BOISE, ID. – Members of the House and Senate staff are attending an annual professional development seminar in Boise, Idaho for the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries (ASLCS).
The event is being held at the newly-renovated Capitol building in Boise where legislative secretaries, clerks, and staff have an opportunity to swap notes, discuss and share different practices and customs used by different state legislatures and revise the standard in parliamentary procedure: Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure.*
Dana Rademan Miller, assistant chief clerk of the House, said the five-day conference gives the staff a chance to meet with other people that work within the same field – which is a pretty rare find in the rest of the state.
“What we do is very much a niche profession,” she said. “You can’t just go over to the Truman Building and meet up with a clerk that does the kind of legislative work we do… We get to come away from there and we can talk about problems and issues we have that are specific to the legislative process.”
Some of those topics involve how to deal with expulsions, how to deal with privileged speech (some states have had court cases to determine whether a statehouse floor is protected speech) and the differences between states with term limits and those without.
“It’s interesting to see the way the process differs even though the outcome is the same,” Miller said.
Miller added that one of the hot topics at this year’s conference is the inclusion of technology into legislative work. Many compare notes on the systems used to record for their journals, produce calendars and count votes. Missouri was able to present its kiosk and hearing boards at a small legislative exposition, along with its own rules* and journals.
The conference has an international element as well. Staff from legislatures in Canadian provinces, Mexican states, Australian states and even occasionally from developing African nations visit the event to contribute their own knowledge and practices to the event.
The trip also served another purpose for Miller, who chairs the Missouri State Capitol Commission. The Idaho Capitol underwent a major $130 million expansion and renovation process that began in 2007 and ended in 2014. Idaho Governor Butch Otter told the convention about the project which created new underground wings, the creation of an expansive auditorium-like hearing room and other general renovations.
Miller spoke glowingly of the state of the building and added that it only further proves her belief that Missouri’s own Capitol could be a lot better.
“Their Capitol is so well maintained. …our Capitol is kind of dingy,” she said plainly “Just the cleanliness of this place overall is pristine. It sparkles. That strikes me as something we could improve on.”
Miller added she’s happy with the progress on the foundation repair and external renovations to the Capitol, but that the inside of the building could use extensive renovation work as well.
“We need to remember that’s one piece of the entire puzzle that needs to be solved for our building.”
*Missouri does not use Mason’s Manual. The House and Senate have their own rules for legislative procedure.
