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

Governors Kick Off Bipartisan Working Group to Drive Solutions on School and Community Safety

The National Governors Association released the following statement on the first meeting of a bipartisan working group that will study and make recommendations designed to combat gun violence and provide ...
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State of the State: Criminal Justice and Public Safety Priorities

Governors’ 2022 State of the State speeches highlighted various efforts to address a myriad of criminal justice and public safety issues set to challenge the nation in the year ahead ...
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Governors Advance Bipartisan Working Group to Drive Solutions on School and Community Safety

National Governors Association Chair Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and National Governors Association Vice Chair New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy released the following statement on the formation of a bipartisan working ...
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NGA Chairman & Vice Chairman Issue Statement on Congressional Gun Safety Legislation

WASHINGTON D.C. – National Governors Association (NGA) Chairman Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and NGA Vice Chair New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy have issued the following statement responding to the bipartisan ...
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Letter to President Biden on School Safety

National Governors Association Chair Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and National Governors Association Vice Chair New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy sent a letter to President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. regarding the ...
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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

Joint Association Letter on FY18 NDAA Conference Priorities

The Honorable John McCain Chairman Senate Armed Services Committee 218 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Jack Reed Ranking Member Senate Armed Services Committee 218 Russell Senate ...
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State Approaches to Implementing Community-Based Alternatives to Incarceration for Youth Involved in the Justice System

In many states, governors have led bipartisan juvenile justice reform to improve youth outcomes and public safety. Guiding those efforts are: a better understanding of brain development; recent U.S. Supreme ...
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States Strengthen Parole Policies and Practices

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), in partnership with the National Parole Resource Center (NPRC), has selected four states—Colorado, Kentucky, Nebraska and North Carolina—to participate in a learning collaborative focused ...
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Governors Condemn Acts of Hatred

WASHINGTON—The National Governors Association (NGA) today released a statement following the deadly attack in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend that killed three people and left 35 injured: “The nation’s governors ...
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States Strategize to Increase Traffic Safety

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) today announced four states, Colorado, Illinois, North Carolina and South Dakota, have been selected to participate in a learning lab ...
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Three Branch Institute on Improving Child Safety and Preventing Child Fatalities

June 28–30, 2017 | Nashville, TN The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) hosted a second meeting to help states participating in an ongoing policy academy implement ...
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North Carolina Retreat on Enhancing Lead-by-Example Efforts

June 29, 2017 | Raleigh, NC The state of North Carolina, in partnership with the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) is working on an initiative on ...
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Governors Welcome FEMA Administrator Confirmation

WASHINGTON—Today the Senate confirmed Brock Long to become administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, chair and vice chair of ...
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Improving Emergency Communications Through Governance

The most critical element to ensuring interoperability of emergency communications tools and a highly functioning emergency communications ecosystem is a strong governance body that spans disciplines and levels of government ...
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Virginia Helps States With Juvenile Justice Reform

RICHMOND—The National Governors Association (NGA) hosted a learning lab on alternatives to incarceration for justice-involved youth on Tuesday, April 11, and Wednesday, April 12. State teams from Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma and ...
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States Strengthen Youth Incarceration Alternatives

Today the National Governors Association (NGA) announced that five states and territories—Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma and the Virgin Islands—have been selected to participate in a learning lab focused on alternatives to incarceration for justice-involved youth ...
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Two More States Join Criminal Justice Reform Project

The National Governors Association (NGA), in partnership with the National Criminal Justice Association Center for Justice Planning, today announced that two additional states—Delaware and Vermont—have been selected to participate in the National Criminal ...
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