For more help on writing resolutions, read Make A Difference: Write that Resolution. 

Definition

The Council considers items in the form of resolutions. Resolutions set forth background information and propose a course of action.

Submission and Deadline

Resolutions can be submitted by email or US mail. Receipt of resolutions will be acknowledged by email.

All resolutions should be submitted to:

Sonja Montgomery 
Governance Operations Director 
American College of Emergency Physicians
PO Box 619911
Dallas, TX 75261-9911
Email: smontgomery@acep.org
Phone: 800-798-1822 x3202
Direct: 469-499-1282

Bylaws resolutions and regular resolutions pertinent to the objectives of the College or in relation to any report by an officer or committee of the College are due 90 days before the annual Council meeting. The 2025 Council meeting will be held on Friday, September 5, and Saturday, September 6, 2025. The deadline for resolutions for the 2025 Council meeting is Sunday, June 8, 2025, no later than 11:59 pm Central time.

Each resolution must be submitted by at least two members of the College. In the case of a resolution submitted by a component body, a letter or email of endorsement must accompany such resolution from the president, chapter executive, or chair representing the component body. Resolutions should be submitted by email, in a Word document using the Resolution template provided. When submitted, an endorsement letter can be attached to the e-mail or embedded in the body of the e-mail. (See also Resolution Preparation Checklist.)

Note: all resolution cosponsors are listed as “submitted by.” All resolution cosponsors must be confirmed no later than July 23, 2025.

All resolutions from national ACEP committees should be submitted to the Board of Directors for review prior to the resolution deadline. This usually occurs at the April or June Board of Directors meeting. If the Board approves the submission of the resolution, then the resolution carries the endorsement of the committee and the Board of Directors. 

Questions

Please contact Sonja Montgomery, CAE, smontgomery@acep.org, or phone 469-499-1282, for additional information about preparation of resolutions.

Format

The title of the resolution must appropriately reflect the intent. Resolutions begin with “WHEREAS” statements, which provides the basic facts and reasons for the resolution, and conclude with “RESOLVED” statements which, identifies the specific proposal for the requestor's course of action.

WHEREAS Statements

Background or “WHEREAS” information provides the rationale for the “RESOLVED” course of action. The WHEREAS statement(s) should lead the reader to your conclusion (RESOLVED).

In writing WHEREAS statements begin by introducing the topic of the resolution. Be factual rather than speculative and provide or reference statistics whenever possible. The statements should briefly identify the problem, advise the timeliness or urgency of the problem, the effect of the issue, and indicate if the action called for is contrary to or will revise current ACEP policy. WHEREAS statements should be a single sentence. Create an additional WHEREAS statement if more than one sentence is needed. Inflammatory statements that reflect poorly on the organization will not be permitted.

RESOLVED Statements

RESOLVED statements are the only parts of a resolution that the Council and Board of Directors act upon. Conceptually, RESOLVED statements can be classified into two categories – policy and directives. A policy RESOLVED calls for changes in ACEP policy. A directive is a RESOLVED that calls for ACEP to take some sort of action. Adoption of a directive requires specific action but does not directly affect ACEP policy.

A single resolution can both recommend changes in ACEP policy and recommend actions about that new policy. The way to accomplish this objective is to establish the new policy in one resolve (a policy resolve), and to identify the desired action in a subsequent resolve (a directive).

Regardless of the type of resolution, the RESOLVED should be stated as a motion that can be understood without the accompanying WHEREAS statements. RESOLVED statements should be a single sentence. Create an additional RESOLVED statement if more than one sentence is needed When the Council adopts a resolution, only the RESOLVED portion(s) is forwarded to the Board of Directors for ratification. The RESOLVED must be fully understood and should stand alone, i.e., is easily understood when separated from the WHEREAS statements and from other RESOLVED statements.

Bylaws Amendments

In writing a RESOLVED for a Bylaws amendment, be sure to specify an Article number as well as the Section to be amended. Show the current language with changes indicated as follows: new language should be bolded (dark green type, bold, and underline text), and language to be deleted should be shown in red, strike-through text (delete). Failure to specify exact language in a Bylaws amendment usually results in postponement for at least one year while language is developed and communicated to the membership.

General Resolutions

The president, and not the Council, is responsible for determining the appropriate level of committee involvement for resolutions adopted by the Council. Additionally, the Council cannot “direct” another organization although the College can recommend a course of action to other organizations through the ACEP president or through ACEP representatives to that organization.

Council Actions on Resolutions

For the ACEP Board of Directors to act in accordance with the wishes of the Council, the actions of the Council must be definitive. To avoid any misunderstanding, the officers have provided the following definitions for Council action:

• Adopt: Approve resolution exactly as submitted as recommendation implemented through the Board of Directors.
• Adopt as Amended: Approve resolution with additions, deletions, and/or substitutions, as recommendation to be implemented through the Board of Directors.
• Refer: Send resolution to the Board of Directors for consideration, perhaps by a committee, the Council Steering Committee, or the Bylaws Interpretation Committee. A resolution cannot be referred to other College committees.
• Not Adopt: Defeat (or reject) the resolution in original or amended form.
• Postpone: Table action on original or amended resolution to a future Council meeting. 

Board Actions on Resolutions

According to the Bylaws, Article VIII – Council, Section 8 — Board of Directors Action on Resolutions:

“The Board of Directors shall act on all resolutions adopted by the Council, unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws, no later than the second Board meeting following the annual meeting and shall address all other matters referred to the Board within such time and manner as the Council may determine.

The Board of Directors shall take one of the following actions regarding a non-Bylaws resolution adopted by the Council:

1. Implement the resolution as adopted by the Council.
2. Overrule the resolution by a three-fourths vote. The vote and position of each Board member shall be reported at the next meetings of the Steering Committee and the Council.
3. Amend the resolution in a way that does not change the basic intent of the Council. At its next meeting, the Steering Committee must either accept or reject the amendment. If accepted, the amended resolution shall be implemented without further action by the Council. If the Steering Committee rejects the amendment, the Board at its next meeting shall implement the resolution as adopted by the Council, propose a mutually acceptable amendment, or overrule the resolution.

The ACEP Council Speaker and Vice Speaker or their designee shall provide to the College a written summary of the Council meeting within 45 calendar days of the adjournment of the Council meeting. This summary shall include:

1. An executive summary of the Council meeting.
2. A summary and final text of each passed and referred resolution.

Thereafter, the Board of Directors shall provide to the College written and comprehensive communication regarding the actions taken and status of each adopted and referred resolution. A summary of the Board of Directors’ intent, discussion, and decision for each referred resolution shall be included. These communications shall be provided at quarterly intervals until these communications demonstrate that no further Board action is required according to the Bylaws listed previously in this section.

Bylaws amendment resolutions are governed by Article XIII of these Bylaws.”