Saturday, August 4

Connecting America FSL Partners Project Site Visits
For additional information about the Connecting America Project, please click here or contact Pam Greenberg or Bob Boerner.

Executive Committee Task Force on State and Local Taxation of Telecommunications & Electronic Commerce
Members will discuss and consider NCSL’s Principles for Communications Tax Reform; model legislation to establish state study commissions on communication tax reform; definition for "replacement taxes;" and, federal legislation that could effect sales tax collection, state taxes on communications services, business travelers, corporations and the income of telecommuters. 

Presiding:

• Delegate Sheila Hixson, Maryland
• Representative Christopher Rants, Iowa
  Co-Chairs

Connecting America FSL Partners Project Broadband Meeting
For additional information about the Connecting America Project, please click here or contact Pam Greenberg or Bob Boerner.

Connecting America FSL Partners Project Reception
For additional information about the Connecting America Project, please click here or contact Pam Greenberg or Bob Boerner. 

Executive Committee Task Force on State and Local Taxation of Telecommunications & Electronic Commerce Dinner
Dinner for Task Force members, associates, friends and their guests at an area restaurant.

Sunday, August 5

8:00 am - 5:00 pm
North Lobby
BCEC

Registration 

8:15 am - 11:45 am
205A
BCEC

Connecting America FSL Partners Project Broadband Meeting
For additional information about the Connecting America Project, please click here or contact Pam Greenberg or Bob Boerner. 

9:00 am - 11:45 am
Westin Waterfront Commonwealth AB

Executive Committee Task Force on State and Local Taxation of Telecommunications & Electronic Commerce Meeting
Members will discuss and consider NCSL’s Principles for Communications Tax Reform;  model legislation to establish state study commissions on communication tax reform; definition for "replacement taxes;" and, federal legislation that could effect sales tax collection, state taxes on communications services, business travelers, corporations and the income of telecommuters. 

Presiding:

• Delegate Sheila Hixson, Maryland
• Representative Christopher Rants, Iowa
  Co-Chairs

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
205B
BCEC

Wireless Broadband: Anwering the Call (Luncheon)
Broadband Connecting America FSL Partners Project Lunch
Joint luncheon with the CFI Committee
Broadband Internet service is key to the nation's leadership in technological and economic initiatives.  Mr. Largent will discuss the deployment of broadband in less populous areas and the future of wireless technology.

• Connecting America Seminar Closing Remarks: Senator Carol Fukunaga, Hawaii and Senator Orville Smidt, South Dakota
• Communications, Financial Services and Interstate Commerce Committee Opening Remarks: Assemblymember Upendra Chivukula, General Assembly Majority Whip, New Jersey
• Introductions: Representative Donna Stone, Delaware
• Speaker: Steve Largent, President and CEO, CTIA - The Wireless Association, Washington, D.C.

1:45 pm - 3:45 pm
205C
BCEC

Public Hearing on Telecommunications in the 21^st Century
The Committee will hold a public hearing to solicit the viewpoints of consumers and industry representatives regarding NCSL’s Communications Policy Statement. Some of the issues that will be addressed: state regulation of communications services, municipal broadband networks, cellular service contracts, broadband deployment, privacy issues, tower siting, the future of universal service, consumer protection issues, carriers of last resort and taxes on communications services.

Presiding:

• Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, New Jersey
  Chair, Communications, Financial Services and Interstate Commerce Committee

Handouts:

• Embarq-- Communications Hearing
• Jamie Hastings: The Value of the Wireless Consumer

4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
205C
BCEC

STOLI:  Wagering on When You Will Die?
Stranger-originated or stranger-owned life insurance (STOLI) transactions allow investors who are wholly unrelated to an individual to purchase life insurance on that person solely to profit from his or her death. This practice disregards current state insurable interest laws that mandate life insurance not be used as a vehicle for wagering on human life. Unrestrained, could STOLI raise questions about the viability of the life insurance market? Come learn what state legislators need to know about STOLI.

• Senator Delbert Scott, Missouri
  Vice Chair, Communications, Financial Services & Interstate Commerce Committee

• Joseph Borg, NASAA President and Director, Alabama Securities Commission, Alabama
• William Fisher, Corporate Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, Massachusetts
• Michael Friedman, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, Coventry, Pennsylvania

5:45 pm - 6:45 pm
210A
BCEC

Steering Committee Meeting
The Steering Committee is comprised of the Chair and Staff Chair, or their designee, of each Standing Committee and is led by the Officers of the Steering Committee. This meeting will review the Committees’ plans for the Annual Meeting, preview any policies anticipated for debate, and make determinations regarding joint and re-referral of the resolutions. 

