Report

DELEGATION MEMBERS AND STAFF

From 21–24 July 2018, Senator Lynn Beyak and Mr. Anthony Housefather, M.P. represented the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG) at the 72^nd annual meeting of the Council of State Governments’ Southern Legislative Conference (SLC). The meeting was held in St. Louis, Missouri. The delegation was accompanied by Ms. June Dewetering, the Canadian Section’s Senior Advisor.

THE EVENT

Founded in 1947, the SLC includes state legislators from 15 southern U.S. states (see the Appendix). Its mission is to foster and encourage intergovernmental cooperation among member states.

At the 72^nd annual meeting, each of the SLC’s six committees – Agriculture & Rural Development; Economic Development, Transportation & Cultural Affairs; Education; Energy & Environment; Fiscal Affairs & Government Operations; and Human Services & Public Safety – met. As well, plenary sessions occurred, a food packaging community service project was undertaken, a Women in Leadership Forum was held and technical tours were conducted.

DELEGATION OBJECTIVES FOR THE EVENT

Members of the IPG’s Canadian Section have been attending the annual meetings of the SLC since 2005. Their interactions with state legislators and others enable Canadian members of the IPG to achieve better the aims of finding points of convergence in respective national policies, initiating dialogue on points of divergence, encouraging exchanges of information and promoting better understanding on shared issues of concern. Moreover, the meetings provide the IPG’s Canadian Section with an important means by which to provide input to, and gather information about, state-level issues that affect Canada.

At this event, the delegates conveyed to state legislators the nature, magnitude and importance of the relationship between Canada and the U.S. South. They also identified areas of new and existing cooperation and collaboration.

ACTIVITIES DURING THE EVENT

At the SLC’s 72^nd annual meeting, the plenary sessions were:

• Opening Plenary Session: A Discussion with John O’Leary
• Closing Plenary Session: A Discussion with Johnny Morris.

The committee sessions were:

• Agriculture & Rural Development: 
  • The Economics of Herbicides: The Dicamba Dilemma
  • 2018 Farm Bill: What Might Be Expected
  • Recommitting to Rural America: Policies and Initiatives in Southern States.

• Economic Development, Transportation & Cultural Affairs:
  • Expanding Apprenticeship Programs for Workforce Development
  • The Importance of Site Selection for Promoting Growth
  • Effective Economic Development Strategies in Missouri.

• Education:
  • The Whole Child Initiative: A Collaborative Approach to Education
  • World Class Education Systems.

• Energy & Environment:
  • Leveraging Resources for Brownfield Restoration
  • Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program
  • Oklahoma’s Coal Combustion Residuals Permit Program
  • The Future of Electricity Storage and the U.S. Grid.

• •Fiscal Affairs & Government Operations:
  • National and Regional Economic Trends
  • Examining the Federal Budget’s Effect on Southern States
  • How States Use Data to Inform Decisions
  • Supreme Court Update: Fiscal Impacts
  • Comparative Data Reports: Adult Corrections, Education, Medicaid and Transportation.

• Human Services & Public Safety:
  • School Safety: Solutions from States
  • Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents
  • Aging Inmate Populations.

This report summarizes the presentations made during the plenary and selected committee sessions.

THE ECONOMICS OF HERBICIDES: THE DICAMBA DILEMMA

Ty Witten, Monsanto

• Farmers need to protect crops from damaging pests; pesticides help farmers to have improved harvests while using resources more efficiently.
• Farmers apply the right amount of crop protection in the right place at the right time and in the right amount.
• Regarding their harvest, U.S. farmers lose up to 40% annually to weeds, insects and diseases; this proportion could double without crop protection products.
• All pesticides undergo comprehensive safety evaluations by regulatory authorities before they are sold; these authorities require more than 100 safety studies before a pesticide is approved for sale.
• Farmers need new herbicide technologies because of increased weed pressures and resistance resulting from the overuse of certain tools.

Michael Goodis, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

• In the United States, an applicant develops a pesticide, generates data and submits an application to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the EPA reviews the data that have been submitted by the applicant with a view to assessing risk, and the EPA makes a decision based on all available information.
• Pesticides are designed to kill certain pests, but the EPA must assess the balance to be struck between controlling pests on one hand and protecting human health and non-target organisms on the other hand.
• U.S. states are the primary enforcer of a federal requirement that a pesticide be used only in accordance with the label.
• Weed resistance is a growing problem, and is the result of biological, technological and economic factors.
• In the United States, an estimated 70 million acres are infested with resistant weeds; the annual cost to farmers is about $2 billion.

