The Honorable Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson (left) and Christopher H. Asplen (right) DIRECTOR ASPLEN: Okay. Some Commission updates and some logistics and some program notes. First of all, we do ask and we have been asked by our AV person to speak directly into the mike when you do speak so that we can also get this recorded. Secondly, as you can see, the gentleman to my left is a sign language interpreter who is available for anyone who may need that service. However, rather than have him stand here for the entirety of the next day and a half, after this initial introduction he will retire to the back and anyone who may need his assistance, please just let him know and then we will have him stand up here for the entirety of the next day and half. Okay? Thank you. In terms of today's meeting and tomorrow's meeting, we will necessarily have to be a bit flexible and we may need to change a few things around in terms of the agenda due to the unavailability of certain Commissioners and other folks over the next day and a half. This afternoon we will have a discussion on laboratory funding issues, which was originally scheduled for tomorrow, with Commissioner Clarke and Commissioner Ferrara. We may also discuss a little bit of the Crime Scene Working Group recommendation today, depending how time goes. However, the full Crime Scene Working Group discussion will occur tomorrow, including an update of the computer and Internet training, will have to occur tomorrow when Chief Gainer can attend. As you can see from the agenda, we have Tom Callaghan here from the FBI to talk about some database retention issues from the FBI's perspective, to explain their position on that. While it may appear as though it would fit better the following day, both Tom and Steve Niezgoda need to fly out immediately after this meeting to travel and speak elsewhere. So, we as always appreciate your indulgence and your flexibility with the agenda. As you know, as you have received in your introductory packets, the publications on postconviction recommendations and the law enforcement pamphlet are officially approved and published. And, we have the first shipment of both publications at NIJ and they will be made available through the NCJRS service. However, Commissioners, if you contact us directly for the number of copies that you may need, we will get them out to you as soon as we can. I hope that you are as pleased as we were with them in the office. We're really thrilled with the way they came out. Tomorrow we will be presenting them to Associate Attorney General Ray Fisher, officially, who will then forward them to the Attorney General with a few remarks by Mr. Fisher tomorrow. But at this stage let me say a word of thanks, specifically to NIJ and their commitment to getting these done in a timely fashion, for their commitment to the volume that we've been asked to produce.

We will print probably a million copies of the law enforcement pamphlet so that we can essentially saturate the law enforcement community with them, recognizing the importance of the issue. But NIJ -- and I say that as an outsider as I am only detailed to the National Institute of Justice -- their commitment and the quality of their work was really phenomenal in getting to this stage and being able to have these today and I greatly appreciate their efforts in that regard.

In terms of other business of the Commission, we will be extended for, officially for two years, this Commission. However, the bulk of that time, bulk of that extension is really to kind of close things up, get the final publications approved, published and out the door.

In speaking to the Chief Justice on a number of occasions, we really target the completion of the meeting and deliberation portion of this Commission, really next spring.

We anticipate that in terms of the issues that are out there right now, that are on the table, we believe that by spring we can have those substantially finished and deliberated on and beyond that it will be a matter of publishing those reports that need to be published, et cetera.

So, if you hear that we have been extended for two years, please don't feel like you are going to be meeting for the next two years. But again the bulk the work we anticipate will be finished by next spring.

The Commission is also continuing on its way from a staff perspective to speak at various and sundry conferences and training opportunities. Chief Justice and I will be speaking on behalf of the Commission at the Promega meeting at the end of this week and, as many of you may know, Dr. Crow has been asked to be the keynote speaker for the conference and to open the conference up.

So, the Commission will have extensive representation at the Promega meeting. Also, Dr. Forman and I will be at, in London at a conference called the --

DR. FORMAN: First conference on DNA Identification on the New Millennium.

DIRECTOR ASPLEN: On the New Millennium, right, that's it, in which Dr. Forman will be speaking about a number of issues, including Commission recommendations, the effect that they have had on the federal process and also talk about the development of the different technologies in the context of federal funding and resources and some of the Commission's recommendations.

I have participated in a number of trainings, a number of police departments and things like that and as has Dr. Forman just got back from a matter in Suffolk, Suffolk Law School, with Professor Scheck and I believe Dr. Reilly was there also.

So, we continue to kind of get the word and some of the products of the Commission out there through a lot of travelling in areas like that.

Let's see. Another minor note for the Commissioners, if any of you get paged, need to use a phone, right out this door here there's a bank of telephones right around the corner for your convenience if you need to do that. That's all I have right now.

CHIEF JUSTICE ABRAHAMSON: And we'll hear from the working groups as we proceed. Right? Okay. Mr. Callaghan, are you ready?

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