The Current State | Thursday

CSG | 2017 National Conference

Thursday, Dec. 14 CSG Registration/Information Desk Open 1 – 5 p.m. | Jasmine Registration

WELCOME TO LAS VEGAS Dear Friends: Welcome to Las Vegas, Nevada, and the 2017 National Conference of The Council of State Governments.

We are excited you are here and we look forward to engaging with you in the exceptional sessions and fun social events planned during our time together in this amazing city.

The Council of State Governments has been a valuable resource for the states for 85 years. With our regional strength, our data-driven focus and our ability to convene state officials across party lines, CSG remains a force for good. Las Vegas is a place known for magic. The magic of CSG has always been you.

Your engagement on public policy issues, your passion for public service, your commitment to make a difference all make CSG a success. We are grateful for your participation and leadership. Thank you.

Politics today is a high-stakes game. At times, it seems the odds are stacked against you. CSG’s mission is to champion excellence in state government to advance the common good. For today’s state officials, CSG is a sure bet and we are “all in” when it

comes to helping you achieve more.

Buffet Breakfast 7 – 9 a.m. | Palm Foyer, Jamsine Foyer North

to better navigate the complex issues facing your state and our nation.

We are pleased to bring this year’s conference to Las Vegas and stand with the people of this city as Vegas Strong. In that spirit, please plan to join us on Saturday morning for a CSG National Conference tradition of assembling meals for local families facing hunger. With your help, we will pack over 35,000 meals for donation to a local Las Vegas food bank.

This conference would not be possible without the generous support of our CSG Associates and sponsors. Their commitment to the success of this event is greatly appreciated.

The popular catch phrase reminds us that, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” With all due respect, we hope that what happens at this conference doesn’t stay in Vegas, but goes back with you to your state to help you build a brighter future for the citizens you serve.

Happy holidays and welcome to Vegas, where the sky’s the limit.

During this conference, we will have the opportunity to interact with thought leaders and experts, a renowned presidential historian, and public officials from nearly every state. You will have the chance to share what you know and learn from others. Our goal is to provide you with information, insights and opportunities to network, which will empower you

GOVERNOR KATE BROWN Oregon 2017 National President SENATOR KELVIN ATKINSON Nevada 2017 National Chair DAVID ADKINS CEO/Executive Director The Council of State Governments

CSG Shared State Legislation Part I 8 a.m. – Noon | Jasmine AB

CSG Policy Academy: Hiring and Retaining Workers with Disabilities 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Palm A

CSG Policy Academy: Making Waves with State Water Policies 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Palm B

Growing a Consensus on Marijuana Policy 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Palm C

CSG Investment Subcommittee Invitation only 10 a.m. – Noon | Explorers Ballroom

CSG National Conference Committee Working Lunch Invitation only Noon – 1:30 p.m. | Jasmine F

Buffet Lunch Noon – 1:30 p.m. | Palm Foyer, Jamsine Foyer North

The Time is Now to Eliminate the Rural Broadband Gap 1 – 2 p.m. | Palm Foyer

CSG Leadership Council Invitation only 1:30 – 5 p.m. | Jasmine E

Purpose and Persistence: Delivering the First FDA-Approved Gene Therapy to Fight Cancer 2 – 3 p.m. | Palm Foyer

CSG Executive Committee Reception Invitation only 5 – 6 p.m. | Palm D

Evening Event: Welcome to Las Vegas!

6 p.m. | LIGHT, Mandalay Bay

Download the App! Don’t forget to download the CSG 2017 National Conference app to create a personalized meeting agenda, view photos, receive instant meeting updates and share feedback! Download the app from your favorite app store. www.twitter.com/CSGovts

www.facebook.com/CSGovts

For daily highlights, check the CSG Knowledge Center knowledgecenter.csg.org

YOU’RE INVITED Join your colleagues tonight at 6 p.m. at The LIGHT located in Mandalay Bay for a holiday party you won’t want to miss!

Diabetes in the U.S.— A New Report from CSG The number of adults with diagnosed diabetes increased nearly five-fold in the U.S. between 1980 and 2015—from 5.5 million to 25.8 million—as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diabetes costs are estimated at over $160 billion every year, through medical treatment and indirect costs due to lost productivity, unemployment due to chronic disability, and premature mortality.

CALIFORNIA appropriated $5 million to its Medicaid program for diabetes prevention, expecting $8 million of federal matching funds. The state projects enrolling 25,000 individuals each year in a national diabetes prevention program. California’s Medicaid program expects to save over $45 million each year in reduced medical costs.

