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What arc thc bcnc£ts ofsc~ing on a po~cy commitlcc?
<br />Scrag on s VML po~9' com~tccc off~ l~] o~c~ls an opposers' co l~m J~u~ current and
<br />cmer~g state,de ~sues ~ effect I~al ~'emmen~. to d~cbp ~mu~h ~ statcmcnu ~c b~oed
<br />p~phical fram~'ork that ~es ~e kagoc, and to he,york ~th ~1 off, his with s~hr ~cy
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<br />What ate etcegng commi~ees, and how do they relate to policy committees?
<br />Policy comminccs can be reh~,e~' large, making it difficult to tackle t~sks such as dereloping an agenda or
<br />cra{ting specific policy language. For this reason, VMS, cstahlisbed a stecrinl~ commhtec for each pohcy
<br />committee based on the Natlnnal l.eagoc of Ci~ies modeL The sleeting committee ~s Spl~ointcd by the VMS.
<br />Psesidcnt, and is heeded by thc chah' of thc policy cnmmittcc, l'Iloic~), 10 to 12 members of the Policy
<br />committee ser.-e on the steering comngttee. Membership is limited to elected officials and chic f appointcd
<br />officers. The szeeting cornmittee meets prior to the meeting of the full policy committee to idcnti~, potential
<br />issues for the policy committee to consider, and when necessaU', Io recommend changes to existing pobcy
<br />statement language.
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<br />IIow many policy committcca are there?
<br />There are five policy committees: cnrironmefltal quah~,-, finance, general laws, human development and
<br />education, and u-anspottation,
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<br />What issues does each Policy committee coveO
<br />The issues covered by each committee ate a~ follows:
<br />· Envltonmcntal Qualiey: Natural resources and the authority of local governments to manage the
<br /> environment, including water resources and cluahtT, solid and hazardous waste management, air qu~li~.
<br /> and the Chesapeake Bay.
<br />· Finance: Powers, nrg~fllzatinn and administra, fiofl of local government financing, including taxing
<br /> authority, debt financing, state aid to local governments and federal Policies affecting local finance
<br />
<br />· General Laws: Powers, duties, responsibilities, organization and administration of local governments,
<br /> including state-local and interlaces relations, con flicts-o f. inrerest, frcedom -o f. in foflnation' information
<br /> management and pcrsorme[~ local planning end zoning issues, including eco~nomic dcvelopmcm, housing
<br /> and blight;, and law enforcement, iails and cousts issues.
<br />· Human Development and Education: Management and f~nding of social ~erviccs. education, health.
<br /> mental health, iuve~e jus~ce, recreation, rehabilitation and programs for the aging.
<br />· Transportation: Dcvclopmem, maintenance and funding of a comprebensire land, sca and sit
<br /> transportation s).atcm for the Commonwealth, tad federal, state and local roles in the prorislon and
<br /> .gtdadofl of winsportation.
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<br />What i~ a policy statemenO
<br />Each policy committee dovelops a policy statement that covets issues in its respectire area. The policy
<br />statement expeesses the agreement of VML'a membership on matters of interest to local governments. 'l'he
<br />statement is limited to btoed, long.term, philosophical positions, a~ opposed to positions that address
<br />immediate, thor~.tcrm is~oc$. The V.x. rl membership approves thc policy statements al its annual meeting.
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<br />Ilow do policy etatcmcnta dlfret from VhXL'a legislative program?
<br />Policy statements are general in nature. They tctlect local governments' positions on s range oFissues. The
<br />focus of the Legislative Ptogezm is more specific and immediate. It is limited to legislative positions that
<br />V~LL expects to lobby on during the upcoming legishdve ~ession.
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