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NLPES Site Map

About NLPES

NLPES Executive Committee
Meeting Minutes

Minutes

NCSL National Legislative Program Evaluation Society (NLPES)

The NLPES membership met on Wednesday, July 19, 2000, in Chicago, Illinois. Approximately 65 members attended the meeting, which was accompanied by lunch.

Craig Kinton, Chair, called the meeting to order at 12:25 p.m. Craig summarized the year's activities beginning with the fall training conference in Charleston, WV, in October 1999. Registration for the conference was 150. Craig commented on the program sessions developed by the annual meeting committee. He stated that the awards committee considered the criteria for the awards and kept them basically the same as the previous year.

The communications committee was involved with production of the newsletter, which saw a change in editorship from Mark Bucherl (IN) to Mary Goehring (TX). Also, the NLPES website has migrated from the Florida OPPAGA site to the NCSL site. Florida staff will still be posting material on the site and making updates. Craig thanked John Turcotte and his staff for their contribution to maintaining the website. Traffic on the website has increased.

The NLPES training committee has secured sites for the annual training conference through 2004. This year the training conference will be in Austin, TX, from September 8-11. Next year it will be in Kansas City, MO, from September 5-8. Next year's conference will be hosted jointly by Kansas and Missouri. The conference will be held in Arizona in 2002, Michigan in 2003, and Florida in 2004. This year's conference in Texas will highlight the Legislatures of the Future as a theme. Dr. Peter Bishop of the University of Houston and Max Arinder of MS will be key speakers. There will be three training tracks: new skills, technology, and policy areas. The conference will consider the issues of how auditors and evaluators need to change to meet future challenges. Craig also mentioned the work of the elections and liaisons committees.

Gary VanLandingham announced that copies of the NLPES survey, Ensuring the Public Trust; How Program Policy Evaluation Is Serving State Legislatures, are available. This publication contains profile information on 44 NLPES organizations. People should let Gary know of any corrections needed in the publication.

Heather Moritz (CO), chair of the NLPES awards committee, presented this year's awards. The NLPES Excellence in Legislative Program Evaluation Award went to the Arizona Office of the Auditor General, Debra Davenport, Auditor General, for its Arizona State Hospital, Performance Audit, May 1999. In this audit, Arizona used innovative approaches to present needed information about conditions in the state hospital. A clip from the video tape that accompanied the audit was presented to those attending the meeting.

The Excellence in Research Methods Award was presented to Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA), John Turcotte, Director. OPPAGA's winning submission was Best Financial Management Practice Review: Polk County School District, June 1999. OPPAGA used a comprehensive and innovative research design for this study.

Heather then presented Certificates of Recognition of Impact to 15 states, summarizing each report and its impact. The following states received these certificates: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Craig Kinton then presented a special chair's award to Steven Birnholz of Florida's OPPAGA for his excellent work with the NLPES website. Craig introduced John Turcotte, who presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Ray D. Pethtel, who is currently a faculty member at Virginia Tech University. Ray was a pioneer in the field of legislative program evaluation who served on the staff of the New York Legislative Commission on Expenditure Review and was the first director of Virginia's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. Ray accepted his award and thanked several other NLPES members.

The meeting was then visited by John Phelps (FL), current staff chair of NCSL, Tom Tedcastle (FL), immediate past chair, Diane Bolender (IA), chair elect, and Ramona Kenady (OR), vice-chair elect. Diane thanked several members of NLPES who have fulfilled leadership roles in NCSL and discussed staff section activities for the coming year and her goals for the coming year.

Craig Kinton thanked the NLPES members for making his year as chair one of personal and professional growth. James Barber (MS), vice-chair, commented that NLPES will have an emphasis on meeting the challenges of the future during the coming year. He encouraged members to think creatively about how we can meet those challenges. James thanked Craig for his good ideas, vision, and leadership and presented him with a plaque in recognition of his service.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:35 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Jane Thesing, Secretary