By Mark D. Anderson, Esq., Senior Vice President
With the hiring of a new Executive Director, along with many new Governors in office, we can expect to see some potentially significant changes to “business-as-usual” at the National Governors Association (NGA). Following the November elections during which
Read more →By Robert A. Holden, Vice President
A little known provision in the federal health care law has achieved a much higher profile as the potential for higher costs and reduced services for employers and consumers now becomes clear.
Even as state legislatures tackle how they will create
Read more →I’m actually laughing as I write this because I just read the funniest thing ever. It is a post on a well known “research website” that advises readers to schedule time for email. In authoritative tones the author advises blocking 1 to 3 times per day for
Read more →Santa Clara County, California and the City of San Francisco last year enacted restrictions on the inclusion of toys, prizes and incentives in certain children’s meals. In response, state legislatures in Arizona and Florida are considering legislation prohibiting local governments in their states from following suit.
In
Read more →When “Getting Along with your EPA Regional Official” is a session topic for new state environmental commissioners, you know there is a problem. On March 28, state environmental commissioners will convene in Alexandria, Virginia for the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) Spring Meeting. The meeting, which
Read more →The Council of State Governments announced Monday that it was shifting its annual Spring Meeting (this year’s Growth & Prosperity Summit of the States) from the usual large, in-person conference to an online format. While a dramatic move and, I am sure, disappointing to the senior staff
Read more →In recent statements to the National Governors Association, President Obama indicated that he believes there is an opportunity for flexibility in how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is implemented. For many of the assembled Governors, the offer of flexibility he made was not what
Read more →In a recent interview, I was asked about dealing with all the “non traditional” lawmakers who are likely to be elected next Tuesday. The journalist’s question concerned the “tea partiers” and “throw the bums out” iconoclasts who will go to Washington, DC and state capitols with a
Read more →In states where one party has been in control for years, have you cultivated or ignored relationships with the minority party? If they take control, will fence-mending be necessary? You may want to request an increase in your travel budget now for next year so you can make some additional visits to your key states and attend more Groups meetings to quickly develop those relationships for 2011.
Read more →The passing of Labor Day signals the unofficial end to summer and a recommitment to the work we neglected over the last three months while vacationing and shuttling kids to baseball and summer camps. For state government affairs professionals, summer also meant spending a great deal of
Read more →The conventional wisdom is that money can influence elections, but do those who self-fund with large amounts of money always win their races? At least for gubernatorial races, the answer is clearly no.
Read more →Proposition 14 may force a change to some coporate and trade association political giving strategies.
Read more →The race to replace Poizner was one of the more interesting of the night on the Republican side, and a good example of the anti-establishment sentiment.
Read more →His (Crist’s) move to capture the political center is not the only high profile race in which this is happening. At the state level, both Massachusetts and Rhode Island are seeing strong gubernatorial bids by independent candidates. In both of these cases, the independent candidates are portraying themselves as the candidate who best represents the political middle.
Read more →As the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is implemented, the states are coming to grips with its realities and expressing their concerns. Last month I mentioned that 22 states had proposed constitutional amendments or other legislation that would prohibit an individual mandate to purchase
Read more →Hiring a lobbyist is one of the most important decisions anyone in our profession makes. It does not take weeks and it does not require in-person interviews. And, there’s no secret handshake. Yes, it does require research, interviews, checking references (including ones not provided to you) and common sense.
Read more →Yesterday, March 2, saw several politically significant events occur in state politics across the country. In Texas, Rick Perry proved that the anti-spending mood epitomized by the Tea Party movement is strong, but incumbents can survive in 2010. In New York, the political saga continues. In Florida, unemployment insurance fixed on Day 1.
Read more →The pendulum of health care reform has swung back towards state governments. In the February 2, 2010, issue of the Wall Street Journal, Anna Wilde Mathews notes in her article “States Restart Health Care Push” (may require subscription) that the uncertainty of federal health care legislation
Read more →We are already two weeks into the New Year and many of you – having returned to your offices from a long holiday break – are just now beginning to reflect on those resolutions you made in late December for 2010.
Putting aside those commitments you made
Read more →Local governments, facing revenue shortfalls and budget cuts, are looking for any and all sources of revenue to help fill their coffers. One prospective revenue source is now in the crosshairs – hotel occupancy taxes from online travel companies, such as Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline and Hotels.com. While
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