April 12, 2007

Spring Meeting of State Legislators to Chart New Political Terrain

WASHINGTON, D.C. - State lawmakers from around the country will take their first hike through Washington's new political terrain next week at the National Conference of State Legislatures' Spring Forum.

NCSL's 11 standing committees will meet Thursday, April 19 - Saturday, April 21 to discuss the most pressing public policy issues facing state legislatures. High on legislators' lists of priorities are such issues as the Real ID Act, the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and curtailing the burgeoning costs of federal unfunded mandates. State legislators will debate and consider several policy resolutions that will guide NCSL's lobbying activity on these issues before Congress and the administration.

Spring Forum highlights include:

Release of State Budget Update: Are state budgets on track? Which states' revenues are underperforming? Which categories of expenditures are taxing state coffers? Find out in this quarterly update of state budget performance. Report will be available to credentialed journalists Tuesday, April 17 subject to a 12:01 a.m., Thursday, April 19 embargo.
Release of State Immigration Activity Update: Because of the federal government's inability to enact any comprehensive immigration reform, states have been forced to take up the issue on many levels. This report will update the numbers of immigration-related bills that have been introduced and enacted in state legislatures during 2007. Release and report will be available online Thursday, April 19.
Renewal of the Nation's Farm Bill: Debate over a new farm bill has begun to intensify. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns will offer the administration's priorities for reshaping this centerpiece of agriculture and nutrition policy. 4:00 p.m., Thursday, April 19.
The Real ID Act: Regulations Update: State legislators will have an opportunity to discuss provisions of the recently released Real ID regulations with representatives from the Department of Homeland Security. The law, which creates national standards for state-issued driver's licenses, will cost states at least $11 billion to implement. 9:00 a.m., Thursday, April 19.
Human Services Priorities in the 110th Congress: Former state legislator and current U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (MD) will discuss welfare reform, immigration and other human services issues facing the 110th Congress. 2:30 p.m., Thursday, April 19.
Voting Rights Act Initiative: Assistant U.S. Attorney General Wan Kim will announce the launch of a new Office of Civil Rights initiative aimed at states currently covered under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. 4:00 p.m., Thursday, April 19 (following Secretary Johanns).
Fighting Off Foreclosures: The Implications of Subprime Mortgage Loans: "Subprime" or high-risk mortgages are making national headlines. Consumers have begun to question lending practices to high-risk borrowers. Representatives from the mortgage industry and consumers will discuss the future of the industry. 11:30 a.m., Friday, April 20.
Getting Good School Principals: One of the nation's top education experts, Stanford University's Linda Darling-Hammond, will be part of a distinguished panel that will discuss the findings of Darling-Hammond's new school leadership report. The report explains what it will take to recruit, develop and support school principals at a time when principal leadership is being put to the test by the federal No Child Left Behind Act and similarly demanding state requirements. Noon, Friday, April 20.
Immigrant Health Care: Access and Barriers: Panelists will discuss federal law governing health access for immigrants and discuss issues facing states as they sort through policy challenges, including citizenship status, language barriers, insured status, and differences in program availability associated with health care for immigrants. 1:30 p.m., Friday, April 20.
Should Voters Elect the President or Should They Elect 538 People Who Elect the President?: Opponents are mounting perhaps the strongest challenge in decades to the electoral college, America's inscrutable mechanism for deciding the "leader of the free world." Is it time to scrap this uniquely American institution or does it serve a vital purpose? 9:45 a.m., Friday, April 20.
Banning Political Robocalls: In 2006, voters in "swing states" were bombarded by automated messages telling them how to vote. Because angry voters appealed to legislators, many states now are considering limits on so-called campaign Robocalls. 11:00 a.m., Friday, April 20.
2008 Elections Forecast: Pollsters Kellyanne Conway and Celinda Lake, co-authors of What Women Really Want: How American Women Are Quietly Erasing Political, Racial, Class and Religious Lines to Change the Way We Live, discuss their predictions for the 110th Congress and the 2008 elections. 8:45 a.m., Saturday, April 21.

A complete agenda is available online at http://www.ncsl.org/forum/.

NCSL's Spring Forum will be held at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Avenue NW. As with all NCSL meetings, credentialed members of the media are encouraged to attend. To register for the meeting, present your credentials at the onsite registration area. There is no registration fee for members of the media.

NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the states, commonwealths and territories. It provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues and is an effective and respected advocate for the interests of the states in the American federal system.

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Contacts

Bill Wyatt
Director of Media Relations
Washington, D.C.
202-624-8667

Nicole Casal Moore
Public Affairs Manager
Denver
303-364-7700

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