NACo's committees and caucuses, whose members include county officials from every region of the country, have a variety of responsibilities. All of NACo's committee members, with the exception of the Audit Committee, are by presidential appointment.
Steering committees annually review and make recommendations on issues and legislation. The policy development process initiated by the steering committees leads to the publication of the American County Platform, which NACo uses as a guide to deliver the county government message to the Administration, Congress and the American public.
Ad Hoc and Standing committees, such as the Member Programs and Services Committee and the Information Technology Committee, make recommendations on programs and projects for NACo to pursue that will help counties. Other committees review NACo finances and programs, deal with specific issues like sustainable communities, and oversee election of officers.
NACo has organized Caucuses to perform targeted lobbying efforts focused on special needs of large urban counties and rural counties. The Rural Action Caucus and the Large Urban County Caucus adopt their priority issues from NACo's legislative platform.
As needs warrant, NACo convenes special task forces to study and address important policy questions that may have implications beyond a single policy committee's jurisdiction. These are generally limited in time and scope.