WASHINGTON, DC – From the 2012 presidential primary schedule to emergency preparations for dealing with Hurricane Sandy just days before the November 6 general election, the nation’s Secretaries of State will focus on 2012 election issues and innovations at the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) 2013 winter conference on January 24 through January 27 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Washington, DC. The association will also honor victims' rights advocate and "America's Most Wanted" TV show host John Walsh with its highest honor, the Margaret Chase Smith American Democracy Award for political courage. 

Thirty-eight Secretaries of State and Lieutenant Governors are attending this year's winter meeting, which also features programming on state business services, archives and museums, securities, international relations, social media and other topics of shared mutual interest.

Who:     National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) 2013 Winter Conference Secretaries of State, Lieutenant Governors, Deputy Secretaries of State, senior staff, corporation/association representatives and other key leaders will convene to discuss federal/state programs and public policy issues.  Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller will preside over the meeting as NASS 2012-2013 President.

What:    Session topics include:  2012 presidential primaries recap and review, federal election legislation and the 113th Congress, state use of social media tools for the 2012 election, election preparedness and contingency planning, the impacts of state budget cuts on state archives, video notarizations, perspectives on federal legislation to require the collection of beneficial ownership information, bogus UCC filings and the sovereign citizen movement. National finalists for the 2013 NASS IDEAS Award, which seeks to honor innovative state programming, will also be announced. 

When:    Thursday, January 24, 2013 through Sunday, January 27, 2013

Where:  JW Marriott Hotel, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave., NW - Washington, DC, 20004

To Confirm Attendance:  Please contact Kay Stimson at 202-624-3528, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Full Conference Agenda: www.nass.org

Twitter Updates: @nassorg (Meeting Hashtag: #NASSCon)

Full Conference Agenda:
http://nass.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=295&Itemid=499

NASS 2012-2013 Executive Board Members:

NASS President: Hon. Ross Miller, Nevada
President Elect: Hon. Tre Hargett, Tennessee
Treasurer: Hon. Kate Brown, Oregon
Secretary: Hon. Elaine Marshall, North Carolina
Past President:  Hon. Beth Chapman, Alabama
Eastern Region Vice President: Hon. Jeffrey Bullock, Delaware
Southern Region Vice President: Hon. Brian Kemp, Georgia
Midwestern Region Vice President: Hon. Jon Husted, Ohio
Western Region Vice President: Hon. Linda McCulloch, Montana
Member at Large (NPA Liaison): Hon. John McDonough, Maryland
Member at Large (ACR Liaison): Hon. Ken Bennett, Arizona

NASS 2012-2013 Committee Chairs:

Awards Committee: Hon. Ross J. Miller, Nevada & Hon. Al Jaeger, North Dakota
Elections Committee: Hon. A. Ralph Mollis, Rhode Island & Hon. Jason Gant, South Dakota
Subcommittee on Pres. Primaries: Hon. Brian Kemp, Georgia & Hon. William Gardner, New Hampshire
Voter Participation Committee: Hon. Denise Merrill, Connecticut & Hon. Matt Schultz, Iowa
International Relations Committee: Hon. Cynthia Brock-Smith, District of Columbia
Company Formation Task Force: Hon. Ben Ysursa, Idaho & Hon. Natalie Tennant, West Virginia
State Heritage Committee: Hon. Tom Schedler, Louisiana & Hon. Mark Ritchie, Minnesota
Securities Committee: Hon. William Galvin, Massachusetts & Hon. Delbert Hosemann, Jr., Mississippi
Business Services Committee: Hon. Scott Gessler, Colorado & Hon. Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky 

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For more information on the National Association of Secretaries of State and its members, click here.