We need as many members as possible to attend. The structured zoom will use a consensus process to determine whether our league concurs with the new positions — and our responses will increase in influence with LWV NYS as more of us participate.

The meeting is scheduled for 75 minutes and expected to end on time.  Members should review

1.   “Participant Guide Consensus Jan6”useful to read first: also available on LWV NYS home page in slightly longer version, along with Facilitator’s Guide.
2. “New Positions with Footnotes” read next: footnoted new positions found on pp. 31-35 of the Study Materials and current positions (at end of this document) on pp 4 & 7.
3. “Consensus & Concurrence” on Jan 6 one page on objectives & LWV process
4. “Healthcare Study Materials” 50 pages, useful background on health policy issues.
5. Members may find it useful to have printed copies of #1 & #2 available so they can refer to them during the discussion. Facilitator will screenshare #1 to guide the discussion.

The consensus discussion will focus, laser-like on the five sets of position changes outlined in the “Participant Guide” (#1 above).

We will reach consensus by bringing individual perspectives to this discussion and engaging with our fellow members to seek common ground together.  An honored tradition, the League sees consensus as a “sense of the group”: not unanimity or a majority, and not reached by voting or polling — it is a shared perspective achieved by active listening and engagement.

Concurrence is a League process in which participants decide if they agree with a statement or position that another League or League committee has already adopted.  The position itself cannot be changed during the concurrence process.

So, in this case, we will seek to reach general agreement (consensus) with each other, in a discussion first about whether we concur (agree) with the proposed position on Healthcare and then with the proposed position on Financing of Healthcare.  The choice is, in each case, whether we as a group  prefer the current position or the new one. Note that neither the current nor proposed positions mention specific legislation: their purpose is to guide League decisions in evaluating specific bills, i.e., whether to advocate for or against specific bills.

For LWV NYS to adopt these updated positions, all local leagues have been asked to hold consensus meetings in January or February, with responses due at the beginning of March. Because consensus is a statewide process, we will not know what the LWV NYS consensus is until after all local responses have been reviewed, and we will not publicize our consensus responses.

Members who RSVP (Register button above or by clicking  bit.ly/Jan6Consensus) will receive emails with the “Participant Guide” and how to access the Consensus Meeting. If you are not a member and wish to join, you can join on our website.  If you are a member and have questions about this consensus meeting, please email president@lwvofpwm.org