Updated April 7, 2000 Assembly on Federal Issues Spring Meeting May 4-6, 2000 Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill Washington, D.C. Special Briefings 4May 4, 12 noon 4May 6, 8:30 am 4May 6, 1:45 pm Committee Programs Preliminary Master Agenda Housing/Registration Registration Form Staff Contacts     Special Briefings Briefings and Lobbying on Taxation of Electronic Commerce Thursday, May 4, 12:00 noon-5:00 p.m. The high profile and high stakes debate over sales taxes and electronic commerce is taking place on three fronts. State legislatures have begun efforts to simplify and streamline their sales tax systems. The federal Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce, after a fractious 18-month tenure, is set to present its recommendations to Congress. And Congress is considering various proposals to prevent states from collecting taxes on sales over the Internet. The National Conference of State Legislatures wants to forestall any congressional action so state legislatures, governors and retailers can develop their own solution to this complex question. This briefing will be devoted to an update on developments in all three fronts, a briefing from members of Congress, and private meetings for participants with members of their congressional delegations. Please contact Neal Osten (202-624-8660) or Michael Bird (202-624-8686) for more information or for assistance in making appointments. Special Briefings Saturday, May 6, 8:30 a.m.-10:15 a.m. Medicare and Prescription Drugs One of the hottest issues in the nation's capital this year is enlarging Medicare coverage to include prescription drugs. The country's expanding elderly population wants relief from the high costs of prescription drugs. President Clinton and members of Congress agree that something should be done. They disagree on how it will be done and who will pay for it. They could pass the cost of expanded coverage on to state governments. How would a new federal program relate to existing state pharmaceutical assistance programs for the elderly? Is this the next big unfunded mandate? This special briefing will examine the various Medicare prescription drug proposals with an emphasis on their implications for state legislatures and state budgets. Implementing the Workforce Investment Act The Workforce Investment Act of 1998, the culmination of four years of congressional deliberations, represents the first significant reform of the federal-state job training partnership in 15 years. It gives states an opportunity to develop a coherent and comprehensive system for worker training and retraining services and for state legislatures to be key players in that effort. The implementation of the changes brought about as a result of the act have left the states struggling to reorganize and streamline their human resource development delivery systems. Legislators are being bombarded with interpretations of their expanded role in this process. Join a panel of national experts, Department of Labor officials and legislators from states that are ahead of the curve on the implementation process as they describe options for state policymakers. Prescription Drugs: Frank Talk About Cost, Coverage and Quality Saturday, May 6, 1:45 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Prescription drugs were once a relatively small portion of the country's health care budget. Since 1980, though, prescription drug expenditures have grown at double-digit rates. They have become the most rapidly growing part of may state Medicaid budgets. At the same time costs are rising sharply; prescription drugs are also becoming more important in the treatment of wide range of diseases and chronic conditions. Rising costs, increased utilization, and dwindling insurance coverage have combined to catapult prescription drugs into the political and budgetary spotlights at both the state and national levels. Unfortunately, a lot of mythology and misunderstanding undergirds the discussions as to what should be done about the problem. This half-day workshop will focus on a set of key questions to help legislatures craft long-term solutions. (1) Why do medicines cost so much? (2) Why are medicines less expensive in other countries? (3) Why are pharmaceutical costs rising so rapidly? (4) Why do pharmaceutical companies make so much money? (5) Why do so many individuals lack insurance coverage for prescription drugs? (6) Do drugs lead to significantly longer lives and lower health costs? (7) What kinds of strategies are most effective in reducing drug costs without harming access or quality? Committee Programs The nine standing committees of the Assembly on Federal Issues will conduct programs on the hot topics before Congress and the administration. They will also consider policy resolutions that determine NCSL's position on key state-federal matters. The following are some of the topics the committees will cover at the spring meeting of the Assembly on Federal Issues. Agriculture and International Trade State Land Grant Universities and the Federal Government Should There Be a Moratorium on Agricultural Mergers The Packers and Stockyards Act Federal Budget and Taxation Internet Taxation Telecommunications Taxation Commerce and Communications Financial Privacy: Federal Regulation vs. State Legislation The Battle for Bandwidth: Should the States Decide the Winners? Telecommunications Taxes: State Reform or Federal Preemption Financial Supervision and Digital Record Keeping Health Medicare Prescription Drugs State Children's Health Program Medical Records Privacy Managed Care Reform Education, Labor and Job Training Federal Budget Proposals for Education Programs School Construction Assistance Civil Rights Laws and High Stakes Testing Human Services Welfare Reform: Thinking Ahead Early Childhood Education and Head Start Human Services Budget Issues Child Support Enforcement The Homeless Energy and Transportation Electric Industry Restructuring: Reliability Concerns Aviation Reauthorization Funding of Amtrak Law and Justice Environmental Justice State-tribal Relations Federalism (anti-preemption) legislation Environment Brownfields and Superfund MTBE Congressional Update   Preliminary Master Agenda Thursday, May 4   8:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Human Services Committee Trip to Center for Fathers, Families & Workforce Development in Baltimore, Maryland (Luncheon provided) 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Registration 12:00 noon-1:30 p.m. Lunch and Update on Taxation of Electronic Commerce Speakers: Representative Mathew Kisber, Tennessee Senator Steven Rauschenberger, Illinois 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Walk to Senate Hart Office Building 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. Briefing from Members of Congress on the Status of Internet Taxation Speakers: Senator Bob Graham, United States Senate, Florida, invited Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, United States Senate, Texas, invited 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Private Meetings with Members of Congress 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Assembly on Federal Issues Steering Committee 6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Opening Reception at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Friday, May 5   7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Registration 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Plenary Breakfast U.S. China Relations: Should the U.S. Support China's Admission Into the World Trade Organization? Speaker: Charlene Barshefsky, U.S. Trade Representative 9:45 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Agriculture and International Trade Committee 9:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m. TMDL's-A New Way to Regulate Water Quality Joint session with the Environment Committee 11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m. State Land Grant Universities: Time for New Federal Regulation or Support?