2011 Policy Directors Annual Meeting

For the fourth consecutive year, CSI convened a national meeting of state Policy Directors and other senior state officials, including policymakers from AL, CA, CO, CT, DE, IL, KS, KY, MD, MO, NY, NC, PA, UT and VT. CSI Senior Fellows from CO, IA, OH, WA and WI were on hand as well as subject-matter experts from APHA, Brookings, C4GC, CBPP, CCS, CHP, CIHM, CLASP,  CNT, College Summit-CO, Community Advocates, CRL, Cromwell & Schmisseur, Delcan, EcoAnalytics, EducationCounsel, IMT, Just Economics LLC, Mathematica, MEA, NELP, NTHP, P/PV, Pew, Public Works,  SOS, SSTI, and with Federal officials from the DOT and HHS.  The event kicked off on 10/12 with a briefing from federal officials at the U.S. Department of Transportation, which gave the states an inside look at Federal transportation supports and upcoming reforms. As with previous years, the full day of sessions (on 10/13) opened with a “lightning round” of suggested low-cost or revenue-neutral policy options such as: solar renewable energy credits, biomass P3’s, transforming the property tax into a value capture user fee, tolling interstates, out-of-school time systems and the AfterZone model, performance incentives for probation departments, work-sharing, and the No Kid Hungry campaign. The meeting also featured sessions on topics of major concern to states, including smarter ways to invest and leverage state funds; implementing health care reform; and spurring job creation and trade. Finally, Policy Directors from current and former administrations offered reflections on their time in government and recommendations to those just starting their service. Follow-up in a number of specific areas was planned, as well as a series of webinars on topics of interest from the meeting. Extensive event materials and additional resources are available at http://www.stateinnovation.org/Events/Event-Listing/Policy-Directors-Annual-Meeting-2011.aspx.