The National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP), is the largest non-profit association of professional parliamentarians in the world.

NAP was organized in 1930. Today, NAP has a membership of more than 4,000 parliamentarians in all 50 U.S. states, Canada, and internationally. Among NAP's members are more than 700 individuals who are certified as Professional Registered Parliamentarians, the highest level of proficiency.

The goals of NAP are:

• Foster educational, scientific, literary and professional purposes of studying, teaching, promoting and disseminating the philosophy and principles underlying the rules of deliberative assemblies;
• Further the growing interest in parliamentary rules in both public and private schools on all levels;
• Create closer cooperation among parliamentarians;
• Inculcate and uphold the general principles of obedience to law and lend moral aid and strength to the parliamentary activities of its members; and
• Award such certification of proficiency as appropriate.

Levels

• Associate member - available to any person interested in parliamentary procedure.
• NAP members - must pass a membership examination to become a full member. This test is 100 questions on parliamentary procedure, taken from a pool of 300. This pool is available for free from the group's website.
• Registered Parliamentarian (RP) - must pass a further examination on Robert's Rules of Order. This test consists of 300 questions from a pool of 1200. The question pool may be purchased from NAP as a study guide.
• Professional Registered Parliamentarian (PRP) - are RPs who have completed a Professional Qualification Course. PRP's that do not take (or teach) an additional Professional Development Course once during a six year period revert to RP status.
• PRP's and RP's who decide to no longer practice may apply for retired status, and retain the title "retired PRP" and "retired RP," respectively.

Publications

• National Parliamentarian- quarterly publication of NAP, including articles on parliamentary procedure and news/information on NAP.

NAP publishes a variety of other works on parliamentary procedure. These include Pointers on Parliamentary Procedure, the Pathways to Profeciency series, the Spotlight series, and more.

External links

• National Association of Parliamentarians
• National Parliamentarian

Parliamentary procedure