July 21, 2004
What You May Have Missed Wednesday at NCSL's Annual Meeting
Tidbits, news fillers and other items from NCSL's 2004 meeting in
Salt Lake City
SALT LAKE CITY-Celebrities brought their act to the National Conference
of State Legislatures Annual Meeting on Wednesday, but the emphasis
remained on public policy as the meeting entered its second day. Here's a
summary of key meeting highlights and some other interesting items you may
have missed on Wednesday.
On the celebrity front . . . Melissa Gilbert, president of
the Screen Actors Guild, perhaps best known for her role as Laura Ingalls
from television's Little House on the Prairie, spoke about losing
how states can attract movies and televisions shows to film within their
borders. . . Olympic Gold Medalist Picabo Street, a spokesperson
for the National Children's Alliance, hosted a tour of the Children's
Justice Center in Salt Lake City. The center is a model children's
advocacy center that provides services for victims of child abuse . . .
Former presidential speechwriter and Winston Churchill
aficionado James Humes offered his advice on "The Art of Public
Speaking" . . . Other notable speakers included Americans for Tax Reform
President Grover Norquist and White House Office drug officer
Scott M. Burns.
Policy enthusiasts attended plenty of sessions, including ones on the
Patriot Act, identification security systems, electronic waste, genetics,
universal health care, electronic voting machines and ethical dilemmas. .
. . Students from across America got an opportunity to meet with
their home-state legislators at a special session during the lunch hour .
. . Librarians that work for state legislatures took a tour of the city's
main library.
NCSL released its list of the top 10 state legislative election
battlegrounds for 2004: Colorado Senate, Georgia House, Indiana House,
Maine Senate, Montana House, North Carolina House, Oklahoma House, Oregon
Senate, Vermont House and Washington House and Senate . . . In a takeoff
on the "Tour de France," state legislators from across the country are
competing in a "Tour de Salt Lake," while at the conference. Coca-Cola and
the American Heart Association are helping to sponsor the walking
challenge in which the legislator who walks the most steps during the
conference will win a $1,000 grant for a physical activity program in his
or her district.
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