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NLSSA 2009
SPRING AND SUMMER
NEWSLETTER
July 27, 2009
Dear Members of NLSSA,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you
for all that you do to keep state governments
running safely and efficiently. Your role has
been instrumental to the very foundation of
state governments across the nation.
As you assemble this fall for the annual training
conference in South Carolina, new and innova-
tive methods and systems will be presented
and explored. It is the continuous improvement
of these methods and systems that enable us
to maintain a strong foundation on which gov-
ernments can function. Improved methods for
security and upkeep, and ways of informing and
educating visitors, are just a few of the many
benefits that have resulted from your collabora-
tion and sharing of ideas.
I sincerely wish you the best as you prepare for
an intensive week of professional development
and sharing of information aimed towards the
betterment of your state government
.Sincerely,
Mitch E. Daniels, Jr
Governor of Indiana
The 2009 NLSSA Fall Training Conference is less t han a month a way! I am really look ing forward to seeing all of our members t his year in Charleston, SC. I have been in regular contact wit h our Host State Chair, Jim M elton and our NCSL Liaison, M organ Cullen. Jim has worked hard t o put t ogether a st rong conference agenda wit h excellent t raining and network ing opportunit ies t hat all NLSSA M embers will benefit f rom. The meet ing will cover several t opics t hat legis-latures across t he count ry are current ly confront ing such as Pandemic Flu Preparedness, Cont inuit y of Government , and
overseeing Capit ol Renovat ion Project s.
We will also be visit ing t he Charleston Port and meet -ing wit h securit y personnel t o conduct a comprehensive t our of t heir facilit y. Jim has also arranged some once in a lifet ime network ing opportunit ies at some of Charleston' s most histor ic venues. We will be holding our State Dinner t his year at t he O ld Exchange and Provost Dungeon which is widely considered
one of t he most histor ic buildings in t he count ry.
Jim and Brenda M elton have also arranged a Spouse and Guest Agenda for t his year ' s meet ing which is equally im-pressive. A private carr iage tour of Charleston, a t our of M id-dleton Place, and a t our of t he Governor' s M ansion are just a few of t he act ivit ies planned. I want to personally t hank Jim and his wife Brenda for all of t heir assistance in planning t his
year ' s conference. I am look ing forward t o at tending.
Over t he summer, I had the pleasure of at t ending NLSSA' s Region 2 meet ing in Wampee, South Carolina and NLSSA' s f irst ever Region 4 meet ing in Bentonville, Arkansas. Both meet ings were fantast ic and I want t o t hank t he Region 2 and Region 4 Chairs Sam Smith and Ken Scheer for all of t heir hard work in mak ing t hese meet ings happen. Unfortunately, due to a work conf lict , I was unable t o at t end this year ' s NCSL Legislat ive Summit in Philadelphia, PA. However, NLSSA Vice President , Jimmet ta Peoples along wit h 2nd Trustee, Carl Barnhart helped to make NLSSA' s involvement at t he Legisla-t ive Summit a resounding success. I would like t o also thank
Jimmet ta and Carl for r ising t o t he occasion in my absence.
As your president , I am look ing forward t o another wonderful and excit ing year for NLSSA. We have some won-derful meet ings, E-Learning act ivit ies, and great t raining oppor-t unit ies planned for t he coming year. I would like t o encour-age all NLSSA M embers to get and stay involved in our asso-ciat ion. I t is your day to day involvement t hat makes our or-ganizat ion t he valuable network t hat it is. I look forward t o
seeing all of you in Charleston, SC nex t month.
Sincerely,
Clarence Russ NLSSA President
Top back- Ken Scheer, John Keller, Ernie Sumner, Morgan Cullen, Rick Deleon, Dina Welsh and Bowen Welsh
Middle row-Jonita Carter, Deborah Anthony, Sam Smith , Karen Smith, Sissy Deleon Rod Welsh and Milania,
Representative, Tim Solobay, Jessica Brown, Jimmetta Peoples, Assistant Chief Clerk, Linda Lehman, Renee Keller Carl Barnhart, Siena Welsh
and Representative, Joseph Markosek
NLSSA At The Legislative Summit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2009
Once again, the NCSL Legislative Summit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was a tremendous success and the NLSSA
programming was no exception. On the first day of the conference, NLSSA members joined the NCSL Taskforce on Homeland
Security and Emergency Preparedness and the NCSL Transportation Committee on a tour of the Philadelphia Port where an over-
view of security operations of the facility was discussed.
