• Economic Development and Commerce Committee (EDC) – The State of Public Finance – Myths and Facts Shaping State Economies
• Education, Early Childhood and Workforce Committee (ECW) – Global Lessons to Improve K-12 Education
• Health and Human Services Committee (HHS) – Sustainability of the Medicaid Program
• Natural Resources Committee (NR) – Impediments to Responsible Natural Resource Development: The Federal-State Relationship
• Special Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety (HSPS) – Cyber Security: States’ Role in Protecting Against Insider Threats, Hackers and Terrorists
• 2010-11 Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire's Chair's Initiative: Compete to Complete
• Plenary Session Discussion Subjects: Growing a Competitive State Economy; Preparing to Succeed in a Global Economy

The opening plenary session began with a welcome by Gov. Gregoire of all the new governors, the first spouses, the the Canadian delegation and the delegation from the Hunan Provence and Madam Lee of the Chinese People's Friendship Association. To close her opening statement, Gov. Gregoire thanked Ray Scheppach for all that he has done for the nation and for the nation's governors during his 28 years of work at NGA.

Gov. Gregoire outlined challenges states have faced and continue to face during the most severe economic downturn of our time. She discussed her chair's initiative, Compete to Complete, which focuses on promoting better measures of performance for higher education institutions and highlights college completion as an essential ingredient for creating a competitive economy. She then turned the session to Dr. Michael Porter to talk about growing a competitive state economy.

Dr. Michael Porter focused on the fundamental challenge that all governors face – growing their economies and getting their citizens back to work.  He claims that the only way to create prosperity and sustain that prosperity over time is to actually build a competitive economy.  Dr. Porter recommended getting the consensus of all the key stakeholders in individual states to create competitiveness.  Dr. Porter suggested proposing a challenging short-term agenda, as well as a positive longer-term agenda to citizens.  By talking about a positive agenda, governors can get citizens to be more willing to move ahead.  Productivity, innovation and using existing resources are other components he listed as top contributors to competitiveness. Dr. Porter said that government's job is to create the right environment given these tools.  He highlighted the importance of education, aligning the needs of industry, easing the burden on small businesses and building on existing strengths.

Gov. Gregoire then welcomed Party Secretary Zhou of the Hunan Province to say a few words about the U.S.-China Governors' Forum.  His belief is that the forum will bring more frequent exchanges, closer cooperation and brighter prospects for the local governments of the two countries.

The closing plenary session began with Gov. Mike Beebe's presentation of the Public Private Partnership Award to Gerard Derhman, on behalf of Walmart, Inc. Gov. Gregoire then spoke of the challenges states face when it comes to higher education and the steps required to meet those challenges, including: doing a better job of measuring the performance of higher education systems; looking at new ways to provide and pay for higher education; and focusing on better serving the students that the U.S. needs for a competitive economy. Gov. Gregoire then introduced Bill Gates, founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Bill Gates talked about the importance of teachers and how their techniques can affect student outcomes. He spent time discussing NGA's Common Core State Standards Initiative and how it brings a more focused approach to the classroom. The initiative will also help teachers with training and online materials because they will be sharable on a national basis. In a time of budget constraints, Mr. Gates shared his ‘do' category, which includes: measurement of teacher effectiveness; class size limits; awareness of which institutions are succeeding; and experimentation with technology.  Mr. Gates also talked about the ratio of cost per student and how that is significantly higher than in other countries – even countries that are outperforming the U.S.  Finally, Mr. Gates explained why education became a top priority for the foundation on a national level. 

The session closed with an invitation from Gov. Gary Herbert to the 2011 Annual Meeting, which will take place in Salt Lake City, Utah, followed by the adoption of the proposed policy positions and a final goodbye to Ray Scheppach.

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire: "As we work toward the goals of getting people back to work and making each of our economies in our home states more competitive, another thing is clear, and that is the road to recovery runs through our communities and technical colleges and our four-year universities. We need more people to have an education beyond high school. We need them to have certificates and degrees that meet the needs of our economy now and in the future. So that's why, as NGA Chair, I devoted my focus onto college completion and productivity. The demand for certificates and degrees is real, and it is growing. Nearly two-thirds of the job openings over the next decade will require some kind of credential or something beyond high school. We're currently on track as a nation to fall short of filling those openings by 3 million graduates. Right now, we have a growing mismatch between the jobs that are open, and the skills of the people who are available to fill them. The Minneapolis Federal Reserve estimates that as much as one-third of our current unemployment rate is a result of this mismatch and not the great recession… A challenge before us when it comes to higher education is increasing productivity, graduating more students with the knowledge and the skills our states need and the resources we have."

Bill Gates: "So hopefully I've given you a sense that there are some improvements that can be made. If you take the huge amount of money that the United States spends on education, even the state that's 50th
in the nation in terms of their per student spending is spending more than most countries in the world; including countries that are getting better outcomes than we get. And so it's valuable to think, you know, where can it be spent, how can it have an impact?"

Selected Policy Positions Adopted:
(1) Recognizing the small seller exception and vendor compensation regime developed by the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board; (2) Calling on the federal government to set a vision that supports preserving existing systems but also encourages increasing capacity in response to economic and public need; (3) Supports a comprehensive national housing policy that incorporates common goals of infrastructure, environmental, economic and social policies, and promotes intergovernmental collaboration and reduces wasteful redundancies; (4) Calling on Congress and the Administration to support a comprehensive, state-based workforce system within a governor-led regional framework; (5) Focusing on federally supported governor-led initiatives to increase the rigor and relevance of secondary education by providing diverse learning opportunities, and flexibility in state accountability systems; (6) Calling for greater flexibility in the Child Support Enforcement Program; (7) Calls for the federal government to include renewable energy in any planning and review processes for offshore development, emphasizes regional decision making, and calls for the Governance Coordinating Committee to have regular interaction with the National Ocean Council; (8) Expressing concern for the Food and Drug Administration’s consideration to allow genetically engineered fish products on the seafood market without labeling them as such; (9) Reflecting the extended deadlines for compliance to the Real ID Act of 2005; (10) Reflecting current support of the Council of Governors and its partnership with federal representatives as they work to improve coordination between the federal government and states. Includes support for the creation of Homeland Response Forces.