|
National Legislative Program Evaluation Society
Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
October 15, 2003, East Lansing, MI
The executive committee convened at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday,
October 15, 2003, in East Lansing, MI. Copies of handouts discussed during
the meeting are kept on file with the NLPES secretary.
Members present at the meeting were Martha Carter, Philip Durgin, Steve
Hendrickson, Joe Lawhon, Ken Levine, Wade Melton, Tim Osterstock, Manu
Patel, and Kate Wade. Also present were Gary Brown (MI), Jackie Lawson
(MI), Flora Caruthers (FL), Maryann Nardone (PA), Rakesh Mohan (ID); and
Bob Boerner and Kristin House, both from NCSL.
Absent: Joel Alter
Conference Updates. Gary Brown reviewed the conference schedule
and noted that only one moderator was unable to attend (due to a family
emergency) and that Manu had volunteered to take her place. Gary explained
that we would be receiving one booklet per day that could be carried in
a tote bag they were providing. Gary also mentioned that there was not
much interest in the panel on air quality, so they decided to substitute
a session entitled "What is a financial audit and what's it good for anyway?"
Gary noted that they invited the guest speakers to the reception and dinner,
which added some cost but also makes them more available to the conferees.
Kristen House (NCSL) reported that the conference had signed up135 Michigan
attendees and 76 out-of-staters for a total of 211. She estimates the conference
should end up between $1,200-$1,500 in the black. Some savings were achieved
because NCSL brought only two people rather than the normal three. Costs
for renting PowerPoint projectors was the only item they anticipate being
over budget: the projectors cost $100/day * 6 rooms = $600/day.
Committee Meetings
From 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m., committee chairs met with their committees.
The meeting reconvened at approximately 10:30 a.m.
Committee Reports:
Professional Development and Training. Ken Levine reported the
Committee discussed possible ways for the Executive Committee to become
more involved in providing general oversight of the Fall Training Conference.
Concern was expressed over the difficulties a host state might have in
obtaining "approvals" from a Committee. The suggestion was made that the
Vice Chair serve as the key contact for concurrence of the conference theme
and track, as that individual would be the NLPES Chair during that conference.
Ken reported that the Committee has updated the timelines (e.g., to provide
that the conference pamphlets need to be available at the Annual Meeting
and need to be in sufficient detail to be convincing that staff attending
the conference will take home meaningful new skills). Information on conference
sessions should also be included in the pamphlet and on the listserv and
NLPES website. Tim confirmed that Utah was willing to sponsor the 2006
conference, and a motion was made and passed to that effect.
Annual Meeting. Tim reported that planning for the NCSL Annual
Meeting was progressing slowly. He asked that Committee members try to
think of major reports that could be discussed, panels that we could co-sponsor
with another NCSL staff section, and topics that might be of particular
interest to legislators. Concurrent session ideas are due in January. The
NCSL fiscal staff section has expressed interest in doing something with
NLPES on follow-up to our audit/evaluation reports.
Membership and Nominations. The process of sending out ballots
to key contacts rather than individual members worked well, and the Committee
plans to follow this process for the next election. Executive Committee
staff members were encouraged to contact states that are not participating
in the elections in an effort to get greater participation.
Awards Committee. Martha reported that Committee is considering
an award for agencies participating in LSCC (Legislative Staff Coordinating
Committee) and will report back on this next year. The Committee has decided
to drop the criteria of a report being cited in a newspaper article as
sufficient for qualifying for the Certificate of Impact award. Martha noted
that almost always these are simply notices of a report being released,
rather than articles discussing the report's impact. The Committee also
made assignments for the various awards committees.
Communications and Technology Committee. Phil reported that the
Committee remains concerned about the difficulty in accessing NLPES-member
reports via the NCSL database. Tim volunteered to explore this issue further.
Wade discussed the Ensuring the Public Trust survey and asked for and received
volunteers to test it. A second questionnaire directed to NLPES members
was discussed, perhaps in conjunction with next spring's election, but
the goals of such an effort need to be better identified. The Committee
is also exploring the possibility of a video conference training session,
but was informed there are some technical problems when such conferences
include more than 3 or 4 participants.
By-Law Amendment. Bob Boerner presented the by-law amendment
providing that "The Executive Committee shall meet at least three times
each year at such time OR place as may be designated by the chair." The
amendment, having been duly presented to the NLPES membership, was passed
unanimously by the Executive Committee.
Filling Vacant Executive Committee Position. This item was tabled
until the Committee could receive and consider a statement from candidate
Rumiko Okuma (HI).
LSCC Update. Kate and Martha reported on the LSCC's on-going
effort to build connections between staff sections and between staff sections
and the policy committees.
Date and Site for the Next NLPES Executive Committee Meeting. The
2004 NLPES Executive Committee expects to meet next in Washington, D.C.,
in conjunction with the NCSL Spring Forum, which will be held April 28-May
1, 2004. A time for the Executive Committee meeting has not yet been set.
Bob asked that any Executive Committee member who cannot attend the meeting
inform him as soon as possible so he can work on a teleconference/video
conference setup.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 11:30 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Philip Durgin, Secretary
|
