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Legionnaires of every membership level are afforded the
opportunity to suggest changes in their local posts’
policies, or even to the manner in which The American
Legion operates as an organization. Legionnaires
interested in initiating such a process must file a
resolution, or a written description of a problem or
situation followed by a suggestion as to how it may be
corrected. A resolution may also be a statement or
declaration pertaining to an issue of concern to the
Legion. It consists of two parts: the preamble
(description of the problem) and the resolving clause
(how the local post, department or national organization
should solve the problem or support the issue). The
entire resolution should be one continuous sentence with
the preamble clause(s) preceding the resolve clause(s).
For
those interested in the writing a resolution, help can
be found by downloading and printing out the resolution
guideline booklet made available from National. -
click here for PDF Format (871KB)
View Department of California Resolutions
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2011
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2008
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2007
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How to Write a Resolution
(Resolution Form MUST be printed on 8½x11 letter size
paper. Resolutions
printed on the wrong size paper may be rejected based on
the wrong format)
Because the resolutions adopted by your membership
represent a formal expression of the official
opinion or will of the post, extreme care should be
devoted to both their preparation and thought
content. The following guidelines and suggestions
relate primarily to the form your post’s resolutions
should take, rather than either content. However,
when considering resolutions keep in mind that any
proposal transmitted beyond your post and within the
organization of the Legion must be “germane”
-- that
is, closely related to the purpose for which The
American Legion exists.
Resolutions requiring county, district, or
department consideration must be prepared and
forwarded in accordance with their respective
regulations and By-Laws. A well written resolution
stands a better chance of getting favorable
consideration at your county, district, or
Department Convention than a resolution which is
vaguely worded are carelessly formulated.
From the standpoint of the policies and practices of
The American Legion as a whole, resolutions are
all-important. The National Organization cannot act
on a given problem in the absence of a controlling
resolution; and, conversely, it must act on a matter
when mandated to do so by a resolution which has
been properly adopted by the National Convention or
National Executive Committee. If your post seeks to
be a leader in the policies and practices of The
American Legion, it can do so only through the
resolution method.
Post Procedures May Vary
In some posts, the member who moves the adoption of
a resolution must present it in writing at the time
the motion is offered. Other posts follow the
practice of assigning one member, or special
committee, the task of drafting or editing those
resolutions that are to be sent forward for
convention consideration. However, it remains the
responsibility of the Post Commander to make sure
that each resolution truly reflects the sense of the
action taken by his post – and is presented in the
best possible form.
Except for certain details (noted in the discussion
of resolving clauses below) the National
Organization has not established an official style
guide for the preparation of American Legion
resolutions. However, the National Executive
Committee has expressed (Resolution No. 20 and 21,
May 1960) certain general considerations that are
applicable to all resolutions being forwarded for
action by the National Organization as follows:
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A
resolution should contain “supporting
arguments,” and its intent should be clearly
defined.
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A
resolution should be free of errors of fact and
law.
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A
resolution should have material relevance to the
purposes and programs of The American Legion
(On the latter point, the NEC specifically
cautions Legion Posts to beware of becoming a
channel through which non-Legion
Organizations seek to achieve their goals.)
A
resolution should deal with only one subject. Those
which attempt to treat more than one subject are
unwieldy to process at convention, especially if they
involve matters which do not fall within the
jurisdiction of a single committee of the convention.
They are generally rejected or amended to delete
reference to more than one subject.
Resolutions have two parts, a preamble and a resolving
section. Each consists of one or more clauses
(sometimes called paragraphs) and the whole is read in
its entirety, beginning with the preamble, as one
continuous, complex sentence. The preamble sets forth
the reasons for the resolution; the resolving section
sets forth the intent of the resolution.
Prepare Preamble List
Although it
precedes the resolving section in appearance, the
preamble of a resolution should be prepared after the
resolving section has been put into final form. Once
the intent of the resolution has been clearly stated, it
is much easier to decide what statements need to be in
the preamble to make clear the reasons for the
resolution. Also, during committee or floor debate, a
preamble is always amended last because changes in the
resolution may require changes in the preamble.
