Updates from the NGA Membership Team for July 2023. For more about the programs below and a list of upcoming events please email us at: membership@nga.org.
NGA Leadership Updates
NGA Announces New Chair, Vice Chair and Executive Committee
Utah Governor Spencer Cox was elected Chair of the National Governors Association, and Colorado Governor Jared Polis was elected Vice Chair.
In addition to Governors Cox and Polis, the following Governors were elected to positions on the NGA Executive Committee, which guides NGA’s operations and priorities:
● Governor Roy Cooper, North Carolina
● Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico
● Governor Kathy Hochul, New York
● Governor Eric Holcomb, Indiana
● Governor Phil Murphy, New Jersey (immediate past chair)
● Governor Kevin Stitt, Oklahoma
● Governor Chris Sununu, New Hampshire
NGA also announced new leadership and name changes for NGA’s three Governor-led task forces. The task forces foster a collaborative environment for Governors to focus on NGA’s top federal priorities. The task forces and their co-chairs are:
● Economic Development and Revitalization: Governor Andy Beshear, Kentucky, and Governor Henry McMaster, South Carolina
● Education, Workforce and Community Investment: Governor Brad Little, Idaho, and Governor Albert Bryan Jr., U.S. Virgin Islands
● Public Health and Disaster Response: Governor Josh Green, M.D., Hawai‘i, and Governor Phil Scott, Vermont
Chairs’ Initiatives
Governor Cox Launches Disagree Better Initiative
After being elected chair of the National Governors Association (NGA) during the 2023 NGA Annual Meeting, Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced his NGA Chair’s Initiative, Disagree Better, at the closing session of the meeting.
The initiative is designed to help Americans bridge the partisan divide and adopt a more positive approach to political and social discourse. Through public debates, service projects, public service announcements and a variety of other tools, Governors will join forces for the Disagree Better initiative.
To raise awareness about the initiative, Governors Cox and Polis released a video showcasing an example of how Governors from different parties can model ways to disagree better.
NGA’s website provides more information about Governor Cox’s Disagree Better initiative.
Governor Murphy Unveils Youth Mental Health Playbook
In the opening session of the National Governors Association (NGA) Annual Meeting, then NGA Chair New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy unveiled “Strengthening Youth Mental Health: A Playbook for Governors.”
The playbook was assembled as part of Governor Murphy’s yearlong NGA Chair’s Initiative, which brought together close to 500 people in four convenings across the country to discuss the current state of youth mental health systems and advance best practices and implementable, impactful solutions for states.
The playbook breaks down each of the four pillars that guided Governor Murphy’s initiative into a total of 13 priority areas that can help Governors zero in on different facets of the system. Each priority is further broken down into a total of 35 specific policy opportunities for Governors that leverage their unique abilities across agenda setting, allocating funding, supporting legislation and orchestrating stakeholders.
Governor Murphy also unveiled a new video created about his initiative. Throughout Governor Murphy’s time as NGA Chair, he partnered with a leading firm to create digital content to help raise awareness about ways to address youth mental health.
View the playbook and additional youth mental health resources on NGA’s website.
Governors Meet with First Lady Biden
First Lady Touts Value of Workforce Training Programs
First Lady Jill Biden met with Governors and First Spouses at the NGA Annual Meeting.
The First Lady delivered remarks highlighting the importance of investing in workforce training programs that are preparing high school and community college students for good-paying jobs.
First Spouses
First Spouses Take Part in NGA Annual Meeting
In addition to joining Governors in a conversation with First Lady Jill Biden, the First Spouses who attended the 2023 NGA Annual Meeting took part in several other meetings, including a policy session to discuss actionable recommendations to combat food insecurity. During this session, NGA policy experts shared state policy best practices and facilitated a conversation with a representative from Walmart to learn more about their work in this space.
First Spouses also visited AtlantiCare’s Safe Beginnings. The program, inspired by New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy’s Nurture NJ initiative to improve maternal and infant health, provides prenatal, postnatal and preventative care to expecting families and babies. Safe Beginnings also operates a Baby Safety Store which provides families with access to free equipment and accessories, such as car seats and other items, to support moms and keep babies safe and healthy.
