he 2006 House of Delegates and reference committee hearings will be held at the Chicago Marriott Downtown hotel on Sunday and Wednesday, October 15 and 18.

Our Reference Committees
The four reference committee hearings provide the best opportunity for individual members to comment on any issue before the House and will be held concurrently on Sunday afternoon beginning at 1:15 p.m. in the Chicago Marriott Downtown hotel. All ASA members are invited to attend and participate in the reference committee hearings, during which items before the House of Delegates will be presented. All Delegates and Alternate Delegates are urged to attend both sessions of the House as well as their assigned or chosen reference committees.

The reference committees are composed of seven members each and are appointed by the President. All remarks should be succinct and respectfully directed to the chair; debate between attendees will not be permitted. The written reports of the reference committees’ recommendations are usually available by 5 p.m. Tuesday in the House of Delegates Office. Barring unforeseen circumstances, we plan to provide electronic access to the Reference Committee reports this year as well.

Our ASA Legislative Process
The importance of our legislative process should not be underestimated. For example one resolution submitted by an individual delegate and subsequently approved by the House of Delegates resulted in the formation of the ASA Political Action Committee. Our entire membership, indeed our specialty, has benefited immeasurably because of this action. This is only one of many examples of how a House of Delegates action has indelibly altered the course of our organization and profession!

The voting members of the House are elected to represent the various constituencies of the ASA membership, including the state, resident and fellow, military and academic components as well as the subspecialty societies. In addition to 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

Our Handbook
A Handbook for Delegates containing meeting materials will be mailed to Delegates and Alternate Delegates in advance of the meeting and will be offered in either electronic or printed form. Electrical outlets will be provided in the House of Delegates ballroom for the Wednesday morning session. A limited number of outlets will be provided in the Reference Committee hearing rooms as well on Sunday afternoon.

The handbook materials will constitute the agenda for the House of Delegates. Familiarity with the handbook is crucial to meaningful participation in these deliberations. 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 Chicago Marriott Downtown hotel during the 2006 Annual Meeting and is the best place to obtain such assistance.

Our Meetings
The first session of the House of Delegates will convene on Sunday, October 15, at 9 a.m. ASA President Orin F. Guidry, M.D., and President-Elect Mark J. Lema, M.D., Ph.D., will present their remarks at this session, followed by the nomination of officers and candidate speeches to the House.

The second session of the House will convene promptly at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, October 18. Election of officers is typically the first agenda item. The House will then consider the reports of the four reference committees using formal parliamentary procedure to dispose of the recommendations and any motions, amendments, referrals or other such action the House may desire to take. 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 speakers’ office hour will be held 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 on Saturday and/or Tuesday afternoons. At these caucuses, issues and candidates are discussed freely and openly. All 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., is a Staff Anesthesiologist at Delta Regional Medical Center, Greenville, Mississippi.