolutions. The procedure and the process are therefore among the most serious of those governing the association's business.

2. Goals of the Resolutions Process. ROA resolutions should be consistent and comprise a coherent body of policy to guide the national staff. They should support the purpose of the association ("To support and promote the development and execution of a military policy for the United States that will provide adequate national Security."). Resolutions should reflect broad, logical categories to establish a comprehensive legislative thrust for ROA. Repetitious resolutions should be combined. The number of resolutions should be kept to a level consistent with the ability of the staff to work for the implementation of ROA mandates.

3. High-Quality Resolutions. Approved resolutions should be clear, inclusive, accurate and succinct. They should deal with an important and current problem directly related to the purpose of the association--a problem that cannot or has not been resolved using existing laws and policies.

The "Whereas" clauses should be brief, factual and non-inflammatory. They should state the problem broadly and enumerate the sub-elements of the problem. The problem should be stated broadly enough to avoid the need for additional related resolutions. The proposed solution should address the elements of the problem, and have a reasonable chance of being achieved.

The "Resolved" clauses, which should stand on their own, should directly urge a governmental body (for example, the Congress, the president, or the secretary responsible for the branch of service) to enact legislation or establish policy. Extraneous material should be omitted. Bear in mind that the wording of the association's purpose in the national charter is sufficiently broad enough in and of itself to justify most staff legislative actions. Resolutions should highlight specific aspects of critical issues under consideration.

4. Renewal of Resolutions. An ROA resolution should be renewed only if the problem is still important and current and the resolution is needed to back up continuing efforts of the national staff.

5. Internal Governance. Matters concerning the internal management and policies of the association are best addressed through the established governing bodies (the national council, the national executive committee, service sections and committees, and the staff) rather than by resolution. The resolution process should be reserved for external matters falling within the national defense clause of ROA's congressional charter.

6. Efficient and Thorough Resolutions Procedure. The goal of the resolutions procedure is to provide careful consideration of the issues across the spectrum of the ROA membership. Individuals or standing committees at the chapter, department, or national level may draft resolutions. No national ROA resolution is official (and no external publication is authorized) until it has been passed by the national convention, national council, or national executive committee. Each approved chapter resolution must be considered by the department, and each approved department resolution must be considered at the next national council or convention. (Resolutions of purely local application do not require national approval.)

At each stage of consideration, the resolution should be referred to all appropriate committees and/or service sections for comment. At each stage, the acting body should be informed of, and endeavor to follow, the goals and standards set forth above for national resolutions. Written background information and arguments (pro and con) should be attached to the resolution to assist members in understanding the issues involved. The advice and counsel of the national staff concerning proposed resolutions should be taken early in the process to determine the feasibility of achieving the goal of the resolution, as well as the relationship to existing national mandates and legislative efforts. An explanation of each action taken on a resolution should be provided promptly to the originator and intermediate bodies. The national resolutions committee is responsible for developing the final form of resolutions to be presented to the national council or national convention for consideration.

7. Democratic Process. Nothing in this policy statement shall be taken to abridge the right of the membership to adopt resolutions in accordance with the governing instruments of ROA. Instead, this policy statement is intended to improve the quality of our resolutions through education, and with the consent of the membership.

PROCEDURES

1. Background. National resolutions establish the general policies of the Association (Constitution, Article A-6, Section 1). Our resolutions should be of high quality, and encompass the issues we wish our national staff to address. A National Resolutions Policy statement was adopted by the national executive committee on 28 October 2000. This statement of procedures implements that policy.

2. Scope. These procedures apply to national resolutions, that is, those that are proposed for adoption by the national convention, national council, or national executive committee and worked by the national staff. They cover both external and internal ROA resolutions.

Departments, or even chapters, may pass resolutions with purely local impact. Examples: a department supports the establishment of a new veterans' home in the state, or a chapter urges a local school board to establish a JROTC unit. Departments and chapters that pass local resolutions should have resolutions committees that follow procedures similar to those described in this document. Copies of local resolutions must be forwarded to national headquarters, showing the date and manner of adoption. Other than these requirements, these procedures do not apply to local resolutions.

