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.
In Summary: The White House National Legislative Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence
Last July, the White House released "Winning the Race: America's AI Action Plan," which framed AI as a matter of national competitiveness and emphasized innovation, infrastructure, and international engagement. That ...
AI and the Future of Work Roundtable
As part of NGA's Working Group on AI and the Future of Work, Governors' AI and workforce advisors met last week to share best practices and hear from national experts, ...
Governors Take the Lead on Affordability
Cost of living has been a major focus in governors’ State of the State addresses this year, with chief executives of the nation’s 55 states and territories taking action on ...
Opportunity Done Right
Dr. Brandon Tatum In state after state, Governors are getting stuff done. They are streamlining permitting, building workforce partnerships, expanding energy production, and attacking the costs that make everyday life ...
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 ...
