Spring Forum 2008 April 24-26, 2008 Hyatt Regency, Washington, D.C. Labor and Economic Development Committee Agenda & Presentations (as of May 5, 2008) Thursday | Friday | Saturday | 7:30 am - 5:30 pm Regency Foyer
| Registration | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Liaison Hotel - Metro West
| NCSL Standing Committee Staff Officers Luncheon | 1:00 pm - 3:45 pm | Labor and Economic Development Committee Convenes | 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Congressional A | News from Washington: An Update on Federal Issues The committee will hear updates from experts on key labor and economic development issues at the federal level, but that have direct impact on states. Topics will include affordable housing, the Workforce Investment Act, Family Medical Leave Act, H2A Visas and Social Security. Presiding: Representative Phillip Frye, North Carolina Chair, NCSL Labor and Economic Development Committee Speakers: Frank Vaccarella, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Relations U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development Washington, D.C. - FHASecure Handout - FHASecure Fact Sheet - Home Economics Brochure - Tips for Avoiding Foreclosure Jeannine Markoe Raymond, Director of Federal Relations National Association of State Retirement Administrators Washington, D.C. - Jeannine Markoe Raymond's Presentation Leon Sequeira, Assistant Secretary for Policy U.S. Department of Labor Washington, D.C. | 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm Congressional A | State Purchasing Power in the International Arena
States spend billions of dollars each year to provide goods and services for the operation of state governments. These contracts, agreements, and purchase orders are of great interest to providers in other countries, and American firms are just as interested in bidding on foreign government contracts. Since the 1990s, U.S. trade negotiators have been working to match up these interests -- multilaterally through the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) and bilaterally or regionally through free trade agreements. This session will review recent developments on procurement in light of the expiration of NCSL's World Trade Organization Negotiations Policy. In particular, speakers will address changes being negotiated in Geneva on the GPA, whether last May's "Bipartisan Trade Deal" impacted procurement talks, how states are approaching evolving procurement and trade negotiations, and their intersection with broader economic development, labor policy and other objectives. Presiding: Representative James Johnson, Delaware Vice Chair, NCSL Labor and Economic Development Committee Speakers: Jean Grier, Senior Procurement Negotiator, Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Washington, D.C.
Kay Wilkie, Director for International Policy, New York State Department of Economic Development and Chair, USTR Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee Bjorn Claeson, Executive Director SweatFree Communities Bangor, Maine | 4:15 pm - 5:00 pm Ticonderoga/Yorktown/ Valley Forge | General Session - Federalism and the Senate Agenda Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) is Chair of the Republican Senate Conference. As a former governor, Senator Alexander has seen federalism issues from both the state and federal perspectives. His concerns include REAL ID, Internet taxation, the Federal Consent Decrees Fairness Act, and flexibility in the No Child Left Behind act. Presiding: Representative Geanie Morrison, Texas Martha Carter, Nebraska Legislature Speaker: The Honorable Lamar Alexander, U.S. Senate, Tennessee | 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Columbia B | Steering Committee The Steering Committee is comprised of the overall standing committee officers and the legislator chair and staff chair, or their designee, of each standing committee. Members will review the committees' plans for the Fall Forum, preview any policies anticipated for debate, and make determinations regarding joint and re-referral of the policy resolutions if necessary. | 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Ticonderoga/Yorktown/Valley Forge | Opening Reception at Hyatt Regency | | 7:00 am - 6:00 pm Regency Foyer | Registration | 8:00 am - 9:30 am Regency A
| General Session and Breakfast Program Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts is Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and has been a member of Congress since 1981. Chairman Frank will address the subprime mortgage situation, the federal stimulus package, the government role in regulating financial services in the global economy and the future role of states in regulating insurance. Presiding: Representative David Clark, Utah Chair, NCSL Standing Committee Laura DeVivo, Office of the House Speaker, North Carolina Staff Chair, NCSL Standing Committee Speaker: The Honorable Barney Frank, Massachusetts Chair, Financial Services Committee, U.S. House of Representatives | 9:45 am - 4:30 pm | Labor and Economic Development Committee Convenes | 9:45 am - 11:00 am Columbia C | Business Incentives: Is it Time to Reform? Joint with Budgets and Revenue Committee Incentives are a tool states use to attract businesses and create jobs but have they gotten out of hand? In the bidding wars for new businesses, are incentives sustainable for state budgets? Do incentives create the jobs they promise? And where does the competition end? Join