David Byerman

Last updated
David Byerman
ByermanLRC.jpg
Headshot of David A. Byerman Director of the Legislative Research Commission
Director, Legislative Research Commission
In office
October 1, 2015 –September 30, 2018
Personal details
Born
David Byerman
Political partyNon-Partisan
SpouseCaroline Byerman
ChildrenAmanda
Will
Residence(s)Frankfort, KY
Alma mater University of Pennsylvania
University of Redlands
Website

David Byerman formerly served as director of the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission from 2015-2018. In this capacity he managed all nonpartisan legislative staff in Kentucky, overseeing an agency with approximately 400 employees [1] and a $70.4 million annual budget. [2] Byerman was announced as the unanimous choice of legislative leadership on September 10, 2015 [3] and was formally appointed by the 16-member Legislative Research Commission on September 23, 2015. [4] In a surprise move, it was announced in August 2018 that his contract would not be renewed for a fourth year. [5]

Contents

Biography

Byerman is a graduate of McQueen High School in Reno, Nevada. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Redlands, with a double major in history and political science, serving as President of the student body. Byerman earned a Master of Governmental Administration degree from the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania. [6] [7]

He is married to Caroline Byerman. They have two children, Amanda and Will. [8]

Early career

Byerman began his career as executive director of Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities, Inc., a public-private partnership that promotes alternative fuel vehicles. Under Byerman's leadership, Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities developed from a start-up non profit to become the winner of the "Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence," an honor awarded by Governor Tom Ridge in 1998. [9]

Byerman moved back to his home state of Nevada in 1998 and served on the senior staff of Governor Bob Miller. There, Byerman served as executive assistant to the governor, a policy position in which Byerman managed transportation, environmental, and information technology issues as a member of the governor's senior staff. From the governor's staff, Byerman went on to lead intergovernmental relations for the Nevada Department of Transportation. [6]

As a volunteer in his community, David has served as president of the Sparks Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the State of Nevada's Advisory Committee on Participatory Democracy, and chairman of the board of the Nevada Association of Nonprofit Organizations. [8]

Census 2000 and Census 2010

Byerman served as chief government liaison for Nevada for the U.S. Census Bureau during both the 2000 and 2010 Census campaigns. [10] In this role, Byerman served as the lead strategist and media spokesman for both campaigns. Nevada's 2000 Census Campaign produced the biggest turnaround of any state in the nation; while 2.3% of Nevadans were missed in 1990, the undercount was cut to only 1.6% in 2000. The improved Census count was calculated to have produced $16 million for Nevada annually in additional federal allocations from 2000 to 2010. [11] Both campaigns were highly successful, and Byerman was widely credited with having played a major role as both an advocate and an organizer. [12]

Secretary of the Senate

David Byerman was the 40th secretary of the Senate for the Nevada Senate. [8] He was appointed by then-Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford on August 18, 2010 [12] and was then unanimously elected by the full Nevada Senate on February 7, 2011 [13] and on February 4, 2013. [14]

David Byerman was the first Southern Nevada resident ever appointed to serve as Secretary of the Senate. [15] The position is full-time and non-partisan. As Secretary of the Senate, Byerman served as the Chief Executive Officer and Parliamentarian for the Nevada State Senate. [16] The Secretary of the Senate oversees a session staff that grows to over 100 during legislative sessions, and includes legislative staff, floor staff, sergeants at arms, research assistants, and others. [7] [17]

Secretary Byerman implemented a wide variety of initiatives to increase accessibility and transparency in government during his terms of office. Channel 21 serves as a communications channel for the Senate and includes Senate news and information, explanations about jargon and legislative terminology, live video of Senate committee and floor sessions, national and local news, and meeting information. [18] SENarts was a partnership among the Nevada Senate, Nevada Division of Museums and Nevada Arts Council that included arts competitions, programs, and a campaign to build the Senate's permanent art collection. [19] uLegislate was a simulation in the Senate Chambers that offered visitors the chance to play the roles of Senators and Senate officers on the floor of the Senate. [20]

After a change in party control in the Senate for the 2015 Legislative Session, the new Republican leadership announced that former secretary Claire J. Clift would be re-appointed to the job.

