2012 Virtual ACR Winter Meeting

Today, ACR President John Martinez announced through an e-mail that ACR will be conducting its 2012 Winter meeting as a virtual meeting.  He said:

Due to low attendance numbers projected for the ACR Winter Meeting, it has been decided that we will not meet in DC but will hold a three-day conference online, similar to what we did last year.  We are looking at holding the meeting during January and are still finalizing the exact dates.

Additional information will be posted on https://rulemaking.wordpress.com/ as it becomes available.

News about the Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act

Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act as adopted at conference is released.

From Jeff Hague, Registrar of Regulations, Legislative Council, State of Delaware ~ The Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act establishes an outcomes-based, technology-neutral framework for providing online legal material with the same level of trustworthiness traditionally provided by publication in a law book. The Act requires that official electronic legal material be: (1) authenticated, by providing a method to determine that it is unaltered; (2) preserved, either in electronic or print form; and (3) accessible, for use by the public on a permanent basis.
A COPY of the Act
A PRESS RELEASE about the Act

ULC Issues Final Uniform Electronic Legal Materials Act (UELMA)

In an e-mail distributed October 10, 2011, the Uniform Law Commission (ULC) announced the availability of the final version of the Uniform Electronic Legal Materials Act (UELMA).  The final version of UELMA is available online at the Penn Law website at:  http://www.law.upenn.edu/bll/archives/ulc/apselm/UELMA_Final_2011.htm.  It has not yet been posted on the ULC website.

Following ULC’s approval of UELMA at its summer meeting, it was sent to the style committee for final review.   That process has now been completed.

The ULC e-mail describes the uniform act as follows:

The Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act establishes an outcomes-based, technology-neutral framework for providing online legal material with the same level of trustworthiness traditionally provided by publication in a law book. The Act requires that official electronic legal material be: (1) authenticated, by providing a method to determine that it is unaltered; (2) preserved, either in electronic or print form; and (3) accessible, for use by the public on a permanent basis.

Questions about the Uniform Electronic Legal Materials Act should be directed to the Uniform Law Commission.

Press Release – NASS Administrative Rules Organization Honors Florida’s Division of Library and Information Services as 2011 Robert J. Colborn, Jr. Innovation Award Winner

Florida’s Division of Library and Information Services Recognized for Implementation of a Program to Hyperlink Materials Incorporated by Rules in the On-line Version of the Florida Administrative Code

The Administrative Codes and Registers (ACR) Section of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), which recently held its annual meeting in Glade Springs Resort, WV, awarded Florida’s Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services with the 2011 Robert J. Colburn, Jr. Innovation Award.  The Division of Library and Information Services was selected for implementing a program to hyperlink materials incorporated by rules in the online version of the Florida Administrative Code.

The online version of the Florida Administrative Code contains highlighted text whenever incorporated materials are referenced.  Benefits of this new program include greater access of incorporated materials.  With a simple click of the mouse, citizens can obtain immediate access to the complete text of the incorporated material.  For state registrars and publishers, electronic and dated materials replace the voluminous materials that required organizing, archiving and disposing.  And more importantly, the rule is hyperlinked to the true legal version of the incorporated materials, eliminating confusion with multiple versions of the same material.

Administrative Codes and Registers (ACR), a section of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), created the Robert J. Colborn, Jr. Innovation Award in July 2001 in honor of Robert J. Colborn, Jr., who served as the administrator of the Maryland Division of State Documents from 1974 through 2001 and founded ACR. The Robert J. Colborn, Jr. Innovation Award annually recognizes a program that demonstrates creativity and innovation in providing public access to or managing administrative rules. It honors the state agency that has made substantial contributions to the flow of information to the public by improving efficiency and delivery of services to citizens, businesses and other governmental entities.

“Florida has been a leader in E-government services since creating FLrules.org, an online rulemaking system in 2006,” said Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning. “Our staff in Florida’s Division of Library and Information Services are among the most innovative and dedicated workers in the country, and I am proud of their latest accomplishment, providing the public with easy access to state government information.”

