New Officers 2003

NCSL News graphic

July 25, 2003

Utah Speaker Takes Helm at NCSL

Md., Ill. lawmakers next in line; Miss. director takes top staff post

SAN FRANCISCO - Utah House Speaker Martin Stephens today became the president of the National Conference of State Legislatures, a bipartisan, nonprofit organization that works on behalf of America's state legislatures. Speaker Stephens, a Republican, accepted the gavel from Oklahoma Sen. Angela Monson, a Democrat. NCSL's bylaws require a rotation between a Democrat and Republican president each year.

"Speaker Stephens has been a strong ally in working with the Bush administration," said NCSL Executive Director William Pound. "He has great experience working on state and federal issues, particularly on national election reform. He will be a strong voice for America's state legislatures in the year ahead."

Max Arinder, executive director of Mississippi's Legislative PEER Committee, became the new NCSL Staff Chair, the top staff leadership post in the country. He replaces Gary Olson, director of the Senate Fiscal Agency in Michigan. Jim Greenwalt, director of information systems for the Minnesota Senate, became the staff vice chair.

Sen. Monson now becomes president of the NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures. Legislators also elected Maryland Del. John Hurson as president-elect. He will become president of NCSL at its 2004 Annual Meeting. Illinois Sen. Steven Rauschenberger was elected vice president. He will become president at the 2005 Annual Meeting.

NCSL's 29^th Annual Meeting concluded on Friday as the nation's state legislators took home new ideas and information to guide their policy actions in the months ahead.

NCSL's "Connecting America" conference brought about 1,200 state legislators together for more than 160 sessions on issues ranging from education to health care to the fiscal demands facing state legislatures. At the meeting, NCSL released national reports on state fiscal conditions, changes in Medicaid programs and homeland security. An analysis of state spending in the 1990s was released and new software was introduced to help states in their effort to streamline the sales tax system in America.

State lawmakers also approved new policy resolutions to guide NCSL's lobbying effort in the upcoming year. The conference began with an opening ceremony honoring 20 state legislators and state legislative staff who were called into service during the war with Iraq. They were given the NCSL Medal of Civic Honor in appreciation of their service to their state and their country.

Featured speakers at this year's conference included economist Dr. Sung Won Sohn, health care expert Dr. Uwe Reinhardt, Pollster Dr. Frank Lunta, Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State Patricia Harrison and Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

State legislators now serving on NCSL's Executive Committee, which governs the organization, are: Sen. Carolyn Allen, Arizona; Rep. Jason Allen, Michigan; Sen. Ellen Bard, Pennsylvania; Sen. Debra Bowen, California; Rep. Kathryn Bowers, Tennessee; Sen. Irma Hunter Brown, Arkansas; Rep. Con Bunde, Alaska; Sen. Steve Cohen, Tennessee; Rep. Mary Coleman, Mississippi; Rep. Garnet F. Coleman, Texas; Speaker Patrick Colwell, Maine; Sen. Dori Connor, Delaware; Speaker Walter Freed, Vermont; Sen. Beverly Gard, Indiana; House Democratic Leader Joe Hackney, North Carolina; Sen. Emmett W. Hanger, Jr., Virginia; Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Washington; Rep. John Laird, California; Speaker Ben Lujan, New Mexico; Sen. Raymond Meier, New York; Sen. Richard Moore, Massachusetts; Sen. Larry Mumper, Ohio; Sen. Larry Ortiz-Daliot, Puerto Rico; Sen. Mary Panzer, Wisconsin; Rep. Ken Svedjan, North Dakota; Sen. Steve Thompson, Georgia; Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, Texas; Rep. Max Williams, Oregon; and Senate Majority Whip John Valentine, Utah.

Legislative staff serving on the NCSL Executive Committee include: Michael Adams, Director, Legislative Information Office, Colorado; Collin "Michael" Calvert, Legislative Fiscal Analyst, Legislative Council, Nebraska; Connie B. Hardin, Director, Office of Legislative Budget Analysis, General Assembly, Tennessee; JoAnn Hedrick, Clerk of the House, Delaware; Dave Henderson, Legislative Administrator, Legislative Administration Committee, Oregon; Connie Johnson, Senior Legislative Analyst for Human Resources, Senate, Oklahoma; Craig D. Kinton, Director, State Auditor's Office, Texas; Stephen Klein, Chief Fiscal Officer, Vermont; D'Ann Mazzocca, Executive Director, Joint Committee on Legislative Management, General Assembly, Connecticut; Pamela Ray, Legislative Staff Attorney, New Mexico; Pat Saville, Secretary of the Senate, Kansas; Sharon Crouch Steidel, Systems Director, House of Delegates, Virginia; Susan Swords, Senior Coordinator, Office of Legislative Services, New Jersey; Jean Vandal, Director, House Fiscal Division, Louisiana; Gary VanLandingham, Deputy Director, OPPAGA, Florida; Cynthia Zehnder, Clerk of the House, Washington.

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