LWVO 2009-2011 PROGRAM PLANNING MEETING – JANUARY 8, 2009
1. To increase member awareness of current LWVO positions (and national and local League positions if you’d like) through discussion of positions.
2. To engage in a healthy discussion to identify and recommend any positions that need to be dropped or updated; make suggestions for issues that require new studies.
3. To prioritize the areas in which League should be most active at the state level for 2009-2011.
We will decide whether to RETAIN,
UPDATE, or DROP a position and also decide PRIORITIES
Retain – Members are committed to the position and will be involved in supporting LWVO / local League efforts to pursue position’s goals.
Update – A study of limited scope to evaluate a position in light of new information, changed circumstances, and/or conflict with another position. The goal is to determine whether the position needs to be refined to be more effective.
Drop – Typically, positions are dropped only when they become obsolete, when the position is no longer useful at all in its present form, or when the position is no longer supported by members. If dropped, action on the position will end. Any future action will require adoption of a new study and a new position. A new study can be recommended on an issue supported by the principles but on which there is no current position.
Priorities –Recommend the top priority position in each one of the three categories: Government, Social Policy and Natural Resources.
When considering whether to retain, drop, or update, keep the following questions in mind:
Ø Is the position sufficient as it stands to achieve the desired change?
Ø Is the position totally obsolete? That is, do we no longer want (or need) to
take action on the issue?
Ø
Is there a need and is there member interest
in refining the position to enhance its effectiveness?
Ø If your League recommends a position update and a study is necessary, are there enough interested members to form the core of that study committee? Studies typically last 12-24 months.
Ø Are
we ready to commit financial resources
to update this position (approximately $200
per year to cover study committee and office expenses)?
When recommending a new study, keep the following questions in mind:
Ø Is there a national position to support your idea? If not, is it of sufficient national interest to merit national study (which you can submit to LWVUS during next year’s national program planning cycle)?
Ø Would this study result in a position that could then influence state legislative actions?
Ø Following the study and consensus, could the League make a unique contribution by adopting this issue as a program?
Ø Are there enough interested members in your League to form the core of the study committee for a new position? Studies typically last 12-24 months.
Ø Are we ready to commit financial resources to study this issue (approximately $200 per year)?
In recommending program priorities, keep in mind the following
questions:
Ø Can this issue be addressed most effectively through state (rather then federal or local) government?
Ø Are local League members well informed about this issue/position and willing to advocate for it?
Ø Is this issue in step with the times and member thinking? That is, is it current?
Ø Are local League members committed to support LWVO efforts on this issue?
Ø Can League make a real contribution, or will it merely duplicate the work of others?
Ø Can League handle this issue effectively and productively, given the demands of other program items and League activities?
Ø Will timing and political realities permit League to be effective on this issue?
PROGRAM POSITIONS
LWV-OHIO 2007-2009 (pages 4 – 7
of LWVAC Booklet)
The complete presentation and discussion of LWVO Program Positions is the Agenda for Action.
It is available at: http://www.lwvohio.org/Publications%20&%20Reports/Publication%20PDF/Agenda%20for%20Action%2007-09.pdf
GOVERNMENT
Higher Education
Support funding by the state to ensure that all Ohio citizens have access to
higher education that provides general education and job preparation. Support
Board of Regents, appointed by the Governor with confirmation by the Senate, to
be a planning, coordinating board with broad policy-making powers.
Juvenile Justice
Support community-based, least restrictive placement; rights and humane
treatment of children who are juvenile offenders;
alternative educational services; gender-specific treatment programs; unbiased treatment regardless of race or ethnicity; statewide uniform standards for dealing with juvenile records. Oppose holding children in adult jails.
Capital
Punishment
Support abolition of the death penalty and a moratorium on the use of the death
penalty.
Water
Support policies and procedures that provide for joint, cooperative planning
and administration along watershed lines and across political boundaries;
stringent water quality standards accompanied by strong enforcement and means
of implementation; and adequate state financing, including incentives to local
governments and industries for expediting water pollution abatement.
Solid Waste
Support the philosophy that solid waste, from generation to ultimate disposal,
must be purposefully and systematically controlled by all levels of government
in order to provide efficient service, protect the environment, and achieve
successful resource recovery. Support measures to forestall depletion of our
natural resources and to recover nonrenewable resources.
Hazardous
Materials and Hazardous Waste
Support state policies and programs that emphasize the following hazardous
waste management options in order of priority: waste reduction, toxicity
reduction, and waste elimination; waste separation and concentration;
energy/material recovery; waste exchange; chemical, biological, physical, and
thermal treatment; and underground injection and land disposal.
Land Use
Support both urban revitalization and farmland preservation and the curbing of
urban sprawl. Support the role of the state in providing authority and
incentives for local governments to exercise innovative additional land use
planning and regulatory techniques such as land banking, planned unit
developments, purchase and transfer of development rights, limited development
ordinances, scenic easements, agricultural districts, cluster development,
conservation reserves and land trusts, urban enterprise zones, environmental
impact assessments, impact fees, tax abatement, and zoning efforts. Support use
of eminent domain under certain circumstances.
Interbasin
Transfer of Water
Support diversion of water only after study of the ecological, economic, and
social implications indicate that diversion would be sustainable and only after
the development of a plan to protect the affected areas during all stages of
development, operation, termination, and post-termination. Support public
participation in the decision-making process. Support participation of all
concerned governments in Great Lakes resource decision-making.
Upon
receiving your recommendations on the response form, the state board will take
up your suggestions, as well as consider information gathered by the state
lobbyists, League legislative director, legislative contacts and other advocacy
groups. The board will also look at “hot topics” and “unfinished business” from
the past sessions.
A caveat! One thing is for sure: in League something is always just around the corner! In terms of choosing future priorities, it is difficult to foresee issues that will require our attention. To that end, all non-priority issues are treated as ongoing responsibilities to be tracked according to the realities of each legislative session.