Director of the Legislative Research Commission

Byerman assumed office on October 1, 2015, taking the helm of an agency that had been racked by a sexual harassment scandal and poor management practices. [21] Citing a highly professional workforce, Byerman expressed early optimism in a full recovery for the agency. [22] He wrote an op-ed less than a week into his tenure, which was widely run in every major newspaper in the state, in which he was widely quoted saying that LRC needed to "get its swagger back." [23] Byerman assumed office on October 1, 2015 and currently makes $141,750 a year under a contract extension announced in September 2017. [24]

After over a year in office, Byerman was credited by Senate President Robert Stivers with making progress in addressing policy issues at LRC. [25] In his first two months with the agency, over 125 employees scheduled one-on-one meetings with the director. He has moved to shore up internal LRC communications, establishing a daily internal news bulletin, launching a bimonthly newsletter, and establishing a social media presence under the handle @DirectorLRC. He also changed a longtime policy where employees were awarded a set number of comp time hours at the sole discretion of the Director, opting instead to adopt a "one for one" comp time approach. [25]

In August 2016, Byerman presented, and the Legislative Research Commission approved, an employee classification plan. This established—for the first time in the agency's history—formal job descriptions for all positions and a formal organizational structure. For years, LRC employees operated without clearly explained procedures for advancement or pay increases, with the staff feeling that many decisions were being made arbitrarily by previous directors. Then House Speaker Greg Stumbo gave Byerman's plan high marks, saying it was a good plan that addressed longstanding issues documented by the National Conference of State Legislatures. [26] Byerman plans to implement performance evaluations based on the classification plan. [25]

In 2017, the LRC announced that it had updated its measurement of employee satisfaction, using an identical survey to one used to diagnose widespread employee dissatisfaction previously. The updated survey dramatic improvement for the agency under Byerman's leadership, with LRC showing improvements in 49 of the 54 areas in which employee satisfaction was measured. The area that showed the biggest change between 2014 and 2017 reflected increased confidence that LRC's hiring practices are consistent for all job openings. On a four-point scale, employee responses on that topic were almost nine-tenths of a point higher in this year's survey. [27] Overall, employee satisfaction with Byerman's performance as Director was measured at 73%. [28] Shortly after the survey results were released, Byerman received a contract extension from the Legislative Research Commission. [24]

In August, 2018, legislative leadership informed Director Byerman that his contract would not be renewed for a fourth year. [5] The move was widely believed to have been made for political reasons, causing an outcry from editorial pages and constituent groups. [29] Upon news breaking of his pending departure, Byerman was hailed by constituents and some legislative leaders for his efforts at transparency, citizen engagement, and youth empowerment. [30] In a statement, House Minority Leader Rocky Adkins hailed Byerman for bringing “a deep level of experience and expertise. Legislators and legislative staff alike owe him a great deal for his many contributions.” [30] The role of LRC Director is being handled on an acting basis by partisan staff at the current time, for the first time in the history of the agency. [31]

Awards and recognition

In May 2013, Secretary Byerman was honored with the Jean Ford Democracy Award by Secretary of State Ross Miller in recognition of his dedication to engaging the public in the democratic process. [32]

In April 2014 Secretary Byerman was announced by the Clark County Law Foundation as a winner of the Liberty Bell Award. According to the citation, the Liberty Bell Award, "recognizes individuals in the community who uphold the rule of law, contribute to good government within the community, stimulate a sense of civic responsibility, and encourage respect for the law in the courts." [33]

At its Legislative Summit, the National Conference of State Legislatures announced in August 2014 that Secretary Byerman was the recipient of the Kevin B. Harrington Award. [34] The award, named for Senator Kevin B. Harrington, "recognizes an individual or organization for advancing public understanding of state and local representative democracy." [34]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Holden</span> American politician

Robert Lee Holden Jr. is an American politician who served as the 53rd Governor of Missouri from 2001 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the State Treasurer of Missouri from 1993 to 2001 and represented the 136th district in the Missouri House of Representatives from 1983 to 1989. Since leaving public office, Holden has worked at Webster University, where he founded the Holden Public Policy Forum, and serves as the president and chairman of the United States Heartland China Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Department of Corrections</span> Law enforcement agency

The Washington State Department of Corrections (WADOC) is a department of the government of the state of Washington. WADOC is responsible for administering adult corrections programs operated by the State of Washington. This includes state correctional institutions and programs for people supervised in the community. Its headquarters are in Tumwater, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Gibbons (American politician)</span> American attorney & politician (born 1952)

James Arthur Gibbons is an American attorney, aviator, geologist, hydrologist and politician who was the 28th Governor of Nevada from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the U.S. representative for Nevada's 2nd congressional district from 1997 to 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan House of Representatives</span> Lower state chamber of Michigan

The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 U.S. census. Its composition, powers and duties are established in Article IV of the Michigan Constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Sandoval</span> 29th Governor of Nevada

Brian Edward Sandoval is an American politician, academic administrator, and former federal judge who served as the 29th Governor of Nevada from 2011 to 2019.

