
NGA Center for Best Practices
The NGA Center for Best Practices teams and divisions develop innovative solutions to today’s most pressing public policy challenges. The center is the only research and development firm that directly serves the nation’s governors.
Latest

Public Health and Green Spaces
Governors are leveraging the great outdoors to improve health outcomes and bolster state economies. Genetics play a role in one’s health; however, the environment in which one is raised and ...
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Governors Leading on Skills-Based Hiring to Open Opportunity Pathways
Skills-based hiring is a method of recruiting employees that prioritizes a candidate's competencies over more "traditional" qualifications like degrees. This hiring strategy can remove barriers that currently screen out qualified ...
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Maternal and Infant Health: Expanding Access and Quality of Care
The third roundtable of the New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy’s Initiative on maternal and infant health took place in Detroit, Michigan, presided by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and ...
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Infrastructure Coordinator Quarterly Workshop
From May 16 to 18, 2023, NGA hosted its Quarterly Infrastructure Coordinator Workshop in Washington D.C. With $37 billion in funding for resilience programs in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs ...
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STRENGTHENING YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH
The United States faces a nationwide youth mental health crisis. The roots of this crisis existed before COVID-19, but the pandemic has both exacerbated and highlighted the scope of the challenges in addressing this issue. The time is right and the need has never been more apparent to discuss proven and innovative solutions for states.
Governor Phil Murphy’s 2022-2023 Chair’s Initiative will focus on four key pillars to address youth mental health:
- Addressing Prevention And Resilience Building
- Increasing Awareness And Reducing Stigma
- Insuring Access And Affordability Of Quality Treatment And Care
- Training And Supporting Caregivers And Teachers
Program Areas
Center for Best Practices Library

Building a High-Performing State Workforce Board
As many as one in three businesses in the United States struggled to fill needed jobs in 2015. Millions of ...
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Promising Practices in Boosting School Leadership Capacity: Principal Academies
The role of the public school principal has expanded dramatically in recent decades. The expanded role means they are now ...
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State Technology & Policy Questions Around Highly Autonomous Vehicles
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) hosted a webinar to explore the technology and policy developments ...
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Getting the Right Information to the Right Health Care Providers at the Right Time: A Road Map for States to Improve Health Information Flow Between Providers
Exchange of clinical health information is critical to ensuring that providers have the best information possible when making decisions about ...
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Preparing States for Extreme Electrical Power Grid Outages
The electrical power grid is the backbone of the U.S. economy and society, with most goods and services depending on ...
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Accelerating Opportunity for Veterans: A Governor’s Blueprint for Pathways to Veterans’ Civilian Licensing and Certification
Military servicemembers on active duty benefit from extensive training that prepares them to perform in a range of occupations and ...
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Opportunities for Governors to Align Electricity Markets with State Energy Goals
Electric utilities are facing a fundamental challenge to their profitability and long-term viability as the business models shaped by state ...
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A Review of State Computer Crime Law
The term “cyber crime” is often used in reference to a wide array of criminal acts that use computers, such ...
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State Strategies to Scale Quality Work-Based Learning
Industries in every state are struggling to find qualified applicants for jobs, while job seekers too often find they lack ...
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Opportunities for Energy Efficiency to Help States Reduce Costs and Achieve Co-Benefits Under the Clean Power Plan
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued state-specific reduction targets for carbon dioxide emissions under the Clean Power Plan (CPP)— established ...
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Opportunities for States to Pursue Multistate Compliance Options under the Clean Power Plan
The Clean Power Plan (CPP) — established pursuant to the federal Clean Air Act to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases ...
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Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure
Modern society depends on critical infrastructure facilities, such as transportation networks, telecommunications lines, water mains, and power lines, which are ...
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PAST NGA CHAIRS INITIATIVES
- 2021-2022
Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s Initiative
K-12 Computer Science Education - 2019-2020
Gov. Larry Hogan’s Initiative
Infrastructure: Foundation for Success - 2018-2018
Gov. Steve Bullock’s Initiative
Good Jobs for All Americans - 2017–2018
Gov. Brian Sandoval’s Initiative
Ahead of the Curve: Innovation Governors - View all…