The Current State | Friday

Friday

CSG | 2017 National Conference NEVADA GOV. BRIAN SANDOVAL KICKS OFF THE CSG 2017 NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Gov. Brian Sandoval, the 30th governor of Nevada and CSG 2015 president, is the keynote speaker for today’s opening plenary session.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval will address the CSG 2017 National Conference as the keynote speaker for today’s opening plenary session with a discussion on policy issues facing Nevada and other states across the nation. Sandoval, the 30th governor of Nevada and CSG 2015 president, has worked to transform Nevada’s approach to economic development, expand health care coverage, and provide support to military veterans and their families. But perhaps one of the chief issues he has tackled as governor is reforming Nevada’s juvenile justice system.

In 2016, the United States Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention selected Nevada as the only state to receive technical assistance for a comprehensive review of its juvenile justice system. This review aimed to further strengthen public safety and improve outcomes for youth in Nevada, and inform new juvenile justice policy. The review, led by the Statewide Juvenile Justice Improvement Initiative Task Force, included lawmakers, judges, and state and local juvenile justice leaders.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center conducted the analysis of Nevada’s juvenile justice system and reported back to the task force with policy recommendations. As a result of this work, the Juvenile Justice System Reform Act was signed into law in June this year. The Juvenile Justice System Reform Act requires Nevada to adopt a statewide validated risk and needs assessment tool, requires state funding be used for evidence-based practices, establishes better data collection, and creates a single juvenile justice oversight body to guide and oversee these reforms.

You won’t want to miss this opportunity to hear Sandoval discuss the process of developing the Juvenile Justice System Reform Act, as well as his work modernizing Nevada’s education system and regulating gaming policy.

Friday, Dec. 15 CSG Registration/Information Desk Open 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Jasmine Registration

Buffet Breakfast 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. | South Seas Ballroom ABE

Wake Up with WIG! (Women in Government) 7:30-8:30 a.m. | South Seas Ballroom F

Steps to Success with the Every Student Succeeds Act 8:30 – 10 a.m. | Jasmine CD

The Who, Watt, When of Modernizing Power Grids 8:30 – 10 a.m. | Jasmine GH

Developing a Cybersecurity Strategy 8:30 – 10 a.m. | Palm C

CSG Finance Committee 8:30 – 10 a.m. | Jasmine EF

NCIC Summit of the States Opening Session: Interstate Compacts 101 8:30 – 10 a.m. | Palm D

Purpose and Persistence: Delivering the First FDA-Approved Gene Therapy to Fight Cancer 9 – 10 a.m. | Palm Foyer

Coffee Service 10-10:30 a.m. | South Seas, Palm & Jasmine Foyers

The Time is Now to Eliminate the Rural Broadband Gap 10 – 11 a.m. | Palm Foyer

CSG Associates Advisory Committee 10:30 a.m. – Noon | Jasmine EF

The Business Incentives Trap 10:30 a.m. – Noon | South Seas Ballroom IJ

All Trade is Local 10:30 a.m. – Noon | South Seas Ballroom GH

Professional Licensing from Plumbers to Physicians 10:30 a.m. – Noon | Jasmine CD

NCIC Summit of the States: Best Practices for Administering Interstate Compacts 10:30 a.m. - Noon | Palm D

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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.

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WATER SAFETY & AFFORDABILITY ARE VITAL ISSUES Water concerns are now considered one of the top risks to the U.S. from a geopolitical and economic perspective, said Radhika Fox, CEO of the US Water Alliance and one of the speakers at the Making Waves with State Water Policies Policy Academy on Dec. 14.

The policy academy addressed the various water challenges faced in different parts of the country, including ensuring that clean, safe water is available and affordable for everyone, while also ensuring water systems can afford to comply with regulations and provide reliable service.

Part of the reason for recent water rate hikes is that producing and delivering drinking water is capital intensive because water utilities require a lot of equipment, said Glenn Barnes, associate director of the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We also see rising

Panelists discussed water quality improvements, droughts, water resource management and the impacts of new federal regulations.

costs in water because of aging infrastructure, new technology investment and costs of compliance as regulations change.

“Water rates are going up generally faster than inflation and faster than other utilities,” Barnes said. “Also, we are coming from a place where water has been historically underpriced. But water is essential to public health, so it needs to be affordable.”

