Purpose:

The purpose of the NASCA Policy Committee (the “Committee”) is:

  1. To assist the Board of Directors in identifying, evaluating and monitoring social, political and environmental trends, issues and concerns;
  2. To assist the Board in analyzing how policy trends could impact NASCA’s business activities and performance, NASCA member states, and NASCA conservation partners;
  3. To assist the Board in determining how NASCA can anticipate and adjust  to policy trends in order to more effectively achieve its mission or to be an important contributor to the policy dialogue;
  4. To develop recommendations to the Board with regard to formulating and adopting basic policies, positions, and practices concerning broad policy issues;
  5. To perform such other duties and responsibilities enumerated in and consistent with this Charter.
  6. To promote voluntary, incentive-based conservation delivery approaches at the federal, state, and local levels.

Procedures:

  1. The NASCA Immediate Past President will serve as Policy Committee Chair. The Immediate Past President may appoint a provisional Chair to serve in the Immediate Past President’s absence.
  2. The Committee shall meet monthly to identify issues of concern to NASCA membership and decide on potential actions to be recommended to the Board of Directors;
  3. Policy Committee Recommendations to the NASCA Board of Directors shall be placed on the agenda of the next Board meeting and shall be read into the minutes of the meeting. Board action shall be delayed until the next meeting of the Board in order to give Regional Directors and Policy Committee members time to seek input from the State Conservation Agencies in their respective regions.
  4. The Committee shall analyze national or regional policy trends and make recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding how NASCA can anticipate and adjust to these trends in order to more effectively achieve its mission or to actively participate in the public policy dialogue;
  5. The Committee shall develop recommendations to the Board in order to assist in formulating and adopting basic policies, programs and practices concerning broad public natural resource policy issues;
  6. Any NASCA member may formally request that any issue affecting conservation delivery be placed on the agenda of the next scheduled Policy Committee meeting agenda.
  7. Upon a majority Board of Directors vote endorsing any new policy, an email communication explaining the adoption of this new NASCA Policy shall be immediately issued to NASCA membership.
  8. The NASCA Policy Committee shall report to the NASCA membership each year at the NASCA annual meeting.
  9. Each region shall appoint its representative to the Policy Committee at the same time it caucuses to select its Regional Director.

Sunset Policy:

NASCA policy shall be catalogued by date enacted. Each policy shall be retired five years from the date of enactment unless membership takes action to reaffirm the policy.


Approved: NASCA Board of Directors
Date: 2014-08-12