The National Communication Association should only take an official stand on those policy issues that are central to the contribution of communication to the health and richness of the human condition or to the commitments of the membership to the study, teaching, or practice of communication. The NCA Public Policy Platform shall consist of the following preamble and all resolutions approved by the Legislative Assembly unless formally withdrawn from the platform or revised in future years:

“Preamble: This policy platform contains the positions officially endorsed by the researchers, teachers, and practitioners allied as the National Communication Association on issues vital to human communication. The Association is committed to include within this document only positions: (1) upon which the organization and membership have engaged in ample and careful deliberation; (2) upon which a substantial consensus of supporting knowledge has been developed; (3) addressing issues which have attracted the concerted inquiry of an acknowledged segment of the discipline, and (4) central to the contribution of communication to the health and richness of the human condition, or to the commitments of the membership to the study, teaching, or practice of communication.”

The National Communication Association should only take an official stand on those ethical issues that can guide more specific decisions of the association and members of the discipline. The NCA Ethical Statements Platform shall consist of the following preamble and all resolutions approved by the Legislative Assembly unless formally withdrawn from the platform or revised in future years:

“Preamble: This ethical statements platform contains the positions officially endorsed by the researchers, teachers, and practitioners allied as the National Communication Association related to general beliefs of right and wrong that can guide more specific decisions of the association and members of the discipline. The Association is committed to include within this document only positions: (1) upon which the organization and membership have engaged in ample and careful deliberation; (2) upon which a substantial consensus of supporting knowledge has been developed; (3) addressing issues which have attracted the concerted inquiry of an acknowledged segment of the discipline, and (4) central to the concerns of communication scholars and teachers.”

The National Communication Association should only take an official stand on those academic/professional issues for which support for a particular position would enhance the ability of communication educators/scholars to do their work effectively and/or enhance the stature of the discipline in the academy or more broadly. The NCA Academic/Professional Statements Platform shall consist of the following preamble and all resolutions approved by the Legislative Assembly unless formally withdrawn from the platform or revised in future years:

“Preamble: This academic/professional statements platform contains the positions officially endorsed by the researchers, teachers, and practitioners allied as the National Communication Association related to issues that are vital to the professional endeavors of communication educators and scholars. The Association is committed to include within this document only positions: (1) upon which the organization and membership have engaged in ample and careful deliberation; (2) upon which a substantial consensus of supporting knowledge has been developed; (3) addressing issues which have attracted the concerted inquiry of an acknowledged segment of the discipline, and (4) central to the enhancement of the ability of communication educators/scholars to do their work effectively and/or to the enhancement of the stature of the discipline in the academy or more broadly.”

Proposed resolutions must include the following content to be considered appropriate for Legislative Assembly consideration:

• rationale for why it merits Legislative Assembly consideration and how it meets the criteria for inclusion in the Public Policy Platform specified in the Preamble,
• background information regarding the public policy issue being addressed
• demonstration of the relationship of the issue to existing communication scholarship, including specific citations
• specific action being requested of policy makers
• specific actions the Association will be expected to take if the resolution passes
• an explicit statement of the resolution,
• consideration of how this fits with the rest of the current public policy platform, and
• an assessment of the resources required (both financial and human) to implement the resolution (to be determined in consultation with the National Office) and justification for priority of this expenditure

Proposed resolutions must include the following content to be considered appropriate for Legislative Assembly consideration:

• Rationale for why this statement merits Legislative Assembly consideration and how it is reflective of beliefs of those in the communication discipline
• Relevant background information regarding the ethical issue
• An explicit statement of the resolution

Proposed resolutions must include the following content to be considered appropriate for Legislative Assembly consideration:

• rationale for why it merits Legislative Assembly consideration and how support for a particular position would enhance the ability of communication educators/ scholars to do their work effectively and/or enhance the stature of the discipline in the academy or more broadly
• background information regarding the academic/ professional policy issue being addressed
• specific action being requested by external parties and identification of those parties
• specific actions the Association will be expected to take if the resolution passes
• an explicit statement of the resolution, and
• an assessment of the resources required (both financial and human) to implement the resolution (to be determined in consultation with the National Office) and justification for priority of this expenditure

NCA members may submit proposed resolutions to the Resolutions Committee from the end of a convention until June 30 of the following year. Proposals submitted by this deadline move forward through the standard review process.

Proposals submitted after June 30 may be considered only with a majority vote of the Legislative Assembly.

All proposals submitted by the June 30 deadline are published in the Association’s newsletter or by similar means prior to September 1. During this period, members may submit comments on proposed resolutions directly to the National Office.

Following publication, the Resolutions Committee prepares to make formal recommendations.

The Resolutions Committee reviews all submitted proposals to confirm that required content is included and that sufficient information is provided for thoughtful consideration by the Legislative Assembly. The Committee may request additional information from submitters, conduct due diligence research with support from the National Office, or consult and refer proposals to other committees with relevant expertise.

If a proposal meets submission requirements, the Committee will forward it to the Legislative Assembly with a recommendation of—accept, reject, no recommendation, or accept with amendments.

If a proposal does not meet submission requirements, the Committee may determine that it should not move forward for Legislative Assembly consideration.

The Chair of the Resolutions Committee presents each proposal to the Legislative Assembly, including a summary of the proposal, any additional review conducted, and the Committee’s recommendation with supporting justification. The Legislative Assembly then reviews, deliberates, and votes.

Resolutions require a majority vote of members present and voting for approval.