Tuesday, December 7

7:30 am - 5:30 pm
Westin - Grand Ballroom
D & E, 2nd Floor

Health Leaders

Transportation Leaders

Wednesday, December 8

7:00 am - 6:00 pm
Westin - Grand Ballroom
Foyer, 2nd Floor

Registration

Fiscal Leaders

Standing Committee Session

Bank Mergers and Acquisitions and Lunch
Joint with Agriculture & Rural Development Committee and Financial Services Committee

The number of U.S. banking institutions already has shrunk from about 14,000 in the 1980s to 9,000 today, and a few high-profile bank acquisitions may have set off a new round of banking consolidation. Does this downward trend threaten the uniquely decentralized American banking market? And does the emergence of a handful of behemoth national banks mean the end to community banking as we know it? This session explores these long-term banking trends and asks what state legislators can do when an out-of-state national gobbles up a local or regional favorite.

Lunch sponsored by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.

Presiding:

• Representative John QUINN, Massachusetts and Vice Chair, Financial Services Committee, NCSL

Speakers: 

• Steven L. ANTONAKES, Commissioner of Banks, Massachusetts
• Jack PHELPS, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, District of Columbia 

1:00 pm – 2:15 pm
Convention Center -
Rooms 103 & 104

Standing Committee Session

The Community Reinvestment Act:  Only for the Big Banks Anymore?
Joint with Agriculture & Rural Development Committee and Financial Services Committee

The FDIC has issued a proposed rule that would apply the federal Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) only to the 293 banks with assets of at least $1 billion.  Although the proposed rule is supported by community banks and state bank regulators, who see it as welcome relief from onerous rules and reporting requirements, it is viewed with alarm by consumer, rural development, and urban renewal advocates, who see this as an end run around a critical economic development tool. This session weighs the benefits and disadvantages of the proposal and explores the effectiveness of state CRAs in light of the OCC’s rules to preempt state laws as they apply to national banks.  

Presiding:

• Representative John QUINN, Massachusetts and Vice Chair, Financial Services Committee, NCSL 

• James BALLENTINE, Director of Housing, Community and Economic Development, American Bankers Association, District of Columbia
• Allen FISHBEIN, Director of Housing and Credit Policy, Consumer Federation of America, District of Columbia
• Dudley GILBERT, Legal Counsel, Oklahoma State Banking Department, Oklahoma
• Bob MOONEY, Policy Development Chief, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, District of Columbia

2:30 pm – 3:45 pm
Westin - Grand Ballroom
D, 2nd Floor

Standing Committee Session

Committee Business Meeting and Roundtable

The Committee will take this opportunity to review the policies expiring this Conference Year – Empowerment: Revitalizing Urban and Distressed Communities, General Agreement on Trade in Services and Electricity action calendar resolution, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Presidential Trade Promotion Authority, and WTO Negotiations – and discuss plans for the April Spring Forum in Washington, D.C. and the August Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington. Committee Officers will also report on their outreach efforts and discuss ideas for further encouraging strong participation. Time allowing, the Committee will engage in a roundtable discussion of the issues arising in the states or Washington, D.C. of interest to the Committee.  

Presiding: 

• Representative Sheryl ALLEN, Utah and Chair, Economic Development, Trade & Cultural Affairs Committee, NCSL 

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Westin - Grand Ballroom
A-C, 2nd Floor

Opening Plenary Program

Health Care Politics--Where We've Been-Where We're Going

This session will review the major health stories of 2004, reflect on what are likely to be the major health stories for 2005 and how the recent state and national elections may play a role in determining these issues and ultimately what all this means for health care in America.

Welcome:

• Representative Terry COLEMAN, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Georgia

Co-Presiding:

• Representative Peter LEWISS, Rhode Island and Vice Chair, NCSL Standing Committees
• Guy CHERRY, Department of Legislative Services, Maryland and Staff Chair, NCSL Standing Committees

Panelists: 

• John Andrew MILLER, Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Georgia 
• Todd SLOANE, Modern Healthcare Magazine, Illinois

5:15 pm – 6:00 pm
Westin - Harbor Ballroom
B, Ground Floor

Standing Committees' Steering Committee

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

Co-Presiding:

• Senator Beverly GARD, Indiana and Vice Chair, NCSL Standing Committees
• Frank PARISI, Office of Legislative Services, New Jersey and Staff Vice Chair, NCSL Standing Committees

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Convention Center -
Chatham Ballroom
Foyer, 2nd Floor

Opening Reception at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center

Thursday, December 9

7:00 am - 5:00 pm
Westin - Grand Ballroom
Foyer, 2nd Floor

Registration

8:00 am – 9:30 am
Westin - Grand Ballroom
A-C, 2nd Floor

Plenary Breakfast 

Welcome:

• Senator Eric JOHNSON, Senate President Pro Tem, Georgia

The Steven D. Gold Award for Significant Contributions in Public Finance presented by William Pound, NCSL Executive Director.

