Guidelines for the Introduction, Consideration and Disposition of Proposed Policy Positions of the Southern Legislative Conference at SLC Annual Meetings

Members of the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC) of The Council of State Governments (CSG) may wish to articulate specific positions, endorse specific policy practices, or comment on specific federal actions as they relate to the states. Such actions are permitted by the Rules of the Southern Legislative Conference of The Council of State Governments and by these guidelines as maintained by the SLC Executive Committee.

SLC Policy Positions reflect a regional consensus not found in other parts of the country and give the SLC a voice in Washington and elsewhere on many issues of both regional and national urgency. Unless otherwise stipulated, all Policy Positions adopted by the Conference sunset the first day of the following Annual Meeting.

Introduction, Consideration and Disposition of Proposed Policy Positions

• Only legislator members of the Conference may submit a proposed policy position.
• Proposed policy positions must address a single topic and be received by the Conference’s regional director not less than 21 calendar days prior to the first day of the Annual Meeting.
• Proposed policy positions are assigned and disseminated to one of the Conference’s standing committees for review and action during the Annual Meeting.
• Each of the Conference’s six standing committees may adopt one policy position during the Annual Meeting, unless permission to adopt more than one policy position is granted by the Executive Committee.
• Legislator sponsor(s) of a proposed policy position, or their designated legislator proxy, must be present to support the proposed policy position when it is considered by the standing committee.
• If approved by a Conference standing committee, the standing committee chair, or their designated legislator proxy, presents the policy position to the Executive Committee at the final Executive Committee session.

Proposed Policy Positions Criteria

Proposed Policy Positions should:

• Have a regional and/or national focus;
• Address a timely and pressing issue that affects a majority of the SLC member states;
• Be directed toward Congress, the administration, federal courts, or state agencies and/or officials;
• Be in response to pending or potential state or federal action;
• Promote state sovereignty and protect the role of the states in our federal system; and
• Take into consideration the actions and/or policies of other state and local government associations.

Required Format for Proposed Policy Positions

Proposed Policy Positions submitted for consideration by SLC must contain the following information:

• Background information and/or legislative history of the issue addressed by the proposed Policy Position.
• Recommendation(s) detailing the primary points raised by the proposed Policy Position, directions for action on federal or state level, and instructions on intended recipients for communication of the proposed Policy Position.

Proposed Policy Positions also should follow the general formatting guidelines of:

• Font: 11-point Times New Roman
• Paragraph line spacing: 1.1 lines
• Page margins: top 1” left 1” right 1” bottom 0.5”
• Each proposed Policy Position must identify the legislative sponsor. This should be done on the bottom of the last page in 10-point Times New Roman.
• Background and Recommendation(s) section headers must be CAPITALIZED.
• Recommendation(s) must begin with identification of the organization as “The Southern Legislative Conference of The Council of State Governments.”
• Final paragraph of Recommendation(s) section must identify recipients in the same format as previously adopted Policy Positions.

Please see previously adopted SLC Policy Positions for clear examples of appropriate formatting for proposed Policy Positions.

Policy Position Assistance

SLC’s professional staff members are available to assist with the Policy Position process and answer questions about specific policy areas.