Businesses – and the people who start them and work for them – create jobs and compete in the global marketplace. Accordingly, a state’s success depends largely on the smart people and new discoveries keeping its industries globally competitive. Any state serious about competitiveness has to be serious about policies and investments that foster smart people, smart ideas and the right environment to promote innovation. This means investing in research and development (R&D) funds, supporting the educational institutes that produce both cutting-edge research and a skilled workforce and investing in commercializing the new discoveries and technologies that lead to new products and new companies.
Cannabis State Roundtable
On January 28, 2026, the NGA hosted a roundtable to bring together 11 states and industry stakeholders to discuss cannabis and hemp policy. Sessions focused on the status of cannabinoid ...
NGA Launches Working Group on AI & the Future of Work
Washington, D.C. – The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), in partnership with Center for Civic Futures and McKinsey & Company, launched the Working Group on AI ...
Good Jobs, Strong States: How Governors Are Building Opportunity in 2026
Workforce and economic development are at the top of Governors’ agendas in 2026. Governors are making investments to attract and expand businesses in key sectors, increasing education and training opportunities ...
NGA Urges Resolution to Ongoing Federal Shutdown
(Download) The Honorable John ThuneMajority LeaderUnited States Senate The Honorable Charles SchumerMinority LeaderUnited States Senate The Honorable Mike JohnsonSpeakerUnited States House of Representatives The Honorable Hakeem JeffriesMinority SpeakerUnited States House ...
NGA Statement on Congressional Budget Impasse
Today, NGA Chair Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and Vice Chair Maryland Governor Wes Moore issued the following statement on the Congressional budget impasse: “The consistent use of political brinksmanship when ...
Governors Champion Unity and Excitement Ahead of Hosting World Cup and Olympics
WASHINGTON – Today, National Governors Association (NGA) Chair Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and Vice Chair Maryland Governor Wes Moore released the following statement: “As the United States prepares to welcome ...
Healthy People and Healthy Economies
Governors are responsible for the well-being of residents in their states and territories, working daily on a host of issues impacting individuals and communities. Within this broad portfolio is ensuring ...
Governors Leading Economic Development
Governors are their states’ chief economic ambassadors, touting the unique advantages their states offer to businesses, and advocating a host of policies – from education to infrastructure to energy to ...
Governors Growing Entrepreneurship
This brief highlights four key opportunities for Governors to advance policy that supports entrepreneurship, along with four state examples that highlight these opportunities in action. (Download) For decades, Governors of ...
