April 21, 2017
Hello, and welcome back to the PAC Take Action newsletter! NCRA’s Government Relations team takes pride in continuing to serve you and to help you stay informed about legislative developments in the court reporting profession.    

NCRA’s Government Relations team works around the clock to monitor potential legislation that affects court reporting and captioning, and to educate lawmakers about the profession and why they should protect it. Grassroots advocacy is the most important tool to accomplish this. Legislators must respond to the will of the people; the more people tell their legislators what that will is, the more likely lawmakers will act on that will. For more information about how your Government Relations team can help you advocate for the court reporting and captioning professions in your state, contact Matthew Barusch, State Government Relations Manager, at mbarusch@ncra.org.

State of the Nation
The last month in Washington, politics focused a great deal on the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act. Congressional Republicans crafted a replacement plan in the form of the American Health Care Act, which we discussed in the previous issue of this publication. However, due to partisan politics and a fractional opposition within the Republican Party, this legislation did not have the necessary votes for passage and did not go for a vote on the House floor. As a result, President Donald Trump has said that his administration will now look to accomplish other objectives that he prioritized during his campaign, such as tax reform. Congressional Republicans have said that they will continue the debate and discussion on health-care reform. NCRA will continue to closely follow the progress of the health-care debate as it relates to NCRA’s interests. This includes one of the items in Republicans’ three-pronged strategy that would allow small businesses and individuals to purchase group health insurance through an association plan.

Another issue of importance is the nomination and confirmation of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court of the United States. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Gorsuch's nomination along party lines. Senate Republicans moved to change the Senate rules to and allow for confirmation by a simple majority of 51 votes, otherwise termed as invoking the nuclear option. This rule change signals a break with 200 years of Senate tradition of requiring 60 votes for a Supreme Court Justice confirmation. On Friday, April 7, Gorsuch was confirmed as the 113th justice to serve on the nation’s highest court, and he was sworn in the following Monday to take the place of late Justice Antonin Scalia. This marks the first time in nearly a year since Scalia’s death that the Supreme Court will have a full bench, which means that the Court may now take up consideration on some of the larger cases that were held over the past year. This is important for the court reporting profession, since the Supreme Court’s rulings, as the highest court in the land, sets the tone for all courts across the nation and will now be operating at full capacity.

State of the States
As the 2017 legislative season progresses, some state legislatures are beginning to adjourn sine die, which signals the end of their sessions. The legislatures from the following states have adjourned sine die, but these did not consider legislation relevant to court reporting during the 2017 session: Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia. 

Below is a breakdown of states that have adjourned, and an overview of the court reporting–specific legislation that was considered in those states. To stay up to date on all actions on bills in your state, tap  to see a full list of all  pending legislation.
The Georgia general assembly adjourned sine die on March 31. HB 15, which required certain civil pleadings to be filed electronically in state and superior courts, was sent to conference committee after passing both chambers to reconcile amendments. However, the committee failed to reach an agreement before sine die, and the bill failed. SB 126, which is a tort reform measure dealing with venue of actions, passed both chambers and was sent to Governor Nathan Deal for his signature.
The Mississippi legislature adjourned sine die on April 2. A bill that would have removed the exception that prohibits youth courts from using court reporters in detention and shelter hearings, HB 1215, died in committee and was not passed.
The Wyoming legislature adjourned sine die on March 3. During the interim, the Joint Judiciary Interim Committee will examine judicial updates relating to courtroom technology and court operations. The Committee will receive reports and updates relating to the delineation of responsibility for costs incurred with respect to program technology, operation, and management of the courts as identified by the judicial branch, including the impacts and implementation of court technology fees provided in HB192 and implementation of a district court management system.


2017 PAC Fundraiser
NCRA’s Political Action Committee is an important component of the Association’s government relations efforts. Through PAC contributions, NCRA is able to cultivate relationships with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, which allows the Government Relations team to articulate the profession’s priorities to elected officials and forward the Association’s legislative agenda in Congress. Without NCRA member contributions, these efforts would not be possible. PAC support gives NCRA members a voice in how the profession moves into the future. While many NCRA members are already ardent supporters, there are also many who have never contributed to the PAC because they don’t know how their contributions help the profession. The Government Relations team is here to change that.  

This year, NCRA is launching a yearlong fundraising effort based on a simple idea: If every one of the Association’s 16,000 members contributed at least $10 to the NCRA PAC during 2017, funds would more than triple while the ability to effectively advocate for the court reporting and captioning professions at the federal level would increase exponentially. Watch for future issues of this newsletter to stay informed about how your PAC contributions are being put to good use. Our next issue and subsequent issues will include a profile of an NCRA member who has supported the Association’s PAC. If everyone participates, NCRA can accomplish some amazing things. Do your part, and contribute today!

National Court Reporters Association | 800-272-6272 | msic@ncra.org | NCRA.org

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All opinions expressed herein are strictly those of the authors or advertisers unless they are specifically identified as NCRA policy.