TO:

FROM: Committee on Committees

RE: Proposed change in the composition of the Public Policy Committee

RECOMMENDATION: The Committee on Committees and the Public Policy Committee recommend to the Board of Directors that the composition of the Public Policy Committee be revised as stated in Agenda Document A03-30.

RETURN-ON-INVESTMENT (ROI): No actual return. However, the President-Elect and/or President will save time by having two less committee members to appoint.

BACKGROUND: The Public Policy Committee is the combination of two committees, Government Affairs and Intellectual Property (Board decision 1999). In 2000-01 the committee functioned as the Government Affairs/Intellectual Property Committee with members from both former committees. In 2001-02 and 2002-03 the Committee was made up of seven members and functioned as the Public Policy Committee. The Committee met at the 2002 annual conference in Los Angeles and discussed the charge and make up of the group. SLA President, Bill Fisher, asked the Committee “to come to some resolution about the continuation of the committee.” We were to look at the committee’s make-up, whether to continue as one committee, or two committees. The Committee is currently reviewing its charge, and is evaluating if the language needs to be tweaked. At this time there is no recommendation for change in the Committee’s charge or to create a new Committee.

The activities of this Committee support SLA’s vision of acting as a catalyst in the development of the information economy and contribute to the shaping of society’s information and knowledge base.

Existing	Proposed	Rationale
Seven members appointed for overlapping terms of three years each.	Five members appointed for overlapping terms of three years each.	Five members on the committee makes it more flexible and positioned to respond to public policy issues in a more timely and coordinated manner.
Membership shall include at least one person who is neither a citizen or a resident of the United States	Membership shall include at least one person whose focus is international	You do not need to be a non-US citizen to qualify for being the international voice on the committee. SLA has a fair number of members, particularly in Europe, who are ex-patriots, living and working in another country and are fully cognizant of intellectual property issues in their resident countries. Also, intellectual property law differs from region to region.
and at least one person who holds a J.D. or equivalent degree.	and at least one person who has expertise in intellectual property/copyright or holds a J.D. or equivalent degree.	Rationale for J.D. or copyright expertise-role and focus of committee has changed from Copyright/Intellectual Property advisement to having this be one of many concerns. No longer need someone with standing to testify before Congress or give legal opinion but just someone who is conversant in the topic and can help the committee with understanding issues as they arise. Requiring J.D. limits the committee on prospective members who still may have the copyright expertise that would benefit the committee.

Financial impact: None.

Prepared by: Pat Wilson, Chair of Public Policy Committee with input from committee members.

Produced by: Dick Wallace, Chair, Committee on Committees.

Reviewed by: Doug Newcomb, Director Public Policy

Seven members appointed for overlapping terms of three years each.

Membership shall include at least one person who is neither a citizen or a resident of the United States

and at least one person who holds a J.D. or equivalent degree.