SMART GROWTH HEALTH LITERACY CUBAN TRADEcsg-web.csg.org/knowledgecenter/docs/sgn0212.pdfcates...

Nov/Dec 2002

SMART GROWTH HEALTH LITERACY CUBAN TRADE

P.O. Box 11910, Lexington, KY 40578. 1-800-800-1910 fax 859-244-8001 www.csg.org - online store.$35.00 + $8.50 s/h add appropriate sales tax in CA, DC, GA, IL, KY, NY

Now more than ever, state leaders need timely information and analysis on critical policy issues. Designed forquick and easy use with the busy state official in mind, CSG’s State Official’s Guides focus not only

on the issues affecting states today, but seek to prepare state officials for the emerging trends of tomorrow.

State Official’s Guides provide:

• Summary of the Issues: Who is affected and how?• Access to key research and data: When and how will it affect your state?• Overview of state policies and actions: What are states doing?• Critical analysis by state practitioners and CSG staff: How can states respond?• Talking Points card for state officials on the go• Key reference materials for additional information

4 state government news november/december 2002

featuresfeatures

associate editorLaurie Clewett

graphic design coordinatorSusie Bush

contributorsJames Carroll • Keon ChiChad Foster • Ed Janairo

Karen Marshall • Trudi MatthewsMagdalena Mook • John Mountjoy

Jenny Sewell • Allison SpurrierBill Voit • Chris Whatley

Laura Williamsproofreader

Nancy J.Vickersreprint permissions

Susan Haney(859) 244-8235

advertising and publication sales(800) 800-1910

[email protected]

(859) 244-8001e-mail

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www.csg.org

on the coverCSG’s Innovations Awards winners show thatstates truly are the laboratories of democracy.

Cover by Lisa Eads

csg’s 2002 innovations awards

Laboratories of democracy 8CSG presents the 2002 winners of the country’s only state governmentinnovations awards program judged by the states themselves.

• Delaware – Teaching financial literacy by John J. Mountjoy• Pennsylvania – Informing the public by Scott Richards• North Dakota – Building trust and consensus by Laurie Clewett• South Dakota – Learning history online by Barry Hopkins• Texas – Helping parents and children by Jenny Sewell• Virginia – Managing workers’ compensation by James Carroll• Idaho – Streamlining government purchasing by David A. Moss• Washington – Ensuring workers’ safety by Michele Bushong

innovations

More innovative ideas 17CSG recognizes the regional alternates and semifinalists in the annualinnovations competition.

land use

Maryland’s Smart Growth tool kit 24A model for building sustainable communities around the world.

by Gov. Parris N. Glendening

land use

Growing smarter: Next steps 26Maryland’s governor evaluates the progress and future challenges of hisstate’s pioneering land-use initiative.


land use

Smart Growth U 28Colleges and universities can contribute to smart land-use policies, vibrant communities.


economic development

To trade or not to trade? 30States take the lead on trade with Cuba.

by Carolyn Orr

leadership

Virginia hosts state leaders 32CSG meeting highlights key trends and issues.

by Susan Saylor Yeary

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Nov/Dec 2002

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the council of state governments 5

states news 6• Report: Higher ed at a standstill• Death penalty update• Landmark family-leave bill passes• North Carolina OKs judicial public financing

excellence in action 34CSG activities and events, and those of affiliates and other associations, are highlighted.

conference calendar 39Meetings and conference activities of CSG, affiliates and other associations are listed.

headquarters2760 Research Park Drive

P.O. Box 11910Lexington, KY 40578-1910

(859) 244-8000

washingtonJim Brown, General Counsel

and DirectorHall of the States

444 N. Capitol St. N.W., Suite 401Washington, DC 20001

(202) 624-5460

easternAlan V. Sokolow, Director233 Broadway, 22nd Floor

New York, NY 10279(212) 912-0128

midwesternMichael H. McCabe, Director

641 E. Butterfield Road, Suite 401Lombard, IL 60148

(630) 810-0210

southernColleen Cousineau, Director3355 Lenox Road, Suite 1050

Atlanta, GA 30326(404) 266-1271

westernKent Briggs, Director

1107 9th Street, Suite 650Sacramento, CA 95814

(916) 553-4423

council officesDaniel M. Sprague, Executive Director

departmentsdepartments

Executive Committee

ChairSenate President Pro Tem John Chichester, Va.

PresidentGov. Parris N. Glendening, Md.

Chair-ElectRep. Dan Bosley, Mass.

President-ElectGov. Mike Huckabee, Ark.

Vice ChairSen. John Hottinger, Minn.

Vice Presidentvacant

executive committeeSen. David Adkins, Kan. • Sen. Richard Alarcon, Calif. •Assemblywoman Elaine Alquist, Calif. • Rep. David Alukonis, N.H. •Ms. Mollie Anderson, Director, Department of Personnel, Iowa • Sen.Manny M. Aragon, N.M. • Mr. Karl Aro, Executive Director,Department of Legislative Services, Md. • Sen. Rich Bagger, N.J. • Ms.Linda Renee Baker, Secretary, Dept. of Human Services, Ill. • ChiefJustice Robert Bell, Md. • Treasurer Marshall Bennett, Miss. • Mr. CarlBianchi, Director, Legislative Services, Idaho • Sen. Pam Brown, Neb.•Sen. Brenda Burns, Ariz.• Attorney General Steve Carter, Ind. • Rep.Robert M. Clayton, III, Miss. • Sen. Steve Cohen,Tenn.• Rep.TerryColeman, Ga. • Rep .John Connors, Iowa • Sen. Jim Costa, Calif.•Rep.Toni Crosby, N.H.• Rep. Susan Crosby, Ind.• Ms. Brenda Decker,Director, Divison of Communications, Neb. • Rep. Carol Donovan,Mass.• Treasurer Jim Douglas,Vt. • Treasurer Dan Ebersole, Ga. •Judge Susan Ehrlich, Ariz.• Sen. Hugh Farley, N.Y. • Lt. Gov. CharlesFogarty, R.I. • Speaker Tim Ford, Miss.• Sen. Karen Fraser,Wash. • Rep.Joe Green, Alaska • Sen. Herb Guenther, Ariz.• Rep. Joe Hackney,N.C.• Sen. President John Hainkel, La.• Sen.Toni Nathaniel Harp,Conn. • Sen. Douglas Henry,Tenn.• Assemblyman Lynn Hettrick,Nev.• Sen. Lyle Hillyard, Utah • Gov. Bob Holden, Mo. • Mr. LamarHolland, Assistant Director, Ga. State Finance & InvestmentCompanies • Rep. Deborah Hudson, Del. • Judge Robert Hunter,N.C.• Gov. Mike Johanns, Neb. • Rep. Douglas Jones, Idaho • Ms. LiliaJudson, Executive Director, Division of State Court Administration, Ind.• Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, Idaho • Ms. Elisabeth Kersten, Director,Senate Office of Research, Calif. • Member Robert Kieffer, QuebecNational Assembly • Sen. Sue Landske, Ind.• Gov. Mike Leavitt, Utah •Mr. Edward Lurie, Director, Senate Research, N.Y. • Sen. Lisa Madigan,Ill .• Sen. Carl Marcellino, N.Y. • Sen. John J. Marchi, N.Y. • Rep. JohnMartinez, Conn. • Gov. Judy Martz, Mont. • Sen. Kenneth McClintock,Puerto Rico • Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller, Jr., Md. • Gov.Ruth Ann Minner, Del. • Sen. Angela Monson, Okla. • AttorneyGeneral Mike Moore, Miss. • Sen. Stephen Morris, Kan. • SpeakerThomas B. Murphy, Ga. • Sen. David Nething, N.D. • Ms. Jane Nishida,Secretary, Dept. of Environment, Md. • Mr. John Olsrud, Director,Legislative Services, N.D. • Gov. George Pataki, N.Y. • Gov. Paul E.Patton, Ky. • Secretary of State Sharon Priest, Ark. • Mr. VirgilPuskarich, Executive Director, Local Government Commission, Pa. •Sen. Pam Redfield, Neb. • Ms. Mary Regel, Administrator, Div. ofInternational Development,Wis. • Lt. Gov. Jack Riggs, Idaho • Sen.Claire Robling, Minn. • Rep. Roger Roy, Del. • Mr.Tom Ryder, Ill. • Sen.Steve Saland, N.Y. • Sen. DiAnna Schimek, Neb. • Assemblyman RobinSchimminger, N.Y. • Lt. Gov. Gary Sherrer, Kan. • AssemblymanRobert Straniere, N.Y. • Sen. Robert Thompson, Pa. • Secretary ofState Ron Thornburgh, Kan. • Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin,W.Va. • Rep. Joe Toomy, La. • Sen. Donne Trotter, Ill. • Sen. RichWardner, N.D. • Ms. Kathy Waters, Division Director, ArizonaSupreme Court • Mr. Jeff Wells, Counsel, Dept. of Labor andEmployment, Colo. • Sen. Jeff Wentworth,Texas • AssemblymanRobert C.Wertz, N.Y. • Mr. Glen Woodbury, Director, EmergencyManagement Division,Wash.

STATE GOVERNMENT NEWS, ISSN 0039-0119, Nov/Dec2002,Vol. 45, No. 10 — Published monthly with combined issues inJune/July and Nov./Dec. by The Council of State Governments, 2760Research Park Drive, Lexington, KY 40511-8410. Opinions expressedin this magazine do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Councilof State Governments nor the views of the editorial staff. Readers’comments are welcome. Subscription rates — In the U.S., $45 peryear. Single issues are available at $6 per copy. POSTMASTER:Send address changes to State Government News, Sales Department,P.O. Box 11910, Lexington, KY 40578-1910.

Advertising — Black and white, two-color and full-color advertisingavailable. For complete circulation and advertising information, contactthe advertising department at (800) 800-1910. Mailing lists are avail-able for rent upon approval of a sample mailing.

Copyright 2002 by The Council of State Governments. Periodicalspostage paid at Lexington, Ky., and at additional mailing offices.

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health

Health care 101 20A new CSG survey finds growing awareness of the need for health literacy initiatives.

by Jenny Sewell

page 20


states news: find the latest news on CSG’s Web site – www.csg.org

Some states have improved certainaspects of their higher education systems inrecent years, especially when it comes to

college preparation. But overall, collegeopportunity is at a standstill, remainingunevenly and unfairly distributed across thecountry, according to the National Centerfor Public Policy and Higher Education.Measuring Up 2002, a report the centerreleased in October, graded states in fivekey areas of higher education performance:

preparation, participation, affordability,completion and benefits. States received theworst grades for affordability – 12 statesfailed, 20 states received grades of D or D-, and only California got an A. Overall,America’s higher education systemreceived a D in affordability, C+ in prepara-tion, participation and benefits, and B- incompletion. No state earned straight A’s,but Massachusetts came the closest with A’sin preparation and participation and A-’s incompletion and benefits. Rhode Island andConnecticut received an A or A- in three ofthe five categories, while California andNew Jersey did so in two categories.Sixteen states earned only one A or A-,while the rest earned none.

Report finds higher ed at a standstill

Gov. Gray Davis signed landmark legis-lation in late September, making Californiathe first state to offer employees paid fami-ly leave. SB 1661, sponsored by Sen.Sheila Kuehl, extends the State DisabilityInsurance program through a new FamilyTemporary Disability Insurance program.Beginning July 1, 2004, workers will beable to take up to six weeks of paid leave

per year to care for sick family members ornew children, receiving up to 55 percent oftheir salaries. Small businesses with lessthan 50 employees are exempt from thenew law’s provisions, as are state and localgovernment employees, who contribute toa different disability plan. According to TheSacramento Bee, 27 other states are study-ing similar initiatives.

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack announced inOctober that he would sue the federal gov-ernment over low Medicare-reimbursementrates for his state’s hospitals. According tohttp://www.moremedicareforiowa.com,Iowa ranks fifth in the nation in percentageof population over age 65, but it ranks 50thin Medicare-reimbursement rates. On aver-age, Medicare pays $5,490 per patient, butIowa only receives $3,053 per patient. With475,000 Iowans receiving Medicare, advo-cates estimate the state loses $1 billion ayear. Vilsack and Lt. Gov. Sally Pedersonlaunched the “More Medicare for Iowa”campaign in July, urging members ofCongress and U.S. Health and HumanServices Secretary Tommy Thompson toincrease Iowa’s payments. WhenThompson rejected Vilsack’s request, say-

ing the matter wasbest handled byCongress, Vilsackannounced he wouldsue the department.According to TheDes Moines Regist-er, federal judges have rejected similar suitsfrom other states in the past, but IowaAttorney General Tom Miller said his statewould argue the case on narrower grounds.As of late September, Iowa’s U.S. Senatorswere negotiating a three-year deal toincrease payments to the state. In August,the Midwestern Legislative Conference,which is staffed by CSG Midwest, passed aresolution on Medicare equity, calling onCongress to make payments more uniformbetween rural and urban areas.

Iowa’s governor to sue feds

Landmark family-leave bill passes

The impact of the economicdownturn is reflected in new datafrom the U.S. Census Bureau,which shows that poverty ratesrose and household incomesdeclined between 2000 and 2001.After falling for four years in arow, the U.S. poverty rate rosefrom 11.3 percent in 2000 to 11.7percent in 2001. Meanwhile,median household incomedropped by 2.2 percent duringthe year, to $42,228. In 2001,32.9 million Americans werepoor, and 6.8 million families(9.2 percent) were poor. Thepoverty line in 2001 ranged from$9,039 for an individual to$18,104 for a family of four.New Hampshire, Minnesota,Maryland, Connecticut and Iowahad the lowest poverty rates,while New Mexico, Arkansas,Mississippi and Louisiana hadthe highest. By region, the Southhad the highest poverty rate (13.5percent) and the lowest medianincome ($38,904).

The Census Bureau alsoreported that the number of peo-ple with and without health insur-ance both increased, by 1.2 mil-lion and 1.4 million, respectively.In 2001, 240.9 million people hadhealth insurance, compared to41.2 million uninsured – about14.6 percent of the population.The number of people covered byMedicaid rose from 29.5 millionin 2000 to 31.6 million in 2001,or from 10.6 percent to 11.2 per-cent of the population. WhileMedicaid covered 13.3 millionpoor people in 2001, another 10.1million (30.7 percent) had nohealth insurance coverage. Theproportion of people withouthealth insurance ranged fromabout 7.2 percent in Rhode Islandand Minnesota to about 23.2 per-cent in New Mexico and Texas.

Poverty up, incomes down

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack


In September, after months of nego-tiations with supporters, CaliforniaGov. Gray Davis vetoed a bill thatwould have allowed undocumentedimmigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.Assembly Bill 60, sponsored byAssemblyman Gil Cedillo, wouldhave allowed undocumented workersto use federal taxpayer ID numbers,instead of Social Security numbers, inthe application process. Unlike SocialSecurity numbers, the federal ID num-bers are issued regardless of legal res-idency status. In the wake of Sept. 11,Davis argued that the bill’s provisionscould compromise homeland security.In recent years, several states haveconsidered or enacted bills like theproposed California measure. Davis’veto, however, represents a growingmovement over the past year to tight-en driver’s license requirements.

New York has joined Georgia andNorth Carolina in cracking down onpredatory lenders. In October, Gov.George Pataki signed into law a bill toprotect the state’s consumers – espe-cially vulnerable elderly and low-income borrowers – from high-costloans. According to the AssociatedPress, the bill requires the state bank-ing department to issue regulationsbarring banks and mortgage compa-nies from engaging in “predatory”lending practices, including issuingunaffordable loans, charging exces-sive fees, and “flipping” loans, orrepeatedly refinancing them underterms that benefit the lenders, not theborrowers. The bill defines high-costloans as those with interest rates morethan 8 percent above the rate on U.S.Treasury Bills, and it defines fees asexcessive when they total more than 5percent of the loan amount.

In late September, a federal judgein Vermont ruled that the federaldeath-penalty law is unconstitution-al. The ruling by Judge William K.Sessions III followed a similar rul-ing in July by Judge Jed Rakoff ofthe U.S. District Court in New YorkCity. However, some constitutionalscholars expect Sessions’ ruling tohave even more impact. Accordingto the Rutland Herald, Sessionsargued that the federal DeathPenalty Act of 1994 violates defen-dants’ rights to due process, becauseit allows evidence and proceduresthat would be prohibited during atrial to be used during the sentenc-ing process.