Monday, August 6

7:00 am - 5:00 pm
North Lobby
BCEC

Registration 

 7:30 am - 9:30 am
Ballroom Foyer
BCEC

Networking Roundtables: Continental Breakfast 

8:30 am - 10:15 am
205C
BCEC

Breakfast - Public Hearing on Internet and Electronic Commerce

NCSL gratefully acknowledges the support of CTIA - The Wireless Association for the breakfast.
The Committee will hold a public hearing to solicit the viewpoints of consumers and industry representatives regarding NCSL’s Internet and Electronic Commerce Policy Statement. Some of the issues that will be addressed: net neutrality, privacy protection, children and the Internet, broadband deployment, outsourcing, Internet gambling, and taxes. 

• Representative Phil Montgomery, Wisconsin
  Vice Chair, Communications, Financial Services & Interstate Commerce Committee

Speaker:

• Dane Snowden, Vice President, External and State Government Affairs, CTIA-The Wireless Association, Washington, D.C.

Handouts:

•  Embarq -- Internet and Electronic Commerce

10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Grand Ballroom
BCEC

General Session - The Big Squeeze: The Challenges to Higher Education
American higher education has been the envy of the world. But new pressures--a generation of new students that include many minorities, rising costs and strained state funding--are risking not only the tradition of quality, accessibility and excellence, but America's place in the global economy.
Presiding:

• Senator Leticia Van de Putte, Texas, President, NCSL

Moderator:

• The Honorable Jim Hunt, Former Governor of North Carolina, The James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy and The Institute for Emerging Issues, North Carolina

Speakers:

• The Honorable Hank Brown, University of Colorado President, Former U.S. Senator
• The Honorable Sara Martinez Tucker, Under Secretary of Education, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 

12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Exhibit Hall A
BCEC

Exhibit Hall Open 

12:15 pm - 1:45 pm
205C
BCEC

Public Hearing: Future of State Banking After Watters v. Wachovia

NCSL gratefully acknowledges the support of the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) for the lunch.
The Committee will hold a public hearing to solicit the viewpoints of consumers and industry representatives regarding NCSL’s Banking Regulation Policy Statement. Some of the issues that will be addressed: Is the dual banking system viable in a global economy? What impact will Watters v. Wachovia have on state banking regulation? Should states seek to overturn Watters v. Wachovia in Congress? Have state wild card statutes weakened state consumer protections? Should the policy statement address commercial businesses and banking? 

• Senator Delores Kelley, Maryland
  Vice Chair, Communications, Financial Services and Interstate Commerce Committee

Speakers:

• Joseph Borg, Director, Securities Commission, Alabama, President, North American Securities Administrators Association
• Daniel Forte, President, Massachusetts Bankers Association
• Uriah King, Legislative Associate, Center for Responsible Lending, North Carolina
• John Ryan, Executive Vice President-Legislative Affairs, Conference of State Bank Supervisors, Washington, D.C.

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
205C
BCEC

Simplification and Modernization of Insurance Regulation
State legislators have been at the forefront of streamlining insurance regulation in order to forestall the establishment of a federal insurance regulator. However, some have claimed that these efforts are eroding legislators policymaking authority and ceding that authority to insurance administrators. This session will review the status of insurance regulation, the NAIC Accreditation process and the Product Regulation Compact

Presiding:

• Senator Ruth Teichman, Kansas
  Past Chair, Communications, Financial Services & Interstate Commerce Committee

• Representative Brian Kennedy, Rhode Island
• Cheye Calvo, Principal, C-Squared Solutions, Washington, D.C.
• Kevin McKechnie, Associate Director, American Bankers Insurance Association, Washington, D.C.
• Thomas Sullivan, Commissioner, Connecticut Insurance Department 

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
205C
BCEC

Spectrum For Public Safety
Congress has set the date, February 17, 2009, for the country to make the switch from analog to digital television to free up additional spectrum for state and local first responders. While the federal government has established a voucher program to assist in making the conversion, most Americans are unaware of the analog-to-digital transition. In addition, the Federal Communications Commission is considering several proposals to assign management of this spectrum to a private entity. As NCSL reconsiders its policy statement on Spectrum, come hear a panel discuss the issues surrounding the DTV transition and who should manage the additional spectrum. 

