The 2007 House of Delegates sessions will be held at the San Francisco Marriott on Sunday and Wednesday, October 14 and 17.

Our Meetings
The first session of the House of Delegates will convene at 9 a.m. Sunday, October 14. ASA President Mark J. Lema, M.D., Ph.D., and President-Elect Jeffrey L. Apfelbaum, M.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 17. 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.

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 before the House and candidates for election are evaluated. All meeting locations and times will appear in the Handbook for Delegates and also will be posted in the House of Delegates Office.

Our Reference Committees
The four reference committee hearings provide the best opportunity for individual ASA members to comment on any issue before the House. These hearings will be held concurrently on Sunday afternoon beginning at 1:15 p.m. in the San Francisco Marriott Hotel. All ASA members are invited to attend and participate in these 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 reports of the reference committees’ recommendations in paper format are usually available by 5 p.m. Tuesday in the House of Delegates Office. Electronic access to the Reference Committee reports also will be provided.

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. Follow-up investigation of last year’s temporary power outage during the Wednesday session revealed the problem to be one of human error by the hotel staff rather than system overload from the use of laptop computers. A limited number of outlets also 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 available to provide needed assistance to any member concerning the use of the handbook. The House of Delegates Office will be located at the San Francisco Marriott during the 2007 Annual Meeting and is the best place to obtain such assistance.

Our ASA Democratic Process
The voting members of the House are dedicated physicians elected to represent the various constituencies of 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. Our democratic 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.

The importance of our legislative process should not be underestimated. The deliberations and decisions of the House of Delegates shape the policies and principles that guide our organization. The reports and resolutions considered can have profound impacts and implications upon our profession and specialty; a prime example is that the genesis of our ASA Political Action Committee came from one resolution submitted by a delegate. Active participation in this process is vitally important.

Candace E. Keller, M.D., M.P.H., resides in Miramar Beach, Forida, and practices in Mississippi.