Public Safety and Legal Counsel

Governors legal counsel serve as senior staff, overseeing legal issues with legislation, policy, executive orders, administrative actions, and executive appointments. Additionally, Governors are focused on public safety, crime, delinquency and related social and economic consequences. NGA serves the needs of governors and their policy advisors in a broad range of criminal, sentencing, corrections and justice-related policies.

Latest

Lessons Learned in State Collaboration to Address Substance Use Disorder and Justice-Involved Individuals

This policy brief highlights lessons learned from collaborative efforts in Hawai‘i, Pennsylvania and West Virginia between SAAs and SSAs to address SUD issues within justice-involved populations. (Download) Executive Summary A ...
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National Governors Association Asks Congress to Swiftly Pass Funding Package

Today, National Governors Association (NGA) Chairman Governor Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas and Vice Chairman Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey called on Congress to swiftly pass a federal funding measure ...
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Age Boundaries in Juvenile Justice Systems

This brief focuses on emerging trends in raise-the-age efforts across states, including: (1) raising the maximum age of juvenile court jurisdiction beyond 18, (2) raising the floor, or minimum age, ...
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Governors on Criminal Justice and Public Safety Issues

Governors’ 2021 State of the State addresses confirm that while the challenges evolve in shape and scale, public safety and criminal justice issues remain top priorities across the country. By ...
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State of the States Opioid Survey and Analysis

Amidst a global pandemic that has challenged states’ capacities to respond to increasing overdose deaths, collecting and sharing information across partners to effectively respond to new challenges will be more ...
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NGA Public Safety networks

Governors Criminal Justice Policy Advisors Network

The Governors Criminal Justice Policy Advisors (CJPAs) Network provides a forum for governors’ criminal and juvenile justice policy advisors to connect with their peers in other states, promote regional information sharing and collaboration, and learn about best practices and the latest research in the field. NGA convenes CJPAs for an annual institute and offers customized technical assistance to them as requested through research and strategic planning support.

Consortium Of State Public Safety Executives

The Consortium of State Public Safety Executives is a network of cabinet-level secretaries and commissioners from across the country who are responsible for oversight of their state’s public safety enterprise, including state police, fire, corrections, emergency management and/or other related agencies. Through the consortium, members can connect with their peers in other states to share lessons learned, receive briefings from national experts on best practices in the field and receive ongoing technical support from NGA staff.

Resources

Expanding Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in Corrections and Community Settings

This roadmap highlights existing state efforts and serves as a policy development tool for Governors and state officials seeking to improve coordination and bolster existing efforts across state agencies to ...
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Issue Brief: Preventing Targeted Violence

This issue brief was created to help governors implement a multidisciplinary strategy to prevent targeted violence. This brief distills the latest research and draws from elements of public-health interventions to ...
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State and Local Government Organizations Welcome Biden-Harris Inauguration, Condemn Acts of Violence

The National Governors Association, The Council of State Governments, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Association of Counties, National League of Cities, U.S. Conference of Mayors and the International City/County ...
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COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization and Administration in Correctional Settings

This memorandum provides an overview of how states have prioritized correctional staff and incarcerated individuals as part of publicly available vaccine plans and discusses considerations around the administration of such ...
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Policy Scan of States Driver’s License Rules Ahead of the Election

The following document is intended to provide references to state statutes, regulations, executive orders, policies, and other resources that are currently in the public domain. This document is not an ...
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COVID-19 Health and Safety Measures for Elections

This memorandum provides an overview of practices implemented by election officials and considerations for Governors to help reduce the risks of spreading COVID19 for the upcoming election. (View/Download) Background As ...
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National Governors Association Leadership Condemns Plot Against Michigan Governor, Praises State and Federal Response

New York Governor and National Governors Association Chairman Andrew Cuomo and Arkansas Governor and NGA Vice Chairman Asa Hutchinson issued the following statement in response to the Department of Justice ...
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Coalition Letter on the FEMA Assistance Relief Act

Given the frequency and severity of disasters this fall, we urge swift passage of the FEMA Assistance Relief Act in the House as it will make timely changes to assistance ...
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Policy Making During a Pandemic: Navigating the New Normal and What Lies Ahead Roundtables

Throughout the month of October, NGA will be hosting four policy roundtables for state policymakers and NGA experts to discuss today's most pressing policy priorities. We will convene to discuss ...
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Protests, Policing, and COVID-19

This memorandum provides strategies for Governors to reduce the risks of spreading COVID-19 during protests while protecting public safety. (View/Download) Background In recent months, mass gatherings in the form of ...
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Equity and Policy Preparedness During Public Health Emergencies

Emergencies, by definition, occur suddenly and without warning. Whether the situation involves an infectious disease like the current COVID-19 pandemic—or a natural disaster like the brutal hurricanes of recent years—these ...
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Letter to FEMA Regarding COVID-19 Reimbursable Expenses

August 25, 2020The Honorable Pete GaynorAdministratorFederal Emergency Management Agency500 C Street S.W.Washington, D.C. 20472 Dear Administrator Gaynor:We write to you on behalf of our collective organizations to express concern over ...
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