Meanwhile, in Nebraska, stateSen. Gene Tyson called for a speciallegislative session to change thestate’s death-penalty laws after bankrobbers killed five people in lateSeptember. Tyson wanted to make iteasier for prosecutors to seek thedeath penalty for four men chargedin the killings. Nebraska’s laws are

under court scrutiny in the wake ofthe U.S. Supreme Court’s June rul-ing that juries must decide sen-tences, not judges. As of earlyOctober, the Court had agreed tohear four more cases dealing withthe mechanics of the death penaltyduring its new term.

Death penalty updateDavis vetoes driver’s license bill

New York banspredatory lending

In early October, North Carolinabecame the first state in the nation toprovide full public financing forappellate-level judicial candidates.The state Senate passed Senate Bill1054, also known as the JudicialCampaign Reform Act, in November2001. On Sept. 25, the House passeda modified version of the bill by avote of 57-55, and Gov. Mike Easleysigned it on October 10. According to

the North Carolina Center for VoterEducation, the bill has four main pro-visions:

• Full public financing for judicialcandidates who agree to fundrais-ing and spending limits.

• Nonpartisan, rather than parti-san, elections for appellatecourt judges.

• A $1,000 limit on individual cam-paign contributions to appellatecourt judges, reduced from$4,000.

• Creation of a state voter guidewith information about appellatecourt candidates.

The law will take effect in 2004.According to the center, similar billshave been introduced in Wisconsinand Illinois, and one may be intro-duced in Georgia.

North Carolina OKs judicial public financing

this year,” he added.Over 150 programs representing seven

categories applied for this year’s competition. The categories includedCommunications and Technology, Infra-structure and Economic Development,Government Operations, Health andHuman Services, Human Resources/Education, Natural Resources, and PublicSafety/Corrections.

After CSG policy staff reviewed theapplications, 45 semifinalists were for-warded to four regional selection commit-tees. From the semifinalists, panels of stateofficials chose two winners and an alter-nate to represent their regions. CSG’sInnovations Awards Program is the onlyone in the country that uses state officials toselect the winners.

The judges weighed five factors in theirdecisions: creativity, effectiveness, signifi-cance, applicability and transferability.From the pool of applicants, they chose themost innovative, effective programs thataddress significant problems faced bymany states. In addition, winners providedcost-effective models that other states can


innovations awardsinnovations awards

replicate relatively easily.“In a real sense, everyone wins when

states vigorously pursue better, more cost-effective ways to provide services to citi-zens,” Sprague said. “In this competitiveenvironment, we want to add a special noteof congratulations to the eight winnersselected by panels of state officials in ourfour CSG regions.”

CSG is proud to announce the 2002Innovations Awards Winners fromDelaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas,North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho andWashington. The finalists will be recog-nized in December at CSG’s Annual StateTrends and Leadership Forum inRichmond, Virginia.

Congratulations also to the alternatewinners from Pennsylvania, Florida,Kansas and Utah, as well as to all of thisyear’s applicants, which demonstratedthat states truly are the laboratories of democracy when it comes to govern-ment innovation!

— Laurie Clewett is the associate editorof State Government News.

“It is one of the happy incidents of thefederal system that a single courageousstate may, if its citizens choose, serve as alaboratory and try novel social and eco-nomic experiments without risk to the restof the country.”

— U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis

ince 1975, The Council of StateGovernments has helped states serve

their citizens by identifying the country’smost innovative state government pro-grams. Based on Louis Brandeis’ beliefthat states are the leaders in governmentinnovation, CSG’s Innovations AwardsProgram recognizes the best, most effec-tive solutions to help states do their jobs.Although states don’t have the budget sur-pluses they had in the 1990s, the tighteconomy has not kept them from pursuingcreative approaches. Necessity is, after all,the mother of invention.

“At a time when states and territories are facing extremely difficult fiscal con-straints, innovative ways to perform state-government functions are even more critical,” said Dan Sprague, CSG’s execu-tive director. “We were delighted with thenumber and quality of programs submitted

SS

2003 InnovationsAwards Program

Applications for the 2003Innovations Awards Programwill be available in January2003. For more information,please contact James Carroll at (859) 244-8257 or [email protected], or visit CSG’s Website, http://www.csg.org.

Laboratories of democracy



eveloped in 1999 by State TreasurerJack Markell, Delaware’s Financial

Literacy Initiatives seek to give individu-als, especially those with low or moderateincomes, the tools they need to get theirfinancial lives in order and become self-sufficient. Under Treasurer Markell’s lead-ership, the state established a nonprofitfoundation, the Delaware FinancialLiteracy Institute. Working hand in hand,the institute and the treasurer’s office workwith businesses and other nonprofit groupsto promote financial literacy.

The initiative, a series of four separateprograms, uses forums and classes acrossthe state to educate citizens about finan-cial tools, skills and responsibilities. Itsfour components include the DelawareBank at School program, the Money$marts Kids Conference, the DelawareMoney School and the Everywoman’sMoney Conference.

The Bank at School program partnersbanks with elementary schools to teachchildren about the values of saving andfinancial responsibility. Each week, bankemployees visit participating schools toserve the young investors. The childrendo everything an adult would do at abank, including filling out their owndeposit slips and tracking asset growthwith an account book. The only thingthey cannot do at school is withdrawmoney, which they must do at the bank.More than 5,500 students have participat-ed in the program. During the 1999-2000

school year, students made more than$35,000 in deposits. The program wasdeveloped with the Delaware Chamber of Commerce and the University ofDelaware’s Center for Economic Edu-cation and Entrepreneurship.

Developed to form a link between par-ents and their children when it comes tofiscal responsibility, the Money $martKids Conference seeks to get familiesexcited about saving. The conference, aone-day free event for children in gradesfour through seven and their parents, pro-vides interactive and motivating sessionsto bolster personal savings. “What’s real-ly exciting about the Money $mart KidsConference is that it’s an opportunity forparents and kids to learn together,”Treasurer Markell said in a September2002 Newszap! interview. “It’s reallyimportant to establish good habits nowwith your money.”

Kids learn the basics of money man-agement, saving and budgeting. Parentsget advice and share information on rais-ing money-savvy kids. Staffed by volun-teer teachers and banking professionals,the conference is supported through cor-porate sponsorship. “These kids learn anincredible amount in a short amount oftime,” Treasurer Markell said. “Theyunderstand the difference between needsand wants and they understand the impor-tance of setting goals and saving for thelong term.”

Since 1999, the Delaware Money

School has provided ongoing communi-ty-based financial education to men andwomen in a pressure-free learning envi-ronment. The school offers classes on avariety of topics, including basic moneymanagement, investing, retirement plan-ning, planning for a child’s college edu-cation and predatory lending. The MoneySchool is staffed by a coalition of volun-teer professionals from financial institu-tions and nonprofit organizations. Thecollaboration between the communityand public and private groups is key tothe Money School’s success. The schoolwas so well received during its first twoyears of operation that it has added newservices online, providing course materi-als, program schedules and allowing citizens to register quickly and easily for upcoming courses at http://www.delawaremoneyschool.com. The programhas offered more than 500 classes andreached more than 10,000 citizens.

Recognizing that women are especial-ly at risk for financial trouble, Delawaresought to provide specialized services for women through the Everywoman’sMoney Conference. Since 1999, Dela-ware has held two such conferences andis currently planning the third. The goalof these day-long events is to providewomen with the skills, tools and supportnecessary to successfully manage andplan for their financial futures. The firstconference attracted 997 registrants andwas funded by more than $100,000 incorporate donations. The second confer-ence drew more than 1,300 women andover $120,000 in donations.

Delaware’s treasurer saw a definiteproblem and created an innovative solu-tion – one that is community based,inexpensive and provides for partner-ships and collaboration between thepublic and private sectors. Delawarerealizes that financially educated citi-zens help build better communities and astronger state.

For more information, contact RonniCohen, executive director of theDelaware Financial Literacy Institute at (302) 792-1200 or [email protected].

—John J. Mountjoy is the associate direc-tor for national policy at The Council ofState Governments.

EastTeaching

financial literacyDelaware’s treasurer offers programs to help children and adults manage money

DD



n the past, it was difficult forPennsylvania’s citizens to obtain

timely, accurate and complete informa-tion on the status of an environmentalpermit. Occasionally, communitiesclaimed they had not received advancenotice of an application, and sometimes a“surprise” permit was approved withapparently little public knowledge of the process.

In response, Pennsylvania’s Depart-ment of Environmental Protection creat-ed eNotice in April 2001, the first-of-its-kind email notification sys-tem. The program allows citizens to track environmental permit applicationsthroughout the review process. Pennsyl-vania’s DEP designed eNotice to providethe environmental and regulated commu-nities with the most accurate, up-to-datepermitting information possible.

According to DEP Secretary DavidHess, “eNotice turns everything on itshead. … Government is the servant of get-ting information to citizens.” Hessstressed the historical importance of thechange. Programs like eNotice represent“the first fundamental change in how gov-ernments provide information to citizenssince Colonial times,” he said. No longerare notices posted in the town square orhidden in hard-to-find sections of thenewspaper, but rather, the agency deliversinformation directly to interested citizens.

Once registered for the service, usersselect a township, city, borough or county.

Next they pick the types of permits (air,waste, mining, etc.) they wish to follow.Then the department sends notificationsvia email when permit applications comefrom these areas. Users continue to receiveemail alerts as permits move through thereview process. In February 2002,Pennsylvania DEP expanded the service toinclude electronic notification of draftpolicies, manuals and technical guidancedocuments open for public comment.

This new initiative enhances thedepartment’s Web-based, award-winningEnvironment, Facility, Application, Com-pliance Tracking System (eFACTS).Introduced in 1999, eFACTS was design-ed to increase public participation in theenvironmental permitting process bymaking access to information easier andmore efficient. With the introduction ofeFACTS, citizens could monitor permitsissued by DEP, the status of pending per-mit applications, and department-wideinformation on multiple programs thatregulate facilities, suchas air, waste and waterprograms.

Both eNotice andeFACTS developedfrom department offi-cials’ understandingthat even though gov-ernment information isoften classified as“openly available to thepublic,” it has tradition-

ally been very difficult to obtain becauseof institutional limitations. Barriers suchas limited hours of operation for statebuildings, sloppy record and file keeping,complex “rights of access” and freedom-of-information processes limit citizens’access to government information.

The email service is unique because itgoes beyond the traditional regulatorymodel that requires agencies to publishinformation with the hope that citizenswill respond or comment. Likewise, itdoes more than simply post informationon a Web site. Instead, users can getinformation about their communities andthe permits they are interested in deliv-ered directly to their email in-boxes whenimportant milestones are reached.

Originally, eNotice began as an effortby the department’s Environmental JusticeWork Group to identify new ways to con-nect DEP to communities. But officials arefinding the service has a broader appeal.Increasingly, attorneys and consultantswho are responsible for permit applica-tions are using the service. Currently,about 2,700 users are signed up, resultingin over 1,100 eNotices sent daily.

In the next six months, these numbersare expected to increase. Plans are under-way to expand the program to permitholders. According to Secretary Hess,“permit holders will start receiving notifi-cations that inform them on such thingsas regulatory changes and reportingrequirements.”

For more information, contact KarenBassett, chief information officer ofPennsylvania’s Department of Environ-mental Protection, at (717) 772-0801 [email protected].

—Scott Richards is the chief environmen-tal policy analyst at The Council of StateGovernments.

EastInforming the

publicA new email service makes

environmental permitting open and easy to track

II



efore the Roundtable on HigherEducation existed, there was no

common vision, no shared set of expecta-tions and no clear accountability standards for North Dakota’s univer-sity system.

“That kind of environment led peopleto be very careful and not take risks,because it was next to impossible toplease the many varied expectations,”said Eddie Dunn, vice chancellor forstrategic planning for the North DakotaUniversity System. In addition, he added,the only time the state Legislature reallydiscussed higher education was duringthe appropriations process. So the discus-sion tended to focus on money, not goals.

Today, thanks to the roundtable, thestate has a new leadership model.According to Dunn, its essence “is basical-ly flexibility with accountability based onmutual trust.” Since 1999, roundtablemembers have worked to transform NorthDakota’s higher education system throughthese principles. And it’s working.

“Now we have a leadership model thatis being drawn by a vision, rather thanbeing driven by a budget,” Dunnexplained. “It causes one to think aboutusing the tremendous assets of the uni-versity system to address challenges andopportunities, and it’s looked at more asan avenue for a brighter future, ratherthan a cost to the citizens of the state.”

The roundtable is composed of 21 statelegislators and 40 influential leaders from

the private sector, higher education, tribalcolleges, K-12 education and other stateagencies. Its members first met threeyears ago to imagine “what a successfuluniversity system would look like in the21st century and how it could contributeto growing the state’s economy.”

“The members of this group didn’t startby talking about higher education,” Dunnsaid. “They talked about the needs of thestate, the needs of the students, and so on.And then the conversation went to what isthe role of the university system in address-ing these challenges and opportunities?”

After learning about current conditionsand projected trends, the group identifiedsix “cornerstones” on which to build theuniversity system of the future. Theseincluded: 1) economic development con-nection, 2) education excellence, 3) flex-ible and responsive, 4) accessible, 5)funding and rewards, and 6) sustainingthe vision. Members then divided into sixtask forces and developed recommenda-tions in each area.

From the beginning, they adopted a“consensus process,” which Dunn saidwas critical to the endeavor’s success.The process had three basic rules. First,everyone must be heard. Second, everymember had to understand each recom-mendation so well that they could explainit to their neighbors over the back fence.And third, once the group agreed on itsrecommendations, every member wouldsupport the entire package.

In May 2000, the roundtable issued itsrecommendations in a comprehensivereport called A North Dakota UniversitySystem for the 21st Century, available athttp://www.ndus.nodak.edu/reports.During the 2001 session, the Legislaturepassed and the governor signed a bill thatwas virtually identical to the roundtable’srecommendations.

Now that the initial recommendationsare in place, roundtable members contin-ue to meet annually. All the major stake-holders report on their progress towardreaching the goals. Then the group breaksinto the six cornerstone groups to discusstheir areas in depth and to recommendhigh-priority action items for the nextyear. “The roundtable absolutely has tocontinue as a driving force for that visionand those expectations to become a reali-ty,” Dunn said.

“The most important thing that peopleneed to bring to this kind of initiative is atrusting relationship with one another,”he added. “You cannot do business if youdo not have a trusting relationship.”

For more information, contact Sen.David Nething, chair of the North DakotaRoundtable on Higher Education, at(701) 252-3353 or P.O. Box 1059, James-town, North Dakota 58402.

—Laurie Clewett is the associate editorof State Government News.

MidwestBuilding trustand consensus

A public/private partnership creates a new leadership model

for higher education

Sen. David Nething, chair of the roundtable,and Rep. Nancy Johnson, vice chair of theinterim Higher Education Committee.

BB

n 1999, South Dakota adopted newacademic-content standards that

required the state’s history to be taught inthe fourth grade. But educators faced aproblem: there was no textbook or curricu-lum guide available, which resulted inuneven instructional practices and dupli-cated efforts across the state.

State education officials determined thatthe timelines and costs associated withpublishing a regular textbook or curricu-lum guide were prohibitive. “Given thecost, which is always a problem in a small-er state, the issue was how to deliver thecontent,” said Ray Christensen, SouthDakota’s secretary of education and cultur-al affairs. Also, a textbook was inflexibleand not easily updated to reflect changingeducational practices or goals.

Gov. William Janklow, a South Dakotahistory buff himself, had already led thestate to invest in a high-speed telecommu-nications infrastructure linking the state’sschools to the Internet. Spurred byJanklow’s involvement, a group of educa-tors, historians and state officials quicklydeveloped a solution: an online SouthDakota history curriculum.

The Department of Education andCultural Affairs developed the project,while the department’s Office of Historyand the South Dakota Historical Societyprovided historical content and composi-tion. The department’s Office of Tech-nical Assistance coordinated the onlineproject and the Office of Educational

Technology designed the online presenta-tion and created the Web site, http://www.sd4history.com.

The final product was an online curricu-lum for fourth-graders called The WeeklySouth Dakotan. The curriculum is dividedinto nine units, each consisting of four les-sons, which may be completed over a nine-week period or spread out across the schoolyear. In addition, the material may be usedonline or downloaded into a printable for-mat. Packed with functional features suchas “hot buttons” and “mouse-over” fea-tures, students can gain access to addition-al information about a topic, interactivemaps, historical timelines, or view an his-toric photograph or artifact. The teachers’section provides worksheets, focus ques-tions, classroom activities, reading lists,audiovisual resources and Web links.Supplementing the online units and les-sons, a “teacher’s warehouse” provides abest-practices area with recommendedactivities suggested by teachers fromacross the state.