The 2004 recipient is David Crotts, Chief Economist, North Carolina General Assembly.

The U.S. Economic Outlook

The recent economic downturn ended three years ago.  The indicators that demonstrate economic recovery, the outlook for the economy in the next year to 18 months, and how various regions of the nation are faring will be examined.

Co-Presiding:

• Representative Joe HACKNEY, North Carolina and Chair, NCSL Standing Committees
• Guy CHERRY, Department of Legislative Services, Maryland and Staff Chair, NCSL Standing Committees

Speaker: 

• David WYSS, Chief Economist, Standard & Poor's, New York

Relevant National Health Conference Session

Rural Health and Economic Development

Rural Americans are disproportionately poor, underinsured, uninsured, have, on average, lower educational attainment than their urban counterparts, and are at higher risk for chronic disease, unintended injury and communicable disease. In recent years, several states have been working collaboratively to address these concerns. This session will highlight successful approaches that have strengthened rural economies and improved access to health care through investments in health services by folding initiatives into existing services or leveraging resources across funding streams to implement revolving loan funds, practice management services, recruitment and retention strategies, rural health leader’s pipeline programs and rural health networks.  

Moderator:

• Jennifer RIGGLE, Coordinator, State-Based Activities, Office of Rural Health, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maryland

Speakers:

• Senator Evan JENKINS, West Virginia
• Marsha BROUSSARD, Director, Louisiana Rural Health Access Program, Louisiana
• Elaine WOOTTEN, Deputy Director, Arkansas Southern Rural Access program, University of Arkansas, School of Public Health, Arkansas

9:45 am – 11:00 am 
Convention Center -
Room 200

Standing Committee Session

Regulating Small Businesses: A Necessary Evil or an Unnecessary Barrier to Economic Development? 
Throughout the 2004 presidential campaign, the candidates have stressed the importance of small businesses to our economy and American employment. The U.S. Small Business Administration has developed an initiative to further help small businesses prosper and grow through the reduction of regulatory burdens. During this session, the panel will explain how the regulatory flexibility initiative seeks to tear down regulatory barriers to entrepreneurial success and to save small businesses time and money. But does eliminating regulations create other dangers or otherwise threaten the public good?

Presiding:

• Nelson FOX, Senior Budget Analyst, Legislative Service Commission, Ohio and Staff Chair, Economic Development, Trade & Cultural Affairs Committee, NCSL

Speakers: 

• Senator Karin S. BROWNLEE, Kansas
• Senator Bob HAGEDORN, Colorado 
• Thomas M. SULLIVAN, Chief Counsel, Office of Advocacy, U.S. Small Business Administration, District of Columbia 

Standing Committee Session

The New Reality in State Finances
Joint with Budgets & Revenue Committee and Fiscal Leaders Seminar

Tax revisions occur every year, but states have tended to overlook the need for fundamental tax reform to reflect structural economic change. This session explores the nature of taxation in the states, the ways that state taxes operate, and the reasons state tax policy has gotten out-of-step with the demographic and economic realities of American life.

Presiding:

• Representative Maxine BELL, Idaho and Chair, Budgets and Revenue Committee, NCSL

Speaker: 

• Ronald SNELL, Director, Economic, Fiscal and Human Resources Division, National Conference of State Legislatures, Colorado 

Standing Committee Session

Boxed Lunch and Roundtable Discussion 
Over lunch, the Committee will continue the roundtable discussion begun on Wednesday.

Presiding: 

• Representative Sheryl ALLEN, Utah and Chair, Economic Development, Trade & Cultural Affairs Committee, NCSL 

Standing Committee Session

Procuring Globally, Protecting Sovereignty Locally
Joint with Environment & Natural Resources Committee and Labor & Workforce Development Committee

The purchasing power of the state purse is impressive, and international corporations, manufacturers, and service providers are interested in your business! Procurement practices and policies of state governments – sometimes designed to promote economic development or green power, for example – have become very important to U.S. international trading partners and in the governing trade agreements. During this session, experts will explain how state procurement factors into trade negotiations, how states become obligated to these agreements, and what, if any, limitations trade agreements place on state legislators to set or change state purchasing policies. 

