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Research and Committee Staff Section

RACSS Newsletter

Spring 1997

RACSS Home Page

Table of Contents

Chair's Column: Juggling Planning for the Future With Yesterday's Work Assignments

AFI/ASI Joint Meeting Report

1997 Professional Development Seminar for Senior Research Staff

Internal Staff Visit State Legislatures

Maryland Considers Staff Reorganization

Legislative Staff Achievement Award Nominations

Regional News

Staff Notes

LSCC Report

International Legislative Internships Available

1997 Skills Development Seminar

Chair's Column

Juggling Planning for the Future With Yesterday's Work Assignments

by Larry Barish, 1997 RACSS Chair
Director, Information and Library Services, Legislative Reference Bureau, Wisconsin

The legislative session in Wisconsin is in full swing and the focus in our office has shifted from orienting new members to helping them make their way through the legislative process. One informal but quite accurate indicator of our workload is reflected by the height of the various piles of papers carefully arranged over the entire surface of my desk and contiguous horizontal surfaces. As each pile grows to dangerous heights, I carefully begin a new one. Somehow the increasing computerization of our operations has done little to stem the avalanche of paper. I think I have identified a couple of possible Annual Meeting topics-managing workloads and how technology has affected the legislative process. Which somewhat serendipitously brings me to the main subject of this column....

While I'm sure that most of us are caught up in the demands of our respective legislative sessions, this is also the time that we, as a staff section, have to make a number of decisions regarding Annual Meeting programs and professional training seminar topics. Although it is difficult to find the time to devote to these matters during the crunch of legislative responsibilities (sometimes we need to be magicians as well as jugglers), the benefits we gain from these programs undoubtedly make our efforts worthwhile. Our executive committee is currently involved in planning programs for the NCSL Annual Meeting scheduled for Philadelphia on August 5 - 9, and the RACSS Professional Development Seminar for Senior Research Staff slated for October 8 - 11 in Washington, D.C. I strongly encourage you to contact any of us on the executive committee with your suggestions and comments. This is the time to make your opinions known about how RACSS can meet your needs for both skills enhancement and subject-area knowledge.

Elsewhere in this newsletter you will find information about the Professional Development Seminar, submitted by seminar chair Karl Aro, and the Legislative Staff Achievement program, coordinated by Richard Sims. Please feel free to contact Karl and Richard directly to make your views known. In the meantime, work on your juggling skills and have a productive and successful year.

AFI/ASI Joint Meeting

The Research and Committee Staff Section sponsored two programs at the joint meeting of NCSL's Assembly on Federal Issues and Assembly on State Issues, in Washington D.C., this past December.

Current Technology in Support of Congress

Program participants were afforded an opportunity to describe IT applications in their respective legislatures, and it was discovered that Congress and State Legislatures are dealing with many of the same issues regarding the development and administration of computerized databases. All participants found this session to be extremely valuable and plans were made to meet again to share perspectives.

Congressional Committee Staffing

by Diane Bolender, Iowa
At the AFI/ASI meeting in Washington, D.C., in December, the Research and Committee Staff Section held a session on staffing of congressional committees. Three congressional staff members, two from the majority party and one from the minority party, described their work and discussed how legislative staff may access information about the work of congressional committees. Presenters were Manus Cooney, Republican Staff Director and Senior Counsel for the Senate Committee on Judiciary; Joseph Seidel, Republican General Counsel for the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services; and Deborah Colton, Professional Assistant for the House Committee on Ways and Means.

The presenters discussed allocation of staff resources and personnel and stated that about two-thirds of the staff for a committee is majority staff and about one-third is minority staff. Mr. Seidel indicated that the total number of staffers for the House Banking Committee prior to the 1994 election was about 120, while today that number is between 60 and 70 staff members. For Ms. Colton, the change in status after the 1994 election meant that the Democratic Party staff on the House Ways and Means Committee was reduced from 65 staff members to 16 staff members.

The presenters indicated that the committee chair decides how staff members are allocated among the full committee and the subcommittees and how independent the subcommittee staff is from the full committee staff. In some committees, the chair approves all staff members hired and in other committees the chair only approves the hiring of majority party staff members, while the ranking member approves the hiring of minority party staff members.

Majority party staff members prepare memoranda and briefing books. They prepare for mark-ups of bills and for floor debates. The minority party staff identifies witnesses for hearings, writes dissenting views for committee reports and generally conveys the views of the minority party to the public.

