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NLPES Site Map

About NLPES

NLPES Executive Committee
Meeting Minutes

Minutes

NCSL National Legislative Program Evaluation Society (NLPES)

The Executive Committee met on Wednesday, July 28, 1999, at the Indianapolis Convention Center, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Members present at the meting included: Joel Alter, James Barber, Gary Brown, Martha Carter, Rick Coleman, Gerald Hoppmann, Craig Kinton, Rob Krell, Heather Moritz, Jane Thesing, and Gary VanLandingham. Members absent from the meeting included: Antonio Jones. Others present at the meeting included Max Arinder, Bob Boerner, Mark Bucherl, Mary Noble, Richard Novak, and John Turcotte.

The meeting was called to order by Gary VanLandingham, Chair, at 2:00 p.m. Gary turned the meeting over to the incoming Chair, Craig Kinton. Craig gave his opening remarks and thanked Gary for his hard work during the previous year and for a great conference. He also thanked the training committee for its hard work during the year as well as its success in attracting more legislators to recent NLPES training sessions. The Executive Committee members introduced themselves to the group and provided a brief description of their backgrounds.

Election of Officers

Upon a motion and a second, the Executive Committee elected James Barber (Mississippi) and Gerald Hoppmann (Louisiana) as Vice-Chair and Secretary, respectively.

Appointment of Committees

The Chair appointed the following committees for 1999-00.

Craig asked that all committee chairs develop "committee charges" for their respective committees and send him copies. He also asked that committee chairs obtain feedback from their members about ideas, strategies, and direction for their committees for the upcoming year.

Bob Boerner passed out the NLPES Timeline for 1999-2000. Craig asked that the Executive Committee members review the timeline and let Bob know if there are other key dates related to committee work that should be added. He also stated that the timeline is a "working document" that will serve as a tool for the NLPES membership once its posted on the NLPES website.

Fall Training Conferences

In the absence of Antonio Jones, Craig passed out the proposed budget for the 1999 Fall Training Conference in West Virginia. Craig and James will work with Antonio to finalize the budget. Gary also suggested that Executive Committee members contact as many people in other states as possible to encourage attendance. Craig and James will also discuss future state assignments.

Craig and members from his staff will continue working on the following issues related to the 2000 Fall Training Conference in Austin, Texas: finalizing the dates of the conference; location and prices of proposed hotels; time-frames; and co-sponsorship by the LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Gary VanLandingham will take over as staff chair for the Assembly on State Issues (ASI) Fiscal, Oversight, and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee. He stated that he would like the committee to focus on evaluation and oversight issues during this coming year. He suggested that training in these issues would benefit both staff and legislators. He proposed the idea of having NLPES coordinate with the Fiscal, Oversight, and Intergovernmental Committee in order to participate in training during the ASI spring and winter meetings, as well as a joint session during the next NCSL annual meeting. He also discussed the benefits of conducting a survey of the 50 states to determine what states are doing in the area of legislative evaluation and oversight.

Upon a motion by Martha Carter and a second by Heather Moritz, the Executive Committee voted to authorize NLPES to participate with ASI's Fiscal, Oversight, and Intergovernmental Committee to develop presentations for training sessions during the spring and winter ASI meetings as well as developing a joint session during the next NCSL annual meeting. Heather Moritz also volunteered to help with the joint training effort if needed. Gary asked the Executive Committee to be thinking about possible issues and topics for these joint sessions for discussion at our next fall meeting.

Craig Kinton and Max Arinder discussed a proposed NLPES research study with the Texas State Auditor's Office (SAO) and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. LBJ would like to work with SAO to conduct a research project that deals with the differences and similarities between performance auditing and program evaluation. For example, the study could focus on how program evaluations and performance audits have helped make policy related to various social issues or to identify best practices for social programs. Craig will wait for LBJ to make more of a formal proposal so the Executive Committee can discuss related planning and funding issues at our October meeting.

Richard Novak from the Association of Governing Boards asked the Executive Committee to think about identifying potential speakers that may wish to speak on the state role of auditing related to public foundations. Mr. Novak talked informally with some committee members and audience after our meeting adjourned.

Upon a motion of Jane Thesing and a second by Joel Alter, the Executive Committee adjourned its meeting at 3:15 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Gerald W. Hoppmann, Secretary