2

CSG, with assistance from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, surveyed all 50 states to discover how many states appropriate funds for diabetes prevention and management. Half of the states reported state funds used in fiscal year 2017 for diabetes programs or broader public health efforts that included diabetes. In six states – Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina and Tennessee – the 2017 appropriations topped a million dollars each. Spending levels varied from a high of $6.6 million in Colorado to a low of $5,000 in South Dakota.

“As a nurse, I know that the potential exists to prevent people from getting diabetes through interventions that build healthy communities. In Massachusetts, the Legislature recognizes this potential and allocates state funds to help achieve that public health goal. The just-completed CSG survey found half of the states’ legislatures recognize the growing burden of diabetes and accordingly budgeted state dollars to curb the growth of this disease in children and adults,” said Massachusetts Rep. Denise Garlick, who serves as co-chair of the CSG Health Public Policy Committee.

The new CSG diabetes report, titled Diabetes in the United States: Examining Growth Trends, State Funding Sources and Economic Impact, will be released Friday, Dec. 15, 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the CSG 2017 National Conference session sponsored by the CSG Health Public Policy Committee. Also on the agenda are discussions about the latest federal health reform proposals, an innovative Medicaid program that transitions enrollees to employment, and state solutions to the opioid epidemic.

THE BUSINESS INCENTIVES TRAP States spend billions each year on tax and financial incentives to attract and retain businesses, with the ultimate goal of job creation and to develop an environment that is conducive to growth and economic development. In some states, tax expenditures can exceed revenues and the costs can be unpredictable. With every public dollar being scrutinized, it is important to ask—are these incentives getting the scrutiny they deserve?

For the last several years, The Pew Charitable Trusts has been working to understand how states can improve incentives for jobs and growth, with a focus on how states can effectively evaluate those programs. Pew recommends that states take three steps:

1.

MAKE A PLAN – Put processes in place to regularly evaluate the results of major tax incentives with a well-designed evaluation plan. A well-designed plan evaluates all of a state’s incentives, tasks nonpartisan staff with relevant expertise with performing the analysis and makes the reviews on a strategic schedule.

2.

MEASURE THE IMPACT – Evaluations should assess the results of incentives for the state’s budget and economy, including an estimation of the extent to which incentives successfully changed business behavior.

3.

INFORM POLICY CHOICES – Policymakers should use the findings of the evaluations to improve tax incentives.

Improvements are more likely when states have a formal process that ensures lawmakers will consider the results.

According to Pew, in the last five years, 27 states and the District of Columbia have made progress in gathering evidence on the results of their economic development tax incentives. Ten of these states now meet three criteria: They have well-designed plans for regular reviews, experience in producing quality evaluations and a process for informing policy choices. Just five years ago, no state met these criteria.

Mark Robyn, an officer with The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Fiscal Federalism Initiative, will lead a discussion about incentives during CSG’s Fiscal and Economic Development Policy Committee meeting on Friday, Dec. 15 at 10:30 a.m.

4.5333 in

Toll Fellow Graduation Join us for the CSG 2017 Toll Fellow class graduation and luncheon. The keynote speaker is award-winning historian and best-selling author, Michael Beschloss!

A Special Series on State Solutions!

The National Center for Interstate Compacts is presenting several sessions on how states now tackle issues through interstate compact solutions. Be sure to check out this special series!

BOOK SIGNING WITH MICHAEL BESCHLOSS Chat with Michael Beschloss as he signs copies of his book Presidential Courage from 2-2:30 p.m. on Saturday after the Toll Fellow graduation and luncheon.

3

STAT E CIVIC ED U CAT I O N TOOLKIT REL EA S ED The Council of State Governments will release the State Civic Education Toolkit on Friday, Dec. 15 in the Steps to Success with the Every Student Succeeds Act session at 8:30 a.m. The toolkit, developed in partnership with the Education Commission of the States’ National Center on Learning and Civic Engagement is designed to guide policymakers and stakeholders through the process of promoting and expanding civic education initiatives. It includes extensive research on the current state of civic education policy, shared obstacles that states may face, innovative policy solutions and an expansive resource list.

Educating state leaders on civics and the role of the states in the federal system was

identified as a key priority by The Council of State Governments’ Federalism Task Force.

CSG's 21st Century Foundation awarded funding to create the national Civic Education Leadership Team to explore best practices and offer recommendations on civic education and engagement in the states.

The Civic Education Leadership Team members were selected from CSG’s Education and Workforce Development and Intergovernmental Affairs committees, as well as National Center on Learning and Civic Engagement, and included leaders from all three branches of state government from around the country. The efforts of this group have culminated in the State Civic Education Toolkit. The toolkit highlights

innovative, successful policies and programs that improve the civic literacy of students and gives state leaders in each branch of government the tools to lead civic education initiatives in their states.