First Lady Murphy Unveils Maternal and Infant Health Playbook
During the Annual Meeting, New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy released the “Maternal and Infant Health Initiative Playbook” – a companion policy roadmap to “Strengthening Youth Mental Health: A Playbook for Governors,” which Governor Murphy unveiled as part of his yearlong NGA Chair’s Initiative: Strengthening Youth Mental Health.
The complementary initiatives brought together close to 500 people in four convenings across the country to advance best practices and implementable, impactful solutions for states that are outlined in the playbooks released during the NGA Annual Meeting.
View the playbook and additional maternal and infant health resources on NGA’s website.
Council of Governors
Council of Governors Holds 27th Plenary Meeting
The Council of Governors met during the NGA Annual Meeting for its 27th Plenary Meeting. The Council serves as a forum for 10 presidentially appointed, bipartisan Governors to engage with key federal officials on issues that affect national security, homeland defense, cybersecurity, disaster response and recovery, and the National Guard.
During the meeting, Governors received briefings from senior federal officials, including: Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Jen Easterly, Assistant Secretary of Defense Melissa Dalton, White House Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall and White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Tom Perez.
Members of the Council of Governors include: Co-Chair Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Co-Chair Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Delaware Governor John Carney, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Utah Governor Spencer Cox, Vermont Governor Phil Scott and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon.
Communications Spotlight
Washington Post Publishes Editorial Highlighting Governor Cox’s NGA Chair’s Initiative
The Washington Post editorial board published “Utah Gov. Spencer Cox wants Americans to ‘disagree better’” regarding Governor Cox’s NGA Chair’s Initiative: Disagree Better.
The editorial explores Governor Cox’s plans to “launch a drive to promote what he calls ‘healthy conflict’” to help address “the country’s pressing problems.”
Washington Post Publishes Editorial Highlighting Governor Murphy’s NGA Chair’s Initiative
The Washington Post ran the editorial “A governor’s playbook for improving youth mental health should catch on” regarding NGA Chair New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s Chair’s Initiative: Strengthening Youth Mental Health.
The editorial provides a first look at the playbook on youth mental health recommendations that Governor Murphy officially unveiled during the 2023 NGA Annual Meeting held last week in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
NGA’s website houses the complete playbook and additional youth mental health resources.
Governors Cox, Edwards Make Case for Permitting Reform
Fox News published an opinion piece NGA Vice Chair Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards wrote on permitting reform.
Governors Cox and Edwards served as co-chairs of NGA’s bipartisan group of Governors working on energy policy. The Energy and Infrastructure Working Group concluded its efforts at last week’s NGA Annual Meeting, passing future work and advocacy to the NGA Economic Development and Revitalization Task Force.
Government Relations
Governors Send Letter to Appropriations Committee Leaders
In their roles as Co-Chairs of the NGA Public Health and Disaster Response Task Force, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Vermont Governor Phil Scott sent a letter to Senate and House Appropriations Committee leaders to share the Task Force’s federal funding priorities.
NGA Sends Letter on Implementing SNAP Provisions
NGA joined several organizations, including the National League of Cities, National Association of Counties, National Association of Workforce Boards, National Association of County Human Services Administrators and Government Finance Officers Association, to send a letter to the White House to express the need for expedited guidance on implementation of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provisions in the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023.
The letter urges “the White House Domestic Policy Council to collaborate with USDA Food and Nutrition Service to immediately issue guidance to support state and local SNAP agencies in meeting the needs of customers in accordance with these changes in law.”
Center for Best Practices – Vice Chair’s Corner
NGA’s new Vice Chair Colorado Governor Jared Polis leads the Center for Best Practices.