By overcoming the reliance on hard-copy textbooks, the state came up with abargain for teaching children about SouthDakota history. Startup costs came to justover $100,000, with the majority ofexpenses coming from personnel timespent creating the program. In addition,future annual operating costs will be limit-ed only to maintenance of the Web site andthe necessary fees for the site’s “presence”on the Internet. Any additional costs would

be incurred only through the developmentof new curricula and content to be added tothe site in the future.

Other states that want to implement sim-ilar programs would experience few obsta-cles, depending on the extent to which theirclassrooms and schools are wired to theInternet. However, any school that is not as“connected” or does not have an adequatecomputer/student ratio could download,print and reproduce the materials for regu-lar classroom use instead.

By publishing a “cybercurriculum,”South Dakota has overcome many of thetraditional barriers – mainly, lack of timeand money – that states face when intro-ducing new concepts into classroomsstatewide.

“Another benefit of this program is thatit moves us to the next level of how we candeliver and distribute content for youngpeople in the 21st century,” said SecretaryChristensen.

By harnessing a rich resource such asthe Internet for teachers and students, andleveraging it with the statewide informa-tion-technology infrastructure present in itsschools, South Dakota has truly developeda tool for the future.

For more information about The WeeklySouth Dakotan program, visit http://www.sd4history.com or contact Ray Christ-ensen, secretary of education and culturalaffairs, at (605) 773-5669 or [email protected].

—Barry Hopkins is the lead infrastructurepolicy analyst at The Council of StateGovernments.



MidwestLearning history

onlineA statewide “cybertextbook”saves schools time and money

II

he Texas Office of the AttorneyGeneral’s Child Support Division,

headed by Attorney General JohnCornyn, provides many services to par-ents who wish to obtain or provide finan-cial support for their children. Fromlocating a noncustodial parent to estab-lishing and enforcing child supportorders, the office evaluates each situationon a case-by-case basis to determine whataction needs to be taken.

Due to the work’s intensive nature,staff members used to have troubleresponding to inquiries and providingfeedback in a timely manner. Child sup-port customers who wanted informationhad to contact the office by phone. Thenumber of calls was so high that onlyabout 14 percent of callers could getthrough, and even these clients oftenhung up because of the long wait.

In response, the office established a comprehensive Web portal, ChildSupport Interactive, which allows clientsto access a wide range of information andservices on the Internet. “AttorneyGeneral Cornyn has always supported theuse of technology to improve customerservice,” said Robb McKenzie, telecom-munications manager of the office’s ChildSupport Division. “This is evident by thesuccess of our call centers and the ChildSupport Interactive Web site. He alsoencourages the creativity of his IT staff,which enables us to explore new and inno-vative means to serve our customers.”

This site offers one-stop shopping forinformation about payments, case statusand applying for services. Customers canalso update their addresses, submit infor-mation to assist the office in locating non-custodial parents, or send inquiries abouttheir cases. Clients can access informa-tion such as:

• Dates and locations of pending courthearings.

• Notification that genetic test resultsare available.

• Status of services (i.e. whether thenoncustodial parent has been servedto appear in court).

• Status of the latest child support payment.

• Payment records for the last 12months.

Noncustodial parents can determine iftheir payments were received, what theyowe and the payment address. In addi-tion, both custodial and noncustodial par-ents can file complaints with the ChildSupport Ombudsman.

The cost of establishing Child SupportInteractive was minimal: $28,000 forsoftware license costs. The office used itsInteractive Voice Response System infra-structure to build the Web site, and OAGChild Support Information Technologystaff handled the programming. Imple-mentation took about five months.Because most of the information clientswant is readily available on the site, oper-ating costs are low. Two staff members

devote around two hours a week to main-taining the site, and staff working in theagency’s Client Inquiry section respondto inquiries.

Use of the site has increased enormous-ly since it was launched in September1999. By May 2002, the number of visitsper month had reached 350,000. ChildSupport Interactive played a major role inimproving customer satisfaction with thestate’s Child Support Program. Combinedwith other activities, satisfaction ratingsimproved by 24 percent between 1998 and2000. Inquiries to state legislators droppedfrom around 500 a month to around 150per month. And the agency has also bene-fited: because staff spend less timeresponding to client inquiries and provid-ing case-status updates, they can spendmore time establishing and enforcing childsupport orders.

Several states have already contactedthe Texas Office of the Attorney Generalto learn more. However, because Texasalready had its Interactive VoiceResponse System infrastructure in place,it encountered few difficulties in estab-lishing this Web portal. Other states with-out this technology may have difficultycreating a similar site.

In addition to receiving a 2002 CSGInnovations award, this initiative wasawarded Computerworld Magazine’s 2001International Honors Program LaureateAward and Edify’s 2002 International“Multi-Channel CRM” Solutions Award.Child Support Interactive can be found athttp://childsupport.oag.state.tx.us.

For more information, contact RobbMcKenzie, telecommunications managerof the Child Support Division, Office of theAttorney General, at (512) 462-4891 orP.O. Box 12017, Austin, TX 78711.

—Jenny Sewell is a health policy analystat The Council of State Governments.



SouthHelping parents

and childrenA new Web site improves Texas’

child-support services

TT

ork-related injuries and illnessesaffect over 9,000 state employees

each year in Virginia. To address this crit-ical issue facing the state work force,Virginia developed a unique approach toan old state-government function that issaving time and money. The InnovativeWorkers’ Compensation Managementprogram has reduced the state’s workers’compensation costs by more than $29million over the last three years. In addi-tion, the number of lost-time claims hasdecreased by 32 percent since the pro-gram was implemented.

But the initiative is about more thanjust saving money. “This is not just acost-containment program,” said SaraWilson, director of the Virginia Depart-ment of Human Resource Management.“Through this effort, state agencies arecreating safer work environments thatsee fewer injured workers and getinjured workers back on the job more quickly.”

Rather than simply patching the prob-lem created by the spiraling costs ofworkers’ compensation claims, theVirginia Office of Workers’ Compen-sation developed a holistic initiative thatpromotes work-force safety and therebycurtails costs. The program does notmerely address one aspect of workers’compensation. Instead, the approachcombines several innovative ideas intoone management initiative with a maingoal of work-force safety.

The state’s new approach involves fourprimary concepts: experience-based pre-mium assessment, agency-initiated safetytraining, a “work-as-therapy” return-to-work model and a public-private partner-ship approach.

First, Virginia changed the structurethrough which workers’ compensationpremiums are calculated. The state nowuses an experience-based premiumassessment model. Instead of calculat-ing workers’ compensation premiumsbased on the number and size of claimsfiled by the entire state work force, separate premiums are calculated foreach agency based on the number andsize of the claims it files. Hence, there is an underlying incentive for eachagency to curb claims. Furthermore,agencies that reduce premiums keep 25percent of the savings for future loss-control initiatives.

“[Our program] is an incentive-basedapproach that encourages state agenciesto work smarter so they can experiencedirect savings for their agency,” said SueKeener, director of the Virginia Office ofWorkers’ Compensation and a primarydeveloper of the program.

Work-force safety and enhanced work-er training, which have always been highpriorities for human resource manage-ment, are now much more important tostate agencies. Under this initiative, indi-vidual agencies have a much greaterincentive to invest in worker-safety train-

ing. Because of the potential for savings,agencies are more involved in theDepartment of Human ResourceManagement’s free safety and workers’compensation training conferences. “Notonly is training available, agencies aregiven incentives to participate in thetraining programs,” Wilson said.

In addition, the state revised itsreturn-to-work approach for injuredemployees. Individual agencies candesign transitional programs that allowinjured employees to return to work incapacities specifically designed toaccommodate their injuries. This slower,therapeutic transition allows moreemployees to return to work. “The tran-sitional aspect of our return-to-workprogram improves rehabilitation andtruly makes our program a work-as-ther-apy model,” said Michelle Allen, return-to-work coordinator.

The program is made possible by amultiyear partnership with Managed CareInnovations (MCI), a private-sectorworkers’ compensation cost-containmentcompany. MCI’s strong on-site compo-nent significantly enhances the state’sefforts. The company assists the statewith claims administration, the develop-ment of safety education programs, on-site medical staff, a discount prescriptiondrug program and the use of a vocationalplacement specialist.

This new approach is more costly forthe state than the previous workers’compensation system. In fact, totaladministration costs for FY01 wereactually $3.1 million more than adminis-tration costs for the final year of the oldsystem. However, despite medical-costsinflation of around 12 percent, the statehas experienced a reduction in claimpayments each year. Actual workers’compensation claims payments weremore than $9 million below paymentestimates for both 1999 and 2000, andpayments were more than $13 millionbelow estimates for 2001.

For more information, contact Sara R.Wilson, director of the Virginia Depart-ment of Human Resource Management,at (804) 225-2131 or [email protected].

—James Carroll is a senior research ana-lyst at The Council of State Governments.



SouthManaging workers’

compensationA holistic management initiative reduces costs

by promoting safety

WW

n the digital age, state governmentshave begun to incorporate e-business

solutions into their daily operations.Idaho’s Purchasing ModernizationInitiative is one example of how the statehas improved its services by using theInternet. Thanks to this initiative, stateemployees and vendors who want to sellgoods and services to the state can nowconduct their business online athttp://www.publicbuy.net.

“Purchasing departments are develop-ing and implementing ways of buyinggoods and services electronically, just astheir counterparts in the private sector aredoing,” said Jan Cox, acting director ofIdaho’s Department of Administration.

In 1998, Idaho became one of fivestates participating in an Electronic Mallpilot program to experiment with inte-grating e-business applications into the

state’s purchasing system. This programwas intended to prepare the state for anestimated increase from $1.5 billion ingovernment purchases in 2000 to $6.2billion in 2005.

Idaho’s Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, whohas challenged the state to become aleader in information technology initia-tives, viewed the successful pilot pro-gram as motivation to create thePurchasing Modernization Initiative. Thisprogram applies new technology to thegovernment procurement process andeliminates much of the hassle caused bythe traditional paper process.

Previously, vendors were burdened byhaving to submit paper bids, working on astrict deadline. Bids were submitted a cou-ple of days before the actual deadline toallow for mail delivery. Once the bids weresubmitted, the appropriate agencyreviewed the files and approved the con-tract in a timely fashion. However, if ven-dors did not fill out their initial proposalscorrectly, they did not have a chance toresubmit their offers. The new Web format,on the other hand, allows vendors to sub-mit bids up to the last minute, giving themadequate time to update their offers andeliminate any errors on their applications.

As the first step of the new initiative,Gov. Kempthorne formed the IdahoPurchasing Modernization Task Force.This multi-agency panel, comprised of 19individuals from eight government agen-cies, was designed to evaluate the exist-

ing statewide purchasing system and rec-ommend improvements to increase con-venience and efficiency.

The task force recommended alteringthe Idaho Code and Regulations throughlegislation. In 2001, Senate Bill 1025proposed 20 changes to 12 sections ofthe Idaho Code, designed to modernizethe state’s purchasing statutes, whichhad changed little since 1974. The initia-tive received overwhelming bipartisansupport in both the state House andSenate and was signed into law onMarch 6, 2001.

As of September 2002, the Depart-ment of Administration’s Division ofPurchasing had trained 272 employeesin 24 agencies to use the new system. Asof August 31, employees had processed11,647 online transactions worth over$99 million, and 8,810 vendors had reg-istered for the program. Last year, motorvehicles were the most frequent pur-chase on the site, with computer equip-ment second.

There is no charge for vendors to reg-ister, unlike similar programs in otherstates that charge a fee. “We wanted tomake this program accessible for every-one, make it free and make it user-friendly for business,” said Cox.

“We hope to have around 10,000 ven-dors signed up by the end of next year,”she added. “Anybody wanting to do busi-ness with state and local governmentshould register with the Department of Purchasing.”

Cox explained that in Idaho, all thefactors needed to create, formulate andimplement this program were in place,and every branch supported the initiative.Other states might not have such wide-spread support, or might not have thetechnological infrastructure in place tosupport a cyberspace initiative.

However, states can adapt the model tosuit their own needs. “I think any statecan take a program like this and make itapplicable to their own,” said BobbiEckerle, acting administrator for theDivision of Purchasing.

For more information, contact JanCox, acting director, Idaho Department ofAdministration, at (208) 327-7465.

—David A. Moss is a research analyst atThe Council of State Governments.



WestStreamlininggovernment purchasing

Idaho uses the Internet to improveits procurement process

II

users to find information correctly andquickly – a feat hard to accomplish underthe old rules. Workplace complianceimproved as employers became moreaware of their occupational safety andhealth obligations and found it easier tounderstand what they could do to protectworkers.

As a result of the project’s success, theagency is redesigning industry-specificsafety and health rules for agriculture andmanufacturing, which will be completedover the next six years at a cost of$550,000 per year.

Not only did the redesigned rulesimprove workplace safety, they savedmoney because they were easier to navi-gate and comprehend, which indirectlyreduced the number of workers’ compen-sation claims and lowered premiums. Thedepartment also saves by spending lessstaff time interpreting and explainingrules to employers. Electronic distribu-tion of the rules keeps postage and print-ing costs to a minimum.

“As to whether other states should dothis, I think that depends on the conditionof their core rules, and whether or not lead-ership sees value in communicating in plainlanguage,” said Mr. Nelson. “Certainly, wethink rewriting the core rules was an enor-mous benefit to small companies that don’thave the financial resources to hire a work-place safety specialist.”

States attempting to develop a similarprogram should keep in mind potentialimplementation barriers. First, to avoidpolitical opposition, organized labor andemployers must be involved in the processfrom the beginning. In addition, an under-taking like this requires dedicated resourcesand a commitment from top managers andstaff to make a fundamental change in howa government agency communicates withits customers. Also, it is critical to havestaff that can interpret information andtranslate it into clearly written language andavoid using legal jargon.

For more information, contact R.T.Nelson, public information officer,Washington State Department of Laborand Industry, at (360) 902-6043 [email protected].

—Michele Bushong is a former healthpolicy analyst with The Council of StateGovernments.



ver the years, the Washington StateDepartment of Labor and Industries

received many complaints about the lan-guage of its workplace safety and healthrules. The Washington Industrial Safetyand Health Act Safety and Health CoreRules were described as a hodgepodge ofstate and federal regulations intermingledwith confusing legalese.

The rules’ daunting nature made it dif-ficult for employers to comply with them,and many employers did so only whenfaced with safety compliance inspections.Rather than protecting workers, the lackof understanding about the rules con-tributed to unsafe workplaces, injuriesand deaths.

To complicate matters, lack of staffmade it impossible for the department toinspect all of the state’s 163,000 employ-ers. It was critical that employers cooper-ate by voluntarily complying with thecore safety and health rules. To do this,employers and workers needed a clearunderstanding of the health and safetyrequirements.

In 1998, the department set out tomake the rules more understandable. The result was the only comprehensiverewriting of safety and health regulat-ions in the country, which succeededwhere the federal Occupational Safetyand Health Administration failed at a similar attempt.

“The program benefited from twothings that were happening simultan-

eously: The public and elected officialsgenerally were fed up with over-regula-tion, and Washington’s economy wasbooming,” said R.T. Nelson, public infor-mation officer with Washington’s Depart-ment of Labor and Industries. “The fortunate coincidence of political pres-sure and ample funding made the projectpossible,” he added.

The Legislature approved funding forthis innovative project in 1999. Startupcosts for the two-year initiative were $1.3million, including salaries, equipment,travel, printing and other costs. “Rewrit-ing the core rules was costly and couldnot have been done without the Legis-lature’s authorization,” Nelson said.Money was designated from the state’sWorkers’ Compensation Program, whichis funded by employer and worker premi-ums. Use of existing staff was paid forfrom resources within the occupationalsafety and health programs.

“One key to getting that authorizationwas convincing both business and organ-ized labor that they would not loseground in this rewriting project,” Nelsonremarked. When the new rules were pub-lished, it was evident that, becauseemployers and employees were part ofthe redesign process, they understood andaccepted them.

In fact, a demonstration during thestate’s annual Governor’s IndustrialSafety and Health Conference in 2002showed that the new core rules allowed

WestEnsuring

workers’ safetyWashington’s new safety

and health rules help employersprotect workers

OO


Eastern Alternate

Pennsylvania’s West Nile VirusSurveillance and Control ProgramTracking System provides a portal forsharing information with remote sitesacross the state through real-time inter-connectivity. Built on the application ofavailable technology, this system useshand-held computers with GlobalPositioning System (GPS) units, laptopand desktop computers for data entry andanalysis, and interaction with laboratoryinformation systems. The sharing of geo-referenced data allows for better manage-ment of vectors associated with West Nileand other viruses.

