CSG Midwest News

States’ strengthening of graduation requirements, other key issues highlighted in June issue of Stateline Midwest
June 10 - This month’s cover story of Stateline Midwest examines recent decisions in states such as Michigan and North Dakota to strengthen high school graduation requirements. Other stories in the June edition detail changes made this year to home foreclosure laws, the more aggressive regulatory actions being taken by Great Lakes states to stop the introduction of invasive species, and the debate over state tax credits for the film industry. Also included are a profile of Illinois Rep. Karen Yarbrough and a FirstPerson article by Indiana Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman on her state’s new economic development program for rural communities.

Click here to read the June issue of Stateline Midwest.

Midwestern lawmakers awarded fellowships for regional leadership program
May 9 -  Thirty-seven Midwestern legislators have been awarded fellowships to attend one of the most prestigious legislative leadership programs in the nation. The BILLD Steering Committee, a bipartisan group of legislators from the 11 Midwestern states, met May 2 to award fellowships for the 15th annual Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD). The panel made selections from the nearly 90 applications received this year. BILLD is a five-day institute designed to help the region’s new lawmakers improve their leadership skills. The program is conducted each summer in Madison, Wis., in partnership with the University of Wisconsin’s Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs. This year's Institute will be held July 10-14.

Congratulations to the 2009 BILLD class. 

Click here for more information about BILLD.

States get to work for the jobless in the latest edition of Firstline Midwest
May 9 - Nationwide, unemployment rates are soaring – leaving more Americans in need of assistance. State policymakers are taking a look at their unemployment insurance programs to take advantage of new federal incentives and address insolvency issues.

Click here to read the May issue of Firstline Midwest.

MLC Annual Meeting to feature an afternoon of professional development
March 26 - This year’s MLC Annual Meeting will feature an entire afternoon of professional development. You’ll learn from two top-notch presenters, Bill Graham and David Landis.

Bill Graham’s motto is “making the complicated simple and the simple powerful.” A protégé of Arch Lustberg – perennial favorite at the MLC’s BILLD program for newer legislators – Graham is an expert on helping people find powerful ways to tell their stories. Graham’s session, Making the Connection, will give you tools to remove the walls that separate you from your audience.  His workshop will combine leadership, likeability, and storytelling to help you discover your most powerful self as a communicator and a leader.

David Landis brings 28 years of experience as a highly successful broker of legislative agreements between labor and management, utilities and ratepayers, and other seemingly intractable foes. A former Nebraska state legislator, Landis will help participants become better consensus builders and problem solvers. His workshop, Tell Me More: What Every Lawmaker Needs to Know about Consensus, will help you determine the best way to find common ground in the legislative arena.

The 64^th Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Legislative Conference will be held August 9-12 in Overland Park, Kan. Register now to be entered into a monthly drawing (through July 6) for a free registration.

CSG launches new service: StateRecovery.org February 24, 2009 - States are eligible to receive more than $300 billion of the $787 billion stimulus package according to an independent analysis by The Council of State Governments. To help states maximize those dollars and understand the specific requirements established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the "stimulus"), CSG launched StateRecovery.org.

"The stimulus is the biggest development in state federal relations since the New Deal. StateRecovery.org helps states take advantage of this historic legislation by deciphering federal funding opportunities and tracking state responses," said Chris Whatley, CSG Washington director.

StateRecovery.org will provide timely guidance to help states maximize their federal funding eligibility as well as ongoing updates and analysis of how states are preparing to implement the stimulus. The Web site will provide critical information for key policymakers at the state, local, tribal, territorial and federal government levels for determining funding eligibility and ensuring effective implementation. The Council of State Governments has partnered with the firm Latham & Watkins, LLP in the development of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: A Guide for State and Local Governments, a user-friendly tool to help states determine their funding eligibility under the economic recovery act.

The StateRecovery Web site also includes the results of a nationwide survey on how individual states and territories are preparing to respond to the economic package.

For more information contact Chris Whatley, director of CSG's Washington office, at cwhatley@csg.org and visit the new Web site at www.staterecovery.org.

Nuclear energy making a comeback
February 19 - Nuclear energy appears to be making a comeback in the United States. Responding to consumer demands for clean energy sources, national concerns over energy independence, and federal financial incentives, in 2007 the nuclear industry submitted its first application for a new reactor in almost 30 years. Since that time, 16 additional applications have been filed, with more on the way. As part of its Trends in America series, CSG’s national office has published an issue brief that looks at whether nuclear power lives up the claims of being clean, safe, reliable, and affordable. The brief also looks at the measures states are implementing to facilitate the construction of new power plants within their borders.

Click here to read the issue brief on nuclear energy.