WSATA 2019 - Eugene Oregon

Conference Presentations

MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019

GENERAL SESSION 

8:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Commissioners’ Session 1
Nia Ray, Oregon Department of Revenue Increasing Efficiency in Refunding Processing for Personal Income Tax Returns
Nick Maduros, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration Developing tools to increase uniformity and improve efficiency: Offers in Compromise, Payment Arrangements and Audit Tools
Lisa Wheeler, California Employment Development Department California’s Employment Tax Program E-file and E-Pay Mandate: The Law and its Creative Implementation
Vikki Smith, Washington Department of Revenue Multi-Disciplinary Team – It Can Work


10:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Good Enough for Government is Not Good Enough for Us
A call to action for fellow public servants to remember our why and inspire those around us to set higher expectations. Indiana Commissioner Adam Krupp shares the story of the Indiana Department of Revenue’s transformation from a “typical” government agency to recognition as one of Indiana’s Top Workplaces for 2019.
Adam Krupp, Commissioner, Indiana Department of Revenue

11:30 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.
Industrial Committee Introduction
The Committee on Valuation of Industrial Properties (CVIP) was formed in 2017 as an authorized subcommittee of the Executive Committee of WSATA. CVIP has five members, but membership is open to all 14 WSATA states. CVIP’s purpose is to promote collaboration and the sharing of information and resources, with a long-term goal of establishing core educational resources for the appraisal of complex industrial properties.
Michael Saladino, Oregon Department of Revenue
Kathlynn Ireland, Idaho State Tax Commission

11:40 a.m. – Noon
What FTA Can Do for You
A review of resources available to tax agency personnel.
Verenda Smith, FTA Deputy Director

 
MONDAY AFTERNOON BREAKOUTS

Remote Sellers Compliance Panel
Panel discussion on compliance enforcement of remote sellers.
Patti Wilson, Washington Department of Revenue
Trista Gonzalez, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration

Automating the Bank Levy Process using the X9 protocol
Banks and states have been working to fully automate the bank levy process. Learn about the new standard being developed.
Clint Jones, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Chair of the X9B Subcommittee for Legal Order Exchange

Monitoring Potential Law Changes Affecting Agency Operations
Learn how the Oregon Department of Revenue monitors and responds to potential changes to non-tax statutes, including procurement, Human Resources and other managerial issues.
Lois Williams, Oregon Department of Revenue

Jordan Cove Energy Project
Jordan Cove Energy Project, LP, and Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline, LP, is proposing to construct a world-scale liquefied natural gas export terminal and natural gas associated pipeline, together called the Jordan Cove Project. Join Paul and Steve as they provide first-hand perspective from both the company and the local taxing authority on what a project of this magnitude will bring to Coos County and to Oregon.
Paul Vogel, Communications, Jordan Cove Project
Steve Jansen, Assessor, Coos County, Oregon

Data Warehousing/Audit Selection
A brief history and current status of audit case selection and the use of data for personal income tax compliance in Oregon and Idaho.
Greg Busmann, Idaho State Tax Commission
Aaron Bishop, Oregon Department of Revenue
Matt Claflin, Oregon Department of Revenue

Wage Garnishment Automation
Wisconsin and ADP are working to automate the entire wage garnishment process. From the initial issuance of the garnishment, through the employers' responses, to the payment of the debt, this process will encompass all aspects of this currently paper-intensive, manual process. Learn how this process will work and how other states can take advantage of it.
Brian Dischler, Wisconsin Department of Revenue

Cultivating Employee Engagement
Learn how New Mexico and Texas approach employee engagement; come to share best practices and experiences.
Stephanie Schardin Clarke, New Mexico Taxation
and Revenue Department
Nancy Prosser, Texas Comptroller's Office

Working smarter … reducing audit cycle time
Several states are working on projects to streamline communication between tax agency personnel and taxpayers under audit. Other projects are reducing audit cycle time.
Ken Krous, Washington Department of Revenue, Moderator
Tanyika Lindsey-Watkins, Texas Comptroller’s Office
Kim Wind, Idaho State Tax Commission

Attaching, Garnishing and Levying Nonatraditional Assets, including Pensions, Rents and Credit Card Payment accounts
During this session, you will learn about innovations in collections techniques being pioneered by Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Tom Johnson, Arizona Department of Revenue
Joseph Marrazo, Wong Fleming
 
Innovations in the Workplace (Telework, Flexible Hours, Flexible Workplace)
Workplace innovations can be a great way to motivate employees and expand your recruiting base. To make telework work, it must be managed properly. This panel will discuss the positives and challenges associated with remote workers and how to manage them effectively.
Steve McLain, Washington Department of Revenue
Lisa Wheeler, California Employment Development Division

 
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2019

8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Commissioners' Session 2
Brandon Spanos, Alaska Department of Revenue Making the Case: Convincing Legislators to Add Audit Positions
Brendon Reese, Colorado Department of Revenue Your Colorado L.I.F.E. (Links and Information For Everyone)
Elliot Werk, Idaho State Tax Commission: Would You Buy A Car From This Guy??
Gene Walborn, Montana Department of Revenue Organizational Change – Office Consolidation and Teleworkers
 
