GMA’s six standing Policy Committees serve as forums for city officials to hear about the status of legislative and policy issues and as channels for advancing recommendations to the GMA Legislative Policy Council. Who is eligible to serve on the Policy Committees? Elected and appointed municipal officials are eligible to serve on the Policy Committees. An official may serve on more than one Policy Committee. The committees typically meet in blocks of two, thus allowing officials to participate in up to three Policy Committee meetings at an event. Do the Policy Committees have a set number of members? There is no set or a maximum number of officials that can serve on the Policy Committees. What is the term of a Policy Committee membership? There are no terms for Policy Committees. Elected and appointed municipal officials may serve on a Policy Committee for as long as they desire, provided they are active municipal officials in a GMA member city. When do Policy Committees meet? Policy Committees typically meet twice a year: once in January during the Cities United Summit in Atlanta; and once in June during GMA’s Annual Convention in Savannah. At each conference, the committees typically meet in blocks of two, thus allowing officials to participate in up to three policy committee meetings. What are the expectations of Policy Committee members? At the June meeting, the Legislative Policy Council submits a draft legislative agenda to the six committees, based on an assessment of statewide issues and input received at district meetings across the state. The committees review and return their recommendations to the Legislative Policy Council, which is then responsible for developing a final proposed legislative agenda for presentation to the GMA membership for approval. The January meeting occurs during the legislative session and the Policy Committees are primarily briefed to assist with lobbying efforts at the state capitol. Policy Committee members are encouraged to attend the two meetings each year and engage in the discussion of policy issues and vote on policy matters during the meetings. In addition, committee participants are asked to build relationships with their state legislators, encourage their city to host a Hometown Connection meeting each year with their legislators, keep abreast of legislation impacting cities and advocate for GMA’s legislative priorities when the General Assembly is in session and throughout the year. Do I have to be a member of a Policy Committee to attend a Policy Committee meeting? No, city officials, regardless of whether they are a committee member, are encouraged to attend the meetings. Please note, however, that only members, are eligible to vote on policy matters at the meetings. If you are interested in serving on a Policy Committee, please complete this interest form for consideration.