Presiding:

• Senator Orville Smidt, South Dakota
  Past Chair, Communications, Financial Services and Interstate Commerce Committee

Speakers:

• Jonathan Collegio, National Association of Broadcasters, Washington, D.C.
• Bruce Cox, Cyren Call Communications, Virginia
• Dr. Vanu Bose, Frontline Wireless, Greensboro, North Carolina
• Dana Shaffer, Federal Communications Commission, Washington, D.C.
• Christopher Guttman-McCabe, CTIA—The Wireless Association, Washington, D.C.

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
205C
BCEC

CFI Committee Business Meeting
The members of the Committee will consider the following policy statements:

Policy Statements:

• Banking Regulation
• The Internet and Electronic Commerce
• Spectrum Management
• State Sovereignty in Financial Services
• Twenty-first Century Telecommunications

Resolutions:

• Opposing Certain Executive Sessions of Public Policy Officials
• National Insurance Act of 2007
• WiFi
• NCSL Opposes S. 618/ H.R. 1081 – The Insurance Industry Competition Act
• NCSL Supports Congressional and State Action to Address Interchange Fees (Sponsored by Representative Dennis Ferguson of Tennessee)
• NCSL Supports Congressional and State Action to Address Interchange Fees (Sponsored by Representative Wayne Harper of Utah)
• NCSL Supports & Urges Enactment of the Sales Tax Fairness And Simplification Act (S.34)

The Committee also may consider appropriate action calendar resolutions as proposed by committee members.

• Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, New Jersey
  Chair, Communications, Financial Services & Interstate Commerce Committee

5:15 pm - 6:15 pm
210A
BCEC

Steering Committee Meeting
Standing Committee Chairs and Staff Chairs, as members of the Steering Committee, should plan to attend. The Steering Committee will review policy statements reported out of Committees and determine the calendars for the Annual Business Meeting on Wednesday.

Dinner Sponsored by the American Financial Services Association

4^th Annual Financial Services Outreach Dinner honoring members and spouses of NCSL Communications, Financial Services & Interstate Commerce Committee and state legislators and their spouses who serve on financial services/banking committee in their state legislatures.

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm Cocktails

7:30 pm – 9:00 pm Dinner

Anthony’s Pier 4 Restaurant
140 Northern Avenue (Pier 4)
Boston

RSVP to Kara Gouda at 202-466-8607 or e-mail kgouds@afsamail.org

Late night reception for members and spouses of the Communications, Financial Services & Interstate Commerce Committee and NCSL leadership. 

Cheers
Beacon Hill
84 Beacon Street
Boston

RSVP to Phyllis Chandler at pchandler@ctia.org or call 202-736-3893

Tuesday, August 7

7:30 am - 9:30 am
Ballroom Foyer
BCEC

Networking Roundtables: Continental Breakfast 

Registration 

General Session -- Our Place in History

David McCullough, America's most celebrated historian and twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize, has a unique perspective on America’s history and its place in the world. Learn about the extraordinary men who founded this nation and set it on a course of greatness.

Excellence in Legislative Leadership Award: Speaker Joe Hackney

Presiding:

• Representative Donna Stone, Delaware

Speaker:

• David McCullough, Massachusetts,

9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Exhibit Hall A
BCEC

Exhibit Hall Open 

10:15 am - 11:45 am
205C
BCEC

Money+Knowledge=Financial Literacy
In light of rising consumer debt, what can state legislators, educators and interested organizations do to better prepare individuals to manage their finances? How can policymakers, educators and financial institutions work together to improve financial literacy?

Speakers: 

• Representative Ann Coody, House Majority Caucus Secretary, Oklahoma
• Representative Jim Glenn, Kentucky
• Joe Carberry, Senior Vice President for Corporate Relations, Visa USA, California
• Susie Irvine, President and CEO, AFSA Education Foundation, Washington, D.C.
• Karen Tyler, Commissioner, North Dakota Securities Department, President-elect, North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) 
• Miriam Jorgenson, Native Financial Education Coalition, Missouri

Handouts:

• Speaker Biographies
• NCSL-2007 Financial Literacy Legislation
• Representative Coody's Passport to Financial Literacy Act (2007 H.B. 1476)
• Carberry-VISA PowerPoint Presentation
• Jorgensen-NFEC PowerPoint Presentation
• Native Financial Education Coalition Fact Sheet
• Native Financial Education Coalition Policy Brief, April 2007
• Native Financial Education Coalition Jump$tart Report, April 2007
• NASAA Handout
• NASAA Financial Education Resources

11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Exhibit Hall B1

Exhibit Hall Lunch 

1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
253A
BCEC

Committee Issue Forum: Exotic Mortgages
Low interest rates and so-called exotic mortgages have made it easier to own your own home, but foreclosure rates are climbing, and unscrupulous mortgage lenders have scammed homeowners. Hear about states' efforts to protect homeowners.

