Commission on International Trade and State Sovereignty
Meeting of 9/11/2007
Minutes Approved 10/30/2007
Members Present Rep. Kathleen Keenan, commission co-chair; Sen. Virginia Lyons, commission co-chair; David Anger; John Boomhover; Lawrence Bruce; Dan Brush; Elliot Burg; Dana Eidsness
Members Absent All members were present.
Also Present Legislative counselors Al Boright, Sam Burr, and Michael O’Grady and staff Nedene Martin. No members of the public or media attended.
Recording CD 2007-18 & 2007-19
Convene
Rep. Keenan called the meeting to order at 3:15 in the lower conference room of the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, 30 Kimball Avenue, South Burlington.
Minutes
Mr. Burg moved the approval of the minutes of the July 16, 2007 meeting. The motion was seconded and approved by unanimous voice vote.
Commission discussion of public hearings
Rep. Keenan opened discussion about the proposed public hearings. Ms. Eidsness clarified that the commission has a budget of $12,000 for this fiscal year plus some money left over from last fiscal year. The money is available for appropriate uses, including expenses associated with any public hearings.
Senator Lyons initiated discussion of whether the commissioners wish to authorize videotaping and cablecasting of all of the public hearings. She noted that when the hearings are cablecast or copied onto DVD for the public, it is important that there be titles that tell the public what they are seeing and to give the e-mail address for contacting the commission. Ms. Martin reported that ORCA (Onion River Community Access), the Montpelier local access station, quoted a price of $150 for personnel and equipment to tape a three-hour meeting in Montpelier. Sen. Lyons said that a Chittenden County station would do the same at about the same price. Without objection, it was decided to videotape all the hearings. The group agreed that the decision about whether to cablecast and copy the proceedings can be made later, after it is known whether the presentation and testimony merit dissemination. Rep. Keenan suggested that Ms. Martin contact the local access station in each of the areas in which the hearings will be held to see whether they are willing and able to tape the proceedings, understanding that the commission can pay them for this service.
Mr. Burg raised the question of how inquiries directed to the commission will be answered. Mr. O’Grady explained that he and Ms. Martin will both automatically receive any e-mails addressed to TradeCommission@leg.state.vt.us . He said that any response may depend on whether the question is a public records request under the law. If it is, then the law requires a timely response that enables the questioner to gain access to the records. Mr. O’Grady said that the usual practice in the legislative council is to mail out the requested materials, unless they are too voluminous. Mr. Boright noted that if a question does not involve a public records request, then there is more latitude for deciding when and even whether to respond. Ms. Eidsness stated that she has a small team of student researchers who can be called into service if questions come in that can be considered technical assistance requests.
During discussion, it was noted that many questions to the commission may be answerable by the provision of web addresses where the questioner can independently pursue more information. Mr. Burg noted that it would be most helpful to the public if the commission could post information on its own web site and refer people there. Mr. O’Grady reported that there has been limited progress on fulfilling the commission’s desire to create a web site, due to the IT staff’s stated need to develop a process. He suggested that the co-chairs may wish to intercede if expediency is desired.
Discussion turned to the question of how to ignite public interest in the issues of international trade and the proceedings of the commission. Sen. Lyons said that she and Rep. Keenan had discussed the importance of encouraging media coverage of the public hearings and substantive commission meetings. She stated that a press release before or after each public hearing seems important. Sen. Lyons said that the co-chairs may consider meeting with editors of newspapers around the state to help them understand the commission’s dual purposes of both disseminating and gathering information. She said the co-chairs may write “my turn” editorial columns to submit for publication. It was agreed, after brief discussion, that newspaper ads providing notice of the hearings would not be cost effective; classified ads are very expensive and the commission’s target audience may not be perusing the classifieds for notices such as this. Ms. Eidsness stated that her office has a 2,600-name “e-mail blast list” that can be used to help publicize the events. Mr. Burg suggested an advance mailing to elicit interest and encourage participation.
The commission settled on the following dates and general locations for its series of public hearings:
● Business competitiveness: October 30, 2007 from 1 to 4 p.m. in Chittenden County
● Environment: November 13, 2007 from 1 to 4 p.m., at Vermont Law School if possible
● Health care: November 27, 2007 from 1 to 4 p.m. in Rutland, possibly at the medical center
● Agriculture: December 18, 2007 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in Franklin County
The commissioners engaged in extended discussion of what materials need to be prepared and to whom they should be delivered in advance of the public hearings. Talk focused on the need to provide good and enticing information without overwhelming the lay audience. It was agreed that: the legislative council will compose a brief letter notifying the public of the commission’s intent to hold a series of public hearings, listing the topics, dates, and locations of the hearings and posing provocative questions to prompt and focus audience testimony. There will be an RSVP (stating a deadline) for those interested in attending an educational session, to be presented by legislative council, on the basics of international trade and state sovereignty (which commissioners informally dubbed the “Trade 101” session or “the primer.”) There will be a four‑ or five‑paragraph overview of international trade and state sovereignty, running no more than one or two pages in length. A separate document will provide an overview of the impact of international trade on one of the four themes, with an RSVP for those who wish to testify at that particular hearing. There will be a questionnaire to help focus the testimony.
