Wednesday, December 8

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

Registration

8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Westin - Harbor Ballroom
A, Ground Floor

Special Seminars for Policy Leaders:  Fiscal Leaders Seminar, Health Chairs Seminar, Mental Health and Medicaid Workshop.

1:00 pm – 3:45 pm
Westin - Grand Ballroom
E, 2nd Floor

Field Trip to the Port of Savannah
An introductory session will describe security requirements and measures at the Port of Savannah; followed by a driving tour to the Port to view how those functions are carried out in cooperation with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

• Senator Regina Thomas, Georgia
• Lee Beckmann, Manager, Legislative Affairs, Georgia Ports Authority, Georgia

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

Opening Plenary Program

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

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

Thursday, December 9

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

Plenary Breakfast

9:30 am – 12:00 Noon
Convention Center -
Rooms 105 & 106

Federal Standards for Drivers Licenses:  New Reality or National ID?
Joint with the Transportation Committee and Human Services and Welfare Committee
In response to the 9/11 Commission Report, the U.S. House and Senate have passed separate intelligence reform bills that include minimum standards for state drivers licenses and other records. Some states see this federal action as the only way to ensure the integrity of driver's license issuance and verification; others see the national standards as a first step toward creating a national ID card. A discussion of NCSL policies will be included.

Moderators:  Senator Bruce Starr, Oregon and Vice Chair, Transportation Committee

Senator Michael Balboni, New York and Chair, Law and Criminal Justice Committee

• Bob Barr, Member of Congress, 1995-2003, Georgia
• Cheye Calvo, Committee Director, Transportation Committee, National Conference of State Legislatures, Washington, D.C.
• Tom Wolfsohn, Senior Vice President, American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, Virginia
• Tyler Moran, Policy Analyst, National Immigration Law Center, Idaho

12:00 Noon – 1:15 pm
Convention Center -
Rooms 105 & 106

Constitutional Developments and Legislative-Judicial Roles (CLE)
Joint with the Redistricting and Elections Committee
Recent cases in Colorado, Louisiana and Massachusetts have sparked discussion of what lines should be drawn between legislative policy making and judicial review. Has the judicial branch overstepped its bounds? Discussion of a proposed policy will be included in this session.

Moderator:  Representative Janice Pauls, Kansas and Vice Chair, Law and Criminal Justice Committee

• The Honorable Sol Wachtler, Former Judge, New York State Court of Appeals
• Richard Ruda, Chief Counsel, State and Local Legal Center, Washington, D.C.

1:30 pm – 2:45 pm
Convention Center -
Rooms 105 & 106

Lawyers, Guns and Money (CLE)
The debate on gun control rages on. At the federal level, Congress has recently enacted legislation that limits the liability of gun manufacturers, while also allowing the ban on assault weapons to quietly expire. This session will present contrasting views of how state and federal policy makers should respond to these issues.

Moderator:  Representative John Tholl, New Hampshire and Vice Chair, Law and Criminal Justice Committee

• United States Representative Carolyn McCarthy, 4^th Congressional District, New York (with introduction and overview by Senator Michael Balboni, New York, Chair)
• Lawrence Keane, Vice President and General Counsel, National Shooting Sport Foundation, Connecticut

2:45 pm – 4:15 pm
Convention Center -
Rooms 105 & 106

Federal Tort Reform and The Preemption of State Authority
Attempts by the U.S. Congress to erode traditional state authority in the area of tort reform most recently have included proposed federal medical malpractice legislation, class action reform bills, and other measures designed to “federalize” state civil procedure and tort laws. This session will discuss such recent federal activity and discuss potential policy on state authority for civil law.

Moderator:  Senator Adam Kline, Washington and Vice Chair, Law and Criminal Justice Committee

• Walter Olson, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute, New York

4:15 pm – 5:00 pm
Convention Center -
Rooms 105 & 106

Committee Roundtable
Informal discussion of state and state-federal relations issues under the jurisdiction of the committee and likely to be on legislative agendas in the year ahead.

Facilitator:  Marti Harkness, OPPAGA, Florida and Staff Chair, Law and Criminal Justice Committee

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

Steering Committee Meeting (Standing Committee Chairs)

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

Reception at the Westin

Friday, December 10

9:00 am – 10:30 am

Special Briefings

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

Policy Forum/NCSL Business Meeting
Debate and Voting on Official Policy Statements and Resolutions

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

Plenary Lunch

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Staff Sections, Task Forces, Ancillary Groups, Workshops