Updated September 8, 2005

Annual Meeting Session Summaries

Below are links to summaries from some of NCSL's most provocative 2005 Annual Meeting sessions. The summaries were written by NCSL and Washington state legislative communications staff members. They are provided for information purposes only.

Subject Headline and Lead Session Date

Criminal
Justice Crime Technology: Science Meets Law and Order
State legislatures should maximize the potential of DNA sampling and GPS tracking to keep our communities safe, a panel of law enforcement experts told state legislators on Thursday at the National Conference of State Legislatures' 2005 Annual Meeting.

Who Has Your Personal Information and How Safe Is It?
Identity theft is the fastest growing form of financial fraud in America and the world, experts told state lawmakers at the National Conference of State Leguslatures' 2005 Annual Meeting. At a session titled Who Has Your Personal Information and How Safe Is It? lawmakers discussed and learned how best to fight identity theft.

8/18/05

8/19/05

Cultural
Affairs
Public Art Walking Tour
Legislators and legislative staff from across the nation learned that the Emerald City isn’t only about coffee, jets and software during a two-hour arts walk downtown as part of the National Conference of State Legislatures' 2005 Annual Meeting.
8/16/05

Economic Development Fostering Business Development

A panel of experts explained how states can use tools such as tax incentives, regulatory reform, venture capital programs and higher education resources to promote business development.

8/18/05

Education
Gates Urges Legislators to Strengthen Education
Bill Gates urged state legislators on Wednesday to strengthen K-12 education systems in order to both keep the nation competitive and to attract bright minds to their states.

Breakthroughs in Early Learning: Advances in Science, Economics and State Policy
Early education helps create jobs and gives taxpayers the best return for their investment, Federal Reserve economist Arthur Rolnick told state legislators and legislative staff at a half-day seminar on early learning.

Engaging Latino Communities for Education
In a session sponsored by the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, legislators and legislative staff from across the nation learned about the successes of the Engaging Latino Communities for Education (ENLACE) program in New Mexico.

8/16/05

8/16/05

8/17/05

Health
Beyond the Schiavo Case: Revisiting End-of-Life Issues
Jack Schwartz, Maryland assistant attorney general and director of health policy development, and Jonathan Keyserling, vice president of public policy analysis and strategy for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, presented lawmakers with an overview on end-of-life care and various policy options.

Medical Liability: Finding Middle Ground
Several medical liability reform proposals were offered during the Medical Liability: Finding Middle Ground panel at the Annual Meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Experts discussed the benefits of disclosure, mediation and physician apology protection policies.

Health Care Reform and Finance Plenary Featuring Health Economist Uwe Reinhardt
Funding health care has become the primary crisis in the United States today, health care economist Uwe Reinhardt told state legislators at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ 2005 Annual Meeting. He asked “Who will come to the rescue?”

Biomedical Research and Economic Development
While advances in biotechnology generate new cures for human ailments, they also bring new challenges to policymakers. A panel of experts at NCSL's "Strong States Strong Nation" 2005 Annual Meeting raised important issues about the ways government and biotechnology research institutions interact.

8/17/05

8/18/05

8/19/05

8/18/05

Human Services
Strengthening Low-Income Families and Neighborhoods
The latest Kids Count Data Book, a report released in July by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, was discussed at the National Conference of State Legislatures' 2005 Annual Meeting.

The Price of People: Combating Human and Sex Trafficking
Calling it a modern-day form of slavery, human rights advocates urged state legislators at the National Conference of State Legislatures' 2005 Annual Meeting to enact laws to help curb human and sex trafficking.

8/18/05

8/18/05

Legislatures
Prayer Breakfast
Spiritual fellowship transcended politics for a group of 50 delegates to the National Conference of State Legislatures meeting who gathered for a prayer breakfast, a common practice for many in their home states.

Power Plays: Leadership Lessons from Women Legislators and Executives
Three women shared the secrets of their success with a packed room of legislators and legislative staff from around the country at the National Conference of State Legislatures' 2005 Annual Meeting.

Cameras in the Capitol, The Legislative Perspective on Live TV Coverage As more states choose to televise state government, more members of the public are becoming interested and involved in the process, according to a panel of experts at NCSL’s 2005 Annual Meeting.