EXPANDING APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Kimberly Hauge, National Governors Association

• In the work environment, one challenge is two related problems: many individuals lack the training and education that are needed to obtain middle-class jobs; and businesses have difficulty finding the skilled workers that they need to be competitive in the global economy.
• High-quality work-based learning involves the following four elements:
  • career awareness – build awareness about careers and the role of post-secondary education;
  • career exploration – explore career options, motivate students and inform decision making;
  • career preparation – apply learning through practical work experiences; and
  • career training – train for employment.

• Participants in high-quality work-based learning can benefit from the following opportunities:
  • apply the work-based content that they learned in a classroom environment;
  • explore career options and make informed decisions about education and work;
  • build “soft skills”;
  • gain work experience that can launch a career; and
  • interact with, and learn from, adult mentors.

• Businesses involved in high-quality work-based learning can receive the following benefits:
  • nurture student interest in careers in their sector;
  • build partnerships with schools;
  • ensure that the education curriculum develops the essential skills that they need;
  • increase employee retention and productivity;
  • audition potential job applicants; and
  • develop a highly skilled workforce.

• The five components of registered apprenticeships are the following:
  • business involvement – employers are the foundation;
  • structured on-the-job training – apprentices receive on-the-job training from an experienced mentor;
  • related instruction – apprenticeships combine on-the-job learning with technical education at community colleges, technical schools and apprenticeship training schools, either online or at the job site;
  • rewards for skill gains – apprentices receive increases in wages as they gain higher-level skills; and
  • national occupational credential – registered apprenticeship programs result in a nationally recognized credential that is a guarantee to employers that the apprentice is fully qualified for the job.

• Employers may face the following challenges in engaging in apprenticeships:
  • lack of awareness of apprenticeships;
  • fear of federal regulations;
  • lack of human resources capacity to establish a new program, to recruit apprentices and to report on results; and
  • time required for mentorship and supporting underrepresented populations.

• The elements of registered apprenticeship “transformation” include the following:
  • engaging businesses;
  • building partnerships;
  • engaging underrepresented populations;
  • leveraging resources;
  • making decisions that are informed by data; and
  • aligning policies.

Brad Neese, South Carolina Technical College System

• Learning opportunities that advance workforce development, promote economic development and ensure the attainment of student learning goals lead to increased employability and an enhanced quality of life.
• The combination of customized job-related education and supervised on-the-job learning can result in a number of benefits, including the following:

• a highly skilled workforce;
• access to standardized skills;
• reduced turnover; and
• succession planning.
• The benefits of youth apprenticeships include the following:
• create a labour “pipeline”;
• influence, mold and shape future employees;
• earn while learning; and
• enhance employability.

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP FORUM

Maxine Clark, Build-a-Bear Workshop

• Leaders need to see something so clearly that they can communicate the vision to others, and then have those individuals see themselves as part of that vision.
• Leaders should “collaborate to elevate.”
• Listening is one of the most important leadership skills.

LEVERAGING RESOURCES FOR BROWNFIELD RESTORATION

Maggie Egbarts, Kansas State University

• From a legal perspective, brownfields are defined as “real property, the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.”
• From a practice perspective, brownfields are everywhere, and are perceived to be properties with possible environmental issues that are limiting the use of the site.
• Often, it is perceived contamination, “buyer beware” or “fear of the unknown” that keep properties from being redeveloped, rather than the actual presence of contamination; once the stigma is gone, properties can be returned to productive use.
• The benefits of redeveloping brownfields can include the following:
  • preserve community character and history;
  • reduce blight;
  • increase the local tax base;
  • reduce public health and safety concerns; and
  • promote infill and vacant property reclamation.

Camilla Warren, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

• When redeveloping or revitalizing brownfield sites, the redevelopment strategy should identify the following:
  • existing and needed partners;
  • catalyst sites;
  • the needs of the community; and
  • available types and sources of funding.

• Potential partners in a brownfield redevelopment strategy could include the following:
  • chambers of commerce;
  • regional planning, development and economic development authorities;
  • local businesses and developers;
  • elected officials;
  • community leaders; and
  • colleges and universities.

• A catalyst site is a project that is likely to lead to future redevelopment due to its close proximity to transit, major highways and employment centres; these projects can become an anchor in promoting future job creation, sales and property tax revenue, and further redevelopment.

• An assessment of community needs should include public meetings where community members can identify their desire for one or more of the following: services; retail shops; housing; green space; walking and bike trails; etc.

