Policy Recommendation Development Procedure

WSSPC continues to fulfill its mission of developing, recommending and supporting seismic policies and programs throughout the western region.  As part of a comprehensive plan, WSSPC has implemented a procedure which will allow thoughtful and practical policy recommendations to be developed. Members of WSSPC can forward policy motions to the Board of Directors. These motions should be well supported with background materials in order for the Board to have an educated discussion. The Board will decide to forward the motion, with or without amendments, to the full membership for adoption as a WSSPC Policy Recommendation. Ample time will be allowed for the WSSPC membership to discuss the recommendations.

Adopted by WSSPC Board of Directors March 16, 2002

Preamble

Article 2, Section 2 of the WSSPC Bylaws states:

POLICY POSITIONS

The Western States Seismic Policy Council can issue policy statements on behalf of the membership. No policy position can be issued without the majority approval of other member states, with exception of a Board of Directors resolution. The policy statement should reflect the degree of approval, such as unanimous, majority, etc.

(a)  Any voting member can submit a written proposed policy position statement for consideration by the Board of Directors.

(b) The Board of Directors will vote on whether or not to submit the proposed policy position proposal to a vote of the general membership. A majority vote of the Board is necessary before a proposed policy position statement can be submitted to the general membership for a vote.

(c) Members of the Board of Directors may not issue a minority opinion in the event that they disagree with the opinion of the majority on the policy position.

(d) A resolution of the Board of Directors can be passed by a majority vote. Such a resolution should reflect the fact that it is a Board resolution and not that of the member states.

Procedures

The procedure for policy recommendation development is as follows:

Step 1. Develop a recommendation policy statement – two sentences (maximum) with an accompanying context that includes:

·    A Background Section explaining the need for the recommendation and the problem the recommendation addresses.

·    A Facilitation and Communications Section outlining the steps that should be taken to ensure the recommendation reaches and influences the intended audience.

·    An Assessment Section describing how the effectiveness of the policy might be measured and how often this measurement will take place.

Step 2.  Forward the recommendation to the Board of Directors for review at the March or June Board meeting.

Step 3.  The Board of Directors reviews the recommendation and either accepts the recommendation, provides comments back to a committee for revision, or assigns the recommendation to a new committee for further development.

Step 4.  If necessary, the responsible committee revises the recommendation, incorporating any Board suggestions and/or a revision initiated from within the committee and forwards the recommendation for approval at the June Board meeting.  If further consideration is necessary, the Board may return the draft recommendation to the committee, and the Board may approve a revised draft by e-mail at least two months before the annual meeting.

Step 5.  Upon Board approval and prior to the annual meeting, the Executive Director circulates the policy recommendation by e-mail to the general membership, affiliate members and other stakeholders. The comment period lasts for approximately two months, at which time, the comments are collected and returned to the originating committee, with a copy to the Board.

Step 6.  The WSSPC policy committees may meet at the WSSPC annual fall meeting to discuss any last-minute revisions and propose any changes to the policy recommendation. If necessary, committees may present a final version of the policy recommendation to the Board and general membership at the annual business meeting.

Step 7.  If the policy recommendation passes, it should reflect the degree of approval, such as unanimous or majority (Article 2, Section 2 of WSSPC Bylaws). The Executive Director is directed by the Chairman to carry out the implementation provisions in coordination with the responsible committee and to post the approved policy recommendation on the WSSPC website and provide it to the committee membership.

Step 8.  If the policy recommendation is not approved, it will be sent back to the committee for further discussion and revisions.

Step 9.  New WSSPC policies will have a date of approval and a statement that, unless re-approved, will expire three years after approval.  Old policies will be reviewed by the Board of Directors, which will recommend re-approval, modification (by the Board or an appropriate committee) and further discussion by the membership followed by a vote during the annual meeting, or no action, in which case the policy lapses.