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Sen. Moore takes active role in national legislative meetings
April 23, 2007...One of the most active legislators attending the Spring Forum of the National Conference of State Legislatures last week in Washington, DC, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, chaired two task force meetings, introduced a Congressional leader at a plenary session, presided at the organization’s business meeting, and was a panelist or focus group member for three programs. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is the bipartisan professional organization for state legislators and legislative staff of the fifty states and U.S. territories providing research, technical assistance and as a forum for the discussion of the pressing issues facing state governments. Sen. Moore is the chairman of the NCSL Steering Committee which directs the formulation of policy to guide the organization’s lobbying effort to advance state issues with the Congress and federal administration. He is also a member of NCSL’s Executive Committee. As Co-Chairman of the NCSL Task Force on Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Sen. Moore led a discussion of the impact of the federal legislation known as “Real ID” with key Homeland Security officials. “Real ID” is the title of a new federal law that requires states to change their driver licenses to conform to federal standards in order for citizens of each state to be able to use the license to board airplanes or enter federal buildings. The federal law is estimated to cost states at least $11 billion over the next five years, will increase the cost of driver’s licenses, and will require drivers to personally visit motor vehicle offices to prove their identity upon renewal. Another key program under Sen. Moore’s leadership is NCSL’s Health Information Technology Champions (HITCh) Project. Sen. Moore is guiding a group of state legislators, legislative staff and health information technology experts in crafting programs to help legislators better understand the impact, cost and benefits of promoting health information technology in their states. Research has demonstrated that health information technology can save significant amounts of money, thereby easing the rising costs of health care, as well as improve the quality and safety of health care for patients. At the opening plenary of NCSL’s Spring Forum, Sen. Moore had the responsibility of introducing one of the Nation’s most powerful members of Congress, Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY), the Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means. Rangel discussed issues ranging from Medicare and Medicaid, the federal education law “No Child Left Behind,” health care reform, international trade, taxation, immigration reform and many other issues within the jurisdiction of his powerful committee. Sen. Moore was also invited to take part in two focus groups during the meetings. One was an evaluation session reviewing a panel discussion by experts of “Wellness, Obesity, and Exercise,” for the Kellogg Foundation which is funding a major national initiative in this area. The other was for Policy Today Magazine discussing the relationship of states and the federal government with a group of legislative leaders from Kansas, Utah, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Dakota. Sen. Moore also participated in a discussion of the NCSL budget as a member of the Executive Committee’s Budget and Rules Subcommittee in preparation for an upcoming Executive Committee meeting scheduled next week in Madison, Wisconsin. At the close of the Spring Forum, Sen. Moore presided at a meeting of representatives from all the states to debate and vote upon policies to guide NCSL’s federal lobbying effort. The conference adopts policy positions at its Fall and Spring Forums as well as the Annual Meeting. Sen. Moore will complete his term as Chairman of the NCSL Steering Committee by presiding at the annual business meeting which, this year, will be held in Boston when nearly 7,000 state legislators, legislative staff and their families will convene during the first week of August. For additional information on Sen. Moore’s work in the Senate, log onto www.senatormoore.com |