This program, viewed as a model by thefederal government, allows the state toidentify areas of heavy mosquito breedingto facilitate targeted control efforts. Theprogram’s startup costs totaled approxi-mately $1.3 million, including costs fordata system design, hardware, software,training and equipment. This integratedtracking system could reduce the processtime for dealing with a disease outbreak byup to 50 percent.

For more information, contact EricConrad, deputy secretary of field opera-tions for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection at (717) 787-5028 or [email protected].

Midwestern Alternate

Through the Kansas Criminal JusticeInformation System, Kansas has be-come the first state authorized by the FBIto view the National Crime InformationCenter over the Internet. The high levelof security used by KCJIS allows thestate to make criminal-justice informa-tion available via the Internet to thou-sands of users who would not otherwisehave access.

Previously, small agencies, such assmaller police departments and sheriff’soffices, had limited access to criminal-jus-tice information and relied on larger agen-cies or voice communication. In order tobroaden access to this critical database andeliminate costs associated with transferringinformation using telecommunication, thestate developed a multilayered securitysystem. After receiving approval from theFBI, the state made this information morereadily available, which will significantlyreduce the turnaround time for local lawenforcement agencies.

Since the launch of this system, whichcost the state approximately $600,000 tostart and costs $50,000 per year to main-tain, use of the KCJIS has increased byboth small and large criminal-justiceagencies in the state.

For more information, contactGordon Lansford, director of the KansasCriminal Justice Information System at(785) 291-3527.

Southern Alternate

Florida’s Department of Business andProfessional Regulation created thenation’s first one-stop, full-service, onlinelicensing and permitting portal for busi-nesses. Available at http://www.myflori-da.com/myflorida/licensingpermitting/,this system combines leading-edge tech-nology with a centralized customer-servicecenter to be a model regulatory agency forthe 21st century.

In an effort to bolster customer serv-ice, the state partnered with a private-sector company to reengineer its entirelicensing function. The goal was to pro-vide a single state-government portaland call center for licensed professionalsand business owners. The state createdonline forms that allow users to easilyapply for and renew licenses. Currently,

users can renew 600,000 differentlicenses online. Although the program’sstartup costs were $20 million, the state estimates it will save more than$100 million over 10 years. In addition,the private company shared a portion ofthe original costs with a cost-recov-ery program contingent on saving the state money.

For more information, contactPatricia Parker of the Department ofBusiness and Professional Regulationsat (850) 922-8981.

Western Alternate

Utah’s Foreign Labor CertificationOnline Wage Library is the nationalrepository for the Foreign LaborCertification Prevailing Wage Database,which was developed to support the for-eign-labor certification process. Thelibrary provides state prevailing-wagespecialists and the general public withaccess to the database through an easy-to-use, Web-based search application.

This national database services morethan a million requests for wage infor-mation from across the country. In fact,this repository served as the prevailingwage source for approximately 75 per-cent of the more than 300,000 labor-condition applications processed by theU.S. Department of Labor in 2001. Allstates can currently benefit from thisprogram, which began with an invest-ment of less than $100,000. By usingthe database, many certification casesbypass local systems, which results in significant reductions in local offi-cers’ caseloads.

For more information, contact Ron Ahlstrom, director of the Work-force Information Division in Utah’sDepartment of Workforce Services at(801) 526-9401.


More innovative ideasCSG recognizes the regional alternates and semifinalists in the annual innovations competition



Eastern Semifinalists

The Connecticut “Cybershame”Internet Top 100 Tax Delinquency Listis a monthly Internet list of the 100 taxpay-ers who owe the largest amounts in over-due state taxes. Thirty-two other states andat least three other countries have alreadyinquired about this solution to collectingoverdue taxes. Contact Sarah Kaufman at(860) 297-5610.

Delaware’s Partners in Technologyprogram acquires old computers from stateagencies and local businesses, refurbishesthem and places them in public schools.This service also provides technical sup-port and professional development forteachers. Contact John McClenny at (302) 659-6885.

The Delaware Fleet Link program usespart of the state’s motor vehicle fleet toprovide a state-employee vanpool. Theprogram reduces commuting costs foremployees while it protects the environ-ment by reducing traffic in the capital.Contact Beth Neeman at (302) 739-5718.

Delaware’s Traveling Computer Labprovides teachers with the resources theyneed to integrate technology into the class-room. The Delaware Center for EducationalTechnology provides the lab, which con-sists of a set of laptop computers, a networkcommunication device and a color printerfor up to two weeks. Contact WayneHartschuh at (302) 659-6878, ext. 14.

The Workforce New Jersey Work-place Literacy program upgrades partici-pants’ basic workplace skills through afacilitated computer-based workshop. Theintensive training is offered five days aweek in 14 locations throughout the state.Contact Janice Pointer at (609) 292-5879.

The Pennsylvania Automatic ExternalDefibrillator program provides free auto-matic defibrillators to schools. TheDepartment of Education established theprogram after the death of a high-schoolbasketball player. Contact Rep. KellyLewis at (717) 787-6492.

The Rhode Island Geographic Mapp-ing Program is an interactive map that

provides geographic environmental data tofederal, state and local governments andthe general public. The resources availableinclude community planning, drinkingwater supply, water quality information,geology and topography. For more infor-mation, contact Paul Jordan at (401) 222-4700, ext. 4315.

Midwestern Semifinalists

Illinois Food Stamp Expert Certifi-cation program was created to train newlyhired food-stamp administration profes-sionals. With over 5,000 food-stamp case-workers, an effective training programensures that state workers maintain a highlevel of accountability while saving thestate money. The Department of HumanServices says the program’s overall goal isto help food-stamp recipients achieve thehighest level of independence. ContactCarol Esarey at (217) 206-6098.

Illinois Fund E-Pay allows local gov-ernments and public agencies to acceptcredit- and debit-card payments. “Creatingan easier way to make payments onlyincreases our chance of collecting revenueowed to state and local governments,” saidState Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka. ContactAmanda Baylor at (217) 557-8235.

Indiana’s Division of Water Restruc-turing project revamped the division’sorganizational structure, which had been inexistence for 25 years but was quite out-dated. This new process has improvedinterdepartmental communication and thedivision’s effectiveness. Contact MichaelW. Neyer at (877) 928-3755.

Indiana Electronic Plan Submissionproject allows users to file digital applicationplans for Construction Design Releases. Thisinitiative streamlined the process from a 45-day to a 10-day turnaround time. ContactPatrick Ralston at (317) 232-6139.

Indiana’s Enhancing Opportunitiesfor Public Participation program was cre-ated to revise the state’s public-notice doc-uments. The intent of this project was tokeep citizens informed on issues and deci-sions related to the environment. ContactDavid Parry at (317) 233-4638.

The Advance Indiana program is a unique approach to training state employees. This program requires that alltraining activities must result in actualcareer-skills development. Obtaining abachelor’s degree, associate degree or GEDare examples of specific achievements thatprepare the state’s workforce for tomorrow.Contact Donald Baning at (317) 232-7443.

America’s Job Link Alliance from theKansas Department of Human Resourcespools resources from multiple state agen-cies to better match qualified workers toemployers. These one-stop centers com-bine numerous job-training programs intoone facility, eliminating needless duplica-tion. For more information, contactWilliam Sanders at (785) 296-5075.

Gov. John Engler created the e-Michigan Program to centralize andrevamp the state’s interaction with the pub-lic via the Internet. This portal continues torevolutionize e-government activity inMichigan. Before this initiative, Michiganhad over 100 separate agency Web sites,which were difficult to navigate and failedto meet customers’ needs. ContactStephanie Comai at (517) 241-5780.

The Minnesota Workplace MediationProgram provides state workers withtrained mediators to assist in resolvingworkplace disputes. With over 50,000 stateemployees, the program’s goal is to providea stress-free work environment, reducingthe turnover rate for state agencies. ContactBarbara Blackstone at (651) 296-2633.

North Dakota’s Electronic PermittingProgram for Mine Reclamation allowssurface coal-mining companies to applyfor mining and reclamation permits elec-tronically. Using electronic documentshas simplified and improved the permit-ting process, both for the state and forapplicants. Contact James Deutsch at(701) 328-2400.

The Ohio Fiscal Watch Program wascreated to balance local governments’right to home rule with the state’s inter-est in ensuring that local governmentscan provide basic public services, suchas education. This internationally recognized program monitors and

quickly reacts to local government fis-cal crises. Contact Christine Hansen at(800) 282-0370.

Ohio’s Water Resource RestorationSponsor Program allows recipients ofthe Clean Water Act State RevolvingLoan Fund to sponsor additional water-protection or restoration projects, withoutincurring additional costs. The programcombines funds for multiple projects intoone reduced-interest loan that essentiallyacts as a grant to fund new initiatives. Formore information contact Al Franks at(614) 644-3347.

The Wisconsin Courthouse SecurityTraining Project promotes awareness ofcourthouse security issues. The executive,legislative and judicial branches of countygovernment have pooled resources in thistraining program, thus improving safetythroughout the state. Contact John Voelkerat (608) 261-8297.

Southern Semifinalists

The Missouri Business DevelopmentNetwork is a coordinated, statewide net-work of key small-business and entrepre-neur technical-assistance providers. Its pur-pose is to deliver information and servicesefficiently and effectively, in order to buildsmall businesses, entrepreneurial capacityand a supportive economic-developmentclimate in the state. Contact Sharon Gulickat (573) 751-4892.

Mississippi’s Quality WorkforceInitiative is a comprehensive, systematicapproach to human resources manage-ment. It is designed to improve the state’sability to attract and retain qualifiedworkers and to prepare for future work-force needs. Contact Hollis Baugh at(601) 359-1406.

Through the Countywide Hazard Anal-ysis program, the Oklahoma Department ofEnvironmental Quality works with a LocalEmergency Planning Committee to ana-lyze chemical risks in a county. The goal isto help local officials and responders iden-tify and prioritize risks and to plan forchemical emergencies. Contact MontyElder at (405) 702-1017.

The Texas Child Care Local MatchAccounts Receivable System tracksreceipt of “match” funds pledged by indi-vidual contributors in 28 workforce-devel-opment board areas. The centralized track-ing system improves the state’s ability toleverage these funds into additional federalchild-care funds. Contact Donna Garrett at(512) 936-0474.

Virginia’s Voter and Election Servicesprovides online access to crucial voter and election information, including real-time election results, tracking of absentee ballots, voter-registration status verifica-tion and polling-place location. Most of the services were the first of their kind in the nation. They are presented in a “one-stop” fashion online at http://www.sbe.state.va.us. Contact Rodney T. Willettat (804) 786-6202.

Lobbyist-in-a-Box is a comprehensive,Web-based legislative tracking service pro-vided by the Virginia Information ProvidersNetwork and the Virginia Division ofLegislative Automated Services. Citizens,elected officials, state employees and pro-fessional lobbyists can track specific bills ina timely, detailed, accessible manner athttp://www.vipnet.org/liab/. Contact Rod-ney T. Willett at (804) 786-6202.

Live Help offers real-time, interactive,online customer service to people usingVirginia’s state Web portal (http://www.vipnet.org/cmsportal/). Users can contactcustomer-service representatives to getimmediate, customized assistance in navi-gating the site to find state and local gov-ernment information and services. ContactRodney T. Willett at (804) 786-6202.

Western Semifinalists

The Alaska Cruise Ship Initiative is acost-effective oversight program for thecruise-ship industry. Through the program,the state monitors compliance related to airquality, water quality and waste disposal,oil-spill prevention and response, and envi-ronmental leadership. Contact MicheleBrown at (907) 269-7633.

Arizona’s Families F.I.R.S.T. Programprovides family-centered support services

for families struggling with substanceabuse and recovery. The program providesa continuum of services including out-reach, engagement and aftercare beyondtraditional substance-abuse treatment.Contact Henry Radda at (602) 542-8247.

The California Department of Trans-portation’s Energy Conservation Programfocuses on research, development anddeployment of new technologies to provideclean and reliable power sources and morecost-effective uses of energy. The program’sgoal is for all state-government agencies togenerate enough power to be electricallyself-sufficient. For more information, con-tact Steve Alston at (916) 263-4225.

Oregon’s Coordinated, Comprehen-sive Planning program reorganizes plan-ning and service delivery at the state andlocal levels, replacing a fragmented plan-ning and service system for children andfamilies. Contact Becky Eklund at (503)378-5929, ext. 403.

Washington’s Joint Agency Collect-ion Project is designed to increase thenumber of criminal offenders who areemployed and pay child support. Througha combination of methods, the programseeks to increase child-support paymentsto offenders’ children by seeking accuratechild-support orders, reducing accumu-lated arrears and providing employ-ment assistance. Contact Alice Liou at (360) 902-7783.

The Washington Department ofLicensing’s Digital Government Strategywas designed to make licensing servicesavailable to citizens through the Internet.The department placed four high-volumeservices online and plans to offer 10 moreonline by the end of 2003. The strategy hasincreased customer satisfaction and accessto government. Contact Fred Steven at(360) 902-3602.

Washington’s Child Support InternetPayment Services program allows individuals and employers to remit child-support payments using electronic fundstransfer. This provides better access forchild-support payers and reduces staffworkload in processing payments. ContactAlice Liou at (360) 902-7783.



ealth literacy may be a recent addi-tion to the health policy lexicon.

But just as “computer literacy” became arallying term for states wanting tostrengthen their citizens’ ability to com-pete in the global economy, so willhealth literacy become a rallying cry forstates that want relief from double-digithealth care inflation and questionsregarding quality of care.

Health literacy – the ability to read,understand, and act appropriately onhealth care information – directly affectsan individual’s ability to access servicesand successfully communicate with his orher health care provider. Low health liter-acy results in a fundamental disconnectbetween the patient and the health caresystem. This rift inevitably leads to a lackof trust and honesty, to poorer qualitycare, errors and omissions, as well ashigher costs.

Low literacy’s impact

Inadequate health literacy costs theU.S. health care system an estimated $30billion to $73 billion annually, accordingto a 1998 study by the National Academyon an Aging Society. When broken downto expenditures by payer, this means thatMedicaid spends as much as $10 billionannually due to low health literacy –almost as much as Medicaid spent on pre-scription drugs and more than one-and-a-half times the amount it spent on physi-cian services in 1998 (see Figure 1).

Low health literacy also affectspatients’ access to care. Complicatedforms and procedures, rules about in-


HH

A new CSG survey findsgrowing awareness of the need for health literacy initiatives

BY JENNY SEWELL

Health care 101


network and out-of-network providers,tiered co-payment structures, as well asother aspects of modern health care, actas barriers that prevent people with lowhealth literacy from receiving care. Andwhen consumers do not know what ques-tions to ask about a test or procedure ordon’t feel empowered to prevent medicalerrors before they happen, the level ofcare diminishes.

Who is affected?

To date, no national measure of healthliteracy has been taken. However, studiesof specific patient populations and datafrom the 1992 National Adult LiteracySurvey, which demonstrates that almosthalf of the U.S. adult population has lowor marginal literacy skills, point to groupsvulnerable for low health literacy. Theseat-risk groups include: seniors; peoplewith chronic illness; non-English speak-ers; and low-income individuals eligibleto participate in Medicaid, SCHIP, WIC,maternal/child health programs and otherpublic programs.

This list, however, is not exhaustive.Given today’s complicated health caresystem, no one is immune from havingdifficulty accessing appropriate care,understanding health information andmaking informed health care decisions.

Why health literacy? Why now?

A number of trends in the Americanhealth care system highlight the impor-tance of health literacy, especiallyamong beneficiaries of public health-insurance programs:

• Rising health care costs: Because ofthe increased costs associated withlow health literacy, providing appro-priate information or increasing beneficiaries’ skills can increase effi-ciencies and decrease expenditures. Inaddition, state efforts to contain costsby encouraging consumers to act asguardians of quality and affordablecare will only succeed among individ-uals who are health literate.

• Managed care: HMOs, PPOs andother forms of managed-care insur-ance plans assume that patients willplay an active role in managing theirhealth. Without the tools and skills

they need to access and navigatethese complex systems, however,individuals with low health literacywill be unable to take on theseresponsibilities.

• Innovations in treatment: Althoughrecent medical advances have donemuch to improve the quality of life,the increasing complexity of treat-ments affects a person’s ability tomake informed health care decisionsand follow doctors’ instructions.

• An aging population: The growingnumber of seniors places anincreased burden on the U.S. health-care system. Efforts to control costsand improve the quality of care forseniors must include strategies forimproving seniors’ ability to under-stand and act on health information.

• Cultural and linguistic diversity:As the U.S. population becomesmore diverse, differences in lan-guage and cultural beliefs will act asa barrier to successful communica-tion between physician and patient,health plan and member.