On Tuesday, the NLSSA Executive Board met with Host State Chair, Jim Melton to discuss the details of the 2009 Fall
Training Conference in Charleston, SC and other relevant topics. By all accounts, Jim has put together a fantastic agenda with
outstanding professional development and networking opportunities that all NLSSA Members will benefit from.
On the third day of the meeting, NLSSA 2nd Trustee, Carl Barnhart provided members with an incredible tour of the
Pennsylvania Capitol Building in Harrisburg. All three branches of Pennsylvania state government continue to operate within the
capitol and Carl provided NLSSA with a behind the scenes tour of each. The capitol's main attraction is the 272-foot dome
whose inspiration came from St. Peter's basilica in Rome. While the capitol Rotunda was truly awe inspiring, both legislative
chambers, the Governor's reception, and the supreme court were also truly remarkable and the ornate stained glass, paintings and
furnishings can not be understated. NLSSA also had a chance to meet with security personnel after the tour and received a com-
plete tour of their security operations. All of the NLSSA members in attendance were equally impressed by the hospitality be-
stowed upon them by the legislators and legislative staff throughout their stay in Harrisburg. Thank you Carl for putting together
such a wonderful trip to Harrisburg. It is one that NLSSA will talk about for years to come.
On Thursday, NLSSA held a business lunch meeting at the Philadelphia Convention Center. NLSSA was greeted by
outgoing Staff Chair, Gary Vanlandingham and newly elected Staff Chair, Nancy Cyr and Staff Vice Chair, Tim Rice who pro-
vided an overview of their priorities for the coming year. Following the meeting, NLSSA joined the NCSL International Group
for a trip up to Trenton, New Jersey for a tour of the State Capitol. Following the tour, NLSSA was greeted by Sergeant First
Class, Anthony Pittman, Jr. of the New Jersey State Police who conducted an overview on capitol security operations throughout
the capitol.
All NLSSA members greatly valued the tremendous learning experience offered through the Legislative Summit and
were in agreement that it would greatly assist their ability and perform-
ance in their respective
states. Once again, I truly
enjoyed the opportunity to
spend time with my
friends from NLSSA and I
look forward to seeing all
of you in Charleston, SC for
our 2009 NLSSA Annual
Training Conference.
Morgan Cullen
NCSL, Policy Specialist and NLSSA Liaison
REGION 4 MEETING
Region 4 members met again this year at the Wampee Conference Center in Pinopolis, S.C.. Members from
Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, along with Dennis Trimble from Ohio and our National
President Clarence Russ from Louisiana.
In preparing for the meeting we found that Jim Melton has been hosting the Region 4 meeting since he joined
NLSSA in 1984. We decided it was time to honor him and thank him for his loyalty and dedication. Jim enjoys wood
working and has worked on the 1800’s home they live in for years. His most recent project is remodeling a
guest house that is adjacent to the main house. We presented Jim with a new
Rotozip spiral saw. This was a tool that he had been wanting for some time. We also presented Jim with a
plaque for hosting Region 4 for 25 years. President Clarence
Russ presented a Proclamation for his service to NLSSA.
Chuck Williams, Jim Melton,
Sam Smith, Clarence Russ
During the roundtable decision that followed we talked
about being prepared for emergencies. During the last week
of the Alabama legislative session we had a flash flood that
dropped 5 inches of rain in less that 2 hours. The Alabama Statehouse flooded along with the parking lots and
streets. We had to shut off the power in the building. The problem was, it was the last day the budget could pass
without calling a special session. So we had a problem, the legislature had to meet that day, but where. The only
place would be the old chambers in the capitol across the street from the statehouse. Problem one: Everything
would have to be hand written because there are no computers in the old chambers, that have not been used in 25
years. No sound system. Problem two: The air for the capitol comes from the statehouse, so there is no air condi-
tioning in the capitol. The chambers in the capitol are not large enough to handle the number of staff that both the
House and Senate have now.
On top of all these problems, we had cars flooding and floating down the street. There were 47 cars flooded on the
street and in lower parking decks. I tell you all this, to say this. Have a PLAN. You may never need use it but have a
plan.
The other topic was our membership roster. Was as an organization need to go through the roster and verify that
each person listed is a member. Region chairs and vice chairs need to contact someone in each state and ask them
to contact each person listed and make sure they are still a member. We need to go back to the old style roster that
has a picture of each member. Once this is done we should print the roster and mail a copy to each member.
