MCFE's 95th Annual Meeting Policy Forum, Tuesday, November 9

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Members: the MCFE Annual Meeting business session will be from 8:00 am - 8:45 am, immediately preceding the forum.

Policy Forum Agenda

Zoom Session 1:  9:00 am – 10:15 am

 Federal Action, State Reaction:
National and International Tax Developments and the Implications for Minnesota Tax Policy

As Minnesota continues to grapple with the implementation fallout of the federal 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, another wave of federal tax action looms on the horizon.  In addition to the Biden administration’s sweeping tax proposals, the global tax system has been described as being “on the brink of an historic change in international tax rules.”  These prospective changes present both potential benefits but also risks given the globally unique and complicated structural relationship between the U.S. federal system and state tax systems and their combined impact.   Our distinguished panel of tax experts will examine the existing and emerging tax policy developments and the downstream implications for state tax policies.

Panelists:

Joe Crosby, Chief Executive Officer, MultiState – As head of one the nation’s premier full service government relations firms, Joe Crosby is a nationally recognized expert on state and local business tax policy.   He is routinely quoted in trade and national publications, and regularly testifies before state legislatures, the U.S. Congress, and other state and national policy-making bodies on tax policy matters.  Joe was identified by State Tax Notes as the “single most influential person in state taxation” and named as the publication’s inaugural Person of the Year.  Prior to joining MultiState, Joe was with the Council on State Taxation for more than a decade, ending his tenure there as COO & senior director of policy.  

Harley Duncan, Managing Director, State and Local Tax, KPMG --  As tax manager of its Washington, D.C. office, Harley Duncan brings nearly 40 years of experience in state and local tax policy and tax administration to KPMG.  His primary responsibilities include improving relationships with state taxing authorities, assisting clients in working with state tax agencies, keeping clients and firm members abreast of current developments.   Prior to moving to KPMG in July 2008, he spent the previous 20 years as Executive Director of the Federation of Tax Administrators, the association representing the principal state revenue collection agencies in each of the 50 states, D.C., and New York City.  Harley received New York University’s Outstanding Achievement in State and Local Taxation Award in and was cited as “The Most Influential Person on the Planet in State and Local Tax” by State Tax Notes.

Karl Frieden, Vice President and General Counsel, Council on State Taxation – Among his many responsibilities at COST, Karl works on state and local tax-related legislation and tax policy issues with business and government groups and State Legislatures.  His breadth and depth of experience with nearly all types of state and local taxes has made him a regular testifier on state tax policy issues before state legislative and U.S Congressional committees and a featured speaker at business, academic, government and tax policy forums around the world.   Prior to joining COST, Karl was a state and local tax partner with Ernst & Young, and before that a state and local tax partner with Arthur Andersen. Earlier in his career, he was the Deputy General Counsel of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue He has written numerous articles on state and local tax and global indirect tax issues, and is the author of the book Cybertaxation: The Taxation of E-Commerce.

Zoom Break:  10:15 – 10:30 am

Zoom Session 2: 10:30 – 11:45 am

Government Human Capital Reform
Transforming Human Resource Systems to Meet the Needs of 21st Century Government

The National Academy of Public Administration declares there is “no time to wait.”   The National Association of State Chief Executive Officers declares it to be “Job One.”   The issue is the modernization and transformation of government human capital systems, often still rooted in rules, regulations, and human resource design objectives and constructs that date back 50-100 years.  Such civil service reform is needed to obtain the talent needed to address the demographic, economic, and operational challenges governments face today while meeting the performance and accountability demands citizens expect.   Our distinguished panel of government human resource officials and practitioners will examine the objectives of reform, key elements, and their implementation issues and challenges.

Panelists:

Dr. Howard Risher is a private human resources consultant, focusing on pay and performance issues in both the public and private sectors.  Over his 40-plus years of experience he has worked with a variety of federal and state agencies, the United Nations, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.  In 1990, he managed the project that led to the passage of the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act and the federal transition to locality pay.   He is a regular columnist on workforce issues and management for Government Executive and is the author/co-author of six books including It’s Time for High-Performance Government: Winning Strategies to Engage and Energize the Public Sector Workforce.

Dr. Ronald Sanders is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) and a decorated, twenty-year member of the US government’s Senior Executive Service with over four decades of private and public sector management and consulting experience in the areas of human capital, learning, and organizational transformation.  His 37 years of federal service features several landmark “firsts” including serving as the Internal Revenue Service’s first Chief Human Resource Officer, the first Associate Director of the US Office of Personnel Management for Policy with responsibility for all civil service policies and programs for millions of federal employees and retirees, and the first Associate Director of National Intelligence for Human Capital where he earned National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal.  He has co-authored four books, including two published by the Brookings Institution and one by NAPA, as well as numerous articles and monographs in both academic and professional outlets.  Currently he is the Director for the Florida Center for Cybersecurity.

Kristin Batson was appointed as Deputy Commissioner for Enterprise Employee Resources in April 2020 after serving in an acting role.  During her long tenure at MMB, Kristin has served in a variety of leadership roles such as director of human resource systems, implementation director for Enterprise Talent Development, and director for Management Analysis and Development. Kristin has also been appointed by Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan to serve as acting commissioner for the Department of Labor and Industry and by Governor Dayton to serve as acting director of the Minnesota State Lottery and the Minnesota Racing Commission. Prior to state service, Kristin worked for the McKnight Foundation, where she directed organizational development.