3. Procedural Goals. The goals of the national resolutions procedures are: (a) to achieve a high-quality resolutions package; (b) to ensure careful and thorough consideration of the issues by the spectrum of ROA membership; (c) to inform interested parties as to the status of resolutions; and (d) to provide guidance to the national staff regarding legislative goals and objectives.

4. Planning of Resolutions. Any individual member of ROA may draft a proposed resolution. Before doing so, the member should obtain a copy of the pamphlet "Current Resolutions" from national headquarters, and determine if the matter is adequately covered by an existing mandate. A list of current resolutions is also posted in the legislative section of the ROA Web site (www.roa.org). A phone call or e-mail to a member of the national staff, discussing the subject matter, is always a good idea, and can sometimes save a lot of time and effort. The national staff can provide a copy of the current policies and procedures for national resolutions. These policies and procedures will also be posted on the Web site.

In addition to resolutions drafted by individuals, each ROA committee should make an ongoing study of the current resolutions to determine if the issues and concerns of that committee are covered by existing mandates. If not, these committees should draft appropriate resolutions for national consideration.

5. Consideration of Resolutions. A national resolution may be initiated at the chapter, department, or national level. It should be considered by all appropriate bodies (including committees and service sections) and then by the resolutions committee at each level. The process of consideration may be quite lengthy, involving many ROA bodies, and the proposed resolution is often amended along the way. One or more individuals should be designated spokespersons for the resolution at each level of consideration. Each spokesperson should carry a personal copy of the resolution, in its latest form, with all available background material.

A proposed national resolution passed by a chapter is still a proposed resolution. It must be certified by the chapter secretary and forwarded to the department for consideration in accordance with department rules (which may vary among departments).

A proposed national resolution passed by a department is also still a proposed resolution. It must be certified by the department president or secretary and forwarded to national headquarters to the attention of the legislative counsel. The national staff is responsible for notifying appropriate committee chairmen of proposed resolutions to be considered by their committees. In addition, the spokesperson for a proposed resolution may want to discuss the merits with appropriate ROA national leaders prior to the national meeting.

A proposed national resolution passed by a national committee is also still a proposed resolution. It must be certified by the committee chairman and forwarded to national headquarters (Attention: Legislative Counsel).

The national executive committee, however, may pass resolutions that immediately become national policy mandates. These resolutions are reconsidered, in accordance with these procedures, at the next national meeting (Constitution, Article A-6, Section 1).

Occasionally a proposed resolution may be drafted by members of the national staff in response to an emerging situation in Washington. These resolutions are given to the legislative counsel and considered at the national level in accordance with these procedures.

Finally, each expiring resolution (Constitution, Article A-6, Section 1) is automatically considered by the national resolutions committee for possible renewal. If an expiring resolution needs rewriting, other national committees or service sections may then become involved.

In summary, the only way a national resolution may be considered by ROA is (1) to be passed by a department or by a national committee or service section; (2) to be directly adopted by the national executive committee; (3) to be directly introduced by the national staff for consideration at the national level; or (4) to be a renewal of an expiring resolution. All such resolutions must be considered by the national resolutions committee. In particular, an individual may not move a national resolution directly from the floor at a national meeting, nor bring a resolution personally to the national resolutions committee.

6. Filing of Resolutions. Proposed national resolutions should be filed at national headquarters as soon as possible in order to give national committees adequate time for consideration. All proposed resolutions should be submitted on disk with signature and background material.

The normal route for resolutions requires filing with national headquarters no later than 15 days prior to the national meeting (Constitution, Article A-6, Section 2.). Such a resolution is properly filed. However, departments and national committees are encouraged to send in proposed resolutions within 15 days after passage, if possible. Proposed resolutions that have been previously submitted for consideration and subsequently rejected within the past two years will not be brought forward to the floor by the committee unless it receives compelling evidence of significant circumstantial changes, and the proposed resolution is endorsed by two departments in addition to the submitting department.

