Lack of NAC funding reflects Washington's new reality.

• Author: Reams, James M.
• Position: National Advocacy Center - President's page

WHEW--we survived the winter of 2010-2011. At times the outcome was in doubt, but we persevered. As I write this in late spring, "Ice Out" has been officially declared on Lake Winnipesaukee here in New Hampshire. Lake Winnipesaukee is in the center of New Hampshire and is about 72 square miles of lake with 253 islands. "Ice out" means that the ports, which the Mount Washington sails to all summer and fall, are now ice free for the first time since January. Ice out is also the unofficial beginning of spring on the lake. I must admit that I jumped the gun and went out to Rattlesnake Island with other "islanders" and had a picnic because the ice had already melted around the island.

Spring is a time of renewal and regeneration for Mother Nature, and, in many ways, this is the time of regeneration for NDAA as well. We have weathered the storms of financial chaos and mismanagement of the past few years, and, now that normal business practices have been implemented, it is time to look to the future of NDAA.

It had become increasingly clear that the "earmark" funded grants that had paid for the advocacy training at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina, were decreasing, and NDAA adjusted the management of the NAC programming to reflect this new reality. Unfortunately, Congressional "earmarking" of funding has now been completely eliminated in the new Washington budget processes.

Therefore, NDAA was forced to take the step of closing its earmark-funded trainings at the NAC effective after the May class. Please note that NDAA will be conducting two grant-funded trainings at the NAC in South Carolina later this year (Unsafe Havens II in August and Lethal Weapon in September). All other training (grant and national courses) performed by NDAA will continue unabated because of the different funding sources that underwrite those trainings. (Please see NDAA's Web site at www.ndaa.org and click on the "All Upcoming Courses" tab on the left.)

NDAA is currently working with the University of Utah to reconstitute the advocacy trainings in Salt Lake City as soon as we can identify and secure funding sources for the training. The project is called the National Criminal Justice Academy (NCJA) although most of us refer to the project as "Plan B." The university will run a prosecution advocacy center, based upon the successful NAC model. It will partner with criminal defense agencies to run a similar defense training center under the auspices of...