GR Section Austin meeting thrives on southern hospitality

By Jim Covington
Chair-elect

The Government Relations Section has enjoyed a very successful year of expanding programs and services for our members. In addition to new projects and a successful new publications program, the Section held its 15^th Annual State Legislative Workshop in Austin, Texas on October 25-27 at the State Bar’s wonderful Texas Law Center. A good time was had by all, and it was a productive workshop that concentrated in the nuts and bolts of communicating with our members, the media, and elected leaders. (Click here to see photo)

A large part of the success of the conference can be directly attributed to the Southern hospitality and generous support of the State Bar of Texas and its director of government relations, KaLyn Laney. The Section also continues to extend its thanks to State House Speaker and Mrs. Laney for a wonderful reception at the capitol. Our thanks also goes to the ABA State Legislative Clearinghouse for its significant role in production of this great conference each year.

While very informative, not all of the programs painted a rosy picture, however. One of the speakers, Ronald Snell, Director for Economic and Fiscal Affairs at the National Conference of State Legislatures, gave a rather bleak picture of the states’ economic outlook. If his economic forecast proves to be accurate, bar associations may be wrestling with taxation on professional services among other problems in the near future.

This was the first Workshop we held outside of Washington, D.C., and judging from the feedback received, our members truly enjoyed seeing the environment in which their colleagues work, not to mention the fun of new surroundings. It was such a positive experience that we have decided to continue to hold the Workshop in or near various state capitals for the foreseeable future. Our next stop: Atlanta in the Fall of 2002.

If you have been looking for an easy and excellent opportunity to get involved in the governmental communications community, give us a look. If you previously have not been involved because of budget limitations on travel or were not aware of how Section involvement could directly benefit your day-to-day governmental relations work, then I encourage you to give us a second look. And if you’re looking for an opportunity to plug into a supportive and mutually beneficial network of people who take their fun as seriously as they do their work, then join us. You won’t regret it.