NGA Partners with Schultz Family on National Service Project
States across the nation have been innovating to expand civilian national service and volunteer opportunities to harness talent in solving public challenges and bridging social divides. Governors, in particular, have been leading efforts to make national service and volunteering a top priority in their states to address critical needs in local communities, including housing, economic mobility, public health, education and workforce shortages. This leadership has helped demonstrate how national service can increase economic opportunity in addition to having a positive impact on volunteers and the communities they serve.
To build upon this momentum, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) has partnered with the Schultz Family Foundation to launch a project to support Governors and state leaders in designing and expanding innovative national service models that address emerging issues in their states while creating service-to-career pathways, particularly for young adults from underrepresented and diverse communities.
Through this project, the NGA Center aims to improve awareness, connection and partnership across state entities to create these innovative partnerships, including through Governors’ offices, state workforce development leaders, state service commission leaders and community-based organizations.
In addition to developing a playbook to highlight emerging effective practices and policy options, the NGA Center will host a two-day action lab workshop this winter for state teams to learn from experts and develop implementation action plans to create and scale service-to-career pathways. States can begin applying for the action lab this fall through a competitive application process led by the NGA Center.
To support this work, the Schultz Family Foundation released Increasing Access and Opportunity Through State-Led National Service Programs: Insights and Recommendations from the National Service Challenge. This white paper provides learnings from the National Service Challenge, launched in 2021 by the Foundation and co-funded by the Ballmer Group. The Challenge has invested in eight states to pilot, expand and scale new state-led approaches to making service accessible and impactful for more young adults and communities. The paper offers recommendations for how states, when assisted by key partners, can better design national service programs to benefit individuals, communities and entire states. The eight states connected with the National Service Challenge are: Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Washington.
Policy Academy to Advance Youth Apprenticeship Announced, Webpage Published
Alabama, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina and Utah will participate in the NGA Center for Best Practices Policy Academy to Advance Youth Apprenticeship. The Policy Academy offers participating states a yearlong opportunity designed to support states in the development and implementation of policy agendas that advance high-quality youth apprenticeship opportunities. Additional states have been welcomed into a Community of Practice for more limited peer learning and technical assistance opportunities.
Through their participation in the Policy Academy, state teams will enact policy changes that advance high-quality youth apprenticeship, develop and implement an action plan for advancing youth apprenticeship, and engage with state peers through NGA Center facilitated opportunities.
Project activities will officially kick off in Washington, D.C., on August 16 when state teams will convene for a day of learning and action planning with state peers, federal leaders, and national subject matter experts.
To learn more about NGA’s work to advance youth apprenticeship, visit the newly published Youth Apprenticeship webpage.
NGA Publishes Commentary on Governors’ Criminal Justice and Public Safety Priorities
NGA published the commentary 2023 State of the State Addresses: Criminal Justice and Public Safety Priorities.
The publication details how Governors used their State of the State addresses to discuss numerous issues concerning criminal justice and public safety. In particular, Governors noted four main areas of increased importance, including: opioid and substance use disorder, mental health services and community response, law enforcement workforce and funding challenges, and violent crime.
NGA Releases ACEs Resource Guide
NGA recently published the Resource Guide on State Actions to Prevent and Mitigate Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Trauma.
The resource guide offers examples and best practices states and territories have implemented to become trauma informed and mitigate the effects of ACEs and trauma.
The best practices come from states in the NGA State Trauma and Resilience Network (STRN), a group of advisors convened by the healthcare delivery team in NGA’s Center for Best Practices to support trauma-informed policy and practice.
NGA Releases New Education Workforce Webinar
NGA’s Center for Best Practices K-12 Education team released a new webinar, Principals’ Impact on Students and Schools: A Conversation with Dr. Jason Grissom, as part of the webinar series, State Snapshots for Strengthening the Educator Workforce.
In this episode, Dr. Jason Grissom, Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Public Policy and Education at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College; faculty director of the Tennessee Education Research Alliance and immediate past president of the Association for Education Finance and Policy, shares his findings from the 2021 Wallace Foundation report, How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research and the key levers and strategies that can use to strengthen principal recruitment and retention in their states.
