Tuesday, December 7

7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
W--Grand Ballroom D&E,
2nd Floor

Traffic Safety and Public Health Seminar

Wednesday, December 8

Working Lunch:  Bank Mergers & Acquisitions
(Joint session with the Agricultural and Rural Development and Economic Development and Cultural Affairs Committees)
(Lunch sponsored by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors)
As the numbers of U.S. institutions are shrinking and consolidating, does this downward trend threaten the uniquely decentralized American banking market?  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.
Moderator:  Representative John Quinn, Massachusetts
Vice Chair, Financial Services Committee
Speakers:  Steven L. Antonakes, Commissioner of Banks, Massachusetts
Jack Phelps, Federal Deposit Insurance Corportation, Washington, D.C.

Handouts:
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago:  Regulatory Incentives and Consolidation:  The Case of Commercial Bank Mergers and the Community Reinvestment Act
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago:  The Past, Present and Probable Future for Community Banks
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago:  Whither the Community Bank?  A Conference Summary
Federal Reserve Board of Governors:  Insured U.S.-Chartered Commercial Banks that have Consolidated Assets of $300 Million or More (September 30, 2004)
Federal Reserve Board of Governors:  Analysis of Mergers and Consolidation in the Banking Industry
American Bankers Association:  Banking Institution Mergers:  Questions and Answers
Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy:  The Impact of Bank Consolidation on Small Business Credit Availability

The Community Reinvestment Act:  Only for Big Banks Anymore?
(Joint session with the Agricultural and Rural Development and Economic Development and Cultural Affairs Committees)
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.  Members may consider NCSL federal policy related to financial services.
Moderator:  Representative John Quinn, Massachusetts
Vice Chair, Financial Services Committee
Speakers:  James Ballantine, Director of Housing, Community and Economic Development, American Bankers Association, Washington, D.C.
Allen Fishbein, Director of Housing and Credit Policy, Consumer Federation of America, Washington, D.C.
Dudley Gilbert, General Counsel, State Banking Department, Oklahoma
Bob Mooney, Compliance Policy Development Chief, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Washington, D.C.

The SMART Act:  What Now?
After a year of speculation and anticipation, the U.S. House Financial Services Committee has finally released the State Modernization and Regulator Transparency (SMART) Act, which would completely restructure the nation’s insurance markets around a system of federally-imposed guidelines that the state would meet or face deregulation and preemption.  This session reviews the key elements of the SMART Act and explores its prospects in the 109^th Congress.
Moderator:  Representative Keith Faber, Ohio
Vice Chair, Financial Services Committee
Speakers:  Alfred Redmer, Jr., Insurance Commissioner, Maryland
David Snyder, Assistant General Counsel, American Insurance Association, Washington, D.C.
Cheye Calvo, National Conference of State Legislatures, Washington, D.C.

Handouts:
NCSL:  Summary of Oxley-Baker SMART Act

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. 
W--Grand Ballroom A-C,
2nd Floor

Opening Plenary:  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:  Speaker Terry Coleman, Georgia
Moderator:  Senator Angela Monson, Oklahoma
Panelists:  John Andrew Miller, Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Georgia
Todd Sloane, Modern Healthcare Magazine, Illinois

Reception at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center

Thursday, December 9

Plenary Breakfast
Welcome:   President Pro Tem Eric Johnson, Georgia

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.
Speaker:  David Wyss, Standard & Poor's, New York

How Do You Get Short-Term Money Without Robbing a Bank?
(Joint with the Banking FSL Partners Project)
Payday loans, installment loans, title loans, and check cashers provide money to consumers on a short-term basis.  But, what are these services and how do they work?  This session will compare and contrast the different short-term loan products .  Come to this session to learn how to distinguish between these products and how they are currently regulated.
Moderator:  Representative Donna Stone, Delaware
Immediate Past Chair, Financial Services Committee
Speakers:  Mike Calhoun, General Counsel, Self-Help Credit Union, North Carolina
John McCloskey, Vice President & General Counsel, Community Loans of America, Georgia
Andrew Morrison, Executive Vice President and Director, Brundage Management, Texas
John Rabenold, Vice President of Government Affairs, Community Financial Services Association, Ohio
Bob Rochford, Financial Service Centers of America, New Jersey