7. Time-sensitive Resolutions. To be considered at a national meeting, a resolution that is not properly filed must be "time-sensitive." i.e., immediate action must be necessary (Constitution, Article A-6, Section 3). The national president, acting upon the recommendations of the resolutions committee, and with the advice of the national vice president(s), makes the determination that a resolution is time-sensitive, i.e., must be acted upon immediately and its consideration cannot be deferred until the next national meeting. Time-sensitive resolutions necessarily receive much less thorough and patient consideration than those that are properly filed. Therefore, this process should be used only for true emergencies.

8. National Resolutions Committee Responsibilities and Actions, The national resolutions committee is the clearinghouse for all resolutions, and monitors resolution policies and procedures. Prior to each national meeting, the committee will review the national staff recommendations as to which national committees and service sections should consider each resolution. It is incumbent upon the national resolutions committee to screen all proposed resolutions to ensure that they are germane, national in scope and focus, well written, and are not already adequately covered by current approved resolutions or merely reiterations of previously rejected proposals. The resolutions committee must ensure that the resources of the association and the time of the members at national meetings are not wasted on dealing with frivolous, repetitive, and non-germane proposals that do not support the purposes of the association as delineated in the national charter. The resolutions committee may make additional committee referral s.

After all available input has been considered, the resolutions committee will vote on the proposed resolution, and document its recommendation. The committee will be guided by the national resolution policy. The proposed resolution may be accepted without amendment, or amended by the committee, or referred to the appropriate national ROA officers or committees for further action, research, or rewriting. Copies of all resolutions that will be brought to the floor are provided to each department for use during floor debate.

Meetings of the national resolutions committee are open to all; however, the committee chairman may restrict debate to committee members.

On the last day of each national meeting, the chairman of the resolutions committee presents the committee report, containing all recommended resolutions. The national body votes as a block on all recommended resolutions to which no question has been raised on a first reading. Recommended resolutions that raise questions are then considered one at a time. The committee chairman responds to questions and explains the basis of the committee action.

Following action by the national body on all committee recommendations, the president calls for resolutions from the floor. The only resolutions in order at this time are those that were properly filed (or adjudged time-sensitive). Such resolutions will have been considered by the national resolutions committee and rejected or referred to other ROA bodies for further study or action. The resolutions committee chairman responds to each such motion with an explanation of the committee action. The national body may then vote to accept the recommendation of the resolutions committee, or to reject the recommendation by adopting the proposed resolution.

9. National Staff Responsibilities. The national staff officer responsible for ROA resolutions is the legislative counsel. He receives, acknowledges, and tracks proposed resolutions and ensures that the cognizant committees and/or service sections are notified expeditiously of potentially contentious proposed resolutions. He also ensures that the action on each proposed resolution is reported to the originator. He establishes the subject categories for resolutions and edits them for presentation and publication. He also publishes booklets containing the association's legislative program. He provides copies of ROA resolutions to Washington leaders as appropriate. The legislative counsel may promulgate additional administrative resolutions procedures, standard forms, etc.

10. Publicity. These procedures have stressed that an ROA resolution is not official until it is passed by the national convention, national council, or national executive committee. Until that time, it is only a proposal, despite the number of favorable actions that may have been taken by chapters, departments, committees, or service sections. The association can be seriously embarrassed by an attempt to publicize a proposed resolution if that proposal then fails at the national meeting. Therefore, no publicity is authorized for proposed national resolutions.

11. Conclusion. The procedures for national ROA resolutions are designed to produce a carefully considered legislative package for the association to advocate. All members should be familiar with these procedures and become involved with the resolutions process.

DATES TO REMEMBER


ROA National Executive Committee    14-15 December 2002
 Meeting, Washington, D.C.
ROA Mid-Winter Conference,           19-22 January 2003
 Washington, D.C.
CIOR Mid-Winter Meeting, Brussels,  12-15 February 2003
 Belgium
ROA National Executive Committee         8-9 March 2003
 Meeting, Washington, D.C.
ROA National Convention, New            25-28 June 2003
 Orleans, La.
CIOR Summer Congress,                   21-25 July 2003
 Maastricht, The Netherlands

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