One of the most important services you can provide to your residents is being involved in legislative advocacy because decisions made at the state and federal level, trickle down to your residents and how your municipality operates. There are many opportunities to engage in the League’s advocacy efforts, and your efforts can be impactful without taking up a lot of your time.
Stay Informed
Understanding and keeping up with issues important to local government is another way to be involved in advocacy. Use our
Bill Tracker and
League Bulletin to stay informed.
Apply to serve on the League’s Legislative Policy Committee
For years, the League has followed an inclusive, member-driven process to form policy positions on key issues for N.C. cities. This process is designed to take input from municipal officials in every corner of the state, and it reflects the diversity of opinion existing across North Carolina. The NCLM Board of Directors revised this process in 2020 to gain even broader participation by municipal officials.
The timing of the policy development process coincides with the start of each new legislative biennium. During even-numbered years, all League members are invited to submit their ideas through focus group discussions and in writing. Ideas should fit into the League’s overarching policy focus areas, which are determined by the NCLM Board of Directors.
The League’s Legislative Policy Committee will then consider these ideas and recommend the top consensus positions to the Board of Directors. The Board refines the positions further before sending them to the full League membership for a final vote; moving forward, the vote is not required to be cast in person as in years past. At that point, the League membership will have a focused advocacy agenda to pursue at the state and federal levels.
As part of the revised policy-setting process, the Board consolidated four previously existing policy committees into one 65-person Legislative Policy Committee. The League President makes all appointments to the Legislative Policy Committee, including selection of committee chairs from the NCLM Board of Directors.
The deadline to submit an application for the Legislative Policy Committee has now closed.