Solutions for water affordability issues include variances for small communities that don’t benefit from economies of scale, low-interest loans, grants and principal forgiveness for disadvantaged communities, and direct affordability assistance at the consumer level.

Direct affordability assistance involves giving a fixed value rebate or percent discount to eligible households on their drinking water bill. It is not known how many utilities offer this service, said Gregory Pierce, a senior researcher at the Luskin Center for Innovation at the University of California at Los Angeles.

However, when it is offered, less than 50 percent of eligible households enroll.

Michael Murray, supervisory policy advisor in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, opened the session with a discussion on the benefits of hiring workers with disabilities.

“Hiring workers with disabilities drives innovation in the workplace,” Murray said.

“For example, text messaging was designed for deaf people. It’s good for deaf people, but also everybody else, including businesses.”

Tobacco, Ebola and Public-Private Partnerships – Harnessing Innovation for Public Good and Economic Growth 11 a.m. – Noon | Palm Foyer

Welcome to Nevada!

Opening Session and Luncheon with Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval Noon – 2 p.m. | South Seas Ballroom ABE

Coffee & Soda Service 2-2:30 p.m. | South Seas, Palm & Jasmine Foyers

Creating Transparency, Openness and Trust: A Modern Approach to Redistricting 2 – 3 p.m. | Palm Foyer

NCIC Summit of the States: Interstate Compacts and State Legislatures 2:30 – 3:45 p.m. | Palm D

Reducing Recidivism and Improving Other Outcomes for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System 2:30 – 4 p.m. | Jasmine GH

The Uncertain Future of Health Care 2:30 – 4 p.m. | South Seas Ballroom IJ

Nevada Drives Transportation Policy into the Future 2:30 – 4 p.m. | South Seas Ballroom GH

CSG Shared State Legislation Part II

“Another issue is you often have to be a direct customer of the water utility to enroll, which makes renters ineligible,” Pierce said.

2:30 – 5:30 p.m. | Jasmine AB

To combat these issues, California is proposing a statewide assistance program, which could be funded by a surcharge on noneligible households, a statewide tax or fee applied to both residential and nonresidential customers, or an annual state income tax rebate to eligible households.

4 – 5:15 p.m. | Palm D

HIRING WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES DRIVES INNOVATION IN THE WORKPLACE In the full-day policy academy, Hiring and Retaining Workers with Disabilities, held on Thursday, Dec. 14, state leaders discussed innovative state practices on hiring and retaining workers with disabilities. Panelists covered topics including how states can be model employers, how to engage and support the business community, and best practices on providing employment supports for people with disabilities.

Friday, Dec. 15 (Continued)

According to Murray, there are often barriers to hiring workers with disabilities, and while laws and regulations have a significant role to play, other tactics need to be considered to solve the issue long-term.

“Laws are often the foundation, or baseline, to help employers increase employees with disabilities,” Murray said. “Rules and requirements are vital—and part of your all’s job— but it has an Achilles heel. What happens to compliance when no one is looking?

Noncompliance.”

A panel of state leaders from Kentucky shared their successes with workforce initiatives, which included the recently adopted framework developed by CSG in partnership with the National Conference of State Legislatures.

As part of the framework, Kentucky has worked to identify groups who face obstacles

NCIC Summit of the States: Federalism and Interstate Compacts Japan Local Government Center Reception 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. | Palm A

CSG Henry Toll Fellow Alumni Reception Invitation only 5 – 6:30 p.m. | South Seas Ballroom CD

SGAC Reception 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. | Border Grill, Mandalay Bay

Evening Event: Michael Jackson ONE Presented by Cirque du Soleil 7 p.m.

to entering the workforce such as people with disabilities, veterans, foster children, people who have criminal records and people who have substance use disorders.

For Nadia Ibrahim, senior policy advisor and federal lead on the State Exchange on Employment and Disability for the U.S. Department of Labor, workforce disability issues extend beyond policy issues, to personal obstacles.

“I grew up with difficulties accessing education and internship opportunities, and having employers not understand that I had something to add to the workforce,” Ibrahim said. “It wasn’t until later in my life I realized I had the potential to be successful in the workforce. For me, it’s not about just checking a box, it’s about engaging beyond that.”

