National Assembly Research and Training Center Launched: On September 24, Armenia’s National Assembly launched its new research and training center.  The Center was established with the support of USAID’s Armenia Support Initiative, which provided equipment and furniture, and USAID’s Strengthening Electoral Processes and Political Accountability (SEPPA) project, which is working together with parliamentary committee members, committee staff, parliamentary factions, and women parliamentarians to ensure that the National Assembly is better able to represent citizens and develop legislation that is responsive to citizen needs.  Additionally, SEPPA is working with the National Assembly on reforms to the electoral legal framework.  The new Center will provide the Assembly with independent, neutral and non-partisan analysis capabilities that will inform policy-making and legislative deliberations.  This in turn will improve the professional quality of legislative work, strengthen relations with the public, and provide sustainable tools for parliamentary oversight of the executive branch.  The National Assembly also contributed to the establishment of the center by rehabilitating its rooms and facilities to accommodate the new technology.