9:15 – 10:15
Economics Panel
A panel of legislative branch, executive branch and private industry economists from Oregon and Washington State will share their perspectives on how current regional and national economic conditions are shaping state tax policy.
Craig Fischer, Oregon Department of Revenue, facilitating
Dr. Paul Warner, former Oregon Legislative Revenue Officer
Chris Allanach, Oregon Legislative Revenue Officer
Mark McMullen, Oregon State Economist, Office of Economic Analysis
Dr. Steven Lerch, Ph.D., Executive Director and Chief Economist, Washington Economic and Revenue Forecast Council

10:45 – Noon
Remote Sellers Administration
Experts will discuss implementation of the Wayfair v. South Dakota decision. Discussion topics will include remote seller registration, compliance efforts and unexpected situations.
Nikki Dobay, COST, facilitating
Helen Hecht, Multistate Tax Commission
Karey Barton, Texas Comptroller's Office
Patti Wilson, Washington Department of Revenue
John Cmelak, Verizon Wireless

TUESDAY AFTERNOON BREAKOUTS

Marketplace Facilitators
Panel discussion on what states are doing to require collection and remittance from tax online marketplaces rather than individual retailers.
Lara Abi Habib, Texas Comptroller’s Office
Patti Wilson, Washington State

Talking Taxes: Using Videos and Webinars to Communicate with Taxpayers and Staff
A panel discussion regarding the use of videos and webinars to enhance communication with the public and internally. The discussion will cover the insights from three agencies, including knowing the audience, publicizing available services, writing content and resources needed to launch these types of efforts.
Susanne Buehler, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration
Lynne Hamp, California Employment Development Department
David Augustine, San Francisco Treasurer and Tax Collector

Sponsorship Series: (RSI) Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
As artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) take center stage, many organizations are realizing the benefits of more accurate information, reduced human costs, and quicker turnaround for citizens to get needed information. Join us for a discussion on how AI and ML can enable your agency to deliver more value for your constituents, reduce costs, and engage your taxpayers in a way they have come to expect.
Presented by: Rich Brunner, Vice President, RSI

Getting a Revenue High — Best Practices, Lessons Learned in Taxation of Legal Weed
Panel members will be discussing lessons learned and results from the taxation of legal marijuana. Areas they will cover include tax program setup, compliance, filing enforcement, audit and collections.
Rodney Johnson, Colorado Department of Revenue
John Galvin, Oregon Department of Revenue
Keith Shribbs, Oregon Department of Revenue
Trista Gonzalez, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration

Adventures in Public Outreach
The Oregon Department of Revenue has brought up several new tax programs in recent years. Learn what they have done to reach out to affected taxpayers for all of the new tax programs: Heavy Equipment Rental, Statewide Transit, Bicycle, Vehicle Privilege & Use, Marijuana Retailer, and Commercial Activity.
Joe Royston, Oregon Department of Revenue
Leah Putnam, Oregon Department of Revenue

Sponsorship Series: FAST Tax Administration Around the World
This presentation will discuss trends in tax administration around the world with emphasis on the ways in which tax agencies are adapting to new technologies and business models that are challenging traditional approaches of tax administration. It will include unique examples and insights from tax agencies throughout the world.
Joe Milack, FAST Enterprises

New, Interesting and Weird
Join us for an interesting discussion about recent innovations in tax policy.
Katie Lolley, Oregon Department of Revenue
Lynne Hamp, California Employment Development Department
Jeremy Stohs, H&R Block

Improving the Customer Experience
How we developed a Customer Experience vision, customer service survey and are using Voice of the Customer to drive agency decisions.
Julie Magee, Credit Karma and former Commissioner, Alabama Department of Revenue, facilitating
JoAnn Martin, Oregon Department of Revenue
Ken Ross, Oregon Department of Revenue
Elliot Werk, Idaho State Tax Commission

Murphy v. NCAA
The U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which prohibited most states from allowing sports betting within their borders. While the ruling focused on sports betting, the implications from Murphy may have much broader reach, perhaps even affecting federal limitations on states’ taxing authority. This panel will discuss the impact of this landmark case.
Greg Matson, Multistate Tax Commission
John Mollenkamp, Intuit, and former Director, Missouri Department of Revenue
 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019
GENERAL SESSION

8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Commissioners’ Session 3
Stephanie Schardin Clark, New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department Using Data Analytics to Automate Earned Income Tax Credit/State Credit Claims
Karey Barton, Texas Comptroller’s Office Improving Internal Communications During the Audit Process
John Valentine, Utah State Tax Commission Innovation In Electronic Filing Of Payroll Withholdings
Grant Nulle, Arizona Department of Revenue Implementation of Arizona’s economic nexus and marketplace facilitator laws: successes and open questions

9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Effective Strategic Communications and Stakeholder Relations
How do you strategically manage your external stakeholder relations and communications? Here’s a detailed roadmap to increasing communication for customer compliance, stakeholder cooperation and an increase in revenue.
Nia Ray, Director, Oregon Department of Revenue
Elliot Werk, Idaho State Tax Commission