The functions of the Joint Reference Committee (JRC) are:

• Hold accountable, monitor, and evaluate the functioning of components with reports from the councils to the JRC and from the JRC to the Board of Trustees.
• Serve as a clearinghouse of items between the Board and/or Assembly and the councils. At the specific request of the Assembly Executive Committee, the JRC may rarely refer items directly from the Assembly to the Board. All items that are referred to the JRC are tracked to monitor where issues are in the governance process. The word “item” includes action papers, position statements, and resource documents.
• Refer items to the appropriate council or component for review and action as determined by the JRC. Items may also be referred to the Assembly, district branches and/or area councils for review and action as determined by the JRC with a report back to the JRC. With each referral or assignment, reports and updates will be required by a certain time. Wherever possible, individuals responsible for the work will be specified.
• Mediate and resolve problems arising between councils.
• Receive position statements that have been developed by a council and refer them back to the same council or other councils for further review or revision or make recommendations to the Board and Assembly regarding review and/or adoption.
• Receive reports by councils that do not involve policy without additional referral to the Board and/or Assembly (as councils have authority to operate within existing Association policy).
• Consider the merits of an item referred by a component and/or Assembly and reach a conclusion without further reference to other APA components or the Board or Assembly.
• Consolidate the reports of two or more councils or components with a recommendation for action to the same or other councils or the Board and/or Assembly.
• Define the roles of the various components when the concerns are overlapping, including deciding which component should be the lead.
• Review reports of award nominees from all components that administer the awards funded by the APA (not the APAF) and forward these to the Board for approval. The final responsibility for the creation and continuation of awards remains with the Board of Trustees.

Staff Liaison

Chiharu Tobita, [email protected]