the discussion about the future of business incentives and the role states play. Presiding: Representative Phillip Frye, North Carolina Chair, NCSL Labor and Economic Development Committee Representative Pryor Gibson, North Carolina Vice Chair, NCSL Budgets and Revenue Committee Speaker: Canaan Huie, House Finance Counsel Office of the Speaker of the House, North Carolina Raleigh, North Carolina - Canaan Huie's Presentation | 11:00 am - 12:30 pm Columbia C | Reevaluating Mine Safety Following several highly publicized mining accidents in 2007, Congress is taking another look at mine safety and whether the MINER Act of 2006 is being implemented in the way they intended. At the same time states are also considering new mine safety legislation. This session will focus on state and federal efforts to address new concerns about the safety of the nation’s mines. Presiding: Representative Julie Fisher, Utah Vice Chair, NCSL Labor and Economic Development Committee Representative Brent Yonts, Kentucky Vice Chair, NCSL Labor and Economic Development Committee Speaker: Robert Friend, Deputy Assistant Secretary U.S. Department of Labor, Mine Safety Health Administration Washington, D.C. - Robert Friend's Presentation Dennis O’Dell, Safety and Health Director United Mine Workers of America Fairfax, Virginia
Bruce Watzman, Vice President of Safety, Health and Human Resources National Mining Association Washington, D.C. - Bruce Watzman's Presentation | 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm Columbia C | Working Lunch: Challenges Ahead for Unemployment Insurance? Federal and state governments play important and intertwined roles in funding unemployment benefits and administering the program. With rising unemployment claims during periods of economic slowdown, stability of state unemployment systems is vital. This session will provide information about recent activity at the federal and state level to ensure that this program is properly funded while effectively serving the workers and businesses of the 21st century. Presiding: Senator Bill Heath, Georgia Vice Chair, NCSL Labor and Economic Development Committee
Speakers: Fran Bernstein, Policy Analyst AFSCME Washington, D.C. - Fran Bernstein's Presentation Doug Holmes, President UWC - Strategic Services on Unemployment & Workers Compensation Washington, D.C. - Doug Holmes' Presentation NCSL Handout: Legislator's "Primer" on Unemployment Insurance | 2:00 pm - 3:15 pm Columbia C | Labor and Economic Development Committee Business Meeting Committee members will discuss and act on committee business, review existing policies scheduled to sunset, and discuss any new policy resolutions. Click here to view the Policies for Committee Consideration Presiding: Representative Phillip Frye, North Carolina Chair, Labor and Economic Development Committee | 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm Columbia C | Aviation and Economic Development Joint with Transportation Committee This session will examine the link between aviation and urban and rural economic development, offer an update on FAA reauthorization, and open a discussion of NCSL's expiring Aviation policy. Presiding: Representative Linda Harper-Brown, Texas Vice Chair, NCSL Transportation Committee Andrea Wilko, Utah Staff Vice Chair, NCSL Labor and Economic Development Committee Speakers: Bob Fogel, Senior Legislative Director National Association of Counties Washington, D.C. James Reid Office of U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller Washington, D.C. | 4:45 pm - 5:15 pm Congressional A | Steering Committee The Steering Committee will review policies reported from the standing committees and determine the calendar for Saturday’s business meeting. Presiding: Senator Dorinda A. Connor, Delaware Nelson Fox, Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Immediate Past Staff Chair, NCSL Labor and Economic Development Committee | 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm shuttle service will begin running at 4:45 pm | Reception at the German Ambassador's Residence | | 8:00 am - 11:30 am Regency Foyer | Registration | 8:30 am - 10:00 am Columbia ABC | General Session Breakfast Program Presiding: Martha Carter, Nebraska Legislature Senator Mary Margaret Haugen, Washington Speakers: John Bruton, European Ambassador to the United States Councilmember Vincent C. Gray, Chairman of the Council Washington, D.C. | 10:00 am - 11:00 am Columbia ABC | NCSL Business Meeting Forum delegates will debate and vote on NCSL's policy statements and resolutions passed out of the committees. All Forum participants are invited to attend. Presiding: Representative David Clark, Utah Chair, NCSL Standing Committee | Chair: | Representative Phillip Frye, North Carolina | Staff Chair: | Gilbert Loredo, Texas | | | Vice Chairs: | Senator Rosa Franklin, Washington | | Senator Bill Heath, Georgia | | Senator Gary LeBeau, Connecticut | | Representative Julie Fisher, Utah | | Representative James Johnson, Delaware | | Representative Brent Yonts, Kentucky | | | Staff Vice Chairs: | Jill Fike, Georgia | | Jeanne Schmedlen, Pennsylvania | | Andrea Wilko, Utah | | | Immediate Past Chair: | Representative Steve Conway, Washington | Immediate Past Staff Chair | Nelson Fox, Ohio | | Committee Staff Contacts NOTE: NCSL provides links to other Web sites from time to time for information purposes only. Providing these links does not necessarily indicate NCSL's support or endorsement of the site. |