Presiding: 

• Representative Terri AUSTIN, Indiana and Vice Chair, Economic Development, Trade & Cultural Affairs Committee, NCSL

• Elizabeth DRAKE, AFL-CIO, District of Columbia
• Christina SEVILLA, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, United States Trade Representative, District of Columbia
• John RAPPA, Principal Analyst, Office of Legislative Research, General Assembly, Connecticut

Standing Committee Session

Historic Preservation Policy and Tour of Savannah
Joint with Budgets and Revenue Committee

Join us as we tour one of the most historic destinations in the United States. Discussions will focus on the tax policy incentives that are in place to encourage historic preservation and what state policymakers can do to promote preservation in their own states.  NOTE: Space is limited. Please sign up in advance by sending an email to econ-info@ncsl.org or call (303) 856-1533.

Presiding:

• Representative Sheryl ALLEN, Utah and Chair, Economic Development, Trade & Cultural Affairs Committee, NCSL

Speakers: 

• Beth REITER, Savannah Preservation Office, Georgia 
• Lee WEBB, Savannah Preservation Office, Georgia
• Representative from the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority, Georgia

5:15 pm – 6:00 pm 
Westin - Harbor Ballroom
A, Ground Floor

Standing Committees' Steering Committee

Standing Committee Chairs, as members of the Standing Committee, should plan to attend. The Steering Committee will review policy statements reported out of Committee and determine the calendars for the Policy Forum.

Co-Presiding:

• Representative Ken SVEDJAN, North Dakota and Vice Chair, NCSL Standing Committees
• Peggy PIETY, Legislative Services Agency, Indiana and Staff Vice Chair, NCSL Standing Committees

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm 
Westin - Grand Ballroom
A-C, 2nd Floor

Friday, December 10

9:00 am – 10:30 am
Westin - Grand Ballroom
E, 2nd Floor

Special Briefing

The Incredibly Shrinking State Authority: The Causes and Consequences of Preemption in the Federal System

Federal proposals, that were once sporadic and episodic, now preempt states' authority and restrict their ability to experiment and innovate. What are the causes of this alarming development in education, insurance, environment, telecommunications and health care. What are the consequences and what can be done about them will be examined in this special briefing. 

Speakers: 

• Douglas KENDALL, Executive Director, Community Rights Counsel, District of Columbia
• Paul POSNER, Managing Director, Federal Budget and Intergovernmental Relations, U.S. Government Accountability Office, District of Columbia
• Peter RIGGS, Director, Forum on Democracy and Trade, New York

9:00 am – 10:30 am
Westin - Harbor Ballroom
A, Ground Floor

Special Briefing

Funding Homeland Security: Untangling a Gordian Knot

The task force created by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has developed a set of practical recommendations designed to alleviate concerns on how to move the critical homeland security money expeditiously through the funding pipeline. This briefing will review the funding, recommendations and examine congressional proposals on these issues.

Moderator:

• Senator Michael BALBONI, New York and Chair, Law and Criminal Justice Committee, NCSL

Speakers:

• David HAGY, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, District of Columbia
• John COHEN, Office of Governor Mitt Romney, Massachusetts
• Tracey TRAUTMAN, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, District of Columbia
• Molly RAMSDELL, National Conference of State Legislatures, District of Columbia

9:00 am – 10:30 am
Westin - Harbor Ballroom
B, Ground Floor

Special Briefing

Quality Health Care: An Impossible Task Without a Team

The issue of health care workforce shortages has been pushed to the forefront of state legislative agendas. The nation faces shortages of physicians, nurses and a broad range of other professionals, paraprofessionals, therapists and support staff. This briefing looks at innovative approaches to protect and improve the health care delivery system by preserving adequate levels of health care workers.

Moderator:

• Senator Donne TROTTER, Illinois and Chair, Health Committee, NCSL

Speakers:

• Dr. Daniel RAHN, M.D., Medical College of Georgia
• Cheryl FELDMAN, Workforce Program, 1199c Training and Upgrading Fund, Pennsylvania
• P.J. MADDOX, PhD, Office of Research, George Mason University, Virginia

10:45 am – 12:00 Noon
Westin - Harbor Ballroom
A, Ground Floor

Policy Forum and Business Meeting

During this plenary meeting, Forum delegates will debate and vote on NCSL’s Policy Statements and Resolutions passed out of Committee this Fall Forum. 

Presiding:

• Representative Joe HACKNEY, North Carolina and Chair, NCSL Standing Committees

12:15 pm – 1:30 pm
Westin - Grand Ballroom
A-C, 2nd Floor

Closing Plenary Lunch

As the Dust Settles:  An Analysis of the 2004 National and State Elections 

The 2004 election results and how they will affect state legislatures will be analyzed and discussed.

Co-Presiding:

• Representative Peter LEWISS, Rhode Island and Vice Chair, NCSL Standing Committees
• Frank PARISI, Office of Legislative Services, New Jersey and Staff Vice Chair, NCSL Standing Committees

Speaker: 

• Larry SABATO, Director, Center for Politics, Virginia