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Clockwise from top left: 1. North Dakota state Rep. Kim Koppelman; CSG 2017 National Vice Chair, Delaware state Rep. Helene Keeley; and Jerry Bassett, senior counsel to Alabama Legislative Service Agencies, convened in the Shared State Legislation Committee yesterday.

SSL meets twice annually to review legislation adopted in the states. The committee’s goal is to facilitate the sharing of legislative ideas among CSG members. Keeley and Koppelman are cochairs, and Bassett is vice chair of the committee.

2. CSG 2017 National Conference attendees in discussion yesterday with a view of the Nevada landscape.

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Sharing Capitol Ideas in Las Vegas

Clockwise from top left: 1. Nadia Ibrahim, senior policy advisor and federal lead on the State Exchange on Employment and Disability for the U.S. Department of Labor, speaks at the Hiring and Retaining Workers with Disabilities Policy Academy. 2. Idaho state Reps. Jeff Thompson and Maxine Bell met in the CSG Leadership Council session yesterday. The Leadership Council oversees strategic planning and mission for CSG. 3. Tony Wilson and DeLee Shoemaker, both with Microsoft, attend The Time is Now to Eliminate the Rural Broadband Gap, a CSG Innovation Classroom presented by the Microsoft Corporation.

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SESSION HIGHLIGHTS:

Federalism and Interstate Compacts

Compacts 101

Any discussion about interstate compacts is incomplete without examining the concept of federalism and how it impacts interstate cooperation, as well as discussing federal, state, local and international participation in interstate compacts.

The Summit of the States will begin with a look at the history of interstate compacts, the evolution and current use of interstate compacts, and the scope of interstate problems for which compacts may be used.

The Past, Present and Future of Interstate Cooperation This year, The Council of State Governments will again convene its Summit of the States on Interstate Cooperation, to be held in conjunction with the CSG 2017 National Conference in Las Vegas. This one-of-a-kind event, hosted by the CSG National Center for Interstate Compacts, is a singular forum dedicated exclusively to the interstate compact mechanism.

The Summit of the States brings together compact professionals, scholars and officials from all three branches of state government to discuss issues surrounding interstate compacts. The Summit of the States will provide participants with an opportunity to learn about the history and utility of interstate compacts, best practices for administering interstate compacts, legislative and judicial developments for compacts, and federalism issues impacting compacts.

Friday, Dec. 15 8:30 –10 a.m.

Best Practices for Administering Interstate Compacts This panel will feature a wide-ranging discussion with compact administrators from a variety of disciplines about the best practices they use to effectively manage the day-to-day operations of their interstate compact.

Friday, Dec. 15 10:30 a.m. – Noon

Interstate Compacts and State Legislatures This panel will look at proven ways of educating legislators and legislative staff about interstate compacts and retaining active engagement in the face of legislative transition.

Friday, Dec. 15 4 – 5:15 p.m.

Legal Roundtable The Summit of the States will feature a panel devoted to recent legal developments impacting interstate compacts and will look ahead to what is pending in the courts for 2018.

Saturday, Dec. 16 10:30 – Noon

Occupational Licensure Compacts This panel will look at the recent success of occupational licensure compacts, particularly in the health care sector, in achieving professional licensure portability and reciprocity and the potential influence the tool may have for military families, recent graduates, rural populations, small businesses and America’s workforce at large.

Saturday, Dec. 16 2:30 – 4 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 15 2:30 – 3:45 p.m.

PANELISTS DISCUSS ADVANTAGES OF MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION Katz presented during a Dec. 14 forum titled Growing a Consensus on Marijuana Policy.

Maine residents voted to legalize marijuana in November 2016, but a bill passed by the House and Senate to regulate marijuana sales was vetoed by the governor. Still, Katz said he learned a few things from the process.

Andrew Freedman, co-founder and senior director of Freedman & Koski, talks about the fiscal impact of marijuana legalization.

For decades, people have used marijuana purchased on the streets. That fact, said Maine state Sen. Roger Katz, is the biggest selling point for legalization of marijuana. Marijuana used and purchased this way means states and citizens don’t benefit from a safe and regulated industry as well as the money from taxes.

