__Delegation Report on USA Sept - Oct 2009--title page.indd

Aims and objectives of the delegation 1.3 In the months prior to the delegation, delegation members held a series of meetings to establish the aims and objectives of the delegation and set a program that reflected these. [...] With assistance from officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Austrade and the Parliamentary Library, the delegation determined that during its visit to the US it would seek to: • reaffirm links and dialogue with the US Congress, and develop enhanced contacts with the Democratic and Republican leaderships in the House and the Senate; • assess the economic situation in the. [...] 1.20 In Washington, the delegation benefited from the time of the following individuals and organisations: • The Honourable Louise Slaughter, Chairwoman of the House Rules Committee; • Ms Sherry Shapiro and colleagues at the Library of Congress; • Dr Melissa Aubin and colleagues at the Supreme Court of the United States; • Senior staff in the office of the Honourable Henry Waxman, Chairman of the. [...] This committee has an important role in influencing the timing and order of business conducted in the US House of Representatives, as it is the role of the committee to determine the rules under which bills are brought onto the floor for debate and vote. [...] Supreme Court of the US 4.13 Delegates visited the Supreme Court of the US and received a detailed briefing on the role of the US Constitution, the Courts and the Bill of Rights in the US system of government.6 At the state level Direct democracy in California 4.14 The delegation's visit to the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) provided delegates with an insight into the practic.