All of the presenters indicated that information about their committees is available on the Internet and from the Government Printing Office. They suggested that state legislative staff request information from a member of Congress from the state legislature's home state, rather than directly from a congressional committee. While congressional committee staff members do not generally have direct contact with state legislatures or state legislative staff members, some committees have contact with NCSL and with the National Governors Association.

The presenters commented that they believe that the power of Congress is tending to shift away from the standing committees and toward the Congressional leadership, with leadership staff thus becoming more powerful.

1997 Professional Development Seminar for Senior Research Staff

The fourth RACSS seminar for senior research and committee staff has been set for October 8 through 11, 1997, in Washington, D.C. The Doubletree Suites Hotel on Rhode Island Avenue, N.W., in the DuPont Circle area, has been chosen as the site for the seminar. The hotel is convenient to the Metro, Georgtown and the Mall.

Other members of the planning committee include the RACSS officers and executive committee members, along with David Hite of Colorado, Allan Green of Connecticut and Darrell Jackson of Missouri, who chaired the three previous seminars.

International Staff Visit State Legislatures

by Allan Green, Connecticut

Six staff from the Namibian Parliament spent the months of February and March working with legislative staff in Colorado, Connecticut and Wisconsin. They were given intensive briefings on these states' operations and prepared reports to take back to their country indicating how American legislative procedures might be adapted to work in Namibia.

Since gaining independence in 1990, the Namibian Parliament has been striving to establish itself as a co-equal branch of government. Although floor procedures are well established, committees are in their infancy. The training program is part of a three-year project of the National Democratic Institute.

Maryland Considers Reorganization of Staff Agencies

by Karl Aro, Maryland

The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House have introduced legislation to reorganize the General Assembly's staff agencies. The proposed reorganization comes almost five years after an NCSL study of the Maryland General Assembly's three staff agencies: the Department of Fiscal Services, the Department of Legislative Reference, and the Office of Legislative Data Processing.

Building on one of the options presented in the NCSL study, the legislation would place the current departments into a single Department of Legislative Services (DLS), headed by an executive director. The internal structure of DLS would consist of an Office of the Executive Director, an Office of Policy Analysis, an Office of Legislative Audits, an Office of Legislative Information Systems, and "any other offices as may be designated by the President and the Speaker."

The new department would be responsible for all of the professional and support functions of its three predecessors, with the budget, legislative drafting, committee staffing, research, and library functions residing in the Office of Policy Analysis. The Office of the Executive Director, in addition to having general administrative control of DLS, would also be responsible for administrative support to the General Assembly relating to finance, personnel, distribution, telecommunications, printing, supplies, housekeeping, and maintenance.

The legislation also mandates the creation of an information systems planning team to develop an integrated plan for the information systems needs of all aspects of DLS's activities and to recommend priorities for the implementation of systems to meet identified needs.

Finally, the legislation requires the executive director to report to the Legislative Policy Committee no later than September 15, 1997 on a number of issues relating to reorganization, including a proposed reconfiguration of the physical layout of staff offices, working schedules and pay plans, and the identification of alternatives for strengthening the fiscal efficiency of the Department's operations.

Nominations Solicited for Legislative Staff Achievement Award (LSAA)

by Larry Barish, Wisconsin
Do you know of a RACSS colleague who is deserving of national recognition for his or her efforts in supporting the legislative institution? Are you aware of a legislative agency that has performed its duties in a manner that cries out for acclamation? Then this is the time for you to make your voice heard by sending your nomination for the first annual LSAA to Richard Sims, Dianne McClure or David Hite, who serve as our LSAA Nominating Committee.

For additional information about the award or to submit a nomination for the LSAA, contact:

Richard Sims
Office of Economic and Tax Policy
Bureau of Legislative Research
Little Rock, AR 72201
phone: (501) 682-1937 or fax: (501) 682-1936

Dianna McClure
Legislative Research Commission
State Capitol, Room 300
Frankfort, KY 40601
phone: (502) 564-8100 or fax: (502) 223-5094

David Hite
Legislative Council
State Capitol, Room 029
Denver, CO 80203
phone: (303) 866-3521 or fax: (303) 866-3855

The award provides an opportunity for each staff section to recognize deserving staff section members while, at the same time, publicizing the work that we do in support of state legislatures. Our nominations need to be forwarded to NCSL by June 15 so that necessary arrangements for honoring recipients can be made in time for the August 5 - 9 NCSL Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. The following letter from NCSL Staff Chair Russ Larson provides additional information.