Moderator:

• Mike Sunseri, Legislative Research Commission, Kentucky

Speakers: 

• Jane Azia, State Banking Department, New York
• Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac, Virginia
• Paul O’Leary, HSBC, Illinois
• Daryl Rotz, Director, of HEMAP, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Authority
• John Ryan, Conference of State Bank Supervisors, Washington, D.C.

• Representative Burt Solomons, Texas

Handouts:

• Speaker Biographies
• NCSL 2007 Introduced Subprime & Predatory Mortgage Lending Legislation
• NCSL 2007 Enacted Subprime & Predatory Mortgage Lending Legislation
• NCSL 2007 Foreclosure Legislation
• NCSL Foreclosure Consultant & Equity Purchaser Statutes
• NCSL Mortgage Fraud Legislation
• HEMAP Eligibility
• HEMAP Frequently Asked Questions
• HEMAP Statistics
• Azia HETPA PowerPoint Presentation
• Mortgage Bankers Association Written Statement
• Nothaft-Freddie Mac PowerPoint Presentation

Committee Issue Forum: New Ways to Communicate With Constituents
Learn how legislatures are using innovative ways to reach the public and enhance their experiences when participating in the legislative process.

Moderator:

• Paul Taylor, Center for Digital Government, California

Speakers:

• Delegate Kristen Amundson, Virginia
• Sue Gullufsen, Manager, Legislative Information and Teleconference, Legislative Affairs Agency, Alaska
• Paul Taylor, Chief Strategy Officer, Center for Digital Government, California
• Representative Stephen Urquhart, Utah

Committee Issue Forum: What is the Federal Government Doing to State Taxes?
After its summer recess, Congress is expected to return to take up various tax bills that target state tax policies. Hear about how these bills could effect sales tax collection, state taxes on communications services, business travelers, corporations and the income of telecommuters.

Presiding:

• Scott Mackey, Partner, Kimbell Sherman & Ellis, Vermont

Speakers:

• Deborah Bierbaum, Director, External Tax Policy, AT&T, New Jersey
• Joseph Crosby, Director of Legislative Affairs, Council on State Taxation, Washington, D.C.
• Meredith Garwood, Vice President, Tax Policy, Time Warner Cable, North Carolina
• Arthur Rosen, Partner, McDermott, Will & Emery, New York
• Joe Huddleston, Executive Director, Multistate Tax Commission, Washington, D.C.

• Maureen Riehl, Vice President, National Retail Federation, Washington, D.C. 

Think Tanks: Special Briefings on Today's Top Issues 

States' Night

Wednesday, August 8

Walk for Wellness 

7:30 am - 9:30 am
Ballroom Foyer
BCEC

Networking Roundtables: Continental Breakfast 

8:00 am - 5:00 pm
North Lobby
BCEC

Registration 

8:30 am - 10:00 am
Grand Ballroom
BCEC

General Session and Business Meeting—Perspective on Critical Times:  Three Views

Presiding:

• Senator Richard Moore, Massachusetts, Chair, NCSL Standing Committees
• Senator Leticia Van de Putte, Texas, President, NCSL

Program and Speakers:

• The Honorable Mitch Landrieu, Lieutenant Governor, Louisiana
• The Honorable Michael Chertoff, Secretary
  U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, D.C.

Annual Business Meeting Part 1
Roll Call of the States
Reports of Nominating Committees
December-April Consent Calendar
August Consent Calendar
Begin Debate Calendar

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

Annual Business Meeting Part II
Continue Debate Calendar
Action Calendar Resolutions
Memorial Calendar Resolutions
FY06 Audit
FY08 Budget

9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Exhibit Hall A

Exhibit Hall Open 

11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Exhibit Hall B1
BCEC

Our New Orleans-style jazz brunch will have you wishing you were in the Big Easy. Feast on familiar Creole favorites like gumbo, red beans and rice, beignets, bananas foster, grits and grillades. All is set in a French Quarter atmosphere with a roaming jazz band that will get your toes tapping. Saints alive, it’s fleur de-licious! From the Sugar Bowl to Mardi Gras to Jazz Fest, New Orleans is always a gracious host. Feel the excitement, and get ready to head way down yonder--Louisiana is expecting you in 2008!