Another thought that came up was maybe try to cut the size of regions so that more region meetings could be held.
Something to think about and maybe discuss in Charleston.
Speaking of Charleston, we should
have a great conference.
See you there.
Sam Smith,
Alabama Senate Security
Colorado Quilting Council Quilt Show
For the eleventh time in 20 years, the Colorado Quilting Council is hosting a quilt show
here at the Capitol. I believe we are one of only two capitols in the USA which sponsors a quilt
show. The other one is Maryland which hosts a holiday quilt show in December of 25 or 50 en
tries.
This year's show has 250 quilts in it and they all have a Colorado connection. One doesn't
have to be a member of the quilting council to display a quilt. They can be found on all three main
floors of our capitol in the north, south and east wings. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
Some are traditional patterns but many are individual, one-of-a-kind patterns.
It took 10 hours on June 1st to hang all of the quilts. The show ends on August 19th and
the quilts will be removed on August 20th. It will probably take about 5 hours to remove all of the
quilts.
The council printed 8000 brochures. Edna Pelzmann, Manager of Visitor Services and
quilt enthusiast is hoping for 15,000 visitors. !!
Normally no quilt is hung more than for one show. The quilt made by my staff is the one
exception. It has been on display since the 2007 show in several different locations. It is now
hanging above our gift shop and has been there since Good Friday, 2009. My volunteers and I
made the quilt out of the state symbols. We started it in 2005 and completed it by 2007.It took
250 hours! The blocks or symbols were completed by my volunteers and myself. I worked on the
state folk dance block which has a yellow background with a man and woman dancing. Our quilt
was voted the 21st most popular quilt in
the show of 210 quilts that year !
The quilts were displayed during
the legislative session at my suggestion so
all the legislators and students could enjoy
the show!
Edna Pelzman,
Manager of Visitor Services, Colorado
Automated external defibrillators (AED's)
Saving lives in Texas
Does your capitol have them?
If not, now is the time to get one.
By Rod Welsh and Lt. Ken Scheer
If you have AED's in your capitol, do you know how many you have? Do you know where
they are? Do you have an adequate amount of staff trained to use them and know who
they are? Where is your nearest hospital? Answers to these important questions could
help save someone's life in the event of a medical emergency.
A recent success story in Texas. The Texas House of Representatives was on the house
floor in session on the night of May 12, 2009. Shortly after 10:00 p.m., one of the most
beloved and long tenured representatives in the house, Rep. Edmund Kuempel, was found
slumped over in a capitol elevator by an employee of the House Sergeant-at-Arms' of-
fice. The employee checked for vital signs and found that he was breathing and had a
pulse. The employee took the elevator to the ground floor in order to find a state
trooper. The responding trooper arrived to find Rep. Kuempel unconscious and unrespon-
sive. The trooper radioed for other personnel to assist and checked Rep. Kuempel for a
pulse finding none. Other troopers arrived moments later with an AED. Chest compres-
sions were being administered before a shock was advised. Another representative who is
a doctor was summoned to the scene and took over chest compressions while another
trooper administered rescue breathing. Others responding to the scene were directing
personnel and onlookers to prepare for EMS arrival. These individuals worked on Rep.
Kuempel using CPR and the AED until EMS personnel arrived and took over the
scene. Without the swift and selfless efforts of these individuals and the use of the AED,
Rep. Kuempel would not have survived. His remarkable survival that night is due in large
part to the judgment, skill, and perseverance of a dedicated team of professionals whose
conduct in those first crucial minutes made the critical difference in saving his life. Mi-
raculously, he made a full recovery and returned to the house floor before the session
ended on June 1st. These individuals were honored by the Texas Department of Public
Safety as well as both houses of the Legislature.
Medical emergencies can happen on a daily basis at any time and any place. The final
days of session for any legislature can be some of the most intense and stressful mo-
ments at the capitol. It is often times a period when many people involved have been
working long hours under stressful situations and most likely out of their normal eating,
sleeping, and exercising patterns. Those are the most vulnerable moments during which
an unfortunate medical emergency can occur. Are you prepared? An AED in Texas was
key to saving the life of Rep. Kuempel, not only a beloved legislator, but beloved husband,
father and grandfather. Whose life might your capitol AED save?
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