Review the Speakers' Aug. 13 update for the November HOD meeting.
Planning for the 2021 Interim Meeting
We know that many of you are anxious to hear about plans for November’s Interim Meeting. We are obviously aware of the delta variant and the current situation in the Orlando area. We continue to monitor the situation hoping that there will be improvement in the near future. While plans remain fluid, we want to communicate our current plans.
Pursuant to a July action by our Board, we are continuing to plan for the meeting to be an in-person event. This decision is based upon the fact that we can pivot from an in-person meeting to a virtual meeting much more easily than the reverse. However, if we need to pivot to a virtual meeting, we have begun to think of the contingencies that would be needed to accommodate the pivot.
Please note that the dates for our meeting will be Nov. 12-16, regardless of the format. We would encourage you to not make travel plans at this time, but for those wishing to proceed, we encourage you to check with your airline carrier regarding cancellation policies. For your information, the Swan and Dolphin Hotel has a 5-day cancellation policy.
The following is our tentative plan for both possibilities.
In-person meeting plan
If the meeting is to occur in-person, to help ensure the safety of all participants we will expect all attendees to be fully vaccinated against COVID. In addition, we will implement additional safety measures as well and follow all CDC guidelines current at the time of the meeting, including masking indoors as is currently recommended.
Anticipating an increased volume of business after a two-year hiatus from in-person meetings, we have altered the usual schedule to allow more time for reference committee hearings and HOD deliberation. To accommodate this, the Opening Session of the House of Delegates will move to Friday evening, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m., with reference committees getting underway on Saturday afternoon and continuing on Sunday morning. The schedule would then be as follows (note all times are in Eastern):
- Friday, Nov. 12 – 7 p.m., Opening session
- Saturday, Nov. 13 – Morning, caucus time
- Saturday, Nov. 13 – 1 p.m., Second session (acceptance of business)
- Saturday, Nov. 13 – 1:30 p.m., Reference committee hearings
- Sunday, Nov.14 – 8 a.m., Remaining reference committee hearings
- Sunday, Nov. 14 – Afternoon, Health Equity Forum
- Monday, Nov. 15 – 10 a.m., Third session of the HOD, with lunch break about noon
- Tuesday, Nov. 16 – 8 a.m.-noon, Final session of the HOD
As per Bylaw 2.11.3.1.2, resolutions from the Sections and any late resolutions would have to be submitted prior to the close of the Opening Session of the House.
Virtual meeting plan
Should the Board determine that an emergency condition exists such that the Interim Meeting has to be suspended, we anticipate that a Special Meeting of the House would be called. In this case, we will use the same dates for the Special Meeting to begin Friday, Nov. 12 and conclude Tuesday, Nov. 16. Please note that as no travel will be necessary on Tuesday, the meeting will end at the conclusion of all business and not necessarily by noon. Schedule changes, as detailed below, are necessitated to accommodate multiple time zones and to expand the available hours for reference committee hearings and HOD deliberation.
The schedule would then be as follows (note all times are Central):
- Sunday, Nov. 7 – Noon, deadline for Section and late resolution submission
- Friday, Nov. 12 – 7 p.m., Opening session
- Saturday, Nov. 13 – 9 a.m., Reference committee hearings
- Saturday, Nov. 13 – 1 p.m., Reference committee hearings
- Sunday, Nov.14 – 9 a.m., Remaining reference committee hearings
- Sunday, Nov. 14 – Afternoon, Health Equity Forum
- Monday, Nov. 15 – 9 a.m., Third session of the HOD, with lunch break about noon
- Tuesday, Nov. 16 – 9 a.m. - ?, Final session of the HOD
While our virtual meetings have improved with experience, the inefficiencies of the virtual format will again necessitate the use of a Resolution Committee and a request for all to limit their submissions to priority business.
Sections meeting plan
Given some distinct difficulties associated with pivoting Section meetings from an in-person format to a virtual format, management has decided that the Sections will conduct their core business in a virtual format approximately one week in advance of the HOD meeting (i.e., on or around the weekend of Nov. 5-7), regardless of the ultimate format of the HOD meeting. Additionally, if the HOD meets in-person, some Sections may choose to host additional, nonessential meeting components (e.g., education sessions, open forums, etc.) in-person in Orlando on the afternoon of Friday, Nov. 12, before the opening of the House. Section members should expect to hear from their Sections about meeting dates, times, and business.
We will keep you informed as plans develop. For clarity, all communications will have the N21 heading.
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