POLICY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

1. Policies can be proposed by any member, committee, or organization in the Association. Any proposal must be consistent with the Declaration of Principles of the Association.
2. The proposed policy will be reviewed and formatted by the Resolutions and Policy Development Committee. The Committee may refer the proposed policy to another committee for review and comment prior to further action. When this is done, the receiving committee should act on the proposed policy at the time of referral.
3. The Resolution and Policy Development Committee will bring a recommendation on a proposed policy to the Executive Committee, Board of Governors, and Delegate Assembly for review and action.
4. Upon action by the Executive Committee, Board of Governors, and the Delegate Assembly, the staff of ACA shall redraft the proposed policy incorporating any recommended changes.
5. The proposed policy will be submitted to the general membership and all chapters and affiliates for review. This will be accomplished through publication in Corrections Today or On the Line. Inherent in this policy is the presumption that a policy introduced at one conference/Congress may not be ratified or rejected until the following conference/Congress.
6. After review and comment by the general membership, the policy may be refined by the Resolutions and Policy Development Committee and forwarded to the Executive Committee for review and action as they deem appropriate. The Executive Committee will then submit the final version of the proposed policy, with its recommendation, to the Board of Governors and Delegate Assembly for ratification or rejection.
7. A ratified policy will be reviewed at least every five years by the Resolutions and Policy Development Committee and the governing bodies of the Association.