Kevin J. O'Toole is an American Republican Party politician, who served in the New Jersey Senate. O'Toole represented the 40th legislative district, which included parts of Bergen, Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties from 2008 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Laird (American politician)</span> American politician

John Laird, an American politician, is the California State Senator for District 17, since 7 December 2020, and was Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency from 2011 to 2019 and a former legislator who represented the 27th district in the California State Assembly until 2008. The 27th district included parts of Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County and Monterey County. Laird was one of the first two openly gay men to serve in the California legislature. Laird became one of the United States' first openly gay mayors in 1983 when he took over the mayoralty of the city of Santa Cruz, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nevada Senate</span> Upper house of the Nevada Legislature

The Nevada Senate is the upper house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of U.S. state of Nevada, the lower house being the Nevada Assembly. It currently (2012–2021) consists of 21 members from single-member districts. In the previous redistricting (2002–2011) there were 19 districts, two of which were multimember. Since 2012, there have been 21 districts, each formed by combining two neighboring state assembly districts. Each State Senator represented approximately 128,598 as of the 2010 United States Census. Article Four of the Constitution of Nevada sets that State Senators serve staggered four-year terms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nora Campos</span> American politician from California

Nora Campos is an American politician from California. Campos formerly served as a California State Assemblymember and was the Speaker pro tempore during her tenure. In 2020, she was unsuccessful in her campaign for the California's 15th State Senate district. She served on the San Jose City Council representing District 5 (2001-2010). She was unsuccessful in her campaign for the same seat in 2022. Prior to taking elected office she worked for a San Jose City Councilmember.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Amodei</span> American politician (born 1958)

Mark Eugene Amodei is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Nevada's 2nd congressional district since 2011. The only Republican in Nevada's congressional delegation since 2019, Amodei served in the Nevada Assembly from 1997 to 1999 and in the Nevada Senate, representing the Capital District, from 1999 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent Lambert</span> American politician

Kent Douglas Lambert is a former legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado. A United States Air Force veteran, Lambert was elected to the Colorado General Assembly as a Republican in 2006. Most recently, he represented Senate District 9, which encompasses northwest Colorado Springs, the United States Air Force Academy, Monument and Black Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruben Kihuen</span> American politician (born 1980)

Rubén Jesús Kihuen Bernal is an American politician and former member of the United States House of Representatives for Nevada's 4th congressional district, serving from 2017 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously was a member of the Nevada Senate from 2006 to 2016. He was Nevada's first Latino member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Kihuen described himself as the first "Dreamer" elected to Congress. In December 2017, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called on Kihuen to resign in response to sexual misconduct allegations against him by a female campaign staff member, as reported by BuzzFeed. He refused to resign but did not run for reelection in 2018.

The government of Nevada comprises three branches of government: the executive branch consisting of the governor of Nevada and the governor's cabinet along with the other elected constitutional officers; the legislative branch consisting of the Nevada Legislature which includes the Assembly and the Senate; and the judicial branch consisting of the Supreme Court of Nevada and lower courts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Scheffel</span> American politician

Mark Scheffel is an American politician and a former Majority Leader of the Colorado Senate. First elected to the Colorado State Senate as a Republican in 2008, Scheffel represented Senate District 4 in Douglas County, which encompasses Castle Rock, Larkspur, Parker, Franktown, and Castle Pines. Term limited, he did not run for re-election in the 2016 elections, so his term ended in January, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Shipley</span> American politician

Tony Shipley is a former State Representative for the Tennessee House of Representatives 2nd District in Sullivan County.