NGA Releases Paper on Leveraging Telehealth for Justice-Involved Populations
NGA released Leveraging Telehealth for Justice-Involved Populations with Substance Use Disorders.
The brief looks at activities undertaken by states to expand the use of telehealth for justice-involved individuals with substance use disorders.
NGA Releases Commentary on K-12 Education Summit
NGA released the publication The National Governors Association and Education Commission of the States Host K-12 Education Summit regarding the K-12 Education Summit NGA hosted in Phoenix, Arizona, from May 24-26.
The piece details how Governors’ education policy advisors gathered to discuss top K-12 education priorities including academic supports, education finance, educator workforce and student and staff well-being.
NGA Releases State Levers of Recovery Webinar
The Council of Chief State School Officers recently hosted the ESSER Impact Showcase in partnership with the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures. The showcase featured the webinar State Levers for Recovery with a spotlight on Alabama.
Terri Collins, Alabama State Representative and Chair of Education Policy Committee; Eric Mackey, Alabama State Superintendent of Education; and Nick Moore, Education Policy Advisor for Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, shared best practices for sustainable investments. These Alabama leaders highlighted the impact of literacy and math strategies, summer reading camps and tutoring programs and the importance of continuing these programs in the future.
Governors can utilize this information to shed light on strategies to ensure current programs continue to be sustainable in the future.
Member Update
NGA’s New Member Update Feature
Starting last month, NGA’s Membership Monthly introduced a new Member Update feature to include updates Governors’ offices want to share with other Governors’ offices in the Membership Monthly. Offices are encouraged to contact membership@nga.org to submit an item for the Member Update section.
Governor Whitmer Launches “Make it in Michigan” Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
Recently, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and leaders in the Michigan Legislature launched “Make it in Michigan,” a comprehensive strategy for economic development. Michigan’s economy is growing, with 82,000 jobs added year over year and an unemployment rate below 4 percent for only the third period since the 1970s. The last time was in 2019 – the Governor’s first year in office.
To build on this economic momentum, “Make it in Michigan,” proposes competing for more projects to bring jobs and manufacturing home, investing in people so they can succeed from pre-K through postsecondary, and revitalizing places to make them more attractive to live, work and invest.
Parts of “Make it in Michigan” are making their way through the Michigan Legislature amid the ongoing budget negotiation process. This includes steps to deliver Pre-K for all, which would save Michigan families $10,000 a year. Governor Whitmer also proposed lowering the age for Michigan Reconnect, a scholarship program offering tuition-free associate’s degrees or skills training, from 25 to 21, expanding access to 350,000 more Michiganders.
Other elements of the strategy are focused on bringing critical supply chains and advanced manufacturing home to Michigan, building affordable housing and revitalizing downtowns.
Recently, Governor Whitmer announced the Transformational Brownfield Fund, which will help convert underutilized or abandoned property, especially in historically underinvested communities, into productive space conducive to investment and job creation. The Governor also cut the ribbon at two facilities in June that utilized brownfield funding: Flint Commerce Center on the site of former Buick City and Book Tower in Detroit.
In the weeks and months ahead, Governor Whitmer will collaborate with the Michigan Legislature to enact more pieces of the plan, grow the economy and ensure anyone can “Make it in Michigan.”
July in Focus
NGA routinely shares photos of Governors at work through the organization’s social media channels. A sampling of this past month’s photo highlights follows.
Top Row (L to R):
Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero meets with Guam National Guard soldiers.
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb celebrates the permanent preservation of 570 acres of arbor at Fern Station Nature Preserve.
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee meets with a veteran.
Middle Row (L to R):
Idaho Governor Brad Little helps promote potatoes, the state’s official vegetable.
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo signs legislation to enable the construction of a new school for the students of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation.
Hawai‘i Governor Josh Green, M.D. meets with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge regarding affordable housing.
Bottom Row (L to R):
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine attends the Special Olympics Ohio Summer Games.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz shares a photo highlight from a fishing trip.
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte meets with a Montana woman who is helping seniors age in place in the community.