Committee Issue Forum: The Next Big One: Are Consumers and the Insurance Industry Ready?
Natural disasters, catastrophes, and terrorism are all bearing down on the insurance market. In response, insurance companies are rising rates and not writing new policies. Consumers are wondering how they can get coverage, while insurance companies are wondering how to pay for the next recovery. What does the insurance market look like waiting for the next the big threat?

Moderator:

• Melissa Calderwood, Legislative Research Department, Kansas

Speakers:

• Andrew Castaldi, Senior Vice President, Head of CUO Americas Hub, Swiss Reinsurance Group, New York
• Edward Collins, National Director, ProtectingAmerica.org, Illinois
• Diana McClure, Vice President and Director of Business Protection, Institute for Business and Home Safety, Florida
• Eric Goldberg, American Insurance association, Washington, D.C.

Handouts:

• Speaker Biographies
• Castaldi-Swiss Re PowerPoint Presentation
• Collins-Protecting America.org PowerPoint Presentation
• McClure-IBHS PowerPoint Presentation

Committee Issue Forum: Protecting Children Online and in Your Neighborhood
The popularity of Internet social sites for young people make them appealing playgrounds for sexual predators. View a live demonstration of how online predators operate and explore ways to protect children.

Presiding:

• Representative Peter Lewiss, Rhode Island

Speakers:

• Tom Corbett, Attorney General, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
• Kim English, Research Director, Colorado Division of Criminal Justice, Colorado
• Dana Gershengorn, Assistant United States Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Massachusetts

• Denny Shaw, Chief Operations Officer, I-SAFE, California

Handouts:

• Denny Shaw's  presentation 

Issue Forums 

4:30 pm - 6:00 pm

Staff Sections and Ancillary Groups

Thursday, August 9

8:00 am - 11:00 am
North Lobby

Registration 

General Breakfast Session - The American Presidents

As Americans prepare to elect the 44th president of the United States in 2008, two distinguished presidential advisors will give their insights into what makes a president great. David Gergen, advisor to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton, and Andrew Card, who worked for Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush and the current president, will share an insider’s look at the White House.

Presiding:

• Representative Joe Hackney, Speaker of the House, North Carolina

Moderator:

• Mara Liasson, National Political Correspondent for National Public Radio, Washington, D.C.

Speakers:

• Andrew Card, Former White House Chief of Staff, Virginia
• David Gergen, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Massachusetts

Civic Soldiers Awards -- Project Citizen Awards
NCSL gratefully acknowledges the support of AT&T for breakfast.

Committee Issue Forum: Web Wise: Getting Kids Up to Speed
How do we make the Internet more widely available to low-income children?

Moderator:

• Representative Joe Pickens, Florida

'Speakers:

• Lisa Wallmeyer, Director, Joint Commission on Technology and Science, Virginia
• Courtney Atkins, Hudson High School, Massachusetts
• Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Washington
• Wendy Lazarus, Founder and Co-President, The Children's Partnership, California
• Emily Lyons, Hudson High School, Massachusetts
• Susan Patrick, President/CEO, North American Council for Online Learning, Virginia

Handouts:

• Senator Kohl-Welles presentation
• Wendy Lazarus' presentation

12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Grand Ballroom

Legislative Staff Luncheon: Jimmy Orr

Jimmy Orr was named by the World Forum on E-Democracy as one of 25 people changing the world of the Internet and politics. Orr was White House e-communications director under President George Bush when he created "Ask the White House" and increased hits from 1 million to more than 20 million. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger hired Orr to transform his Internet presence and the governor’s interactive online forums set records. Now he is online editor of the Christian Science Monitor.

Legislative Staff Achievement Awards

DLCC Luncheon

RLCC Luncheon 

Extraordinary Sessions 

Harbor-Front Finale with the Boston Pops!
This year's finale celebration, with its harbor-front location, promises a spectacular night under the stars with the world-famous Boston Pops. The stage and the audience take on a festive atmosphere with exhilarating music, featuring everything from classical to jazz, Broadway to The Beatles, and Celtic reels to Brazilian sambas. It's music to entertain, invigorate and enlighten. The Bank of American Pavilion opens at 6:30 p.m. for a pre-concert party including food and beverages, and a main stage family friendly warm-up act. Don't be late--the concert starts at 8:00 p.m.! Be sure to bring your photo ID. Massachusetts requires it for everyone who wishes to be served alcoholic beverages.