Public Policy and Practice

July 8, 2010 - An update posted by the CalABA Public Policy Committee.

The politics of Behavior Analysis - A request from the organizers of the Alamo Town Hall Meeting

The ABAI Executive Council will be conducting a conference call on July 22nd to discuss a number of issues including the role and composition of the Practice Board. We believe it is critically important that the Executive Council hear from its membership and State Chapter leadership prior to this pivotal discussion. The three of us expressed our concerns on behalf of our State Affiliate Chapters to ABAI leadership at a "Town Hall Meeting" at the Alamo on May 28th, and conducted a survey of meeting attendees to determine if these concerns are shared by others. Survey results clearly demonstrated widespread concerns (see calaba.org/alamo.shtm for the Alamo meeting summary and survey results).

Our recommendations to the ABAI Council include:
  1. The ABAI Practice Board leadership be limited to members of ABAI who are practitioners;
  2. The ABAI Practice Board leadership be elected by practicing members of ABAI;
  3. At least one Executive Council member be on every ABAI Board or Committee as per the ABAI bylaws;
  4. The ABAI model licensing act be removed from the website and ABAI Executive Council, Board & Committee initiatives unless and until a vote by practicing members of ABAI endorse such a policy as per the ABAI bylaws;
  5. A meeting of the membership be held each year at the ABAI Conference, with an agenda sent out to all full members prior, and where all members can voice their opinions and/or vote either in person or by proxy as per the ABAI bylaws;
  6. The ABAI website should include a "Members Only" section where members can access the bylaws, meeting agenda, meeting minutes, and information about Executive Council candidates including a position statement on critical issues facing our field today, and contact information for the current Executive Committee.
We are asking each of you to contact the ABAI Executive Council (email addresses are included below) to let them know your opinions or concerns. Please also share this email with behavior analysts. Together we can make a difference.

Yours truly,
Suzanne Letso, Bill Ahearn, & Jane Howard

ABAI Executive Council:
rmiltenberger@fmhi.usf.edu
Patrick.Friman@boystown.org
dickmalott@dickmalott.com
dougher@unm.edu
vollmera@ufl.edu
ksaunders@ku.edu
gmadden@ku.edu
martha@hubner.org.br
mmalott@abainternational.org