The resolving section of a resolution begins with the
word “RESOLVED,” usually
printed in capital letters and followed by a comma.
Between this opening word and the statement of the
resolution’s intent there should be inserted the
following information:
(1)
identification of resolving authority;
(2) the circumstance and place of he action;
(3) the date of the action.
The first
word after this information would be “that” with
a capital “T”.
Example:
“RESOLVED,
by Post No. ___________________________________ The
American Legion
Department of California, in regular (or special)
meeting assemble in ---------------------------
(Place and Date)
---------------------------------------, That
-----------”
This clause, referred to as the “resolving clause”
(similar to the “enacting clause” of a law), should be
uniform for every resolution. The word “That”
immediately following the resolving clause introduces
the clause which is the object of the verb “RESOLVED.”
It aids the reader to find the point at which the meat
of the resolution begins; it aids the drafter of the
resolution to launch a strong and unmistakable statement
of intent.
Example:
“RESOLVED,
…. That the American Legion shall sponsor and support
legislation to ….”
“RESOLVED, …. That the American Legion is opposed to
repeal or weakening of ….”
Although
each resolution should deal with only one subject, it is
often necessary or desirable to attach additional
clauses (or paragraphs) to a resolution’s resolving
section in order to cover matters that are closely
related to the main intent. This device is especially
useful for spelling out the details of how and by who
the intent of the resolution is to be carried out or
accomplished.
Example:
“RESOLVED, by (etc.) …., That (etc.) ….; and be it
“FURTHER RESOLVED, That (etc.) ….; and be it
(add FURTHER RESOLVED paragraphs as required) …….;
and be it
“FINALLY RESOLVED, That (etc.) ….”
As
shown here, the identifying information is stated only
once, in the first paragraph of the resolving section of
a resolution, and is not repeated in subsequent
paragraphs. A period is used only once ---- at the
close of the last paragraph of he resolving section.
Construction of Resolution Preamble
The
preamble of a resolution is made up on one or more
clauses for paragraphs, each of which begins with “WHEREAS”. Two
or more of these clauses are joined together by a
semi-colon followed by “and”.
Example:
“WHEREAS, The
American Legion is an organization of war veterans who
have dedicated
themselves to the service of the community, state,
and nation; and
“WHEREAS, This service is performed through The
American Legion’s basic programs;
and (etc.)
Each clause
in the preamble should contain a statement of fact
which is logically related to the intent of the
resolution and explains and justifies he need for the
resolution. Note that each clause would stand alone as
a complete sentence if the “WHEREAS” were
removed and a period were used in place of the
semi-colon at the end.
The final clause of the preamble is joined to the
resolving section of the resolution by a semi-colon or
colon), followed usually y the phrase “now, therefore,
be it …”
(Acceptable variations in common usage are “therefore be
it”; or simply “be it”).
Example:
“WHEREAS, … (etc.) ….; and
“WHEREAS, … (etc.) ….; and
“WHEREAS, … (etc.) ….; now therefore, be it
“RESOLVED by… (etc.) ….”
(NOTE:
The “WHEREAS” may
be set out n capital letters, italics, underscored,
etc., depending on preference. When capitalized, it is
usually followed by a comma, and then the first
letter of the following word is capitalized).
There is no formula for deciding how many “WHEREAS” clauses
a resolution should have. In general, the fewer the
better, provided that the reason or reasons for the
resolution will have been stated during the debate for
its adoption. Use them. It is not necessary, however,
to refer in the preamble to every fact or circumstance
that has a bearing on the intent of a resolution.
Study the resolving section and get the exact purpose of
the resolution firmly in mind. Then start writing down
statements of fact which relate to this purpose.
Organize them into a logical sequence (throwing out the
weak or unnecessary ones), plus the appropriate
connecting word (“and”) or words (“now, therefore, be
it”) for joining them to each other and the
resolving section. Do not use a period in the preamble.
Resolutions are important business to The American
Legion. Write them with thought and care. Vote on each
one with the realization that through your action you
are helping to build (or tear down) the effectiveness
and the reputation of your post, of your department, and
of the entire American Legion. |