CSG’s national survey

With the support of Pfizer Inc., duringthe spring of 2002, The Council of StateGovernments conducted a national surveyto find out what states are doing to improvehealth literacy or to make the health caresystem easier to navigate. CSG surveyedgovernors’ offices, departments of health,

Medicaid and SCHIP offices, departmentsof education and offices of adult literacy.Information gleaned from this survey, aswell as private-sector programs and aca-demic research, is highlighted in CSG’srecently published State Official’s Guide toHealth Literacy (see http://www.csg.org/healthliteracy).

Awareness

Throughout the country, awareness ofhealth literacy and its role in providingquality health care services varies. Evenamong the state representatives whoresponded to CSG’s survey, the numberof times they had heard or seen the term“health literacy” reflects this issue’semerging status.

As Figures 3 and 4 show, education andadult literacy officials were much morelikely to have heard the term “health litera-cy” six or more times than officials in gov-

0 5 10 15 20

Other Private

Other Public

Medicaid

Patients

Employers

Medicare $28.3

$12.1

$11.5

$10.3

$7.6

$3.4

Billions of 1998 Dollars

Figure 1. The cost of low health literacy by payee in 1998 dollars

The degree to which individu-als have the capacity to obtain,process and understand basichealth information and servicesneeded to make appropriatehealth decisions (HealthyPeople 2010, http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/).

Health literacydefined

Source:“Low Health Literacy Skills Increase Annual Health Care Expenditures by $73Billion,” www.agingsociety.org/healthlit.htm.


Technical Information has hired aHealth Literacy Coordinator to over-see the implementation of a series ofhealth literacy classes throughout thestate. Still in its early stages, thisprogram has hosted classes in hospi-tals, senior centers, mental healthfacilities and community centers.

• Alabama’s Medicaid agency has doneextensive pilot testing of materials forenrollees. Through this work, theagency has learned that easy-to-readmaterials are preferred, even by thosewith proficient reading skills.

What can policy-makers do?

Opportunities for simplifying thehealth care system, providing targetedassistance or improving health literacyrates abound. Suggested actions by policy-makers include:

• Hold hearings or convene confer-ences about health literacy.

• Establish a task force or advisorygroup to recommend state actions.

• Promote the use of plain languageand simplify enrollment forms andprocedures for accessing care, espe-cially for plans serving at-risk popu-lations, such as recipients ofMedicaid, SCHIP, WIC and mater-

ernors’ offices, departments of publichealth and Medicaid and SCHIP offices(82.8 percent versus 64.6 percent).

State initiatives

While CSG’s National Survey onHealth Literacy Initiatives found fewstates that have addressed health literacyin a comprehensive, multifaceted manner,individual agencies in a handful of stateshave established programs, hired staff orcreated task forces to respond to lowhealth literacy and its effects on healthcare delivery.

• Virginia’s Center for Primary Careand Rural Health established a HealthLiteracy Network to promote the useof plain language and to offerresources to health care providers,agency staff and others who want tohelp specific populations access care.In 1999, the center sponsored a healthliteracy conference for national, stateand local health care programs.

• The Illinois Secretary of State’sLiteracy Office created a HealthLiteracy Task Force to spearhead“Health Literacy For All,” a programdesigned to aid parents in under-standing health information.

• The state of Alaska produced “HealthyReading Kits” for grades two througheight. The texts referenced in the kithave strong health content and theteacher’s manual that accompanies thekit helps educators tie the books toAlaska’s reading standards.

• California approved its “HealthFramework for California’s PublicSchools, Kindergarten ThroughGrade Twelve,” a tool to aid healtheducation curriculum developmentat the local level and to promote col-laboration between schools, parentsand the community.

• Massachusetts’ medical assistanceprograms have been at the forefrontof providing multilingual assistance,videos in multiple languages andtraining staff to convey health careinformation in a way that is easy tounderstand. Massachusetts also hasan Adult Basic Education HealthCurriculum Framework for use inadult literacy classes.

• Georgia’s Department of Adult and

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

An information consent document

The rights and

responsibilities section of a

medical application

Information on an

appointment slip

Taking medication on an empty

stomach

Figure 2. Percent of patients at two public hospitals who did not understand basic health information

The growing awareness ofthe difficulties so many peopleface in reading, understandingand acting on health informa-tion is underscored by anincrease in media attention. Ina recent ABCNews story,Louisiana State University’sDr. Terry Davis, a leadinghealth literacy researcher, dis-cussed how cost-saving meas-ures can sometimes increasethe health care system’s com-plexity. The piece also high-lighted a common problemassociated with low health literacy – taking prescribedmedicines incorrectly. Formore information or to see avideo of the segment, visit The Henry J. Kaiser FamilyFoundation Web site at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=13501.

Effects of lowhealth literacy

Source:Williams, M.; Parker, R.; Baker, D. et al. “Inadequate Functional Health LiteracyAmong Patients at Two Public Hospitals.” Journal of the American Medical Association,vol. 274, no. 21 (1995):1677-1682.


nal/child health programs. • Reformat or rewrite written materials

to increase their accessibility.Require documents to be written at asixth-grade reading level or below.Incorporate graphics and white spaceand increase font sizes to makematerials more user-friendly.

• Translate relevant information, eitherwritten or verbal, into an individual’snative language. When translatingdocuments, ensure that the message

isn’t lost in translation and is rele-vant to the reader.

• Train agency staff and health careproviders in effective communica-tion strategies for people with lowhealth literacy.

• Incorporate health materials andhealth education in the classroom atall levels – including K-12 and adultliteracy classes. Giving individualsthe skills to navigate today’s com-plex health care system should be a

priority for educators and schoolofficials. Basic health literacy canalso help children and adolescentsmake better decisions about theirhealth and avoid risky behaviors.

Conclusion

Navigating the modern health care envi-ronment demands that consumers be readyto learn about health conditions, how to gethealth insurance, what treatments are cov-ered, which doctor to see, when to takeprescribed medication and more. Whensomeone has low health literacy, this justisn’t possible without targeted assistance.Efforts by state officials to simplify health-related information and procedures or toimprove a patient’s health literacy througheducation and training will likely lead toimproved efficiency and effectiveness inhealth care delivery.

—Jenny Sewell is a health policy analystat The Council of State Governments.

Occasionally (6-10 times) 35%

Rarely (1-5 times) 22%

Never 14%

Frequently (11+) 29%

Figure 3. Number of times seen or heard the term “health literacy” as reported by governors’ offices, departments of public health,

Medicaid/SCHIP offices

Figure 4. Number of times seen or heard the term “health literacy” as reported by departments of education and offices of adult literacy

Rarely (1-5 times) 8%

Never 8%

Frequently (11+ times) 60%

Occasionally (6-10 times) 24%

Designed for quick and easyuse, CSG’s State Official’sGuides give state policy-makersthe information they need tomake sound decisions. As states’roles evolve and expand, stateofficials are forced to deal withissues that traditionally havebeen outside their purview.These guides help state officialsdeal with issues affecting statestoday, while preparing them forthe emerging trends of tomor-row. Each guide focuses on aparticular topic, providing:

• A summary of the issues.• An overview of state poli-

cies and actions.• Access to key research and

data.• Critical analysis by state

practitioners and CSG staff.• A “Talking Points” card for

state officials on the go.• Key reference materials

for additional information.

State Official’sGuides

Source: State Official’s Guide to Health Literacy.The Council of State Governments, 2002, 32.

• CSG’s Health Literacy Web site – http://www.csg.org/healthliteracy.• Center for Health Care Strategies Inc. – http://www.chcs.org/resource/hl.html.• Center for Medicare Education, “Considering Health Literacy” –

http://www.medicareed.org/pdfs/papers58.pdf.• Educational Resources Information Center, “Health and Adult Literacy” –

http://ericacve.org/docs/pab00016.pdf.• Harvard School of Public Health – http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/healthliteracy.• Healthy People 2010 – http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.• National Academy on an Aging Society – http://www.agingsociety.org/healthlit.htm.• Pfizer – http://www.pfizerhealthliteracy.com.• Prenataled.Com, “Health Literacy Toolbox” –

http://www.prenataled.com/healthlit/hlt2k/script.

Health literacy resources

their inhabitants and the surroundingenvironments.

The decline of cities in the UnitedStates can be well documented by a reviewof national governmental policies. The ini-tial goal of the National InterstateHighway Act of 1956 was to build betterroads between cities, but it has led tobuilding highways within cities. Govern-ment policies have also supported theexpansion of water and sewer systems tofringe areas and have favored commercialloans for suburban development at the

expense of central city neighborhoods.For the past 50 years, low-density, sin-

gle-use, car-dependent development hasdominated the growth patterns of theUnited States. This pattern of develop-ment has resulted in the destruction ofcritical habitat, increased traffic conges-tion and the loss of community character.Furthermore, commercial development inthe United States is increasingly dominat-ed by the big-box power center.Unfortunately, the United States is settingthe trend, as big-box retail stores are now


land useland use

A model for building sustainable communitiesaround the world

BY GOV. PARRIS N. GLENDENING

Maryland’s SmartGrowth tool kit

Cameron Hill townhomes in Silver Springs, Md. (above) and Baltimore’s Symphony Center(opposite) successfully use infill development and transit-oriented development for residentialand commercial purposes.

n August of this year, the WorldSummit on Sustainable Development

convened in Johannesburg, South Africato discuss the difficult challenge of bal-ancing the opportunities of economicgrowth with development’s environmen-tal and social dimensions. In October2000, I attended a seminar on SmartGrowth in Johannesburg to discuss howsprawl development in South Africa isleading to the resegregation of the popu-lation on economic and racial grounds. InNovember 1999, I visited Brazil and sawthe destructive impacts of developmenton Guanabara Bay. These visits showedclearly how other nations are grapplingwith many of the same problemsAmericans are experiencing here in ourcities and neighborhoods.

How governments manage develop-ment will determine the quality of theirenvironments, their long-term growthrates and the future quality of life for theircitizens. Inefficient land use and inade-quate urban planning have hindereddevelopment and have led to increasingeconomic, human and ecological costs.The advantages that many of the world’scities have historically enjoyed over ruralareas, such as greater access to basicservices like water, education and hous-ing, have been steadily declining. Today,the conditions in many cities around theworld have fallen below acceptablethresholds, threatening the well-being of

II


found on the outskirts of Prague in theCzech Republic and on converted farm-land in Matuse, Japan. This developmentpattern is unsustainable. Governmentpolicies helped to create these trends andnow must help reverse the resulting urbandecline and environmental degradation.

In Maryland, we have assembled atoolbox of incentives and programs thatcan serve as a model for other communi-ties, states and nations. The cornerstoneof Maryland’s Smart Growth initiative isthe creation of “priority funding areas,”or locally designated growth areas. Weare using the state’s $21 billion infra-structure budget – for water and sewers,schools, transportation, housing and eco-nomic development – to encouragedevelopment in these areas. If a develop-er or local government builds within apriority funding area, it is eligible forstate financial support. However, if theproject falls outside the designatedgrowth area, the state will not pay for thenecessary infrastructure, such as roadsand schools.

Another important component of SmartGrowth borrows from the European andAsian experiences: our goal is to make

mass transit a preferred transportationoption. For the first time, Maryland’sinvestment in mass transit is equal tohighway spending. In contrast, the federalgovernment spends 80 percent of its trans-portation dollars for highways and only20 percent for transit. Maryland’s goal isto double transit ridership by the year2020. We are also using highway dollarsto increase the number of pedestrian andbicycle pathways. With changes in ourtransportation funding priorities, we hopeto encourage transit-oriented developmentpatterns like those commonly found inolder European cities.

A third component of our SmartGrowth package is reusing industrialsites. Creative, adaptive re-use of theseproperties is critical to urban revitaliza-tion. Again, Europe has many fine exam-ples, such as Emscher Park in Germany.In Maryland, we are working with thecity of Baltimore to attract information-technology firms to former industrialsites, and we are creating a new neigh-borhood called “Digital Harbor” aroundBaltimore’s scenic historic waterfront.

The fourth goal of our package is toreverse the flight of young families fromcities to the suburbs. Through the “LiveNear Your Work” program, state govern-ment, local government and participatingemployers all contribute to cash incen-tives for employees who buy homes neartheir workplaces. A survey of programparticipants in the first year found that 40percent said the cash incentive was amajor factor in their decision to live neartheir work.

Finally, we know that government

must lead by example. The MarylandDepartment of Environment recentlyrelocated its headquarters office to abrownfields site in Baltimore, a designat-ed growth area targeted for urban revital-ization. And the University of Marylandchose to locate a new campus in down-town Hagerstown, instead of on a site inthe countryside beyond downtown.

Since Maryland adopted its SmartGrowth policy, 35 states have adoptedgrowth-management programs through-out the country. Maryland’s SmartGrowth program has been nationally rec-ognized, receiving the Innovations inAmerican Government Award from theHarvard School of Government. The pro-gram has also received internationalattention. This year it is the subject of thefirst territorial review in the United Statesby the Organization of EconomicCooperation and Development, an inter-national organization of 30 industrializedcountries.

In Maryland, we are proud to have putSmart Growth on the map, both national-ly and internationally. But many difficultchallenges lay ahead. Smart Growth isnot the goal; it is a tool to revitalize cities,preserve the environment and managefiscal resources. The challenge is to trans-fer these tools into effective long-termpolicies at all levels of government andall sectors of society. And by doing so, wewill build a more sustainable world – aworld of sustainable communities.

—Parris N. Glendening is the governorof Maryland and the president of TheCouncil of State Governments.

n 1997, when Maryland adopted aseries of laws known collectively as

the Smart Growth and NeighborhoodConservation Initiative, the term “SmartGrowth” was all but unknown outsideplanning and policy-making circles.Likewise, our approach to the problemsof sprawl – turning to fiscal policy andincentives, rather than regulatory solu-tions – had never been attempted on sucha large scale in the United States.

We have come a very long way in justfive years. In that time, Smart Growth hasevolved into a national movement pro-pelled by a growing consensus on theconnections among land use, the econo-my, transportation and quality of life.People talk about Smart Growth at theirdinner tables and they demand it at publichearings. And Maryland’s efforts, whichhelped turn the spotlight on this trend, arebeginning to show tangible results.

We have fundamentally changed thedecision-making process that shapesinvestments in growth by tying it to thestate’s $22 billion budget. Today, localgovernments and developers know theycannot get state help for new highways,water and sewer systems, and other infra-structure needs outside existing communi-ties and designated growth areas. Theyalso know that various new and expandedstate incentives and tax relief are availableonly in those same areas. In effect, we arebeginning to reverse what went on for the

past 50 years, when tax policy, transporta-tion investments and other governmentinfluences favored outward migration.

Already, we are seeing pockets – insome cases, waves – of redevelopment incities and towns where state-assisted proj-ects have served as catalysts. Our historictax credits, neighborhood-business-devel-opment loans, transit projects and revital-ization grants are breathing new life intoolder communities large and small.

We also have become more aggressiveand strategic about land preservation,focusing on our most valuable agricultur-al areas and ecologically important land.One of every four acres that is protectedin Maryland today was preserved in thelast eight years, a total of more than283,500 acres.

These success stories are all hearten-

ing. But development patterns are a long-term phenomenon, driven by a complexinterplay of economic, social and politi-cal forces. Almost monthly, we get somenew insight into how daunting our task is:to create a sea change in the 21st centuryto reverse the mid-20th century trendsthat created sprawl.

Just this fall, a University of Marylandstudy sounded the alarm on the threat toagriculture, projecting that our state willlose 400 farms and 40,000 acres of agri-cultural land over the next decade if cur-rent development patterns continue.

Next steps

Clearly, Smart Growth advocateshave to keep thinking about next steps,now and for years to come. It will


land useland use

II

Maryland’s governor evaluates the progress and future challenges of his state’s pioneeringland-use initiative


Growing smarter:next steps

Smart Growth efforts seek to preserve farmland and open space from being developed.


undoubtedly take decades to unravel theinstitutional and social forces in thiscountry that have made sprawl the dom-inant growth pattern.

In Maryland, we continue to broadenour programs as we get smarter aboutthe many ways in which state expendi-tures influence where and what kind ofgrowth occurs. But we also recognizethat a great deal of development doesnot depend on state support, and thenumbers tell us much of it is still goingto outlying areas. Since we passed SmartGrowth, three-quarters of all new resi-dential units have been built in ourPriority Funding Areas. But because theremaining 25 percent of homes involvedmuch larger lots, 75 percent of theacreage developed statewide has beenoutside these growth areas.

