November 2021 Special Meeting of the HOD: September 13 Speakers' updates

Review the Speakers' Sept. 13 update for the November HOD meeting.

Pursuant to the actions of the American Medical Association (AMA) Board of Trustees (Board) previously communicated to you on August 27 and September 10, this notice will serve as the Official Call to convene a Special Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates (HOD) on November 12-16, 2021. The purpose of this meeting, as defined by the action of the Board, is to conduct priority business of the Association. This Special Meeting will be convened virtually on the same platforms, Lumi and Zoom, that were used at the November 2020 and June 2021 Special Meetings.  

As previously communicated the schedule was developed to expand the time available for deliberation of business in reference committee hearings and House sessions. Reference committee hearings will again be held on Saturday and Sunday. The House will commence with the Opening Session at 7 pm Central Standard Time (CST), Friday, November 12 and convene again on Monday, November 15 at 10 am CST. We anticipate that we will utilize all of the scheduled time through Tuesday until our business is completed. Note: We will NOT have a hard stop on Tuesday, November 16, as there is no need for travel time, and this day should have already been cleared on your calendars.

The inherent inefficiencies of a virtual meeting demand a prioritization of the business to be considered, and thus the Board motion specified that the purpose of the meeting is to conduct priority business. In keeping with this defined purpose, all delegates and delegations are strongly encouraged to submit only priority resolutions. Our councils and the Board have been asked to do the same. To facilitate the prioritization process, resolutions MUST BE ACCOMPANIED by a statement of priority (not to exceed 250 words), and if submitting more than 1 resolution, delegations MUST RANK their resolutions in order of priority. Resolutions submitted without these required elements will not be accepted.

A Resolutions Committee will be convened to review all resolutions and make recommendations to the House regarding the priority of the resolutions. Your submitted prioritization statement and ranking will be considered by the Resolutions Committee as a factor in their recommendation to the House. The final determination of the business to be considered by the House at this Special Meeting will be decided by majority vote during the Opening Session of the House.

The Prioritization Matrix (PDF) that was used for the J21 Special Meeting will again be utilized at this meeting. Delegates considering submitting a resolution are encouraged to review this matrix. The detailed Prioritization Process (PDF) is posted on the AMA website for review. 

Online forums will once again be open for comment on all submitted resolutions and reports. Your Speakers request that all authors please present an opening comment regarding their resolutions/reports. In addition, we ask that members comment not only on the merits of the proffered resolution/report, but also to the priority of the resolutions. Your Speakers strongly encourage the use of the Online Forum to facilitate the live deliberations. As a reminder, there is no limit on debate via the Online Forum, however, there will be a limit at the live virtual hearing.

To encourage use of the Online Forums, reference committees will be instructed to give equal weight to testimony presented in the Online Forums to that presented at the live hearings.

Reference committees are scheduled Saturday morning and afternoon and Sunday morning. To facilitate deliberation of as much business as possible, your Speakers have determined that we will once again use all 8 reference committees typically held at our Annual Meetings (CC&B, A-G). Reference committee reports will be posted as soon as available. In general, reference committee reports will be considered by the House in the order in which they become available for review. Saturday and Sunday late afternoon/evening and early morning Monday have been kept open on the schedule to allow for Delegations to consider the reports.

The Opening Session of the House will be held Friday, November 12 at 7 pm CST. The House will consider reference committee reports beginning at 10 am CST Monday and continuing on Tuesday until all business has been completed. Please keep open Tuesday afternoon as we do not know when we will adjourn.

See preliminary schedule below for further details

Your Speakers are sensitive to the fact that our schedule continues past sundown on Friday and on through Sunday. Delegates for whom this schedule potentially creates a conflict may wish to coordinate with their alternate delegates. Saturday and Sunday will include reference committees where participation is optional, and individuals are reminded of the opportunity to present testimony in the Online Forum which will be open for several weeks. If further accommodations are needed, please contact us at [email protected].

A Health Equity Forum will be offered on Sunday afternoon, November 14. This program is under development by management and the Center for Health Equity. Further details will be forthcoming.

Although this notice is being sent both electronically and by postal mail, delivery delays and the need to expedite communication as we approach the upcoming meeting necessitate that we have correct email addresses for ALL members of the HOD, including alternate delegates and any other involved individuals. Email will once again be our primary method of sharing important information, including delegate credentials, with the House. In some cases this notice may have been sent to “spam” or been removed by a security filter. If you receive this notice by postal mail only, you need to confirm your email address and check your filters. 

In addition, because delegation rosters may have changed since our June 2021 Special Meeting, we remind delegation chairs and/or staff to confirm that all delegation members have received this communication electronically. If you or a member of your delegation needs to correct or update their email address, please contact the HOD office at [email protected] immediately.

Your Speakers are seeking multiple volunteers for the Resolutions Committee, Rules and Credentials Committee, and reference committees. Those interested in serving on reference committees and particularly those interested in serving as a chair should be experienced in working via a virtual meeting format. Please submit a “Committee Volunteer Form,(PDF)”  which can also be downloaded from the Speaker's Page on the AMA site.

Please watch for further communication from us as details are finalized. As a reminder, notices regarding the upcoming November Special Meeting will have N21 in the subject line (which is short for the November 2021 meeting of the AMA House of Delegates) and will be sent from [email protected]. Please add this address to your contact list.

The tentative schedule is listed below.

Your Speakers share your disappointment that circumstances have once again prevented us from meeting in person, but rest assured that plans are well underway to facilitate the policymaking role of our House of Delegates in a fair and deliberative fashion.

All times are Central.

Wednesday, October 13:
Resolution Submission On Time Deadline
Societies whose meetings adjourn after Oct. 8 will have 7 days from their adjournment to submit their priority business but no later than noon Nov. 7
NOTE:  Reports and resolutions will be posted to the Online Member Forum as soon as feasible.

Sunday, November 7, noon:
Deadline for supplemental resolution submission from the sections and late resolutions from the Federation (“Sunday Tote”)

Friday, November 12, 7 pm: 
HOD Opening Session
Ceremonial Opening
Speeches
Rules & Credentials Report
Resolutions Committee Final Report considered by HOD

Saturday, November 13:
9:00 am - Morning Reference Committee Hearings (3)
1:00 pm - Afternoon Reference Committee Hearings (3)

Sunday November 14:
9:00 am - Reference Committee Hearings (2)
1:00 pm - Health Equity Forum

Monday November 15:
10:00 am - Second Session of HOD presentation of reference committee reports
12:00-1:00 pm - AMPAC Capitol Club Luncheon

Tuesday, November 16:
9 am until completed - Final Session HOD

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Responses should be directed to [email protected]

• Speakers' updates overview
• Oct. 29, 2021 Speakers' update
• Oct. 25 and 26, 2021 Speakers' update
• Oct. 22, 2021 Speakers' update
• Sept. 10, 2021 Speakers' update
• Aug. 27, 2021 Speakers' update
• Aug. 13, 2021 Speakers' update