This civic education initiative is designed to enable state leaders to improve civic and federalism understanding among constituents and students. State leaders looking to bolster civic engagement in their communities can look to the State Civic Education Toolkit as a resource to guide them through proven methods of success. The State Civic Education Toolkit will be available online at The Council of State Governments’ website.

An Evening with Michael Jackson Conference attendees are invited to attend Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil at Mandalay Bay at 7 p.m. on Friday. See the registration desk for ticket information.

4

Let’s Knock Out H u n g e r To g e t h e r !

S at u r d ay, D e c . 1 6 8 : 3 0 - 1 0 a . m .

L o c a t e d

i n J a s m i n e

A B E F .

CSG Campaign Against Hunger Service Project In Nevada, 1 in 5 people struggle with hunger. Bring your holiday spirit and join your colleagues in fellowship and fun as we pack 35,000 meals for local distribution.

5

What’s Hot in 2018? Learn About it Here!

The CSG 2017 National Conference is exploring some of the biggest policy issues facing the states today, but also in the upcoming year. Check out our list of top policy issues for 2018 and corresponding sessions to learn more so you will have a head start in navigating these key areas!

Energy & Environment

ISSUE: Pricing and Affordability of Water Services

Concern about water affordability has been spreading. The water infrastructure is aging, there is more water contamination and climate change is making water supplies less reliable. At the same time, because water demand is stable or even dropping due to conservation efforts, water agencies can find revenue to cover the bill only by raising rates on consumption.

SUGGESTED SESSION: Making Waves with State Water Policies | 8 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, Palm B

Education

ISSUE: Every Student Succeeds Act

Collaboration and innovation are at the forefront of the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, plans approved by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. ESSA is a bipartisan measure, signed into law on Dec. 10, 2015, and attempts to provide states with more collaboration and flexibility to serve their students, teachers and communities.

SUGGESTED SESSION: Steps to Success with the Every Student Succeeds Act | 8:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 15, Jasmine CD

International

ISSUE: Trade and Foreign Direct Investment

Negotiations continue between the United Kingdom and the European Union, with talks expected to extend through 2019. Around the Pacific Rim, the withdrawal of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership has reverberated as nations look to alternative trade arrangements. A continued pivot away from broad, multi-party free trade agreements holds substantial risk for states that have trade-orientated economies.

SUGGESTED SESSION: All Trade is Local | 10:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 15, South Seas Ballroom GH

Health

ISSUE: Re-examining States’ Medicaid Programs

After a summer and fall of suspense over whether the Affordable Care Act would be repealed and replaced and how that would affect states’ Medicaid programs, state leaders now can turn their attention to making improvements in their Medicaid programs that address political and fiscal pressures that haven’t gone away.

SUGGESTED SESSION: The Uncertain Future of Health Care | 2:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, South Seas Ballroom IJ

Transportation

ISSUE: Emerging Transportation Technologies

In 2017, 12 states approved self-driving vehicle-related legislation including measures to allow truck platooning, identify an agency to oversee testing and pre-empt local regulation. As the year wound down, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a streamlined version of policy guidance on automated driving systems and Congress was debating federal legislation that could preempt state authority in some areas. The growing use of drones in a variety of capacities also attracted the interest of states with 23 pieces of legislation enacted in 17 states.

SUGGESTED SESSION: Nevada Drives Transportation Policy into the Future | 2:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, South Seas Ballroom GH

Intergovernmental Affairs

ISSUE: Federalism Efforts in D.C.

Renewed interest in the state-federal relationship has taken shape in Congress in the form a task force dedicated to improving intergovernmental affairs and a subcommittee within the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. There is need for cooperation between federal agencies implementing legislation and the states that execute those programs, but the relationship has often been strained and varies depending on which federal agency is involved.

SUGGESTED SESSION: Improving the State and Federal Connection | 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, South Seas Ballroom IJ

Nevada became the 36th state on Oct. 31, 1864.

BOULDER CITY, NEVADA, was created for the thousands of people working on the construction of Hoover Dam. Workers lived in squatters’ settlements before the city was created.

Over half of the top 20 biggest hotels in the world are located

in Las Vegas.

The Iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign at 5100 Las Vegas Boulevard South

has welcomed travelers since 1959.

Tailor Jacob Davis of Reno, Nevada, INVENTED JEANS IN THE 1870S in a partnership with Levi Strauss, a German immigrant. Davis wanted to make a pant strong enough for local miners.

8