After discussion, it was agreed that the commission cannot, and may not need to, directly reach all potentially interested or affected individuals. The commission needs to notify citizen groups, trade groups, professional associations, and lobbyists and rely on them in turn to alert their constituencies. The legislative council will draft a proposed mailing list and circulate it among the commissioners. The commissioners agreed that three weeks’ lead time is needed between the date the letters go out and the date of the public hearing. Commissioners would like their web site to be ready in time for inclusion of the web address in this mailing so that the public can be referred there for further information. Again there was discussion of the possibility that Rep. Keenan and Sen. Lyons may need to intercede if the commission wants its web site available in time for use in advance of the public hearings.
Commission discussion of subcommittee meetings
The commission decided, without objection, that the subcommittees previously constituted for purposes of planning the public hearings are not necessary; this is a small enough group that it can act more efficiently as a whole. Only one subcommittee had as yet met, and subcommittee decisions need to be reviewed with the full commission anyway, so it was agreed that the subcommittees don’t save time or reduce the number of meetings.
Discussion of public educational program
Rep. Keenan and Sen. Lyons opened a discussion on whether to hold a separate public educational session with an outside expert presenter prior to the start of the series of public hearings. They stated that they were in disagreement about this. After weighing the time constraints and considering the likelihood of attracting a good audience for a general educational session, the commission decided, without objection, to scrap the plan for a separate educational presentation prior to the series of public hearings, reserving the possibility of offering such a session in February or March, after the commission’s first annual report has been filed and while the legislature is in session.
Mr. Burg recalled that there was a parallel to what the commission is trying to accomplish in last year’s “get the lead out of Vermont” presentation. He explained that the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the Vermont Health Department were charged with looking at Vermont children’s exposure to lead. The heads of the agencies jointly presented their report, which included legislative recommendations, in a press conference in the Cedar Creek Room at the State House. Afterward, an Ohio physician who is an expert on childhood exposure to lead gave an educational session for legislators. The events garnered media coverage and the educational session was well attended.
The commission agreed, without objection, to rely, for public educational purposes, on providing materials to as many people as possible in advance of each hearing, on presenting both a generalized and a customized topic-specific introduction at each hearing, and on encouraging media interest. It was also agreed that a de‑briefing session for the commission should be built into the structure of each of the public hearings.
It was decided that today’s planned conference call to Peter Riggs of the Forum on Democracy and Trade was not necessary, as the purpose of the call was to discuss the presentation he would have made as the commission’s invited an outside expert. Therefore Mr. O’Grady privately telephoned Mr. Riggs and reported back that Mr. Riggs would be amenable to making a presentation in Vermont in February or March of next year if the commission so desires.
Review of business competition PowerPoint
The commission is still agreed that each public hearing will begin with a PowerPoint presentation introducing the general fundamentals of international free trade agreements and then providing Vermont-specific information about the particular topic (business competitiveness, environment, health care, or agriculture). By consensus, the commission decided to review the various PowerPoint materials by e‑mail rather than holding a separate face-to-face meeting to prepare for each public hearing. Rep. Keenan requested all members to please go over the business and health care PowerPoints and provide comments to the legislative council.
Commission discussion
Al Boright suggested that the commission ask the U.S. Trade Representative to respond to its previously adopted resolution that contained detailed recommendations. The resolution has been sent to USTR but has not elicited a response to date. The commission agreed, without objection, to ask legislative council staff to call the USTR for a response.
Sam Burr noted that the commission needs to develop a method for communicating with the relevant standing committees of the legislature, including the agriculture committees. Rep. Keenan and Sen. Lyons agreed that the committees should be invited to meet with the commission to discuss the relationship. Mr. Boright noted that information developed through the commission’s public hearings can be funneled to the standing committees with jurisdiction.
Sen. Lyons said that one of the questions she would like to ask the public is how to expand the commission to get more participation statewide, through membership or in other ways, representing more of the groups that may be affected. Ms. Eidsness stated that the bulk of Vermont’s international trade is done by IBM, but that even without IBM, Vermont’s exports are up by about 16% over last year. Though it may be a small amount on a global scale, she said, international trade is very significant for the Vermont businesses that are engaged in it.
Ms. Eidsness mentioned that she was briefed by IGPAC (Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee on Trade) on an inter-agency working group that is studying import safety. She said that she has received a report to the President from the group and she will distribute it to the commission via e-mail. Al Boright was asked to review the report and provide comments on behalf of the commission, which he said he would do.
Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 5:35.
Respectfully submitted,
Nedene Martin
Committee Staff