Corey Stapleton is an American politician and musician who served as the Secretary of State of Montana from 2017 to 2021. A Republican, he served as a member of the Montana State Senate from 2001 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Nevada elections</span>

The Nevada general election, 2014 was held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, throughout Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Musa</span> American politician

Benjamin M. Musa was an American politician and Certified Public Accountant from Oregon. He served four terms in the Oregon State Senate between 1949 and 1968. Musa was a conservative Democrat from a rural district, known for his ability to work with Republicans as well as fellow Democrats in the state senate. He held the position of President of the Oregon Senate during the 1963–1964 legislative term. Musa ran for governor in 1966, but lost the Democratic primary to Robert W. Straub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">57th Oklahoma Legislature</span>

The Fifty-seventh Oklahoma Legislature was a meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It met in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from January 3, 2019, to January 3, 2021, during the first two years of the first administration of Governor Kevin Stitt. The November 2018 elections maintained Republican control of both the House and Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States Senate election in Nevada</span> Re-election of Catherine Cortez-Masto as US Senator

The 2022 United States Senate election in Nevada was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Nevada. Incumbent Democratic senator Catherine Cortez Masto won re-election to a second term, narrowly defeating Republican challenger Adam Laxalt. Nevada's election results were slowed due to state law that allowed voters to submit mail-in ballots until November 12, and allowed voters to fix clerical problems in their mail-in ballots until November 14, 2022.

References

  1. ↑ AP News Story, Retrieved 9/10/15
  2. ↑ HB204 of the 2018 Legislative Session
  3. ↑ Louisville Courier-Journal, September 10th, 2015
  4. ↑ CN2 Article, 9/23/15
  5. 1 2 Louisville Courier-Journal Article of August 28, 2018
  6. 1 2 University of Redlands "Alumni Spotlight"
  7. 1 2 Archived 2011-06-10 at the Wayback Machine http://www.fels.upenn.edu/news/alumni-story-david-byerman-secretary-senate-nevada
  8. 1 2 3 David Byerman biography, official Nevada Senate Website
  9. ↑ http://www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/pdfs/afnewsv1-2.pdf
  10. ↑ http://www.lvbusinesspress.com/articles/2010/03/15/news/iq_34737132.txt
  11. ↑ http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/sep/17/state-launch-census-campaign/
  12. 1 2 Archived 2011-12-16 at the Wayback Machine http://www.nevadanewsbureau.com/2010/08/18/nevada-senate-majority-leader-picks-census-bureau-liaison-to-serve-in-top-administrative-post/ Archived 2011-12-16 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ http://leg.state.nv.us/Session/76th2011/Journal/Senate/Final/sj001.pdf
  14. ↑ http://leg.state.nv.us/Session/77th2013/Journal/Senate/Final/sj001.pdf
  15. ↑ http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/nov/08/las-vegas-man-named-secretary-state-senate/
  16. ↑ http://www.lvrj.com/news/in-brief-101146144.html?mobile=y
  17. ↑ Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine http://www.kolotv.com/news/misc/101094604.html
  18. ↑ http://nvsecsenate.blogspot.com/2013/02/IntroducingChannel21.html
  19. ↑ http://nvsecsenate.blogspot.com/2012/10/introducing-senarts.html
  20. ↑ http://nvsecsenate.blogspot.com/2011/12/introducing-ulegislate-nevada.html
  21. ↑ Glasgow Daily Times, October 7, 2015
  22. ↑ CN2 Interview, Time Warner Cable, October 7, 2015
  23. ↑ Op/Ed, "It's Time for LRC to Get Its Swagger Back, 10/5/15"
  24. 1 2 Tweet by reporter Kevin Wheatley
  25. 1 2 3 Article, "New chief of Ky legislative staff brings reform" Louisville Courier Journal 12/19/16
  26. ↑ Glasgow Daily Times, August 3, 2016
  27. ↑ Lane Report, September 11, 2017
  28. ↑ Spectrum News Pure Politics, September 15, 2017
  29. ↑ Lexington Herald Leader Editorial, "Wrong Place for GOP Power Grab," August 28, 2018
  30. 1 2 Lexington Herald Leader Article of August 28, 2018
  31. ↑ Kentucky Today Article of August 28, 2018
  32. ↑ Official Press Release from Secretary of State Ross Miller, May 14, 2013.
  33. ↑ News Release from Clark County Law Foundation, "LIBERTY BELL AWARD HONORS JUDGE ALLAN EARL AND SECRETARY OF THE SENATE DAVID BYERMAN", April 1, 2014.
  34. 1 2 NCSL Website, Nevada Senate Secretary David Byerman Awarded National Trust for Representative Democracy's Kevin B. Harrington Award, August 21, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.