NATIONAL AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC TRENDS

Mark Vitner, Wells Fargo

• U.S. economic growth “ramped up” considerably in the second quarter of 2018.
• U.S. fiscal policy is now stimulative, with tax reform providing near- and long-term growth; with more fiscal stimulus, the U.S. Federal Reserve would like to be somewhat more aggressive in “normalizing” interest rates.
• The Trump Administration seems to have a confrontational approach regarding international trade negotiations.
• The unemployment rate in the United States has fallen below what the U.S. Federal Reserve considers to be its long-term objective, or what is known as “full employment”; job openings remain near a record high, and slightly exceed the number of unemployed.
• In the United States, productivity growth is expected to rise in 2018 because of increased business fixed investment and a shift towards permanent – rather than contract and temporary – workers.
• A mix of structural and cyclical factors are restraining inflation in the United States.
• The pace and magnitude of U.S. interest rate increases remain unclear, and will be limited by the speed at which – and the extent to which – inflation rises in 2018.
• The recent acceleration in U.S. consumer confidence has largely been due to a growing share of consumers expressing more optimism about their employment and income prospects.

EXAMINING THE FEDERAL BUDGET’S EFFECT ON SOUTHERN STATES

Matthew Reese, Federal Funds Information for States

• U.S. federal spending occurs in relation to the following:
  • defence: $585 billion, or 15% of the total;
  • social security: $910 billion, or 24% of the total;
  • Medicare: $588 billion, or 15% of the total;
  • Medicaid: $368 billion, or 10% of the total;
  • domestic discretionary spending: $600 billion, or 16% of the total;
  • other mandatory spending: $560 billion, or 14% of the total; and
  • net interest: $240 billion, or 6% of the total.

HOW STATES USE DATA TO INFORM DECISIONS

Amber Ivey, The Pew Charitable Trusts

• Data are an untapped resource.

• Strategic ways in which U.S. states use data for decision making include the following:
  • develop policy responses to complex problems;
  • improve the delivery of services;
  • manage existing resources; and
  • examine the effectiveness of policies and programs.

• Few employees are experienced in both policy and data analytics.

• Archaic data systems often restrict data input and accessibility.

• Data quality issues can impair analyses; quality issues can include inputting the wrong data and/or leaving data fields blank.

• Data may be readily available and accessible, but culture, laws, staff or external factors may prohibit the sharing of data.

• Key actions that should be taken to promote data-driven decision making include the following:
  • plan – plan ahead by setting up guiding goals and structures, develop a data strategy and data governance, and “take stock” of systems;
  • build capacity – build the capacity of stakeholders to use data effectively, hire skilled staff, leverage partnerships and allocate dedicated funding;
  • share – ensure that high-quality data can be accessed and used by stakeholders, improve the quality and accessibility of data, develop an enterprise view of data and establish data-sharing agreements;
  • analyze – analyze data to create meaningful information and to extract information, visualize data and use findings to make decisions; and
  • sustain – sustain support for continued data efforts, enhance senior executive commitment, enact legislation and establish an appropriate culture.

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Jennifer Snow, National Alliance on Mental Illness

• An estimated 13% of U.S. children aged 8-15 years experience a mental health condition, and 50% of those children do not receive treatment for their condition.
• An estimated 17% of U.S. high school students seriously consider suicide.
• About 50% of U.S. students aged 14 years and older who have a mental health condition drop out of high school.
• More than 90% of U.S. youth who die by suicide had at least one mental health condition.
• Between 50% and 75% of U.S. youth in juvenile justice systems experience a mental health condition.
• School-based mental health initiatives provide a unique opportunity to reach many children with prevention, resilience and early identification; supports can exist along a continuum from universal promotion of wellness to intensive school- and community-based treatment.
• The U.S. economy loses an estimated $155.7 billion annually because of schizophrenia, with costs relating to direct health care, unemployment and the lost productivity of caregivers.

Kimberly Nelson, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

• An estimated 13-20% of U.S. children and adolescents have a diagnosable mental, emotional or behavioural disorder.
• In the United States, 50% of adult mental illness occurs by age 14 and 75% by age 24.
• An estimated 10% of U.S. children suffer from a serious emotional disturbance.
• In 2015, suicide was the third leading cause of death among U.S. youth aged 10-14 years, and was the second leading cause for those aged 15-34 years.

AGING INMATE POPULATIONS

William Sabol, Georgia State University

• Most older inmates are held in prison for violent offences, including homicide and sexual assault, and the majority spends longer than the average amount of time in prison.
• Older inmates disproportionately suffer from health problems and functional impairments that affect their activities of daily living, and the design of the facilities in which they are detained can be challenging for them; compared to younger, healthier inmates, it is more costly to incarcerate older inmates.