-Working Lunch 12:45 p.m.-2:15 p.m. Agricultural Trade and the Chinese Conundrum 2:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m. Consolidated Agriculture: Family Farm Predator or New Generation World-beater? 9:45 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Commerce and Communications Committee 9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m. Financial Privacy: The Role of the States 10:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m. Federal Regulation of Insurance: Tomorrow's Headline 11:45 a.m.-12:00 noon Break/Lunch Buffet 12:00 noon-1:00 p.m. Lunch Session-Uniform Licensing for Agents & Brokers 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. The Battle for Bandwith: Is the Battle Over? 2:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. State Telecommunications Excise Tax: Should States Favor Its Repeal? 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Business Meeting 9:45 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Education, Labor and Job Training Committee Please contact David Shreve on 202-624-8187 for a detailed agenda.  9:45 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Energy and Transportation Committee 9:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m. Federal Electric Industry Restructuring and Reliability Concerns 12:00 noon-1:00 p.m. Status of Amtrak and High-Speed Rail-Working Lunch 1:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Briefing on Federal Aviation Reauthorization 1:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Update on TEA-21 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Policy Session and Unveiling of the NCSL Rail Working Group 9:45 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Environment Committee Please contact Larry Morandi at 303-830-2200 for a detailed agenda. 9:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Federal Budget and Taxation Committee 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Federal Budget and Tax Update Speakers: Marcia Howard, Federal Funds Information for States (FY 2000 Budget) Gerri Madrid, Committee Director, Federal Budget and Taxation Committee (Federal Tax Actions) 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Committee Business Meeting Speaker: Veranda Smith, Federation of Tax Administrators (Source taxes) 11:45 a.m.-12:00 noon Break/Lunch Buffet 12:00 noon-1:30 p.m. Federal Special Education Funding Joint session with the Education, Labor and Job Training Committee Speakers: Dr. Joanne Cashmann, Program Director, National Association of State Departments of Special Education Judith Hermann, Assistant Secretary for Special Education, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC Dr. Richard Rothstein Economic Policy Institute 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. UMRA Revisited 2:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. State Telecommunications Taxes Joint session with the Commerce and Communications Committee 9:45 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Health Committee 9:45 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Welcome and Introductions 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. State Children's Health Insurance Program Update & Policy Consideration 11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon Medicaid Update and Policy Consideration 12:00 noon-1:00 p.m. An Ounce of Prevention: Working our Way to Healthier Children-Working Lunch 1:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Federal Update 1:30 p.m.-2:15 p.m. Federal Preemption of State Laws Regarding Collective Negotiations by Health Care Workers in Managed Care Settings 2:15 p.m.-3:00 p.m. Substance Abuse Prevention & Treatment Block Grant 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit 9:45 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Human Services Committee 9:45 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Early Childhood Education and Joint Business Meeting Joint with the AFI Education, Labor and Job Training Committee 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Federal Update/Human Services Budget Issues Speakers: Sheri Steisel, Senior Committee Director, AFI Human Services Committee Lee White Posey, Policy Associate, AFI Human Services Committee 12:15 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Working Lunch: The Homeless 1:30 p.m.-2:15 p.m. Business Meeting 2:15 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Welfare Reform: How Are We Doing? 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Getting Child Support to the Families: Changing Distribution Policy 9:45 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Law and Justice Committee 9:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Federal Agencies 11:15 a.m.-12:00 noon Business Meeting 12:00 noon-1:30 p.m. Working Lunch: Congress and the States: Does Congress Care About Federalism? 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Federalization of the State Civil and Criminal Law 2:30 p.m.-3:15 p.m. The Supreme Court and the States: Update on Recent Federalism Cases 3:15 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Bush and Gore: Who Would they Appoint to the Court? What's at Stake? For the States? For the Country? 4:00 p.m.-5:15 p.m. The New Death Penalty Debate: What's Happening in the State? What's Happening in the Congress? 5:15 p.m.-6:00 p.m. AFI Steering Committee 6:15 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. Reception Canadian Embassy Saturday, May 6   8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Registration 8:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Special Briefing and Continental Breakfast Medicare Prescription Drugs: Implementing the Workforce Development Act 10:30 a.m.-12:00 noon Business Meeting-Consideration of Policy Resolutions 12:00 noon-1:30 p.m. Closing Plenary Luncheon 1:45 p.m.-5:15 p.m. Special Workshop Prescription Drugs: Frank Talk About Cost Coverage and Quality Contacts for Further Information Meeting information and a preliminary master agenda is available at www.ncsl.org/public/afiagenda00.htm and on Fax on Demand (800) 380-7280. For program information, contact Renáe Sledge, (202) 624-5400, or e-mail: renae.sledge@ncsl.org For registration information, contact Donna Wood in the NCSL meetings department at (303) 830-2200 ext. 116, e-mail: Donna.wood@ncsl.org Visitor counts for this page.

National Conference of State Legislatures INFO@NCSL.ORG (autoresponse directory)

Denver Office: 1560 Broadway, Suite 700 Denver, CO 80202 Tel: 303-830-2200 Fax: 303-863-8003

Washington Office: 444 North Capitol Street, N.W., Suite 515 Washington, D.C. 20001 Tel: 202-624-5400 Fax: 202-737-1069