CSG Midwest News

Applications available for regional leadership institute
Applications are now available for the 16th annual Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development, which will be held July 9-13, 2010, in Madison, Wis. The five-day educational and networking opportunity is designed to help the region’s new lawmakers improve their leadership skills. The program is conducted by CSG Midwest in partnership with the University of Wisconsin’s Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs.

All Midwestern legislators in their first four years of service are encouraged to apply to attend this summer's program. Thirty-six legislators will be selected to receive a fellowship to attend through a competitive application process by the BILLD Steering Committee — a bipartisan group of legislators from the 11 Midwestern states.  The deadline for submitting application materials is March 22.

Click here to access application materials.

Scaling back spending: Firstline Midwest highlights recent efforts in the Midwest to trim state budgets 
January 11 — As state revenues have plummeted over the last year, policymakers in the Midwest have been faced with difficult budget decisions. The January edition of Firstline Midwest takes a look at how states in this region have worked to reduce spending in order to balance their budgets.

This edition of Firstline Midwest is Part 2 of a two-part series on state responses in the Midwest to the budget crisis. Part 1 focuses on the revenue side, particularly proposals in 2009 to close budget gaps through tax increases or gambling expansions. Part 2 examines short- and long-term strategies to control spending.

Stateline Midwest: State policymakers make children's health coverage a priority  
January 7 — Due to the recent fiscal crisis, states have had to make tough decisions about where to invest limited resources. The cover story of this month’s edition of Stateline Midwest highlights how policymakers in several Midwestern states are working to reduce the number of uninsured children — even during a budget crunch.

The January issue of Stateline Midwest also explores how state officials are using social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, to better communicate with their constituents. Other topics covered in this issue include the impact of menu labeling on consumers' food choices, fiscal recovery in rural economies and redistricting reform.

MLC releases report on K-12 math, science education
The Midwestern Legislative Conference has released a report focusing on state efforts to improve math and science education. Unveiled at this year’s MLC Annual Meeting, which was held in August,  “Laboratories of Reform: Initiatives in Midwestern States to Improve Math and Science Education" focuses on how states are redesigning schools, creating new scholarships and reward programs, adjusting graduation requirements, altering academic standards, and improving teacher recruitment and retraining — all with the goal of sparking young people’s interest in math and science

The report was done as part of Kansas Sen. Jay Emler’s agenda as 2009 chair of the MLC.

CSG releases 50-state study on stimulus spending
CSG released a report on how states are using the flexible spending portion of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund. The fund was part of the $787 billion federal economic stimulus package signed into law earlier this year. The 50-state study is part of an effort by CSG to provide timely guidance and information to state policymakers as they look to make the most of the new federal funds available to them. 

For more information on CSG's STATERECOVERY.org initiative, contact Chris Whatley, director of CSG's Washington office, at cwhatley@csg.org or visit www.staterecovery.org.