8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Registration

Orientation for Committee Officers

Agriculture and International Trade Committee Sessions

1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

Fast Forward or Rewind: The New Administration's International Trade Agenda
With a new team in the White House, will the United States pursue an aggressive free trade agenda or a more cautious approach? This session will seek to discern the direction of U.S. trade policy, its impact on the states and strategies to maximize the influence of state legislators.

3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Contract Farming: The Road to Serfdom or Utopia?
Contract farming has alternately been hailed as the family farm's saving grace or its undoing while farmers and policymakers have struggled to cope with this relatively new phenomenon. The rules of the game have been the subject of a great deal of debate and now a coalition of 16 state attorneys general are urging state legislatures to enact a model contracting law. How should legislators react and how can they influence the debate at the federal level?

4:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

AFI Steering Committee Meeting

6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Hyatt Regency

Reception

7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Registration

8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Opening Plenary Breakfast

9:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Agriculture and International Trade Committee Sessions

9:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Today's Family Farm, Tomorrow's Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO)?
Joint Session with AFI Environment Committee
Speakers: Karen Metchis, Environmental Protection Specialist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The federal government will imminently release new rules for animal feeding operations that may reclassify what many think of as family farms as CAFOs, subject to federal clean water standards. How will the new rules impact state oversight of these facilities and what will it mean for agricultural producers and the environment?

11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.

1974, 1979, 2000?
International Oil Prices and the Winter Ahead
Joint Session with AFI Energy & Transportation Committee
This fall, skyrocketing oil prices have prodded the federal government to tap the strategic petroleum reserve and several states to suspended gasoline taxes. Fears of escalating home heating oil costs, persistently high prices at the pump and larger issues for the economy are feeding feelings of déjà vu. The causes of the current dilemma and possible prescriptions will be debated during this session.

1:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

This May Not be Your Father's Hemp but Will it be Your State's?
Several states have passed legislation to try to revive hemp farming and other legislatures are considering bills. Despite these initiatives, the federal government continues to restrict state flexibility in determining the viability of this crop. During this session, participants will discuss state and federal activity and members will vote on whether NCSL should take a position in this debate.

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Food Labeling in a Biotechnology World
States have adopted myriad food labeling laws to protect consumers over the years. For many reasons, the appropriateness of these state measures has been challenged by federal legislation. Is there a role for state food labeling or should this be the exclusive purview of the federal government?

5:15 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

AFI Steering Committee Meeting
The Steering Committee will review policy resolutions adopted by the committees of the Assembly on Federal Issues.

6:15 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.
Senate Caucus Room
U.S. Capitol

Reception

7:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Registration

8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Special Briefings and Continental Breakfast

State and Local Taxation of Electronic Commerce
State Higher Education Programs
Energy Prices

10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Business Meeting

10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Staff Sections

12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Closing Plenary Lunch
Thomas Friedman, International Correspondent, New York Times (invited)