NARUC Resolutions Format, Style Guide, and FAQs

Download the Resolutions Template as a Word Document 

 

FORMATTING AND STYLE GUIDE

We are trying to make the resolutions appear more consistent and reduce subsequent processing time. We have also made some changes to our pervious formatting guidelines, which are underlined in the list below. Accordingly, we would also appreciate it greatly if you could format each resolution as follows:

• Font should be 12 point Times New Roman (including the title)
• Single spaced
• 1 inch margins on left, right, top, and bottom
• No footnotes
• Do not indent “Whereas” or “Resolved”
• Italicize the words “Whereas” or “Resolved”
• Do NOT capitalize the first word after “Whereas” or “Resolved”
• No “and” after each semicolon in the “Whereas” and “Resolved” lists
• One “Resolved” clause
• Lowercase for federal
• Uppercase for State
• Include the serial comma (e.g., red, white, and blue; not red, white and blue)
• No comma before “and” between independent clauses
• Minimize passive voice
• Be consistent with terminology and references
• Memorialize terms once in the beginning, but only if you use it elsewhere in the resolution
• Limit the number of “Whereas” clauses – they should only be there if they support the resolved clause
• Try to avoid citing to specific legislation; instead, cite to the principles involved (e.g., consumer protection, states’ rights)
• Use the objective form for resolved clause
• When memorializing an acronym and a short name, use parentheses and quotation marks, i.e., (“FERC”) and (“Workshop”)
• Title of Resolution: Bold, Italics, and "Title Case" i.e., NOT in all caps, e.g. "Resolution Honoring Committee that Gets All Resolutions Finished by 2:00 pm on Tuesday"
• Insert after the last “Whereas” the following (note italics): "now, therefore be it Resolved that the Board of Directors of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, convened at its [year and title of meeting, e.g., 2022 Annual Meeting and Education Conference] in [location of meeting, e.g., New Orleans, LA] ….”
• After the end of the resolution, please type the following (in italics), leaving blank the approval date by the Board of Directors:
  ______________________________________
  Sponsored by the Committee on (fill in the name of your committee)
  Adopted by the NARUC Board of Directors on July , 2021

 

TEMPLATE

Resolution on [title should indicate Subject and/or Position]

Whereas {Whereas clauses give background and frame the request for action or position taken in the "resolved" clauses}....... ;

Whereas ....... ;

Whereas ....... ;

Whereas ....... ; now, therefore be it

Resolved that the Board of Directors of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, convened at its [year and title of meeting, e.g., 2022 Annual Meeting and Education Conference] in [location of meeting, e.g., New Orleans, Louisiana],…. 

 

FAQs

1. Do the resolutions have to be in final form?

No. Resolutions can be and frequently are amended during the NARUC meetings process - sometimes substantially. The purpose of submitting drafts is to provide NARUC member commissioners with advance notice of resolutions on particular topics and assure they have some idea of the issues and policies suggested by the resolution sponsor.

2. What happens if the resolution is not sent in by the deadline?

It can still pass the Board of Directors meeting - unless a member of the board raises a point of order, i.e., objects on the basis that the resolution was not submitted by two Mondays before the meeting. If such a point of order is raised during the board meeting, it can still pass if three fourths of the members in attendance vote to approve the resolution anyway. But, after this rule was implemented, a relatively non-controversial resolution from the Telecom Committee failed to get three fourths of the members in attendance because of a number of abstentions.

3. Additional questions?

Please contact Brad Ramsay at 202.898.2207 or jramsay@naruc.org.