RE: States' best practices: challenges

[Verena Owen <Baumling@aol.com>]

trying something new:
Does a lawyer as hearing officer have to preside over a hearing?I understand to need for a record, however having a lawyer there as more of an advisor and letting a hearing flow more freely and allow it to get a bit sidetracked off the "clean record" would serve the public better.A good person to be a hearing officer might be a trusted local person, minister, head librarian, school principal, that is somewhat schooled in holding a meeting but could put the local folks at ease. The agency could not be required to answer all questions, however, the responsiveness summary could serve as a resource tool, complete with phone numbers and websites for further information. It might just encourage people to get more knowlegable in an issue they cared enough for the first time to give up an evening up for.

Another issue:I often encounter when I call the state agency for information, that I get the answer presented very narrowly and literally. I have learned to keep asking for more increments of the information as I go. (I have to add that that comes somewhat natural to me because English is not my mother tongue.)  It seems that whoever I talk to wants to seem unbiased and not "give" me anything or extrapolate my question and include information that I did not ask for because I did not know it existed.It's like pulling teeth.I would like to know if this phenomenon is inherent in the understanding the agency has of itsself or a lack of training of the personnel on how to deal with us. 

Closing thought:
It may show the level of my naivity but I expected all 50 states to participate in today's discussion. Don't they all have best practices they are proud of and would like to share?