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American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries
38^th Professional Development Seminar
Baltimore, Maryland
"Chesapeake Voyage"
September 22 - 27, 2004

The American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries (ASLCS) is honored to hold its 2004 Fall Annual Professional Development Seminar in downtown Baltimore, Maryland.  The meeting, titled Chesapeake Voyage, features a day-trip to the state's historic capital city, Annapolis, and a special workshop conducted by the nationally recognized training firm BizFutures.  Other details of the seminar agenda are outlined in this brochure. The 2004 ASLCS Fall Professional Development Seminar offers a unique opportunity to learn important new work skills and procedures, build relationships with colleagues from other states (and nations) and advance the effectiveness of America's state legislatures.  The ASLCS membership hopes to see you in Baltimore.

What This Seminar Covers

Legislative clerks, secretaries and their staffs work in a unique environment for which little formal training is available.  The American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries (ASLCS) responds to these training needs by offering a seminar emphasizing the development of professional skills.  The purposes of the ASLCS Professional Development Seminar is to improve the administrative and parliamentary effectiveness of state legislatures, to develop procedures to enhance lawmaking, and to provide a forum where legislative staff can meet and learn from their counterparts in other states.

Preliminary Agenda

Wednesday, September 22

Thursday, September 23

Friday, September 24

Saturday, September 25

Sunday, September 26

Monday, September 27

Plenary Sessions

• Loving What You Do, Doing What You Love - Larry Ransom, BizFutures, Mount Vernon, Washington,  http://www.bizfutures.com/keynote.html
• Creative Listening - Larry Ransom, BizFutures
• Parliamentary Procedure

Concurrent Sessions

• Pros & Cons of Automation of the Legislative Process           
• How a Bill Becomes a Law
• The Reality of Real-Time Posting of Information     
• Follow-up to Term Limits
• What's New in Legislative Technology
• Human Resources Personnel Law Update
• Ways to Improve Cross-Training
• Dealing With Part-Time Staff         
• Page Programs/Legislative Internships
• An International Experience            

Seminar Registration

Registration fees for the ASLCS Professional Development Seminar are:

Legislative Staff             $325
Spouse/guest                $195
All others                       $500

REGISTER ONLINE!

Or, click HERE for your faxable registration form.

Registration on-line requires payment with credit card for everyone except legislators and legislative staff.  Confirmations will be sent by e-mail and meeting materials will be mailed.  Those without an e-mail address will receive their confirmation in the mail along with their meeting materials. The deadline for registering is September 8, 2004.

On-site Registration:  If you are unable to meet the September 8, 2004, registration deadline, please register on-site at the Wyndham Baltimore Inner Harbor Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland.

Spouse/Guest Registration.  The $195 fee includes admission to all scheduled meal functions and evening social events.  It must be paid in full at the time of registration.

Cancellations.  Cancellations received in the NCSL Denver Office by September 21, 2004, will be refunded minus a $50 processing fee.  Cancellations must be made in writing and faxed to (303) 364-7811.  Fees cannot be refunded for registrations cancelled after the conference begins.

Confirmations.  Confirmations will be e-mailed if an address is provided.  Letter confirmations are mailed every Friday up to the conference start date.

Travel Information

Make your reservations through Andavo Travel, NCSL's official travel headquarters, to receive discounted airfare and car rental rates. Andavo Travel maintains a 24-hour, toll-free line for changes and emergencies. Call toll free (800) 825-3283, ext. 2 (7:00 am to 6:00 pm MDT). In Colorado or outside the continental U.S., call (303) 694-4344, ext. 2. Airline reservations should be made at least 14 days in advance.

Hotel Information

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Wyndham Baltimore Inner Harbor Hotel, 101 West Fayette Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201. Please arrange your accommodations by phone, (410) 752-1100. Please indicate that you are attending the ASLCS/NCSL Seminar to receive a room rate of $140/single or $150/double plus tax. The hotel cut-off date to guarantee the room rate is August 25, 2004.  Housing arrangements are the responsibility of meeting participants.

Hotel reservations must be held by one night's room deposit (credit card guarantee is acceptable). The hotel must receive cancellation notices 48 hours prior to the arrival date in order for a deposit to be refunded. NCSL cannot be responsible for guarantees.

The Wyndham Baltimore is located 10 miles from Baltimore Washington International Airport. Travel time is approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Taxis are available 24 hours at the front entrance of the hotel and one way fare to the airport is $17-$22. The hotel also offers a direct airport shuttle service from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. that costs between $11-$15 one way. Meeting participants driving to Baltimore can park overnight at the hotel's parking garage at discounted rates. There are other parking garages located nearby.

For more information about accommodations and amenities, please visit http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/BWIIH/main.wnt.

General Information

Baltimore City Information - Check out the city's Website at http://www.baltimore.org/.

Day in Annapolis - On Thursday, September 23, the seminar will convene in this beautiful capital city. Be sure to arrive in Baltimore by Wednesday so you can make it aboard our buses Thursday morning for the short trip to Annapolis. The Host State event is a Maryland-sponsored evening boat cruise from Annapolis to Baltimore aboard two yachts - the Lady Pintail and the Duchess of Pintail - see them at http://www.pintailyachts.com/.  For more information about Annapolis, please visit http://www.visit-annapolis.org/.

Side Trip to Washington, D.C. - A day in Washington, D.C. to tour the Supreme Court, The White House, The Library of Congress and the Capitol has been planned for Tuesday, September 28. For more information,  please email Dee Orr, the Maryland House Journal Clerk at deor@mlis.state.md.us. 

Baltimore Orioles - A block of 100 tickets is being held for the Friday, September 24 game with Detroit. The game starts at 7:35 pm.  The price is $27 per ticket. Everyone is responsible for purchasing their own ticket. You must order tickets by September 17, 2004, as the block will be released a week before the game. Call Ren with the Orioles at (410) 547-6103.

Discounted Sight Seeing in Baltimore - The Harbor Pass is a $35, three-day pass to Port Discovery, National Aquarium, Md. Science Center and Top of the World plus discounts for 10 other Baltimore attractions.  For more information go to the Web site, http://www.baltimore.org/ and search for "harbor pass."

Special Needs

In order to ensure full participation and accessibility for all meeting attendees, please notify Kristin House in the NCSL meetings department at (303) 364-7700, ext. 1466 of any special accommodations you may require.

For More Information

Program information: Contact Natalie O'Donnell at natalie.odonnell@ncsl.org or (303) 364-7700, ext. 1485.
Hotel information: Contact Kristin House at kristin.house@ncsl.org or (303) 364-7700, ext. 1466.
Registration information: Contact Cherie Javadi at cherie.javadi@ncsl.org or (303) 364-7700, ext. 1430.