We have an excellent set of legislative panels for our 1998 national meeting and I wish to thank the LSS Program Chair for 1997-98, Larry Evans, College of William & Mary, for his diligence. The LSS program chair for 1998-99 will be Peverill Squire, University of Iowa. Any general suggestions for next year's program can be sent to him. 

I am sure that you are all witness to the continued high quality of the newsletter since its editing has been turned over to the Carl Albert Center. The editors and staff deserve the highest praise. I need to report to you that quality comes at a cost (Surprise!). Even with the in-house efficiencies afforded by the Center, we are unable to stay within a $4,000 budget for two issues of the newsletter per year. Four thousand is the upper limit under our present dues structure. As a solution, we are proposing to confine part of the newsletter to our Website in order to cut back on printing costs. Our estimate is that almost all members by now have ready access to the internet and can locate the website. I will bring this up at the business meeting in Boston, but welcome any communications from you before that time. We do plan to retain the core material in traditional printed version. 

Please note that in addition to the annual Fenno and CQ awards, LSS now sponsors the Carl Albert Dissertation Award. Details are provided in this issue. I thank Michael Mezey, David Canon, and Gary Moncrief in advance for serving on this new committee.