Winning the Battle… Without Burning the Battlefield
Cynicism has become the prism through which many Americans view their government, and state legislators and legislative staffers should do their best to reflect the institution's true strength. That's the consensus from a panel discussion that took place Wednesday at the National Conference of State Legislatures' 2005 Annual Meeting.

Changing Demographics, What Lies in Store for States
Demographic forecasting is becoming a popular tool to help lawmakers make informed decisions on a myriad of public policy issues, a leading demographer told state legislators and staff at the National Conference of State Legislatures' 2005 "Strong States, Strong Nation" Annual Meeting.

Power Public Speaking
A packed room of legislators and staff learned how to polish their public speaking skills at the National Conference of State Legislatures' 2005 Annual Meeting. Curt Stedron, of DAIS Consulting in Colorado, shared the keys to getting a point across successfully and making that message stick.

8/16/05

8/17/05

8/18/05

8/18/05

8/18/05

8/18/05

State-Federal

Supreme Court Update
Richard Ruda, chief counsel at the State and Local Legal Center in Washington, D.C. outlined United States Supreme Court decisions that hold significance for state legislatures during the National Conference of State Legislatures' 2005 Annual Meeting.

Strong States, Strong Nation: The Politics of Balance and Power Plenary Featuring NPR Political Correspondent Mara Liasson
The big story of 2005 is what did not happen, rather than what did happen, National Public Radio political correspondent Mara Liasson told state legislatures and staff at the closing plenary session of the National Conference of State Legislatures' 2005 Annual Meeting.

8/16/05

8/20/05

State-Tribal
State-Tribal Relations: Strategies for Cooperation
Positive state-tribal relations are necessary to maintain, protect and best utilize natural resources, state and tribal leaders said at the National Conference of State Legislatures' 2005 Annual Meeting.
8/18/05

Technology
Tour of Microsoft’s Center for Information Work and Microsoft Home
A group of legislators experienced a glimpse of the future on a tour of the Center for Information Work and Home at Microsoft. Both concepts are under the creative direction of Microsoft Research, a division tasked with wondering how technology can make a difference in everyday life and then to build it.

Municipal WiFi: Government as a Communications Provider? Is It a Proper Role?
When the utility bill from the city arrives, could it soon include water, garbage... and wireless broadband internet?

Technology for Legislators: Manage or Be Managed
Legislators should learn to manage technology, so it doesn't manage them, South Dakota Senator Royal "Mac" McCracken told state lawmakers during a panel discussion at the National Conference of State Legislatures' 2005 "Strong States, Strong Nation" Annual Meeting.

8/16/05

8/17/05

8/18/05

Trade International Trade Summit
As the global economy has evolved during the last 25 years, states and provinces are recognizing they need to assert their roles in the international marketplace or be left behind, say trade leaders who spoke Tuesday at the National Conference of State Legislatures' International Trade Summit.
8/16/05

Transportation
Tour of Washington State Ferry System
Running the nation's largest ferry system presents unique challenges for operators of Washington State Ferries (WSF). But the system's success has spawned lessons for all states charged with moving commuters, tourists and commercial traffic across bodies of water. About two dozen legislators from around the country heard these lessons during a tour of the state's ferry system on Tuesday during the National Conference of State Legislatures' 2005 Annual Meeting.

Speed and Traffic Safety
Piles of statistics and the laws of physics prove that speed is not your friend when it comes to a traffic accident. There is a surprise in the numbers, though: being too slow is also dangerous. That’s what Richard Retting, of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, told state legislators and legislative staff at Speed and Traffic Safety, one of the 150 sessions that took place this week at the National Conference of State Legislatures' 2005 Annual Meeting.

Solving Traffic Congestion
At one of the 150 policy sessions taking place at the National Conference of State Legislatures' 2005 Annual Meeting, two transportation experts briefed lawmakers from around the nation on cutting-edge methods to speed up traffic.

8/16/05

8/17/05

8/17/05

Contacts

Gene Rose
Public Affairs Director
303-364-7700

Bill Wyatt
Public Affairs Manager
202-624-8667

Nicole Moore
Media Specialist
303-364-7700

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