The reality we all face is that higher-density infill projects are still the exception, because they so often stir neigh-borhood opposition and are more costlythan developing in more remote locations.Incentives help, but we need to do more ifwe are serious about leveling the playingfield between these two options. We needto better address “not in my back yard”reactions, as well as the time and logisticalfactors driving developers’ decisions.

Writing model codes for Smart Growthprojects, as Maryland has done, is a goodfirst step. But there are many other toolstoday that are not being fully utilized,such as software that enables planners topresent visual images of alternativefutures for a fast-growing community. Ifwe can get people to look beyond theword “density” and focus on design, wewill make progress.

For the immediate future, state andlocal officials in every region of the coun-try also must confront the fiscal chal-lenges that came in the wake of thenation’s economic downturn. We do notknow how long it will be before a returnto sustained economic growth changesthe outlook for budget shortfalls, but wehave already seen Smart Growth pro-grams targeted for cuts. In Maryland,funding for parks and preservation wasslashed in half this year, as lawmakerstapped dedicated real-estate-transfer taxrevenue to meet other needs.

We must find ways to better insulateland preservation from the downside of

economic cycles and be vigilant aboutpreventing such short-term fixes frombecoming long-term or even permanent.Open-space protection enjoys enormouspublic support and, in that sense, is per-haps the easiest thing to do in SmartGrowth. Yet, almost invariably, it is thefirst thing to go when money gets tight.

Other important next steps for SmartGrowth revolve around overarchingquestions that will be with us for at leastanother generation. Our society is gettingolder and more diverse, and our policiesmust adapt to the needs of a populationthat will be much more demographicallycomplex in the future. We cannot antici-pate all of the social changes that willcome with more immigrants and elderlypeople. But it is a safe bet that demandfor walkable communities with a mix ofland-uses, housing types and transporta-tion choices will grow. We should workmore closely with developers and localgovernments on ways to promote theseSmart Growth features.

We also need to bring greater urgencyto the goal of advancing social equity. Inrecent news coverage, a chorus of criticshas attacked Smart Growth for makinghousing too expensive for working fam-ilies. By limiting where neighborhoodscan be built, the argument goes, weinevitably increase real-estate valuesand make homeownership unaffordableto many.

That view grossly oversimplifies theissue, but draws much needed attention toa Smart Growth principle that, by andlarge, has eluded us so far. Smart Growthwill never succeed if we cannot providethe full range of housing opportunities inevery community, for teachers and policeofficers, doctors and bankers, young fam-ilies and retirees. We should judge ourpolicies and programs – as well as devel-opment proposals – on the degree towhich they help achieve that vision.Efforts targeting revitalization areas –like Maryland’s “40 at 4” mortgage-financing program, which provided $40million at 4 percent interest for low-costhome loans – are a good start.

Another issue that looms large is theneed to better link land-use and trans-portation planning. The history of roadbuilding in this country – and the degreeto which it has shaped development

patterns – is well known. But whileMaryland and many other states are start-ing to invest more in transit, we are notdoing enough to tie these investments toland-use practices.

Transit-oriented development, whichclusters residential, retail and office usesaround stations to boost ridership, hasbeen extremely successful in certainplaces. We need to study those examplesand replicate them wherever we can.

A new culture

None of this will turn things around, ofcourse, if the public does not fully under-stand the issue of sprawl and support achange in direction. Many groups haveembraced the comprehensive approachembodied in Smart Growth, from laborleaders and historic preservationists toeconomic-development officials andfarm advocates. And some segments ofthe general public are beginning to graspthe detrimental impacts of our post-WorldWar II development patterns. But thatrecognition is not broad and the under-standing is not deep.

To achieve the goals of Smart Growthover the long term, a new Smart Growthculture and ethos must be cultivated inwhich the public consciously and willing-ly embraces Smart Growth choices,whether that means supporting a town-house development nestled between theirneighborhood and a nearby transit stationor the purchase of a remote swath of vitalhabitat for preservation. Meeting thischallenge, achieving this fundamentalshift in thinking, is the key to success onevery other front.


t is always a pleasure to walk acrosscampus. Any campus. Almost without

exception, college and university cam-puses are built like the best communitieswe know: bustling, vibrant places, alivewith activity.

Crisscrossed by paths, walking is theprimary mode of campus transportation.Thick with dormitories and nearby flats,the rich diversity of campus life reflectshousing densities that, in other settings,might make a city councilman cringe.Built with longevity in mind, classroombuildings and other campus structuresusually display a quality and architectur-al flare that reflects the heritage of theschool and binds it to the history of itssurrounding community. Campuses andthe towns or cities in which they sit seemto naturally develop to meet the needs oftheir student and faculty inhabitants:bookstores and pubs, restaurants andclothiers, dry cleaners and bicycle shops.

In many ways, college campuses aregreat examples of the principles of theSmart Growth movement that we havebeen working so hard to implement inMaryland for the past five years. They aremodels of compact design and mixes ofhousing types. Green space is central totheir aesthetic appeal. They incorporate avariety of uses and offer multiple trans-portation options. More often than not,their residents are economically and eth-nically diverse. Most important, they pro-vide a strong sense of place.

But college and university campusesdo not and should not exist in isolation, asif somehow sequestered from the com-munity at large. It is imperative that they

play a larger, not smaller, role in thedevelopment of their communities,regions and states.

The best way for colleges and univer-sities to advance the goals of SmartGrowth is by doing what they do best:teaching and research. But there is a thirdway, as well. As large landowners, col-leges and universities are integral institu-tions within their communities that havethe opportunity to lead by example asthey build, expand or make decisionsabout the design and placement of newfacilities. They must be to their commu-nities what in the private sector are oftencalled “good corporate citizens.”

National Center for Smart Growth

In Maryland, our colleges and univer-sities are already involved in SmartGrowth in all of these ways. In July 2000,we established the new National Centerfor Smart Growth Research andEducation at the University of MarylandCollege Park. This center is headed byTom Downs, whose diverse career in topmanagement has included jobs as chair-man and CEO for AMTRAK, CEO of theNational Association of Home Builders,commissioner of transportation for thestate of New Jersey and city administra-tor for Washington, D.C. His varied expe-


land useland use

II

Colleges and universities can contribute to smart land-use policies, vibrant communities


Smart Growth U


rience in state and local government,transportation, transit and home buildingreflects the multidisciplinary approachthe National Center for Smart Growth istaking in both its educational andresearch activities.

This new center already offers a pair ofacclaimed, two-week courses on SmartGrowth issues. One is aimed primarily atstate and local government officials fromMaryland; the other is targeted to anational audience of federal agencies orSmart Growth practitioners from otherstates. The national course has been soeffective that it has already spawned aspinoff Smart Growth course in Maine.

The Maryland land-use programs areamong countless other continuing-educa-tion courses offered throughout the country. Many planning programs, forexample, offer courses and urban exten-sion opportunities that teach the princi-ples of Smart Growth to students workingdirectly in surrounding communities.

Some schools also invite visitingspeakers or create lecture series thatattract a community of scholars interestedin urban issues. This spring, for example,Gerritt Knaap, who directs the researcharm of Maryland’s National Center forSmart Growth, will spend five days as theClarkson Chair, an endowed visiting pro-fessorship, at the University of Buffalo.There he will work with students on top-ics related to Smart Growth. The visit istimed to coincide with a Smart Growthexhibit at the Burchfield-Penny ArtGallery in Buffalo.

Researching Smart Growth tools

Long before the term “Smart Growth”became the national shorthand for better-planned, more sustainable patterns ofdevelopment, universities were research-ing land-use programs and techniques tosee which ones were working and whichones weren’t. Many departments wereinvolved in this research – planning,architecture, economics, public policy,geography and landscape architecture –to name just a few.

But as development has spread fartherfrom older urbanized areas, and as statesas different as Maine, Utah, Marylandand Georgia grapple with growth pres-sures, the need for and value of universi-

ty research has only increased. In fact, inthe last couple of years, Smart Growthhas become a hot topic in many academ-ic journals.

The National Center for Smart Growthrecently focused the attention ofresearchers, scholars and land-use practi-tioners on these issues by holding a SmartGrowth/New Urbanism Symposium. Weinvited leading experts from around thecountry to discuss how to measure andanalyze urban form. We also asked themto comment on the relationship betweenurban form and the economy, the envi-ronment, the community, transportationchoices and public health.

One specific example of this type ofresearch again comes from Maryland’sCenter for Smart Growth. ResearchDirector Gerritt Knaap and Yan Song, oneof the center’s postdoctoral researchers,recently developed detailed measures ofurban form using data from the Portland,Ore., metropolitan area, which became oneof the pioneers in growth-managementefforts a quarter century ago. They thenused the measures to examine whetherPortland’s array of growth-managementstrategies are significantly affecting thecity’s growth patterns and how thosechanging patterns affect residents’ trans-portation choices and property values.Drafts of these papers are available athttp://www.smartgrowth.umd.edu.

Supporting surrounding communities

A different, but equally important rolefor universities involves their physicalplants, rather than their intellectual andacademic resources. Through the designand location of new facilities, universitieshave an opportunity to integrate into thecommunities that surround them, simulta-neously enriching the communities andthemselves.

My favorite example of this inMaryland involves a dispute over whereto build a new satellite campus for theUniversity of Maryland in the city ofHagerstown. The original proposal calledfor the new campus to be built alongInterstate 70. While that site would havebeen readily accessible by car, it was sev-eral miles from the city’s center, on prop-erty currently used for grazing cattle. Allutilities would have to be extended to the

site, police and fire services would haveto drive to the site, and it would have con-tributed nothing toward the revitalizationof downtown Hagerstown.

When the mayor offered to donate anabandoned historic hotel and departmentstore building in the heart of the city for thenew campus, the choice was obvious. Notonly was the structure, known as theBaldwin House, next to a parking garagethat was usually empty during the hourswhen night classes would be held, but itwas half a block from the central townsquare. We are beginning to renovate thisbuilding, which is now the anchor ofHagerstown’s historic-preservation district.

I am confident that this new campuswill encourage business development inHagerstown’s heart, provide enoughpedestrian traffic to ensure that the down-town becomes safe again, and will gener-ally contribute to the revitalization of anhistoric Maryland city.

These important roles – education,research and serving as a community asset– are ones that all colleges and universitiescan play in their hometowns. Together,they can ensure that we move towardsmarter development patterns, improvingthe quality of life for all Americans.


Gov. Parris N. Glendening

mericans have not traded directlywith Cuba’s 11 million inhabitants

in 40 years. But U.S. policy regarding theisland continues to be controversial.Recently, a growing number of state gov-ernment officials have added their voicesto those of advocates calling for expand-ed U.S.-Cuban trade.

Ready, set, trade!

Elected state officials have made spo-radic visits to Cuba during the last year. InSeptember 2002, however, attendance atthe first Food and Agribusiness Exhibitionin Havana made it obvious that many stateofficials have decided Cuba is a viablemarketplace for their products. Gov. JesseVentura of Minnesota, Lt. Gov. JackDalrymple of North Dakota and agricul-tural commissioners from seven statesattended the exhibition, along with repre-sentatives of 285 companies from 33states. Sales of U.S. agricultural productsduring the show amounted to over $80million. The event created significantpublic interest – especially the arrival ofbuffalo, cattle and sheep from Minnesotaand the on-site production of CaliforniaRaisin Havana Club Rum Ice Cream!

For Georgia Commissioner ofAgriculture Tommy Irvin, the exhibitionwas “the culmination of more than twoyears of effort toward opening Cuban-American trade.” Similarly, GeneHugoson, Minnesota’s commissioner of

agriculture, said his state’s administra-tion “is very interested in pursuing a real-istic trade policy with Cuba. Hopefully,with continued prodding by those statesthat realize the value of such trade, theantiquated federal policy will change,”he added.

A partial U.S. trade embargo began in1960 with Fidel Castro’s rise to power,and it escalated into a complete tradeembargo and travel ban after the expro-priation of American assets and the 1962Cuban Missile Crisis. American productsoften made their way to the islandthrough third-party vendors in Panamaand Canada, but even foreign subsidiariesof U.S. companies were prohibited fromdoing business with Cuba.

For many years, Cuba was one of

Russia’s staunchest allies and greatesttrading partners. The collapse of commu-nism and the Soviet Union, however, leftCuba without support or a marketplacefor many of its goods. Remaining true toCastro’s communist policies without theSoviet Union’s support meant that thegovernment had to find new import andexport markets and learn to live withoutbillions in Soviet subsidies.

Trade with Cuba is controversial, andAmerican policies have changed severaltimes over the years. The Trade SanctionsReform and Export Enhancement Act of2000 reauthorized direct, cash-only exportof agricultural products, art and medicalequipment and supplies from the UnitedStates to Cuba. However, Castro was out-raged that goods had to be bought with


economic developmenteconomic development

AA

States take the lead on trade with Cuba

BY DR. CAROLYN ORR

To trade or not to trade?

State officials visited Havana in September for the first U.S. Food and Agribusiness Exhibition.

cash, not credit, and that tourist travel wasstill not permitted. He initially refused topurchase goods from American companies.

In November 2001, however,Hurricane Michelle severely damagedCuba’s agriculture infrastructure. Theneed for food for storm victims was sogreat that purchases of U.S. soybeans,poultry, soybean meal and fruits began.The quality of American goods andreduced shipping expenses compared toother trading partners have resulted in anongoing trade relationship.

Between the first sale in December2001 and the September 2002 exhibi-tion, Cuba purchased $130 million inagricultural products from 30 Americanstates. The purchases were purposefullyspread around the country to include asmany congressional districts as possible.As of September, products from 72 per-cent of U.S. House districts and 60 per-cent of Senate districts had made theirway to the island.

The exhibition promised to furtheraccelerate trade between the two nations.After his visit, North Dakota Lt. Gov.Jack Dalrymple said Cuba “was interest-ed in buying more field peas than theentire state could supply.” Similarly, thesale of Maryland-raised poultry and live-stock feed brought state Secretary ofAgriculture Hagner Mister to the show.Secretary Mister said Castro told him thathe would rather buy food products fromthe United States than from the rest of theworld. For Mister, the trip was simply anopportunity “to give Maryland farmersanother market.”

Commissioner Billy Ray Smith ofKentucky’s Department of Agriculturesaid he sees great potential for selling hisstate’s wood products to Cuba. Cubanrum is currently produced in barrels thatare over 50 years old and in need ofreplacement. Other American productssold to the island include corn, rice,wheat, apples, pork and even brandedbeverages and pasta. Haagen-Dazs icecream is now available in Cuban “dollar”stores. These stores are governmentowned and operated, but they allowCuban citizens to use American dollars topurchase products not available throughgovernment rationing.

Dollars flow into Cuba from relatives inthe United States, with annual remittances

estimated at up to $1 billion. The tourismindustry brings in almost $2 billion a year,and foreign investment in the tourism andmanufacturing industries provides addi-tional revenue. Much of this income isused to pay for imported goods. Allimports are procured through PedroAlvarez Borrego, president of the EmpresaCubana Importadora de Alimentos, orAlimport. Borrego and other governmentrepresentatives emphasize that Cuba seeks“normal” relations with the United States.They question the fact that America tradeswith China and North Vietnam, also com-munist nations, but refuses a similar rela-tionship with Cuba.

Many of the exhibition’s state visitorsbelieve that the federal government isdenying American exporters (particularlyagricultural producers) the opportunity tosell to markets less than 100 miles fromAmerican shores, even as it stresses theimportance of international trade for U.S.economic security. “Fidel Castro has out-lasted nine U.S. presidents already,” Gov.Ventura remarked. “How can we say thepresent U.S. policy is working?”

The controversy continues

Cuba is still a communist nation, andalthough Castro has authorized a smallamount of free enterprise – includingincentive-based agriculture and family-owned and operated food or crafts enter-prises – expansion through hiring of outside workers is not permitted. Politicaldissent can result in prison terms.Residents are frequently called on toassemble for parades and protests atCastro’s whim. Education remains undergovernment control. Some churches havereopened as a result of Pope John PaulII’s visit in 1998, but few Cubans attendservices. Everyone is guaranteed a joband a place to live, but salaries average$16 per month and much of the housing isin dire need of repair.

Advocates of free trade, like U.S. Sen.Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, stressthat “active trade, open travel, commerceand communication with the UnitedStates is more likely to lead to democrat-ic reforms than the embargo.”According to Meg Scott Phipps, NorthCarolina’s commissioner of agriculture, itis important to her state’s agriculture pro-

ducers “to do everything possible to sup-port lifting agricultural trade and travelrestrictions between the U.S. and Cuba.”

