he 2005 House of Delegates will be held at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana, on Sunday and Wednesday, October 23 and 26, 2005.

The reference committee hearings, which all ASA members are invited to attend and participate in, will be held on Sunday afternoon beginning at 1:15 p.m. Times and locations of these meetings will be listed on the hotel and House of Delegates Office bulletin boards as well as in the Handbook for Delegates. All Delegates and Alternate Delegates are urged to attend both sessions of the House as well as their assigned or chosen reference committees.

Our ASA Legislative Process
The voting members of the ASA House of Delegates are elected to represent the various constituencies of the entire ASA membership, including state component societies, resident and fellow components, the military and academic components and subspecialty societies. There is one voting member for every 100 ASA members in a state component society. In addition to electing these representatives, each component elects a Director who serves on the Board of Directors and is a voting member of the House of Delegates. The legislative process permits these members of the House to hear the facts, give proper consideration to every item before the House and debate and vote on these items in an open, deliberative and democratic assembly.

A Handbook for Delegates containing meeting materials will be mailed to Delegates and Alternate Delegates in advance of the meeting. These materials constitute the agenda for the House of Delegates. The sources of these business items include reports from the officers, component directors, committee chairs, task force chairs and resolutions from individual delegates. Each item will be referred to a reference committee by the Speaker. Familiarity with the handbook is crucial to meaningful participation in these deliberations. There will likely be changes forthcoming in the organization of the handbook. Your feedback will be important. ASA officers, particularly the Speaker and Vice-Speaker, and ASA staff are eager to provide needed assistance to any member regarding how to use the handbook to find issues of interest. The House of Delegates Office will be located at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel during the 2005 Annual Meeting and is the best place to obtain such assistance.

The first session of the House of Delegates will convene on Sunday at 9 a.m. ASA President Eugene P. Sinclair, M.D., and President-Elect Orin F. Guidry, M.D., will present their remarks at this session, followed by the nomination of officers and candidate speeches to the House. The House will recess following conclusion of the Sunday morning agenda.

The four reference committee hearings provide the best opportunity for individual members to comment on any issue before the House. Reference committee hearings will be held concurrently in the New Orleans Marriott Hotel. The reference committee hearings will begin at 1:15 p.m. to accommodate those wishing to attend the special plenary session “From Brain Dynamics to Consciousness: How Matter Becomes Imagination” at 12 noon in the Morial Convention Center. Reference committee hearings must adjourn or recess no later than 5 p.m. and will reconvene at 8 a.m. on Monday morning, if necessary. The reference committees are composed of seven members each and are appointed by the President. Members are encouraged to present their remarks succinctly and respectfully. All remarks are directed to the chair; debate between attendees will not be permitted. The committees will then go into closed (executive) session to decide their recommended action on each item of business assigned to them. The written reports of the reference committees’ recommendations are usually available by 5 p.m. Tuesday in the House of Delegates Office.

The second session of the House will convene promptly at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, October 26. Election of officers is typically the first agenda item. The House then proceeds to other business. Formal parliamentary procedure is used to dispose of the recommendations and any motions, amendments, referrals or other such action the House may desire to take under the direction of the Speaker and Vice-Speaker. The time of adjournment cannot be anticipated. Members are strongly urged to consider the volume, nature and potential amount of debate that may occur on Wednesday when making their departure reservations.

New Delegates, Alternate Delegates or any member with questions regarding procedure may wish to avail themselves of several specific sessions. A new delegates’ briefing will be conducted by the Speaker and Vice-Speaker from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturday and is open to any interested member. The hour consists of an introduction to the Handbook for Delegates, ASA Annual Meeting processes and a brief overview of parliamentary procedure. Additionally the Speakers’ office hour will be held early on Tuesday evening to discuss any procedural issues or questions with regard to reference committee reports to be presented at the Wednesday session of the House. Any member who plans to introduce substantial or potentially controversial amendments is strongly encouraged to discuss these with the Speaker and/or Vice-Speaker in advance so that all business may be conducted in an expeditious manner.

Finally it is highly recommended that all members attend the meetings of their respective geographical caucuses. There are a number of unofficial but well-organized caucuses that typically meet on Saturday and/or Tuesday afternoons at the Annual Meeting. At these caucuses, issues and candidates are discussed freely and openly. These meeting locations and times will appear in the Handbook for Delegates and also will be posted in the House of Delegates Office.

Candace E. Keller, M.D., M.P.H., is in private practice at Delta Regional Medical Center, Greenville, Mississippi.