2011 Colborn Award Presentation
Elizabeth Palen (VA) presents the 2011 Colborn Award to Florida Secretary of State Kurt S. Browning for Florida's system for hyperlinked incorporated by reference materials

2011 ACR Robert J. Colborn Jr. Committee

  • Chair: Molly Masich, Codifier of Rules, North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings
  • Member: Elizabeth Palen, Executive Director, Joint Commission on Administrative Rules, Richmond, VA
  • Member: John H. Martinez, Director, Administrative Law Division, New Mexico State Records Center and Archives, Santa Fe, NM

Past Colborn Award Recipients

Virginia Decoded

At the October 3rd Code Commission meeting, Waldo Jaquith introduced members to his beta website “Virginia DeCoded: The State Code for Humans.” His goal is to make state codes user friendly and easy for the public to find information. In June, Waldo received a $165,000 grant from the Knight Foundation to expand his code project nationwide. See articles on the Virginia Lawyers Weekly and Virginia Public Radio websites for more information.

2011 Speaker Biographies

WINTER MEETING BIOGRAPHIES

Amy Bunk, Federal Register

Amy Bunk is the Director of Legal Affairs and Policy for the Office of the Federal Register. While at the Federal Register, she has traveled to Vietnam to participate in workshops on transparency in government with representatives of the Vietnamese government, business owners, and staff of the STAR Vietnam project. Her presentations focused on the legal authorities of the Federal Register, public participation in the US rulemaking process, and the importance of publication of legal documents before they become effective. Before taking this position at the Federal Register, Amy worked in the Office of Regulations and Administrative Law, Office of the Judge Advocate General, United States Coast Guard. While at the Coast Guard, she has worked closely on a number of high visibility merchant mariner rulemaking projects. She also coordinated a multi-unit response to a FOIA request related to the Station Niagara Investigation. She received her JD cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law and is a member of the Justinian Honorary Law Society. Amy is admitted to practice in New York.

Jeffrey W. Hague, Delaware

Mr. Hague is the Registrar of Regulations for the State of Delaware. The Registrar’s Office is in the Legislative Branch and is responsible for the Deleware Register of Regulations (monthly) and the Administrative Code of Regulations. Mr. Hague’s responsibilities have also included design, construction and maintenance of the Deleware General Assembly’s website. He has worked in various capacities for a three state branches of government. He has served ACR as president, Mid-Atlantic Regional Representative and the 1999 Summer Program Chair.

Jason A. Schwartz, Institute for Policy Integrity

Jason A Schwartz graduated magna cum laude from New York University School of Law. After law school, he worked as an associate in the Washington D.C. office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. As a member of Pillsbury’s public policy and life science practice groups, Schwartz provided strategic counsel to municipalities and foreign governments in their pursuit of appropriations, favorable international trade policies, and homeland security assistance from the federal government. He also advised public and private clients on current legislative initiatives, concentrating on energy and environmental policies, and on disaster, terrorism, and biosafety-preparedness. During his time in law school, Schwartz served as a legal intern to the Environmental Defense Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He was an articles editor for the NYU Environmental Law Journal and has published several pieces of legal scholarship on climate change, biodiversity, and the regulation of bioscience research and development. At Policy Integrity, Schwartz serves as a legal fellow where his research interests extend to energy, climate change, and state-based policies.

SUMMER CONFERENCE BIOGRAPHIES

Cody York, Tennessee
York_Cody_2011

Cody Ryan York studied political science and psychology at Maryville College in East Tennessee, before receiving a master’s degree of political management from George Washington University’s Graduate school of Political Management.

For almost a decade, he operated York Consulting providing public relations consulting services throughout Tennessee at every level of government and the private sector. In 2009, York came to work for Tre Hargett as Assistant Director of Publications, and now additionally serves as Public Policy Advisor to Secretary Hargett. He lives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee with his wife and two children.