MADAM CHAIRMAN ABRAHAMSON: We are going to call the Commission meeting to order. I want to welcome you all to Chicago, although I think some of you can welcome us to Chicago.

We'll start out the meeting, if we can, with introductions of the Commission members.

So we will start with you, Jeffrey.

COMMISSIONER THOMA: Jeff E. Thoma.

COMMISSIONER REINSTEIN: Judge Ronald Reinstein.

COMMISSIONER HILLARD: Terry Hillard, Superintendent, Chicago Police Department.

COMMISSIONER GAHN: Norman Gahn.

COMMISSIONER FERRARA: Paul Ferrara.

COMMISSIONER DAVIS: Joseph Davis, retired medical examiner, Miami, Florida.

DIRECTOR ASPLEN: Chris Asplen, executive director of the Commission.

MADAM CHAIRMAN ABRAHAMSON: Shirley Abrahamson, Chair of the Commission.

COMMISSIONER CROW: Jim Crow, member of the Commission, and teacher at the University of Wisconsin. Or former teacher.

COMMISSIONER CLARKE: George Clarke, deputy district attorney, San Diego County.

COMMISSIONER BASHINSKI: Jan Bashinski, Bureau of Forensic Services, State of California.

COMMISSIONER GAINER: Terry Gainer, executive assistant chief of police, Washington Metropolitan police department.

COMMISSIONER SCHECK: Barry Scheck, Cardoso (phonetic) Law School, New York City, and New York State Forensic Science Review Board.

COMMISSIONER TURMAN: Kathryn Turman, Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice.

COMMISSIONER SMITH: Michael Smith, University of Wisconsin Law School.

MADAM CHAIRMAN ABRAHAMSON: Several of our members were not able to be here today. Chris has spoken with several of them and especially spoken with Phil Riley and Jim Wooley about some of the issues we're going to hear and we'll interject their comments where appropriate with their prior approval.

The first item on our agenda today is remarks by me, and what I'd like to do very briefly is indicate an overall picture, give you an overall picture of what we are going to be doing this afternoon and then tomorrow.

First, we will be telling you; that is, the various chairs of the working groups will report and tell you what they have been doing, what their progress has been, and ask the Commission members for comments, suggestions, ideas, et cetera.

So we are going to hear from the research and development working group, we're going to hear from the crime scene investigation working group, a legal issues working group, and a laboratory funding group.

Secondly, we are going to hear from the postconviction working group. And you have had distributed to you their working draft, dated October 2, Recommendations for Handling Applications for Postconviction DNA Testing.

This draft or a previous draft was before us at a prior meeting. There were comments on it. They have made changes. A section of the draft is not yet completed, and we will be having the panel discussion of this draft with the Commission and see whether or not it is ready for approval, subject to the final chapter.

We will also be discussing in the next day and a half the issue that came up at our last meeting, namely CODIS and funding for getting rid of our backlog of testing data.

You have before you also -- it was sent to you -- the report and recommendation the laboratory funding working group, with a proposed recommendation to eliminate the convicted offender backlog via funding.

So those are, in essence, a broad overview of what the Commission will be doing in the next day and a half.

With that broad overview, I'd turn this over to Chris Asplen, the executive director. And he will give us a more detailed update on Commission business. Then we are going to go to Dr. Crow, who is going to do a report on the research and development working group.

Chris.

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