56th Plenary Session of the Administrative Conference of

56^th Plenary Session

June 2012

Administrative Conference of the United States

Conference Member Comment Form

Now that the recent plenary session is behind us, we encourage all Conference members (both voting and non-voting) to share your feedback and let us know your ideas about what worked well and what could be improved, so that our next plenary session will be even more successful.

We have created this survey form to simplify your response. To check any box, double left click on the box with your mouse and select the “checked” option. However, if you find it easier to provide feedback in a different format (e.g., an unstructured email message), please feel free to use any format you wish. Please email all responses to Gabrielle Guy ([email protected]).

If you have any questions or need more information about this inquiry, please contact Shawne McGibbon ([email protected]). This survey should take less than ten minutes to complete. Please submit your completed form within three weeks of the date of receipt.

1. Your Name (optional): ____________________________________________________________

2. Preparation for the Plenary Session

1. Did you receive all necessary materials for understanding the proposed recommendations in sufficient time to prepare for the plenary session?

Yes

No

Comments:

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2. Did you receive adequate and timely information about time and location of the plenary session?

Yes

No

Comments:

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3. If you are an out-of-town member, did you receive adequate and timely information about travel arrangements?

Yes

No

N/A

Comments:

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4. Did you feel that you had adequate opportunities, either through committee meetings, pre-plenary written submissions, or discussion at the plenary session, to offer your input into the Conference's recommendations?  If not, what could be done to improve those opportunities?

Yes

No

Comments:

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5. Were the materials provided before and during the plenary session adequate, or would you have benefited from additional information/materials?

Yes, the materials were adequate.

No, additional information should have been included. (Please specify below.)

Comments:

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6. Approximately how much time did you spend in preparation for the plenary session (i.e., reviewing reports, recommendations, comments and amendments)?

1. Less than 2 hours

2. 2-4 hours (Continued on next page)

3. 4-6 hours

4. More than 6 hours

3. Physical Facilities and Technology

1. What did you like about the CFTC Conference Center as a venue? (Choose all that apply and indicate any problems or suggestions in the space provided below.)

1. Meeting room/setting

2. Location

3. Technological capabilities (video/audio)

4. Availability of parking

5. Ease of participation

6. Proximity of Metro

7. Building security accommodations

8. Other (Please specify)

Comments:

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2. Was projection of the texts under consideration helpful to you for participating in or following the discussions? Please note below suggestions you may have for making this service more useful.

Yes

No

Comments:

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3. If you viewed some or all of the proceedings via the Internet, was the streaming coverage clear and trouble-free? Please note below any suggestions you may have for making this service more useful.

Yes

No

N/A (Continued on next page)

Comments:

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4. Scheduling

1. Are you satisfied with the two half-day plenary session schedule?

Yes

No

2. As an alternative, would you prefer the session on either or both days to be longer?

Yes

No

Comments:

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3. If a future plenary session agenda has a greater number of proposed recommendations, or has particularly lengthy/complicated recommendations, would you support extending the meeting into Friday afternoon?

Yes

No

4. Was the proper amount of time allotted to each agenda item? If not, please explain below.

Yes

No

Comments:

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E. Reception

1. If you attended the Thursday evening reception, how did it compare with the December 2011 plenary session reception? [Note that the cost of both receptions was $30 per person.]

1. Much better than the prior reception

2. Slightly better than the prior reception

3. No significant difference

4. Slightly worse than the prior reception

5. Much worse than the prior reception

6. N/A

2. Based on your answer to the preceding question, in what way(s) was the reception better or worse than the prior plenary session reception? Do you have any comments or suggestions about food, beverages, facilities or cost of the reception?

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3. Was the convenience of paying for the reception online of value to you?

Yes

No

4. Would you prefer not to have beer and wine served at the reception, which would lower the overall per person cost of the reception?

Yes

No

5. Would you prefer to have no reception?

Yes

No

6. Parliamentary Procedures

1. Do you find the use of “manager’s amendments” to be helpful in minimizing the time spent during the plenary session on technical edits?

Yes

No

2. ACUS bylaws state that: “A majority of the [101 voting] members of the Conference shall constitute a quorum of the Assembly.” Therefore, assuming no vacancies, a majority equals 51 voting members. Proxy voting is not currently permitted under ACUS bylaws; all voting by the Assembly must occur in the context of a public meeting under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA); but participation and voting by telephone or videoconference during the plenary session are currently permitted. Please indicate your preference (or preferences) below for ways to ensure that a quorum is present:

1. Change the bylaws to permit proxy voting by the Chairman.

2. Change the bylaws to permit email or Internet-based validation of a vote following a plenary session where absence of a quorum is at issue. [In this scenario, if a quorum is called, the Chairman will record the votes of members present, and at a later “virtual” meeting of the Assembly, offer an opportunity to vote to members who were absent from the plenary session.]

3. Change the bylaws in some other way to craft an appropriate procedure for ensuring that Assembly actions are based on participation of a quorum. (Please explain below.)

4. Retain the current bylaw requirement for a quorum.

Comments:

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G. Overall Assessment

1. Do you have any additional thoughts or suggestions about any aspect of the 56^th plenary session not addressed above? If so, please explain below.

Comments:

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Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

The purpose of this inquiry is to enable the Office of the Chairman of the Administrative Conference to identify strengths and weaknesses of current services and to make improvements based on feedback. Information gathered will be used internally for program management purposes only. The average burden for each response to this information collection is estimated to be less than ten minutes. Any comments concerning the accuracy of this burden estimate and any suggestions for reducing this burden may be directed to Shawne McGibbon, General Counsel, Office of the Chairman of the Administrative Conference.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a current valid OMB control number.

OMB Control No. 3002-0006

Expiration Date: 5/31/2014