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Katz said he was glad state leaders approached marijuana with an omnibus bill instead of several bills that might not fit well together.

He suggested other state leaders get the administration involved early. And, finally, he said to participate on a committee if given the opportunity.

“It’s just a lot of fun to be able to work on creating an entirely new regulatory structure for a business that had been illegal … it’s just really a lot of fun and energizing to work on,” he said.

Colorado state Rep. Dan Pabon said his state agreed to spend the first $40 million of marijuana taxes on schools. In addition, the state has worked hard to reduce the number of criminals and cartels. Pabon invited the session attendees

from all branches and different states to visit Colorado and learn from their system and the public servants who put the system in place.

Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, an organization founded in 1995 that focuses on ending marijuana prohibition, presented an overview of marijuana policy across the country.

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All states except two—Idaho and Kansas—have relaxed marijuana laws in some way. Note that laws vary widely and some are only symbolic in that there may not be a legal way to obtain the drug.

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Twenty-nine states have comprehensive medical marijuana laws for cancer, seizures and spasms. Twenty-six of those states also allow marijuana use for chronic or intractable pain.

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Fourteen states have decriminalized marijuana possession, eliminating jail time for marijuana possession but imposing fines.

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Eight states allow recreational marijuana use.

The Every Student Succeeds Act Friday, Dec. 15 | 8:30-10 a.m.

This 90-minute session will be a helpful tool for state leaders to learn about state ESSA plans and the innovative education practices and policies each state proposed.

Jan Brennan, project leader for the National Center for Learning and Civic Engagement at the Education Commission of the States, provides a glimpse into the session.

How is the Every Student Succeeds Act changing the way states approach education policy?

“ESSA’s call for a well-rounded education, referenced more than 20 times in the act and encompassing 17 subject areas, is supporting states in establishing broader and more integrated learning approaches. This is part of a shift to define student success more in terms of college, career and civic readiness, and less through standardized summative tests. Thinking in terms of a well-rounded

education sets the stage for expanded attention to subjects such as civics and arts, and to characteristics of the educational environment, such as student engagement and school climate.”

What has been the biggest roadblock for ESSA implementation?

“Developing and implementing new state accountability systems is always a challenge.

A number of states have struggled to align state and ESSA federal accountability requirements and will run two parallel accountability systems.”

success points toward innovations. States are thinking more innovatively about how to advance indicators such as chronic absenteeism and student engagement.”

What, in your opinion, is the most important aspect of ESSA? “The most important aspect of ESSA is that it reverses the trend toward federal mandates, providing opportunity for collaborative and customized state and local approaches.”

This session will empower state leaders and give an important update on ESSA

What are some ways you’ve seen states innovating with ESSA?

from speakers including representatives of

“The fifth indicator selected by states as a measure of school quality and student

Education Commission of the States.

the U.S. Department of Education and the

Overseas Voting Reports Released Success Improving Voting for Overseas Citizens session | Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-Noon

Since its launch in 2013, The Council of State Governments Overseas Voting Initiative has sought ways to enhance the voting process for Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, or UOCAVA, voters. Through the initiative’s three working groups— Technology, Policy, and Section B of the Election Administration and Voting Survey, or EAVS—the OVI has brought together state and local election officials, academics, experts, technologists and other stakeholders to formulate recommendations that would ultimately lead to policy action to increase overseas voter participation. In addition to the working groups, OVI sought out three research initiatives to address specific aspects of the UOCAVA process and were intended to improve the overall experience for UOCAVA voters in the future.

As the successful four-year program wraps up this year in December, the Success Improving Voting for Overseas Citizens session will summarize the research conducted, the recommendations and the pilot programs that OVI has orchestrated with the support and guidance of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Federal Voting Assistance Program, or FVAP. The speakers for the session will be OVI Director Kamanzi Kalisa, FVAP Director David Beirne, and working group members from each of the three working groups. Alongside the wrap-up of OVI, the following reports will be released to the public: The Military Ballot Tracking Report, a technology report on data standardization, and another technology report on ballot duplication/CAC card usage.

The Overseas Voting Initiative’s Final Report, which will provide a conclusive overview of the initiative, will be released early next year.

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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 .

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.

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