PBSA

PBSA Journal PAGE 17 JULY/AUG 2021 Except where otherwise indicated, articles are copyright © by PBSA 2021. All rights reserved. U.S. Council Update Continued from page 16 metric to include webinar tracking. Starting this year, the committee began tracking the number of views the recorded sessions are getting from the Webinar Library. As of June, the committee has tracked almost 1,000 total views of the recorded 2021 sessions! Government Relations (GR) A new system for tracking state and local legislation. At the beginning of the year, a replacement system was implemented that offers tracking for many, many more local jurisdictions than the old system. It also supports the legislative map that members can see on the PBSA website. So far this year, the committee has used the system to track nearly 900 bills. A virtual return to Advocacy Days. 2020 forced the cancellation of almost all the committee's face to face advocacy efforts with legislators. Understanding the importance of finding new ways to continue advocating our positions, late 2020 was spent finalizing plans to pick this initiative up virtually. This year, the GR committee has been successfully running those efforts, which have paid off in killing or amending bad bills. PBSA language in general privacy bills. The California Consumer Privacy Act kicked off a wave of similar bills across the country. GR spent enormous energy lobbying to get exemptions into the CCPA for activities governed by the FCRA, GLBA, DPPA, or HIPAA and for public records. The committee has seen language addressing these concerns in virtually every privacy bill that has been introduced since the CCPA's inception. Most recently, the Virginia privacy law included language that the committee liked and has become the model for future legislation. Industry Practices Committee Webinars – With the mission of providing members with useful and actionable guidance, the Industry Practices Committee has continued developing topics and publishing webinars that meet this goal. This year, one of the most beneficial presentations covered the often-questioned risks and benefits of sharing consumer reports. Member Survey for Practical Guidance – In order to serve the needs of the membership and to provide guidance on topics that impact us all, this group has administered surveys that helped to drive the direction and next steps for updated and new guidance. New Practical Guidance – With the knowledge gained from member surveys, the committee has created three new practical guidance pieces. Currently, these pieces are all in different stages of final review before publication to the membership. Stay tuned! Provider Advisory Group Essential Status for Court Runners During Pandemic – The Provider Advisory Group has worked diligently throughout the pandemic to make sure that court runners were well informed of the status of courts throughout the country. This was a true team effort comprised of a taskforce of providers, GR members, and PBSA staff. This group of volunteers and staff have met weekly since the onset of the pandemic to provide valuable information for all members. Provider Accreditation Program – The group distributed a survey to gauge interest in the expansion of the PBSA Accreditation Program in a format that would be focused on Criminal Research Providers. Assisting Everywhere! – The Provider Advisory Group may lead the league in assists. Always willing to jump in wherever they can be of assistance. This year, they have worked closely with the Access and Accuracy Government Relations Subcommittee to identify and provide support in resolving these issues that impact our industry. They have also assisted with several local legislative initiatives, lent their efforts to the review and revision of the Public Access Software Specification (PASS) document used by court administrators when implementing new software, and helped to amend the Sample Criminal Research Provider Agreement that is currently with outside legal counsel for final review. The past 18 months have been a rollercoaster. We, as an industry, have faced challenges that no one could have predicted. But through all the chaos, one thing has been consistent: our volunteers. In the middle of reacting to huge drops in volume in 2020 to now rising volumes in 2021, these volunteers found time to keep the association moving forward. So, THANK YOU! Thank you to the dedicated volunteers who make this association run! l

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