Resolutions

Resolutions:

Types Parts How and When to Send in Details of Writing Samples SUBMIT A RESOLUTION ONLINE

GENERAL INFORMATION

When AMSA members want to change one of AMSA's policies, they write a resolution, AMSA's equivalent to a congressional bill. A resolution is a written request to the House of Delegates (HOD) that asks AMSA's membership, through the HOD, to consider changing one of its policies. Every member of AMSA has the right to write and submit resolutions to the HOD. This right is a fundamental way in which the members of AMSA express their ownership of the association. Every member's voice is heard and anyone can change AMSA.

Resolutions are of vital importance to AMSA because they form the policies in the Preamble, Purposes and Principles (PPP), the official policy document which guides AMSA. The board of trustees uses the resolutions passed in the HOD from the previous year as a compass for the action they must take in the following year. AMSA's national president and legislative affairs director use the PPP to prepare and present testimony, lobby Congress or advise other medical groups about the opinions of medical students. Position papers and policy summaries are based on the PPP. AMSA chapters often share the PPP with their deans, medical schools and other local organizations. Your resolutions will play a major role in directing AMSA for years to come. Following are some guidelines for writing a resolution.

1. A resolution proposes a specific change in the PPP
A resolution is a written request to the HOD asking AMSA's membership to consider changing one of the policies in our Preamble, Purposes and Principles. If the PPP already contains a section that addresses the topic in question, the resolution needs to spell out exactly how the section should be changed. If there is nothing in the PPP about the topic, a resolution may propose that AMSA add a new section to the PPP. Before writing a resolution, members should always read through the PPP to see if any sections pertain to the topic of their resolution. Any member who needs help finding a particular topic in the PPP may contact the trustees-at-large.

2. The different types of resolutions
There are three different types of resolutions, one for each of the three PPP sections: "Constitution and Bylaws (C&B);" "Internal Affairs (IA);" and "Preamble, Purposes and Principles." If members want to change the internal policies governing the way AMSA runs, they may write a resolution that proposes an amendment to the Constitution or Bylaws. These amendments require five authors and a two-thirds vote to pass in the HOD. View a sample amendment to the Constitution and Bylaws.

If members want to amend the "IA" section, they may write a resolution of Internal Affairs. These resolutions deal with the details of AMSA's internal policies and procedures. These resolutions require one author and a majority vote to pass in the HOD.

The last type of resolution is the one that most members write, a resolution of Principles. This type of resolution seeks to amend the "Principles" section of the PPP, the section that lists how AMSA members feel about various issues. Members interested in changing our policy on handgun control, for instance, can look through our PPP section on handgun control and write a resolution that spells out exactly how to change this section. These resolutions require one author and a majority vote to pass in the HOD. View a sample amendment to the Principles.

3. The parts of a resolution
The format of a resolution is not complicated. Each resolution includes:

1. The names and affiliations of the authors (their medical schools and any AMSA position they hold).
2. The title of the resolution.
3. The type of resolution it is (Constitution and Bylaws, Internal Affairs or Principles).
4. Preamble tells the membership any needed background information about the resolution. This information may include why the resolution is being proposed and important background events, recent scientific studies or the scope of the problem. They should be brief and include all documentation that the delegates will need in order to understand the resolution and its context. The preamble should represent a brief but persuasive argument as to why the members should approve your resolution. The preamble is not printed in the PPP.
5. "BE IT RESOLVED" or operative clause. This is the "resolution proper," as it describes the proposed changes in the PPP. This part of the resolution should specifically designate the actions that you wish to accomplish, what you've argued for in the preamble. The operative clause is printed in the PPP.
6. Fiscal note, if necessary, lists the cost to AMSA of implementing the resolution if it is passed. AMSA's trustees-at-large, president or treasurer can assist members with fiscal notes. It's vital that you consider the fiscal costs of resolutions, especially those of internal affairs. It's helpful to consult the proper sources to get an accurate estimate of these costs.

4. Ask for help, ask for help, ask for help
The trustees-at-large, national president and regional trustees are available for members who have questions about writing resolutions. The first and best place to look for specific advice is "Details of Resolution Writing."

5. How and when to send in resolutions
All resolutions must be submitted online by January 14, 2008, 12:00 midnight EST.

After the January 14 deadline, certain "late-breaking" resolutions can be accepted into the HOD by the board of trustees (BOT). These late resolutions must be ruled "emergent" by the BOT, meaning that they should pertain to matters that developed after the January 14 deadline. The HOD usually cannot consider late-breaking resolutions that are lengthy and complicated because delegates will not have had the chance to review them adequately before the House opens. In addition, the BOT must approve the resolution as truly a late-breaking matter. It is mandatory that you speak with the trustees-at-large if you want to submit a late-breaking resolution.

At the convention, authors of resolutions can work to get their resolutions passed. On Thursday afternoon, authors are encouraged to attend the open session of the reference committee considering their resolution. At these sessions, authors may speak in support of their resolutions. They may also speak in support of their resolutions on the House floor during the Friday and Saturday business sessions. It may be more effective to lobby for a resolution during the reference committee sessions than in the HOD since each resolution is allotted only about 15 minutes for discussion on the House floor.

DETAILS OF RESOLUTION WRITING

All resolutions must be submitted online. The general form of the resolution is described in the main House of Delegates section, but below are specific pointers on the writing and organization of a resolution, section by section. The resolution is, in general, written as a memo, with the CAPITALIZED topics coming first, and then paragraph form for the Preamble and Operative Clause.

INTRODUCED BY: Name(s) of author(s) of resolution. The authors must be members of AMSA. For constitution amendments, there must be five authors. Only one is needed for other types of resolutions.