But supporters of the embargo insistthat freedom and social justice for Cuba’speople will only be achieved throughCastro’s removal. They believe interna-tional political and economic pressureand isolation of his regime is the best wayto bring this about. The Cuban govern-ment’s repressive human rights recordand lack of freedom for the press have ledCuban exiles to demand democratic andeconomic reforms before the embargo isremoved. President Bush says sanctionswill remain until Cuba allows free elec-tions, free speech and freedom for politi-cal prisoners.

Since the economic collapse caused bythe loss of Soviet subsidies in 1991, Cubahas experienced some economic growth.But the loss of tourism since Sept. 11,2001, combined with the devastationcaused by Hurricane Michelle, has weak-ened its economy. Low world sugarprices, the island’s major export, haveresulted in the closing of half of its sugarmills. Castro has devalued the currency,raised prices on most goods, defaulted onforeign loans and restricted foreigninvestors from removing profits.

These steps lead many trade oppo-nents to say that Cuba’s recent purchas-es from Americans are an effort to persuade Washington to lift the embargoentirely. John Kavulich, president of theU.S.-Cuba Trade and EconomicCouncil, reports that in order to pay forthe purchases from America, which mustbe bought with cash, Cuba is not payingits debts to other countries. Companiesin Venezuela, Panama and Canada reportan increase in repayment problems. Butas long as U.S. policy requires cash inadvance for American products, thiswon’t be an issue for companies in theUnited States.

In the midst of arguments from bothsides, Congress and the president willdecide the future of trade. But officialsfrom at least 33 states attending the agri-cultural exhibition see Cuba as a vital linkto improving their economies.

—Carolyn Orr is the lead agriculturaland rural policy analyst at The Council ofState Governments.


Foundation, one of the nation’s most suc-cessful new public policy institutes. Afrequent writer for the New York Times,Washington Post, Atlantic Monthly andLos Angeles Times, Mr. Halsted is co-author of the acclaimed book onAmerican politics, The Radical Center.The session will examine driving forcesin the electoral environment, includingchanges in the role of political parties, thestate/federal relationship and power shiftsin the states.

tate officials from across the nationwill prepare to govern in 2003 at

The Council of State Governments’2002 Annual State Trends andLeadership Forum, Dec. 5-9 in historicRichmond, Va. at the RichmondConvention Center. State governors, leg-islators, senior federal and state govern-ment officials, judges, academicians andrepresentatives of many Fortune 500corporations will attend.

The theme of this year’s meeting,“Preparing States for Tomorrow, Today,”highlights CSG’s emphasis on emergingtrends in the topics presented throughoutthe program’s plenary sessions, workshopsand task force and committee meetings.

Maryland Gov. Parris N. Glendening,CSG’s current president, will deliver thekeynote address and will also guide a ple-nary discussion on quality-of-life issuesrelating to Smart Growth initiatives.

Leaders will learn about the creative part-nerships and coalitions needed for states toeffectively implement sustainable develop-ment and how to build strong relationshipsamong foundations, universities, commu-nities and state officials to improve thequality of life for all residents.

Noted author Ted Halsted will conducta plenary session on political trends titled“New Perspectives on the AmericanElectorate.” Mr. Halsted is founder andpresident of the New America


leadershipleadership

CSG Annual State Trends andLeadership ForumDecember 5-9, 2002Richmond Convention CenterRichmond, Virginia

Register now for the CSG Annual State Trends and Leader-ship Forum online at http://www.csg.org/virginia. For more infor-mation, call (800) 800-1910.

Registration information

CSG meeting highlights keytrends and issues

BY SUSAN SAYLOR YEARY

SS

Virginia hosts state leaders


Other sessions will focus on internation-al exchanges between states and foreign governments; governmental effi-ciency in a tough budgetary climate; healthcare issues, including Medicaid; majordemographic trends in the United States;the impact of economic development, edu-cation and public/private partnerships on economic recovery; inno-vative state and private approaches to restoring corporate credibility; issues sur-rounding the controversial national driver’s

license; and electric-industry restructuring.Sessions conducted by CSG task forces

and committees, open to all delegates, willidentify key issues in agriculture and ruralpolicy, public safety and justice, the envi-ronment and health capacity.

Several delegates will be recognizedfor their roles in developing effective andtransferable solutions in their home statesat the CSG Innovations Awards presenta-tion. CSG President-elect MikeHuckabee, governor of Arkansas, will

honor this year’s winners, who representDelaware, Pennsylvania, South Dakota,North Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Idaho and Washington.

CSG hosts the only comprehensivemeeting of leaders from the executive, leg-islative and judicial branches of all 50 stategovernments, U.S. territories and the com-monwealth of Puerto Rico. Through itsexecutive leadership, policy analysis andinnovative programs, the organizationchampions excellence in government. CSGworks with state leaders across the countryand through its regions to spot trends, toposition states to best deal with emergingissues, to cultivate effective leadership andto put the best ideas and solutions intopractice. The Annual State Trends andLeadership Forum is one of two nationalmeetings CSG conducts each year in serv-ice of its mission.

—Susan Saylor Yeary is the associatedirector for membership, marketing andcommunications at The Council of StateGovernments.

Chesapeake Bayfield studySat. Dec. 7, 2:00-5:00 p.m.

Members of CSG’s Agricul-ture and Rural Policy Task Forceand Environmental Task Forceare invited to attend a field studyof the Chesapeake Bay ecosys-tem. Appropriate dress is recom-mended. For more information,contact Carolyn Orr at (859)244-8221 or Scott Richards at(859) 244-8031.


excellence in action: spotlighting CSG activities, events, resources and affiliated organizations

When Western legislators gathered atLake Tahoe this summer for the 55thAnnual Meeting of CSG-WEST, NevadaSpeaker Emeritus Joe Dini received theorganization’s annual Bettye FahrenkampAward. The award honors the Western legis-lator whose career demonstrates “the abilityto see and work beyond the border of theirown state in the interests of the West.”

Dini is retiring this year after 36 yearsin the Legislature and eight sessions asspeaker. He worked tirelessly for manyyears as the chair of the CSG-WEST watercommittee, where he brought Westernwater-resource issues to the attention ofregional and national policy-makers. Inthe 1990s, when Dini and NevadaAssemblyman Lynn Hettrick shared thespeaker’s gavel in a divided house, the twolawmakers were recognized nationally fortheir ability to reach across party lines.

At the meeting, CSG-WEST and theNational Conference of State Legislaturesalso honored Nevada Sen. LawrenceJacobsen. The two organizations gave the81-year-old senator a DistinguishedService Award. Jacobsen, who will retirethis year, is the longest-serving legislatorin Nevada history. With 40 years of leg-islative service, from 1962 to 2002, he

served for more than one-quarter of thestate’s history.

Jacobsen is president pro tempore of theNevada Senate and also served as speak-er of the Nevada Assembly. In 1986-1987, he chaired the Western LegislativeConference of CSG’s Western region, andhe also worked with NCSL to organizestate security personnel.

Nev. Sen. Lawrence Jacobsen accepts awardfrom CSG-WEST chair and Nev. colleagueAssemblyman Lynn Hetrick.

Election reformA special task force composed

of Midwestern lawmakers andsecretaries of state has released aset of 35 policy recommenda-tions covering six major areas ofelection reform.

Established in 2001, theMidwestern Legislative Confer-ence’s Elections Task Forceworked for a year to develop rec-ommendations for the region’slawmakers to consider. Thegroup’s final report proposesreforms on issues related to voterregistration and identification,polling procedures, the presiden-tial selection process, the releaseof election results, and the roles ofthe state and federal governments.

Minnesota Sen. Steve Kelleyand Wisconsin Rep. StephenFreese served as co-chairs of thetask force. The full MLC approvedthe group’s recommendations dur-ing the MLC’s Annual Meetinglast August in Fargo, N.D.

For more information, pleasecall Mike McCabe at (630) 810-0210. The report can be accessedat http://www.csgmidwest.org.

Midwestern Legislative Conference meets in Fargo

CSG-WEST honors Nevadans

More than 500people traveled toFargo, N.D. in Aug-ust to take part in the57th Annual Meeting of the MidwesternLegislative Confer-ence. Attendees heardfrom engaging speak-ers, participated innumerous public-pol-

icy sessions and interacted with peers atentertaining social events.

The four-day conference culminatedwith a speech by presidential advisorDavid Gergen. He shared with lawmak-ers his unique insights into the impor-tance and characteristics of effectivepolitical leadership. Luncheon events

included a presentation by noted Lewis-and-Clark historian Gary Moulton andan elections debate between politicalstrategists Donna Brazile and Rich Galen.

Public-policy sessions examined keyissues such as domestic terrorism pre-paredness, the impact of the 2002 FarmBill on Midwestern agricultural producers, and the effect that demo-graphic trends will have on the region.Other sessions included discussions oneducation accountability and state budg-et problems. In addition, each of theMLC’s five committees and task forces met.

The MLC also approved nine resolu-tions that dealt with election reform,U.S.-Canada boundary waters, changes

to Medicare coverage, the prevention andtreatment of Hepatitis C, drought relief,renewable energy, and research anddevelopment investment in the Midwest.The full text of these resolutions, alongwith summaries of the committee meet-ings and select presentations from thepublic sessions, is available online athttp://www.csgmidwest.org.

Evening social events included theannual state dinner, along with trips to theHeritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Centerand Bonanzaville, USA.

North Dakota Sen. Rich Wardner,chair of the MLC, presided over themeeting. Plans have already begun forthe MLC’s 58th Annual Meeting, whichwill be held Aug. 24-27, 2003 in Milwaukee.

David Gergen atthe MLC’s AnnualMeeting



Applications for the Midwestern Legis-lative Conference’s 9th Annual BowhayInstitute for Legislative LeadershipDevelopment are now available. The onlyleadership training program designedexclusively for Midwestern legislators,BILLD offers participants an opportunityto sharpen their skills while tapping the

expertise of public-policy scholars, seniorlegislative leaders and other guest presen-ters. The 2003 BILLD program will beheld in Madison, Wis., July 11-15, andapplications are due March 31. Last year’sBILLD program was made possible by thegenerous contributions of VerizonCommunications, Aventis Pharmaceut-

icals, Bayer Corp., Merck & Co. Inc.,Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Inc.,Johnson & Johnson, the AmericanChemistry Council/American PlasticsCouncil; Pharmacia Corp., Philip MorrisManagement Corp., TAP Pharmaceuticals;PG&E National Energy Group, and QwestCommunication.

2002 BILLD class from left to right: Row 1: Rep. Cooper Garnos (S.D.), Rep. Connie Ruth (Minn.), Rep. Paula Zelenko (Mich.), Sen. Mee Moua(Minn.), Rep. Irma Clark (Mich.), MPP Bert Johnson (Ont.). Row 2: Rep. Phyllis Heineman (S.D.), Rep. Mark Dosch (N.D.), Sen. Ruth Teichman(Kan.), Rep. Scott Reske (Ind.), Rep. Karen Yarbrough (Ill.), Rep. Kenton Onstad (N.D.). Row 3: Rep. Jean Hundertmark (Wis.), MLA Ken Krawetz(Sask.), Sen. Jay Scott Emler (Kan.), Rep. Geoffrey C. Smith (Ohio), Rep. Charles Jefferson (Ill.). Row 4: Rep. Annazette Collins (Ill.), Rep. JodiTymeson (Iowa), Rep. Donald Friske (Wis.), Rep. Valdenia Winn (Kan.), Rep. Terri McCormick (Wis.), Sen. Brandt E. Hershman (Ind.), Sen. VickieD. McDonald (Neb.), Sen. Doug Cunningham (Neb.). Row 5: Rep. Anthony Sertich (Minn.), Rep. Jim Davnie (Minn.), Rep. Scott Hummel (Mich.),Rep. Wayne Tieman (N.D.), Rep. John Aguilera (Ind.). Row 6: Rep. Tom Niehaus (Ohio), MLA Lindy Kasperski (Sask.), Rep. Thom Collier (Ohio),Sen. Royal McCracken (S.D.). Not pictured: Rep. Janet Petersen (Iowa), Rep. Greg Stevens (Iowa). Photo courtesy of Eastman Kodak Company.

BILLD applications available



The National Association of StatePersonnel Executives held its 2002Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, August17-20. Attendees from 25 states and 18companies shared information on vitalhuman resource issues affecting statepersonnel agencies.

Presentations covered topics such asconducting structured interviews, strate-gic compensation, retirement plans andwork-force planning. This year’s meet-ing featured three keynote speakers:Karl J. Ahlrichs from Professional StaffManagement Consulting provided anentertaining session on the modern les-sons of the Donner Party; Paul Bianchi,vice president of human resources for

PeopleSoft Inc., spoke on “Managingfor Success in Challenging Times”; andMichael Broome ended the meeting witha lively presentation on how to be a peo-ple-power person.

The meeting’s highlight was the awardsbanquet, where Colorado and Kansas wererecognized for outstanding human-resource programs. Jeffrey Schutt, directorof the Division of Human Resources inColorado’s Department of Personnel andAdministration, was honored for his lead-ership. More information on the RooneyAward winners can be found athttp://www.naspe.net.

NASPE’s next meeting will be in Wash-ington, D.C., January 31-February 2, 2003.

NASPE holds annual meeting in Indianapolis

National Association of State Treasurers forms foundationThe nation’s state treasurers have

joined together to develop a nonprofitfoundation dedicated to enhancing stateofficials’ understanding of public finan-cial management. The foundation alsoseeks to disseminate educational materi-als and opportunities to individuals interested in improving their personalfinancial management skills. The NASTFoundation will implement three strate-gies to meet these goals:

1. The National Institute for PublicFinance provides an academic study ofthe functional aspects of public finan-cial management. At the institute, gov-ernment officials focus on and analyze

public finance issues and gain the abil-ity to make independent financial deci-sions. In 2003, the NAST Foundationwill hold the eighth National Institutefor Public Finance.

2. The New Treasurers Symposiumoffers newly elected finance officers a colleague-to-colleague symposiumdesigned to give an inside look at theoffice of state treasurer before assumingthe responsibilities of managing a multi-billion-dollar state agency. In November2002, NAST members will welcomemore than a dozen new members to thesymposium in New York City. Thisyear’s symposium will offer a unique

opportunity for new treasurers, becauseit will be held prior to the NAST IssuesConference and will allow new treasur-ers to hear about the state of the finan-cial industry.

3. The NAST Foundation will alsocoordinate the dissemination of ideas andthe distribution of materials related toinnovative financial literacy programs.This initiative is designed to help statetreasurers educate citizens on the valueand management of savings, as well asother personal financial-managementneeds, from birth to retirement.

For more information call NAST at (859)244-8175, or visit http://www.nast.net.

In memoriam: Herb WiltseeHerb Wiltsee served as a CSG leader

for 30 years. He opened CSG’s Southernoffice in Atlanta in 1959 and served asdirector there for 18 years. Wiltsee wasnamed national executive director ofCSG in 1977 and served in that capacityuntil his retirement in 1978.

He was born in Chicago, Illinois, andgraduated from Ohio Wesleyan Univer-sity in Delaware, Ohio. Through theyears, Wiltsee was secretary of manystate government associations, including

the National Association of AttorneysGeneral, the National Conference ofLieutenant Governors and the SouthernGovernors’ Conference. He helped formthe National Legislative Conference andwas its secretary until 1971.

“He had an incredible knowledge ofstate government and a knack forachieving consensus,” said AlanSokolow, director of CSG’s EasternRegional Conference. “He taught me torespect state elected officials for their

commitment to public service.”Wiltsee died of respiratory failure

August 25 at his Atlanta residence. Hewill be remembered for his many contributions to CSG, for his love ofopera and his belief in passing knowl-edge and understanding to succeedinggenerations.

He is survived by two daughters, twosons, a sister, five grandchildren, twostepgrandchildren and one stepgreat-grandchild.

D. Sue Roberson (IN) and Mollie Anderson(IA), 2002-2003 and 2001-2002 NASPEpresidents.



CSG Associate profile: The National Education AssociationThe National Education Association is

the nation’s leading advocate for childrenand public education. As the nation’slargest professional-employee association,NEA represents 2.7 million elementaryand secondary teachers, college faculty,education support professionals, schooladministrators, retired educators and stu-dents preparing to become teachers.

NEA and its affiliates in every state andmore than 12,000 local affiliates advocatefor children and public-education employ-ees through a variety of means, includingcollaborating with parents and policy-mak-ers, lobbying, communications, research,collective bargaining and communityorganizing. State and local affiliates have ahigh degree of autonomy over their priori-ties and policies, consistent with thenational organization’s principles.

