Legislative Committee
Utah State Library Division
9-11 a.m.
September 11, 1998
Committee members in attendance:Douglas Abrams
Karen Burton
Amy Owen
Nancy Tessman
Lynnda Wangsgard
Others in attendance: Larry Ostler, President, Utah Library Association
Chip Ward, ULA Public Relations Committee
Burton called the meeting to order at 9:10.
Minutes of the previous meeting were approved as mailed.
Discussion: Committee Organization and Role within the Association:
Ostler met with the Committee in preparation for the ULA Executive Board meeting scheduled for later in the day. Ostler had been thinking about the work of the Committee and had a number of questions/issues that he wanted to explore in pursuit of the goal of helping to make the work of the Committee effective and practical. Ostler asked:
What is the role of the Executive Board in giving direction to the Committee?
How is the Executive Board best involved in the workings of the Committee?
Is the time right for ULA to hire a professional lobbyist?
What is the role of ULA officers in relation to the legislature?
What is the role of ULA membership in relation to the work of the Committee?
Each Committee member was invited to respond to any or all of the above issues.
General consensus from the collective responses to Ostler’s questions was as follows:
The Legislative Committee presents a “Proposed Legislative Agenda” to the Executive Board each fall — after the Legislative Leadership Forum where ULA members have a chance to give input and help shape the agenda. The Executive Board has the responsibility to review the agenda, make necessary changes, and give a charge to the Committee.
Executive Board involvement in the Committee has been as varied as the members of the Board itself. Some Boards have been very interested and involved; some Boards have been uninterested and uninvolved. For the sake of continuity, it was recommended that the in-coming president of ULA serve on the Legislative Committee.
For ULA to be effective in state issues, the Association needs to have a year-round presence with the legislature. This presence could be greatly enhanced by a lobbyist. The Association could also benefit greatly from the insights, skills, and contacts of a professional lobbyist. For example, a lobbyist could help open doors to legislative leadership. However, Committee members cautioned that the Association needs to make a 3-5 year commitment to a lobbyist and the Executive Board needs to invest the resources necessary to obtain the services required to get results. This investment has the potential to pay millions of dollars in dividends.
ULA officers could be very effective in promoting legislative issues, assuming that they have the time to be involved. During the session, events move quickly and it is time- consuming to stay current. One must be current to be credible. One must be credible to be effective. It is important that the Committee be authorized to move quickly to promote the Association’s agenda. Committee members recognize that ULA officers speak for the Association and the Committee speaks only in support of the legislative agenda that has been approved by the Executive Board.
The Legislative Committee membership is being expanded to include “electronic members;” that is, members who participate by e-mail, etc. Participation will be enhanced by putting legislative issues on a list serve and may be further enhanced by technology such as video conferencing. There is a real need for the Committee to organize around the state, though past experience illustrates that this activity takes a tremendous amount of time and commitment and that it must be on-going to be effective.
It was also noted that lobbying local legislators for support of legislation or appropriations is an executive function. That is, it is best done by local library board members, or by their paid administrators. These are the individuals who are in the best position to know how the issue will effect the mission and roles of their particular library. ULA should not find itself in the position of lobbying local legislators for support of issues or actions that are in direct opposition to those of the local library board.
Committee members also suggested that it would be helpful if the ULA President would appoint the chair of the Legislative Committee far enough in advance to allow the Committee to function year-round. There is often a three to four month lag as one Executive Board turns over responsibilities to a new Executive Board. This down time makes it difficult for the Committee to stay focused and maintain the year-round attention to detail that is required for success. It was also suggested that the Committee chair be appointed for multiple years to promote continuity.
Finally, the committee requested that a Federal Relations Coordinator be appointed and that this person be an active member of the Legislative Committee, giving continuity to legislative issues at both the federal and state levels.
Ostler thanked the Committee for their candid input and invited Owen to meet with the Executive Board later in the day.
Legislative Leadership Forum:
The Legislative Leadership Forum had been rescheduled to 10-2 p.m., September 29, at Weber County’s Ogden Valley Branch Library, 131 S 7600 E, Huntsville.
The agenda was finalized and Burton will follow through in notifying the membership via personal contacts, letters of invitation, and posters that committee members and others can post in their libraries.
Legislative Considerations:
Burton asked Owen to report on a charge the Committee had given her in the previous meeting to provide an outline of issues that would need to be addressed if funding were made available through a revision of the “Capital Facilities Act.”
Owen reported on her progress and listened to suggestions from the group.
Other:
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:35 a.m.
Utah Library Association
Legislative Committee
October ?, 1998
9-11 a.m.
Utah State Library.
Review of Input Received during the Legislative Leadership Forum
Building of Proposed ULA Legislative Agenda
Other