Mr. Larry S. Barish, Director
Information and Library Services
Legislative Reference Bureau
Madison, Wisconsin

In order to provide sufficient time to engrave plaques and finalize details, I am asking that each Staff Section Chair and the ASI Chair forward the name or names of the one or two individuals or offices selected for recognition to Ron Snell of NCSL by June 15. Call Ron at (303) 364-7700, extension 159 or e-mail him at ron.snell@ncsl.org.

Sincerely,
Russ Larson
Controller General, Delaware
Staff Chair, NCSL

Regional News

Oregon, by Dave Henderson
In addition to all of the ongoing issues before them, the Legislature has completed action on three items, which are now left to the voters and the federal government to decide:

HJR 85 is a rewrite of the Oregon property tax system, prompted by the passage of Ballot Measure 47, passed last November, which rolled back property taxes to their 1994-95 level, or their 1995-96 level, minus ten percent, whichever is lower. It also capped property tax increases at 3 percent per year. Ambiguities in the wording of the ballot measure, however, led legislators to undertake a complete rewrite of the property tax system, while maintaining the tax saving property taxpayers would realize under Measure 47. The legislative rewrite goes to the voters in the May election.

HJR 2 is a measure to correct problems encountered with implementing Ballot Measure 17, the prison inmate work measure adopted in 1994. The measure ran afoul of federal minimum wage guidelines, prompting this corrective action, which also goes on the May ballot.

SB 924, with the accompanying revenue and appropriations bills, provides the tools to implement the Oregon (Coastal Salmon Initiative) Plan. The plan is based upon the concept that a public-private partnership, built on voluntary efforts and existing law, will be more effective in the restoration of salmon and habitat than a federal, regulatory-based program.

South Dakota, by Terry Anderson
Beginning this legislative session, all aspects of the South Dakota legislative process were processed on a single client-server personal computer system. The system produces and tracks every action from the moment a legislator brings a drafting request to the Legislative Research Council until the bill is delivered to the Governor.

The new system, LawMaker™, completely automated and integrated the legislative process. The same system tracked draft requests, drafted bills, introduced bills, and produced printer copies. All the action of committees (agendas, minutes, and reports) were done in this manner. When the bill went to the floor for debate, LawMaker™ also produced the calendar and daily journal. Finally, after the bill has passed, the engrossment was accomplished by the same system and the act delivered to the Governor.

A major benefit to this integrated system was that the South Dakota Legislature was now able to go "on-line." Every legislative document is accessible on the Internet. People no longer have to make the long trip to Pierre to check on the Legislature. All bill versions and committee and floor documents are on the Internet.

South Dakota had one of the harshest winters in a century, but that did not keep the people from following legislation. Many citizens used the Internet to follow a bill or issue. School classes used the Legislature's home page as a study project and citizens brought their laptops to weekly legislative meetings.

The new legislative information system is easier for the part-time session employees to grasp. This is a major step forward, considering a legislative session's tight time frame.

Staff Notes

Maryland: Farewell and best wishes to Carvel Payne, who is retiring on June 30, 1997, after 27 years of work for the Maryland General Assembly. Carvel has served as Director of the Department of Legislative Reference since 1978, and was an active member of RACSS, serving as chair for 1985-86.

Missouri: Congratulations to Anne C. Walker, who was promoted from Assistant Director of House Research to Chief Clerk of the House. Anne is presently the Staff Vice Chair of NCSL and will become Staff Chair at the Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.

Arizona: Welcome to John Halikowski, the new Director of House Research.

Georgia: Welcome to Steven Hayes, the new Director of Senate Research.

Maryland: Congratulations to Karl Aro, who is the new Director of Research for the Department of Legislative Reference. He previously served as Deputy Director.

Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee

Coronado, California
February 7-8, 1997

by Diane Bolender, Iowa

Overview

The Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee (LSCC) is the coordinating body for the various staff activities at the NCSL. The LSCC is comprised of representatives from each of the nine staff sections, as well as the staff members who are NCSL officers, Executive Committee members, or appointed at the NCSL Staff Chair's discretion. The LSCC meets several times a year in conjunction with the NCSL Executive Committee meetings. The last LSCC meeting was held in Coronado, California on February 7 and 8.