Handouts:
NCSL:  Payday Lending Laws and Legislation
NCSL:  Title Lending Legislation
Andrew Morrison:  Small-Installment Loan Industry Summary
CFSA:  Payday Advance Industry Overview
John McCloskey:  Everything that You Wanted to Know about Title Loans

Insurance Bid Rigging:  The Tip of the Iceberg?
Insurance brokers are obligated to seek the best deals for their clients, but evidence that the nation’s leading insurance brokerage firm has been taking payoffs from insurance companies to rig bids has sent shockwaves through insurance markets and raised concern about widespread corruption in the industry.  This session reviews the serious charges raised by New York Attorney General Elliott Spitzer, explores the workings of complex insurance transactions, and attempts to answer how the bid rigging scandal could affect how insurance is regulated.
Speakers:  John Fielding, Outside Counsel, Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers, Washington, D.C.
Al Iuppa, Superintendent of Insurance, Bureau of Insurance, Maine

Westin:  Harbor Ballroom Foyer, Ground Floor and the Grand Ballroom Foyer, 2nd Floor

Convention Center:  In the hallway outside Rooms 100 and Rooms 200

Committee Business Meeting and Roundtable
The committee will receive brief updates on major issues related to state banking, insurance, credit union and securities regulation.  Box lunches will be available.  Members will consider NCSL federal policy related to financial services.  Votes will be taken.
Presiding:  Representative Frank Mautino

Buying Insurance After a Hurricane
Insured damage from the four major storms to hit the southeast this season may exceed $20 billion, and now residents are bracing for an ensuring round of insurance premium rate hikes.  Is this the necessary price of “living in paradise,” or is there a better way?  This session looks for answers by reviewing the fundamentals of risk pooling and exploring what hurricane-battered states like Florida are doing to prepare their insurance markets for natural disasters.
Moderator:  Wade Adams, House Legislative Services, Louisiana
Staff Chair, Financial Services Committee
Speakers:  Eric Goldberg, Assistant General Counsel, American Insurance Association, Washington, D.C.
Brad Kading, Senior Vice President and Director of State Relations, Reinsurance Association of America, Washington, D.C.
Jack Nicholson, Senior Officer, Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, State Board of Administration, Florida

The Uniform Securities Act
In August 2002, the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws adopted the Uniform Securities Act (2002), which replaces previous uniform securities acts.  Modernizing the uniform act is a consequence of a combination of the new federal preemptive legislation, significant recent changes in the technology of securities trading and regulation, and the increasingly interstate and international aspects of securities transactions.  Six states and the Virgin Islands have adopted the new Uniform Securities Act, and more legislative activity is expected in 2005.  Come discuss the aspects of the new Uniform Securities Act.
Moderator:  Ryan Wilson, Department of Legislative Services, Maryland
Immediate Past Staff Chair, Financial Services Committee
Speakers:  Michelle Clayton, Legislative Counsel, National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, Illinois
Patricia D. Struck, President-elect, North American Securities Administrators Association, Wisconsin
Carl Wilkerson, Vice President & Chief Counsel-Securities & Litigation, American Council of Insurers, Washington, D.C.

Handouts:
NCCUSL:  Uniform Securities Act of 2002
ACLI:  Life Insurers' Position on Uniform Securities Act of 2002

6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
W--Grand Ballroom A-C,
2nd Floor

Reception at the Westin

Friday, December 10

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. 

W--Grand Ballroom E,
2nd Floor
















W--Harbor Ballroom A,
Ground Floor


















W--Harbor Ballroom B,
Ground Floor

Special Briefings

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, Community Rights Counsel,
Washington, D.C.
Paul Posner, Federal Budget and Intergovernmental Relations, U.S. Government Accountability Office, Washington, D.C.
Peter Riggs, Forum on Democracy and Trade, New York

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
Speakers: David Hagy, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, D.C.
John Cohen, Office of Governor Mitt Romney, Massachusetts
Tracey Trautman, U.S. Department of Homeland Security,
Washington, D.C.
Molly Ramsdell, National Conference of State Legislatures,
Washington, D.C.

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.

10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
W--Harbor Ballroom A,
Ground Floor 

Closing Plenary:  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 at this time.
Speaker:  Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, Washington, D.C.

Staff Sections, Task Forces, Ancillary Groups, and Workshops
These groups continue on Saturday, December 11 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.