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Submit a Policy Resolution or Platform Change
Ahead of the National Association of Counties (NACo) 2026 Annual Conference, NACo members are invited to submit policy resolutions and platform changes to be considered during the conference.
The NACo resolutions process is an opportunity for members to participate in national policy decisions impacting county governments. During the Annual Conference, NACo’s ten policy steering committees, the Board of Directors and the general membership will consider proposed policy resolutions and platform changes that will determine NACo’s federal advocacy for the coming year.
The American County Platform and the associated policy resolutions are statements of the needs and interests of county governments across the nation. These federal policy statements serve as guides for NACo members and staff to advance NACo’s policy priorities with Congress, the White House and federal agencies.
For details on NACo’s policy process, click here. Proposed policy resolutions and platform changes must be submitted by June 17.
What are Platform Changes and Policy Resolutions
Platform Changes
Platform changes are permanent amendments to the American County Platform that broadly guide NACo's federal advocacy efforts and publicly state NACo's general policy goals.
Policy Resolutions
Policy resolutions are generally single-purpose documents addressing a specific issue or piece of legislation. Resolutions draw attention to a topic of current concern, clarify parts of the broadly worded platform or set policy in areas not covered by the platform. All resolutions passed at the 2025 Annual Conference and all interim policy resolutions approved at the 2026 Legislative Conference must be submitted for renewal.
Submission and Formatting Instructions
When submitting policy resolutions and platform changes, please consider contacting the appropriate steering committee staff liaisons for assistance. Submit the following information through the form below, selecting the option ‘Policy Resolution’. Note: The background and impact are to provide context during consideration by the policy steering committee. If adopted, only the issue statement and proposed policy will be added to the American County Platform.
- Issue Statement: A short sentence stating the topic and purpose of the resolution
- Proposed Policy: Statement that specifies a position of the association in relation to a particular federal policy goal
- Background: 1-2 paragraphs of additional information that provides contextual information to NACo membership when considering the resolution
- Fiscal/Urban/Rural Impact: Short statement that addresses how counties are impacted by the policy objective of the resolution
- Sponsor: Provide the name, title, county and state of the NACo member sponsoring the resolution. As a reminder, if you submit a policy resolution, you (or a designated representative) must appear in person at the steering committee meeting of jurisdiction at the 2026 Annual Conference to introduce and explain the proposed resolution.
To submit a platform change, submit a .docx file indicating any changes to a platform section. Proposed additional text to the platform should be marked in underline, and proposed removals should be marked in strikethrough. A Word document of the current American County Platform can be found here.
Once your document is ready, use the form below, selecting the option Platform Change and providing the following additional information:
- Title: A brief, descriptive title of the proposed change.
- Proposed Change File: A Word or .docx file with the proposed changes marked. Language to be added should be indicated in underline. Language to be removed should be indicated in strikethrough.
- Sponsor(s): Provide the name, title, county and state of the NACo member sponsoring the resolution. As a reminder, if you submit a platform change, you (or a designated representative) must appear in person at the steering committee meeting of jurisdiction at the 2026 Annual Conference to introduce and explain the proposed platform change.
Submission Form
Use the form to submit either a policy resolution or platform change. If you have any questions, please contact the appropriate steering committee liaison for assistance. You can find a list of committee liaisons here under Government Affairs.