At the state level, NEA affiliates areactive in promoting efforts to make publicschools great for every child. Among theirongoing priorities are:

• Efforts to attract and retain quali-fied teachers and maintain highstandards for teachers and educa-tion support professionals. NEAaffiliates work closely with gover-nors, state legislators, state boardsand departments of education, localschool boards and others to ensurethat schools maintain high and con-sistent standards for those in theteaching profession. At the sametime, they work to enhance programsto help teachers be effective in theclassroom, including support forongoing professional development,mentoring programs, and evaluationprograms. Association affiliates also

work for adequate compensation tohelp attract and retain fully qualifiedemployees in all classrooms and jobclassifications.

• Efforts to maintain high standardsfor students, teachers and schools.NEA affiliates work to set and main-tain high expectations for all.Association advocates support stan-dards for content and performance –in other words, measures of what stu-dents should know and how wellschools help students learn. Theyalso support program standards, ormeasures of what resources are avail-able to help all students succeed,including class size, teacher quality,facilities, etc.

• Efforts to build adequate, stableand equitable revenue systems andexpenditures for students andschools. Education is a major portionof all state budgets, and educationfunding levels and formulas are aperennial issue for policy-makers atall levels of state government. NEAaffiliates advocate for adequateresources to maintain teacher quality,reduce class sizes, provide facilitiesthat are safe and conducive to teach-ing and learning, and all the otherthings that parents and the publicexpect of their local public schools.

Upcoming Trends

State officials will face many dauntingchallenges in the next few years, including:

• Maintaining financial support foreducation in the current economicclimate. Business cycles may fluctu-

ate, but the needs of students aresteadily growing as enrollment con-tinues to rise. All states will have tostruggle to find ways to invest infuture economic growth by support-ing a quality education system.

• Maintaining high standards forteachers while addressing theteacher shortage. NEA affiliatesvary to some degree in theirapproaches to addressing traditionaland alternate routes to the teachingprofession, but all agree that everychild deserves a fully qualifiedteacher – one who has mastery of thesubject matter, as well as preparationin how to teach. In addition, no effortto address the need for qualifiedteachers and education support pro-fessionals will be successful withoutsalary and compensation that canattract and retain the kind of staffparents want and students deserve.

• Strengthening America’s publicschools. Association affiliates sup-port direct efforts to improve educa-tional opportunity for studentsthrough research-proven reforms,such as enhancing the skills andknowledge of teachers, reducingclass size and providing full-daykindergarten. NEA affiliates opposeso-called reforms that weaken theability of states and localities to pro-vide quality education for the 90 per-cent of American parents who sendtheir children to public schools.

For more information, contact JanisHagey, intergovernmental relations coordinator, at (202) 822-7586 [email protected].

In memoriam: Rep. Roy HausauerThe Council of State Governments

mourns the passing of former NorthDakota Rep. Roy Hausauer, who died inSeptember. First elected to the Legislaturein 1970, Rep. Hausauer served in theHouse of Representatives for almost threedecades. Over the years he made his mark as a member of the Appropriat-

ions Committee, but he also served asSpeaker of the House for one term and aschairman of the North Dakota LegislativeCouncil for an unprecedented five terms.Rep. Hausauer became active in CSG earlyin his career, and he served as chair of theMLC in 1980. He served as CSG’s nation-al chairman in 1984, making him one of

the few Midwesterners to have held bothposts. In later years, he remained active atboth the regional and national levels ofCSG, until leaving the Legislature in 1998.

A businessman and long-time foot-ball coach from Wahpeton, N.D., Rep.Hausauer served in the U.S. Army duringWorld War II and the Korean War.



CSG Associate profile: 3M Company3M Company was founded in 1902

as the Minnesota Mining and Manufact-uring Company. Today, it's a $16 billiondiversified technology company, withleading positions in health care, safety,automotive, electronics, telecommunica-tions, industrial, consumer and office, andother markets. Headquartered in St. Paul,Minn., 3M has manufacturing facilities in27 states, along with operations in 65countries and customers in nearly 200countries. Over 50 percent of 3M's salescome from international markets.

According to Dan Garry, 3M's publicissues manager, 3M and its public-affairs staff focus on a number of issuesthat are vital to the states. Four of thecompany's “Top 10” priority public-pol-icy issues are being played out in thestate government arena.

Civil-justice reform legislation. 3Mbelieves two important considerationsmust be balanced on this front. First andforemost, those injured by faulty prod-ucts should be fairly compensated. Butstate tort laws should not favor plain-tiffs’ lawyers at the expense of con-sumers and businesses. Several stateshave successfully implemented tortreforms; in others, tort-reform efforts tomake litigation more equitable for bothinjured parties and businesses remain a priority.

Defense and homeland security.Events of the past year have altered theway governments and companies conducttheir day-to-day affairs. These changesinclude heightened attention to the securi-ty of citizens and employees, physicalassets and communications, includingdata. 3M supplies products, processes andservices that deal with many of thechanges in construction, transportation,materials handling and other processes.As a result, 3M has been working withgovernments on legislative and regulatoryproposals dealing with licensing, permit-ting and other materials-handling issues.

Free and fair trade legislation. 3Munderstands that expanding the sale ofU.S. manufactured products into interna-tional markets is vital for America's eco-nomic security. 3M actively supported the

recently enacted Trade PromotionAuthority (TPA) legislation, which willmake it easier for the United States to joinvarious international trade pacts. Suchtreaties are vital if U.S. products are to beexported to foreign markets. With manu-facturing operations in close to 30 states,TPA is critical to the interests of 3M’sU.S.-based employees.

Employee Retirement Income Secu-rity Act preservation and patients’rights legislation. 3M Company willspend over $365 million in 2002 provid-ing high-quality health benefits to over135,000 U.S. employees, retirees andtheir families. The ERISA law allows 3Mto provide benefits consistently toemployees in all 50 states. 3M is con-cerned that congressional bills to expandstate-court jurisdiction could lead to sig-nificantly increased costs and greater lia-bility exposure for companies, thus reduc-ing benefits and transferring more costs toemployees and retirees. As a result, 3M

has been working with state and federalgovernments to preserve benefits forapproximately 45 million Americans. Atthe same time, 3M and its grassrootsadvocacy network have actively lobbiedfor reforms addressing patient safety,quality of care, pharmaceutical coveragefor the elderly, and the uninsured.

“As has been the case throughout his-tory, states continue to prove that theyare truly laboratories of democracy,”Garry said. “On so many fronts, stategovernments are in the forefront ofgrappling with difficult issues andattempting to implement reforms. Stategovernment leaders understand so wellthat the public-private partnershipsbetween the states and business are nec-essary if the tough issues facing thenation are to be dealt with in a balanced,realistic and thoughtful manner.”

For more information, contact DanGarry, public issues manager, at (651)736-6198 or [email protected].

Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation

Published in compliance with U.S. Postal Service regulations. 1. Title: State Government News. 2. Pub. no.: 0520-080. 3. Filingdate: 10/10/02. 4. Frequency: Monthly, 2 combined issues: June/Julyand Nov./Dec. 5. No. published annually: 10. 6. Annual subscriptionprice: $45. 7./8. Mailing address publication/publisher: 2760Research Park Dr., P.O. Box 11910, Lexington, KY. 40578-1910;contact: Laura Williams (859) 244-8119. 9. Publisher: The Councilof State Governments; Editor/Managing Editor: vacant; AssociateEditor: Laura Clewett; 2760 Research Park Dr. P.O. Box 11910,Lexington, KY 40578-1910. 10. Owner: The Council of StateGovernments, 2760 Research Park Dr. P.O. Box 11910, Lexington,KY 40578-1910. 11. None. 12. Has not changed during preceding 12months. 13. State Government News. 14. October 2002/ Avg. no.copies of each issue during preceding 12 months/ Actual no. copiesof single issue published nearest to filing date. A. Total No. Copies:12,900/12,000. B. (1) Paid/requested outside-county mail subscrip-tions: 11,843/11,237. (4) Other classes mailed through the USPS:240/215. C. Total paid and/or requested circulation: 12,083/11,452.G. Total distribution: 12,083/11,452. H. Copies not distributed:817/548. I. Total: 12,900/12,000. J. Percent paid and/or requested cir-culation: 100%. 16. Nov./Dec. 2002 issue. 17. Signature/title of busi-ness manager: Laura Williams, director membership, marketing andcommunications, Oct. 10, 2002.


This calendar lists meetings as desig-nated by CSG’s Annual MeetingCommittee. For details of a meeting,call the number listed. “CSG/” denotesaffiliate organizations of CSG. VisitCSG’s Web site, www.csg.org, forupdates.

Other meetings have value to state offi-cials. Purchase a meeting listing bycalling 1 (800) 800-1910 or [email protected]. Expose your meetingsto thousands in the state governmentmarket through an advertisement, aWeb listing, or a banner ad in In theNews, CSG’s weekly electronicnewsletter. Get your free subscriptionto In the News at www.csg.org.

NOVEMBER 2002

November 13-14 — ERC/NortheastHigh Level Radioactive Transporta-tion Task Force Meeting — CapeElizabeth, ME — Inn By the Sea.Contact Phillip L. Paul at [email protected]

November 14-18 — CSG/SLC FallLegislative Issues Meeting — Destin,FL — Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa. Contact NaiVienthongsuk at (404) 266-1271 [email protected]

November 23-24 — CSG/NationalAssociation of State Treasurers NewTreasurers Symposium— New York,NY — The Roosevelt Hotel. ContactAdnee Hamilton at (859) 244-8174

November 23-26 — State Govern-ment Affairs Council State Leaders’Policy Conference — Scottsdale, AZ— The Phoenician. Contact KellyCummings at (202) 728-0500

November 25-26 — CSG/NationalAsso-ciation of State TreasurersIssues Conference — New York, NY— The Roosevelt Hotel. ContactAdnee Hamilton at (859) 244-8174

DECEMBER 2002

December 5-8 — CSG 2002 AnnualState Trends and Leadership For-um — Richmond, VA — RichmondMarriott. Contact Wanda Hines at (859)244- 8200 or [email protected]

December 10-13 — CSG/CSG-WEST Western Legislative Acad-emy — Colorado Springs, CO —Doubletree Hotel. Contact CherylDuvauchelle at (916) 553-4423 [email protected]

December 11 — National Conferenceof State Legislatures AFI/ASI JointMeeting — Washington, DC — HyattRegency. Contact Barbara Houlik at(202) 624-5400

JANUARY 2003January 5-8 – CSG/AmericanProbation and Parole Association’sWinterTraining Institute – Salt LakeCity, UT – The Grand American Hotel

– Contact Kris Chappell at (859) 244-8204 or email [email protected] orsee www. appa-net.org

FEBRUARY 2003

February 13-16 – CSG/NationalLieutenant Governors AssociationState-Federal Meeting – Washington,D.C. – Willard Intercontinental – ContactJulia Hurst at (859) 244-8111 or [email protected]. Visit www.nlga.us

February 22-25— National GovernorsAssociation Winter Meeting —Washington, DC — Contact SusanDotchin at (202) 624-5327

February 22-26 — CSG/NationalEmergency Management Assoc-iation Mid-Year Conference,Washington, D.C. – Grand HyattWashington - see www.nemaweb.org

MARCH 2003

March 2-5 — CSG/National Assoc-iation of State Treasurers LegislativeConference — Washington, DC —Willard Inter-Continental Hotel.Contact Adnee Hamilton at (859) 244-8174 or [email protected] or seewww.nast.net

MAY 2003

May 15-18 — CSG Spring Comm-ittee and Task force Meetings —U.S. Virgin Islands — MarriottFrenchman’s Reef. Contact WandaHines at (859) 244-8200 [email protected]

JUNE 2003

June 21-25 — CSG/NationalAssociation of State FacilitiesAdministrators Annual Conference& Tradeshow — Overland, KS —Sheraton Overland Park Hotel.Contact Marcia Stone at (859)244-8181 or [email protected]

JULY 2003

July 11-15 — CSG/MidwesternLegislative Conference Ninth AnnualBowhay Institute for LegislativeLeadership Development — Madison,WI — Fluno Center for ExecutiveEducation. Contact Laura Tomaka at(630) 810- 0210 or [email protected]

July 16-20 -- CSG/National LieutenantGovernors Association Annual Meeting– Little Rock, AR – Peabody Hotel, LittleRock -- Contact Julia Hurst at (859) 244-8111 or email [email protected]. Visitwww.nlga.us

July 21-27 — National Conference ofState Legislatures Annual Meet-ing— San Francisco, CA— Hotel TBA

July 29-August 1, 2003 – CSG-WESTAnnual Meeting – Honolulu, Ha. –Hilton Hawaiian Village. ContactCheryl Duvauchelle at (916) 553-4423

AUGUST 2003

August 9-13 — CSG/Southern Leg-islative Conference Annual Meeting— Ft. Worth, TX —Hotel TBA.Contact Colleen Cousineau at (404)266- 1271 or see www.slcatlanta.org

August 16-19 — National GovernorsAssociation Annual Meeting —Indianapolis, IN. Contact SusanDotchin at (202) 624- 5327

August 17-19 — CSG/EasternRegional Conference AnnualMeeting — San Juan, PR — CaribeHilton. See www.csgeast.org

August 24-27 — CSG/MidwesternLegislative Conference 58th AnnualMeeting — Milwaukee, WI — Hyatt.Contact Mike McCabe at (630) 810- 0210

SEPTEMBER 2003

September 6-10 – CSG/NationalEmergencyManagement Association2003 Annual Conference – Seattle, WA— Elliott Grand Hyatt - see www.nemaweb.org

September 13-19 – CSG Henry TollFellowship Program — Lexington, KY.Contact Allison Spurrier at (859) 244-8249 or [email protected] for applications

OCTOBER 2003

October 23-26 — CSG AnnualState Trends and LeadershipForum — Pittsburgh, PA — HiltonPittsburgh. Contact Wanda Hines at(859) 244- 8200 or [email protected]

FEBRUARY 2004

February 21-24— National GovernorsAssociation Winter Meeting —Washington, DC — Hotel TBA —Contact Susan Dotchin at (202) 624-5327.

JULY 2004

July 11-14 — CSG/MidwesternLegislative Conference 59th AnnualMeeting — Des Moines, IA— Marriott.Contact Mike McCabe at (630) 810- 0210

July 18- 25 — National Conference ofState Legislatures Annual Meeting— Salt Lake City, UT — Hotel TBA

July 28-August 1 — American Leg-islative Exchange Council AnnualMeeting — Seattle, WA— Hotel TBA

July 31-August 3 — National Govern-ors Association Annual Meeting —Seattle, Washington — Hotel TBA —Contact Susan Dotchin at (202) 624-5327

AUGUST 2004

August 14 - 18— CSG/Southern Leg-islative Conference Annual Meeting— Little Rock, AR — Hotel TBA.

Contact Colleen Cousineau at (404)266- 1271 or see www.slcatlanta.org

SEPTEMBER 2004

September 25 - 29— CSG Annual StateTrends and Leadership For-um — Anchorage, AK — Hotel TBA.Contact Wanda Hines at (859) 244- 8103or [email protected] or see www.csg.org

FEBRUARY 2005

February 26-March 1— National Gov-ernors Association Winter Meeting —Washington, DC — Hotel TBA. ContactSusan Dotchin at (202) 624- 5327

JULY 2005

July 30-August 3 — CSG/SouthernLegislative Conference AnnualMeeting— Mobile, AL— Hotel TBA.Contact Colleen Cousineau at (404)266- 1271 or see www.slcatlanta.org

July 31- August 3 — CSG/MidwesternLegislative Conference 60th AnnualMeeting — Regina, Saskatchewan -Canada — Delta Regina. Contact MikeMcCabe at (630) 810- 0210

AUGUST 2005

August 14- 21— National Conferenceof State Legislatures Annual Meeting— Seattle, WA— Hotel TBA

DECEMBER 2005

December 1- 4 — CSG Annual StateTrends and Leadership For-um— Wilmington, DE — Hotel TBA.Contact Wanda Hines at (859) 244 - 8103 [email protected] or see www.csg.org

FEBRUARY 2006

February 25-28— National Gover-norsAssociation Winter Meeting —Washington, DC — Hotel TBA. ContactSusan Dotchin at (202) 624-5327

JULY 2006

July 22-26 — CSG/SouthernLegislative Conference AnnualMeeting — Baltimore, MD — HotelTBA. Contact Colleen Cousineau at (404)266-1271 or see www.slcatlanta.org

AUGUST 2006

August 12-18— National Confer-ence ofState Legislatures Annual Meeting —Nashville, TN — Hotel TBA

FEBRUARY 2007

February 25-27 — National Gover-nors Association Winter Meeting —Washington, DC — Hotel TBA.Contact Susan Dotchin at (202) 624-5327

For registration information visit our Web site at www.csg.org

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