SCHOOL: School of author(s). The school(s) of each author(s) needs to be recorded.

SUBJECT: The title of your resolution. It should be appropriate to the action proposed. Examples are "Amendment to the Bylaws Regarding Quorum," or "Policy Statement on Essential Drugs and Vaccines."

TYPE OF RESOLUTION: Classify as one of the following:

a. Constitution or Bylaws Amendment - Requires five or more active members for constitutional amendment, one member for bylaws amendment.

b. Resolution of Internal Affairs - Creates policy statement.

c. Resolution of Principles - Creates organizational changes and commits resources to action in support of various initiatives.

Resolutions of principles and resolutions of internal affairs may be compiled into the PPP; require a financial or personnel commitment from AMSA; require a report back to the next HOD from the BOT or another designated party. These resolutions can be used to create a study group, an ad hoc committee of the BOT or any other change that is deemed necessary to move an issue.

---

PREAMBLE: This is a concise summary of supporting evidence documenting the need for, feasibility of, or interest in all activities and policy contained in the resolution. The preamble has no specific heading; it simply represents the argument for the action proposed. As such, effective preambles are brief, to the point and cite relevant references when necessary (please include all references at the end of the resolution). One copy of each reference cited must be sent to the AMSA national office at 1902 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191, Attn: Carol Clarke, or sent via email to carol_c@amsa.org. Inappropriate preambles are excessively long; contain inflammatory language; and make bold assertions of fact without referenced support. The preamble should contain no specific language for action, though it may cite (and most likely should cite) relevant language from the PPP.

OPERATIVE CLAUSE: This clause contains the specific action recommended and includes the exact language to be included in the PPP. There should be a line separating the preamble from this clause. By tradition, ALL OPERATIVE CLAUSES BEGIN WITH THE WORDS, "THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED." The clause should specifically state where the language should be included in the PPP. The clause should not refer to the preamble, which will not go into the PPP; it's freestanding. Any specific deletions of the PPP may be accomplished by simply asking for deletion of the relevant section. However, if only ertain words are changed then the clause should recommend a change to the new wording. When wording is changed or added, please include the WHOLE SECTION changed, not just the words changed. Cite the appropriate sections of the PPP to be changed, listing exact lines and pages. If you're suggesting additional "BE IT RESOLVED" clauses, begin them as follows: "BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT..." Also, see the sample resolutions.

A fiscal note must be included at the end of the resolution if the proposed amendment or resolution will require a financial commitment from AMSA. The fiscal note estimates the cost to the organization. It often requires contacting the national office to determine operating expenses.

The process for writing a resolution is vital to AMSA and we encourage you to seek help with any questions you might have about the process or the specific formatting. The best contacts are the trustees-at-large, Jennifer Jackson or Lauren Hughes. We are eager to hear from you and guide you through this important process. Please remember to send one copy of each reference cited to the AMSA national office at 1902 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191, Attn: Carol Clarke, or sent via email to carol_c@amsa.org.

SAMPLE RESOLUTIONS

INTRODUCED BY: Michael Tomblyn, Sr Trustee-at-Large; Brian Palmer, National Treasurer; Leana Wen, Jr Trustee-at-Large; Duarte Machado, Region I Trustee; Nihar Desai, Region III Co-Trustee

SCHOOL: Rush Medical College; Mayo SOM; Washington Univ SOM; Univ of Connecticut SOM; Drexel SOM

SUBJECT: Calculation of Medical Chapter Seats in the HOD

TYPE: Resolution of Constitution & Bylaws

WHEREAS the efficacy of the HOD in this process is directly related to its ability to represent the membership fairly and equitably, and to address all issues submitted by the members; and

WHEREAS the recent successes in recruitment has increased the number of voting delegates within the HOD by nearly 40 percent over the past few years; and

WHEREAS this sudden growth has (1) created great difficulties in finding rooms large enough to hold the HOD and also (2) created situations where quorum has been impossible to maintain, threatening the business of the House,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Constitution and Bylaws, Article IX, Section I, Subsection A, first paragraph (p. 22), be amended to read:

Each medical chapter of the Association that has received a charter, as described in Article IV of the Constitution and Bylaws, shall be entitled to representation in the House of Delegates of the basis of one (1) delegate for every two hundred fifty (250) medical student members, or majority fraction thereof. Each such delegate shall be an active member of the Association. In the absence of any such delegate, an alternate delegate shall be seated in his/her place.

INTRODUCED BY: Bich-May Nguyen, Coordinator, Action Committee on Health Policy; Michelle Debbink, Chair, Action Committee on Health Policy; Jason Davis, Region III Regional Programming Coordinator; Julia Skapik, Coordinator, Action Committee on Health Policy

SCHOOL: Baylor College of Medicine; University of Michigan Medical School; Drexel University College of Medicine; Johns Hopkins Medical School

SUBJECT: Principles Regarding Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices

TYPE: Resolution of Principles

WHEREAS evidence has shown that free pharmaceutical samples are used as tools for representatives to get doctors’ attention and encourage them to prescribe newer, more expensive medications1,2,3; and

WHEREAS these newer medications are not necessarily more effective than less expensive alternatives or generics; and

WHEREAS lower-income and disadvantaged patients are then maintained on drugs which they cannot afford without samples; and

WHEREAS free samples may influence physicians’ prescribing behavior1;
 
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Principles on Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices (pg114-117) be AMENDED BY ADDITION to state:

2. Regarding Physician/Industry Interaction:
…

o. STRONGLY ENCOURAGES physicians and physicians-in-training to refuse pharmaceutical samples in cases in which equally effective, low-cost alternatives exist and utilize samples only in cases in which other lower cost therapies have been unsuccessful or are contraindicated.

FISCAL NOTE: None