This year Staff Chair Russ Larson has established three task forces to carry on the work of the LSCC. The following is a brief summary of the activities of the three task forces at the February meeting.

Professional Development Task Force

The Professional Development Task Force is charged with reviewing and evaluating NCSL's training and professional development services for legislative staff, reviewing and evaluating NCSL's technical assistance efforts in state legislatures in the U.S. and in foreign countries, and considering new ideas for staff training programs.

At the meeting, the Task Force developed plans for several activities for legislative staff at the Annual Meeting to be held August 5 - 9 in Philadelphia. The Task Force completed initial planning for coordinating the legislative staff information booth which will be located near the registration area. Last year was the first year a staff information booth was used to greet staff, and many legislative staff members stopped at the booth to ask questions about the Annual Meeting and staff activities. The Task Force also requested that NCSL provide a lounge reserved for legislative staff members at the Convention Center during the Annual Meeting.

The Task Force also discussed oversight of the Legislative Staff Management Institute, which might include the establishment of a separate board of directors or more direct oversight through the LSCC.

Information Technology Task Force

The Task Force is also developing a report describing state activities relating to chamber automation, legislative use of multimedia, and use of video conferencing. A subcommittee of the Task Force is developing proposed recommendations for Internet and e-mail policies, and their report will be presented at a future LSCC meeting. Information was provided by NCSL staff that NCSL has redesigned its home page and anticipates having forums and Internet newsgroups available on its Web site by April 1.

Strategic Planning Task Force

The Strategic Planning Task Force is charged with monitoring NCSL's progress in implementing the strategic plan for legislative staff services developed in 1994-1996 and evaluating the goals and direction of the Assembly on State Issues (ASI). It will also review services to staff sections.

The Task Force also discussed ways to encourage legislative leaders to make appointments to ASI committees on a timely basis and suggested that the terms of committee membership for legislative staff members be established at two years, the same as legislator members. Terms for legislative staff members are currently unlimited. Legislative staff were encouraged to attend the ASI meeting being held in San Francisco April 4 - 6.

Legislative Staff Interns Sought for Parliamentary Staff Development Program in Francophone Africa

The intern exchange program will be composed of two phases. The first part of the exchange will involve three legislative staff from different states in the U.S. undertaking one-month internships, living and working in one of the three West African capitals in the Fall of 1997. The second portion of the exchange will involve six legislative staff (two from each of the participating West African countries) undertaking two-month internships in the U.S., with three state legislatures each hosting two interns. It is hoped that the states that send legislative staff interns to the participating West African countries will also host the African interns.

U.S. participants will be asked to help evaluate and select African interns to come to the United States. Additionally, U.S. interns may be asked to provide talks or seminars on staff skills or "the American experience." At the conclusion of the program, all interns will be asked to submit a report or evaluation of their experiences.

Legislative staff interested in participating in the intern exchange program should be proficient in French, have significant experience in state legislatures, be knowledgeable about the legislative institution and staff roles, and be willing and able to commit to the project well in advance, including pre-internship preparation. All expenses, except salary, will be covered by the program.

For more information on the program, contact Jeremy Meadows or David Naftzger in NCSL's Washington, D.C. office at (202) 624-5400.

1997 Skills Development Seminar

Sacramento, California
July 9 - 12, 1997

The annual Skills Development Seminar is scheduled for July 9 - 12, 1997, in Sacramento, California. The Skills Seminar is a broadly-focused training seminar for junior legislative staff, designed for those who've been in the legislative environment for two or fewer years or recently transferred to their current position.

• research
• bill drafting
• fiscal analysis
• program evaluation

RACSS is the sponsor of the research track, which will feature presenters Allan Green of Connecticut and Ken Hurdle of California.

The seminar will also feature two half-day programs for all attendees, on writing and public presentation skills. Invited speakers are George Gopen, Director of Writing Programs at Duke University, for the writing program; and John Turcotte, Executive Director of the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability for the Florida Legislature, for the presentation program.

For more information on the Skills Development Seminar, or for registration materials, contact Bruce Feustel in NCSL's Denver office, (303) 364-7700.

The RACSS Newsletter is published by the Research and Committee Staff Section of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Editors: Larry Barish, WI and Diane Bolender, IA

NCSL Staff Section Contact for RACSS: Jeanne Mejeur, 303-364-7700, or e-mail jeanne.mejeur@ncsl.org.

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