1998 was an important milestone for statewide initiative and popular referendum. It was 100 years ago last November that the process was first adopted in the United States. One century later, it is a vital and thriving example of citizen participation and self-governance. This 100th anniversary provided an excellent opportunity to recognize this important process and the reforms that have been made possible by its use - women's suffrage, direct election of U.S. Senators, direct primaries, term limits, tax reform, the Nuclear Freeze movement and much, much more. There is little doubt that in recent years the initiative process has become one of the most important mechanisms for altering and influencing public policy at the local, state and even national level. In 1998 alone, utilizing the initiative process, citizens were heard on affirmative action, educational reform, term limits, tax reform, campaign finance reform and the environment. Because of the importance of this process, the Initiative & Referendum Institute is hosting the first national conference on initiative and referendum in almost twenty years. The conference, which will be held May 6-8, 1999 at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, DC, will bring together legal experts, scholars and proponents of the most influential issues enacted by initiative and referendum. The Institute plans to use this forum to educate the public on the initiative and referendum process, highlight those issues that have benefited from its use, and discuss the pros and cons of initiative and referendum to address the concerns raised about the process. Already such individuals as Mississippi's Governor Kirk Fordice, The Washington Post's David Broder, Attorney General Edwin Meese, The Wall Street Journal's John Fund, Bill Zimmerman - Executive Director, Americans for Medical Rights, Governor William Janklow of South Dakota, Ron Faucheux - Editor in Chief, Campaigns and Elections Magazine, Paul Jacob - President, U.S. Term Limits Foundation, Wayne Pacelle - Executive Vice President of the Humane Society of the United States and Ward Connerly - Chairman, American Civil Rights Institute, have committed to speaking at the conference. It promises to be an exciting, comprehensive look at this important facet of American politics. The cost of the conference will be $199.00 per person if full payment is received by April 15, 1999 ($249.00 after April 15, 1999) and should be mailed to: Initiative and Referendum Institute, 1825 I Street, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006. The registration fee will be waived for members of the media and students who will be given extra credit for attending the conference. If you would like additional information on the conference, please contact Dane Waters, President of the Initiative & Referendum Institute via email at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or by calling 202.429.5539. A Century of Citizen Lawmaking Proposed Conference Agenda * means invited but not yet confirmed Thursday, May 6, 1999 7:30 pm Welcoming Reception Speaker: Governor Kirk Fordice - (MS - Honorary Chairman, Initiative & Referendum Institute) Friday, May 7, 1999 8:00 am Conference Welcome Speaker: Governor William Janklow - (SD - National Advisory Board, Initiative & Referendum Institute) 8:30 am 1st session begins - Initiative and Referendum: From the media's perspective Moderator: M. Dane Waters (President, Initiative & Referendum Institute) Panelists: Lou Jacobson (National Journal) / David Broder (The Washington Post) / John Fund (The Wall Street Journal) / Peter Schrag (Sacramento Bee) 9:45 am 2nd session begins - The history of initiative & referendum Moderator: Dennis Polhill (Chairman, Initiative & Referendum Institute) Panelists: Professor Kris Kobach (University of Missouri, Kansas City) / Professor Andreas Auer (University of Geneva) / Professor Dave Magelby (Brigham Young University) / M. Dane Waters (President, Initiative & Referendum Institute) 11:10 am 3rd session begins - International initiative and referendum Moderator: J. Ray Kennedy (Johns Hopkins University) Panelists: Andreas Gross (Member of Swiss Parliament) / Bruno Kaufman (Germany) 12:15 pm Lunch begins Speaker: Attorney General Edwin Meese III (National Advisory Board, Initiative & Referendum Institute) 1:30 pm 4th session begins - Local initiatives in the United States Moderator: Deb Phillips (Voting Integrity Project) Panelists: Mayor Hal Daub (Omaha, NE - National Advisory Board, Initiative & Referendum Institute *) / Professor Tari Renner, Ph.D. (Illinois Wesleyan University) / Attorney Barry Fadem (Bagatelos & Fadem - San Francisco) 2:40 pm 5th session begins - Money in initiative and referendum: Does it have an effect Moderator: Professor Anne Campbell (U.S. Air Force Academy) Panelists: Professor Elisabeth R. Gerber (University of California, San Diego) / Bob Stern (Center for Governmental Studies) / Professor Elizabeth Garrett (University of Chicago) 4:00 pm 6th session begins - Increasing voter participation in initiative and referendum? Moderator: Paul Jacob (President, U.S. Term Limits Foundation) Panelists: Professor Ted Becker (Auburn University) / Marc Strassman (Campaign for Digital Democracy) / Rick Arnold (National Voter Outreach) Saturday, May 8, 1999 8:00 am Morning remarks Speaker: Joel Fox (President Emeritus, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. - The effects of Prop 13) 8:30 am 7th session begins - Voters and Initiatives: Are they smart enough to decide? Moderator: Professor John Matsusaka (University of Southern California) Panelist: Professor Todd Donovan (Western Washington University) / Professor Dan Smith (University of Denver) / Professor Steven Bramms (NYU) 9:40 am 8th session begins - Legal issues: What regulations are unconstitutional? Moderator: John Boehm (General Counsel, Initiative & Referendum Institute) Panelist: Attorney Paul Grant / Attorney Barnaby Zall 10:50 am 9th session begins - The courts and initiatives: What is happening? Moderator: Attorney Paul Grant Panelists: Craig Holman (Center for Governmental Studies) / Attorney Steve Safranek (Thomas More Center for Law & Justice) 11:55 pm Lunch begins Speaker: Ron Faucheux / Editor-in-Chief, Campaigns and Elections Magazine 1:15 pm 10th session begins - National I&R: Has the time come? Moderator: Mike Gravel (Philadelphia II) Panelists: Congressman Bob Franks (R-NJ) / Attorney General Ed Meese*/ Doug Phelps (Chairman, USPirg) 2:25 pm 11th session begins - I&R Legislation: What the states are doing? Moderator: Professor Bruce A. Larson (University of Virginia) Panelists: Jennie Drage (National Conference of State Legislatures) / Secretary of State Bill Jones (CA) / Governor Kirk Fordice (MS) 3:30 pm 12th session begins - Reforms made possible with I&R: Taxes and Term Limits Moderator: David Keating (Senior Counselor, Board Member, NTU) Panelists: Paul Jacob (U.S. Term Limits) / Pete Sepp (National Taxpayers Union) / Professor John Matsusaka (University of Southern California) / Grover Norquist (Americans for Tax Reform *) / Professor Carolyn Tolbert (Kent State) 4:55 pm 13th session begins - Reforms made possible with I&R: Environmental and Animal Rights Moderator: Angelo Paparella (President, Progressive Campaigns) Panelists: Wayne Pacelle (Humane Society of the U.S.) / Roy Morgan (Americans for the Environment) / Wendy Wendlandt (USPirg) / Phyllis Myers (State Resource Strategies) 7:30 pm Institute black-tie optional dinner Speakers:Pre-dinner remarks: Bill Zimmerman - Executive Director, Americans for Medical Rights Post-dinner remarks: Ward Connerly - Chairman, American Civil Rights Coalition ___________ M. Dane Waters Initiative & Referendum Institute 1825 I Street, NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20006 Phone: 202.429.5539 / Fax: 202.986.3001 / Email: mdanewaters@iandrinstit ute.org ___________ The Initiative & Referendum Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit tax-exempt educational organization dedicated to protecting and educating the people on the Initiative and Referendum process.