• Given the duration of their incarceration, older inmates’ connections with family, friends and community members diminish, as does their human capital; these factors exacerbate the challenges they face when re-entrering society, including their ability to obtain housing, medical care and employment.
• Factors contributing to the increase in the number of older inmates include the following:
  • worldwide aging of the population;
  • sentencing reforms in the United States in the 1990s and 2000s;
  • enforcement regarding violent crimes;
  • recidivism rates; and
  • comparatively low use of medical parole and compassionate release mechanisms.

• Nationwide, older inmates is the fastest-growing age group among U.S. prisoners and the rate of increase is rising; they represent more than 10% of state prisoners.
• In the United States, about 66% of older inmates have committed violent offences, namely homicides and sex offences.
• Nationally, the average length of the sentence imposed on older persons entering U.S. prisons is longer than the length imposed on younger persons.
• In the United States, about 75% of older inmates have a chronic medical condition – such as high blood pressure or hypertension, asthma, arthritis and/or heart-related problems –and this rate is higher than the rate for younger inmates, which is 40%; as well, more than 35% of older inmates have an infectious disease, such as hepatitis or a sexually transmitted disease, compared to about 20% for younger inmates.
• In the United States, drug dependence and abuse are relatively less prevalent among older inmates than among younger inmates; mental health problems are prevalent among older inmates.
• The Americans with Disabilities Act requires inmates with disabilities to be provided with equal access to facilities and participation in programs, and appropriate accommodation within facilities.
• Prison environments – including top bunks, stairs, an inadequate number of disability-compliant cells and bathroom facilities, and long walking distances between facilities and programs – can be problematic for older inmates who have physical impairments.
• Aging can be accelerated by life in prison, with inmates described as between five and 10 years older physiologically than persons of the same chronological age who are not incarcerated; this accelerated aging can reflect the following:
  • chronic conditions, such as arthritis, heart disease, emphysema and diabetes;
  • the stress of prison life;
  • the transmission of disease within prison;
  • the quality of health care in prison;
  • the quantity of trips outside of prison to receive health care; and
  • before entering prison, low rates of preventative care, and high rates of substance abuse, victimization and crime.

• Health and functional impairments lead to higher prison expenditures for older inmates.
• Recommendations for improving the management of health care for older inmates include the following:
  • Improve conditions inside of prisons.
  • Provide staff with training in geriatric issues.
  • Provide hospice and palliative care.

Anne Precythe and Matt Sturm, Missouri Department of Corrections

• In Missouri, offenders over the age of 50 represent almost 20% of those who are incarcerated.
• Most offenders have lived a life that has been at least somewhat stressful and traumatic, with resulting health implications.
• Some nursing homes are not comfortable accepting criminal justice–involved individuals.
• Because it can be difficult to recruit health care professionals to practise in rural areas, telehealth can be important.

OPENING PLENARY SESSION

John O’Leary, Author and Motivational Speaker

• Life should not be “about us,” but rather about what we can do for others.
• Each person should elevate the expectations that he/she has for himself/herself.
• Each day, a person should think about what he/she can do to make tomorrow better than today.
• People should identify the interests that they have in common, and then collaborate to move forward together.

2018 FARM BILL: WHAT MIGHT BE EXPECTED

Scott Brown, University of Missouri

• It is unknown whether the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives conferees will reach an agreement about the 2018 farm bill by 1 October 2018; in particular, there could be challenges regarding the legislative calendar, the mid-term elections, and conservation and payment limits, among other issues.
• The current versions of the 2018 farm bills proposed by the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives would reauthorize many of the Title 1 programs contained in the 2014 farm bill, although each of the bills contains some adjustments.
• Crop insurance is a critical component of both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives versions of the proposed 2018 farm bill.
• Trade issues are becoming intertwined with passage of the 2018 farm bill.

Eric Bohl, Missouri Farm Bureau

• The 2014 farm bill expires on 30 September 2018.
• After the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives versions of the 2018 farm bill were passed on 21 June 2018 and 28 June 2018, respectively, a conference committee was established.

RECOMMITTING TO RURAL AMERICA: POLICIES AND INITIATIVES IN SOUTHERN STATES

Representative Terry England,Georgia House of Representatives

• The success of a U.S. state’s metropolitan areas may be deeply aligned with the contributions of its rural areas.
• Rural communities may meet the demands of urban centres regarding food, clothing and housing.

Jared Arnett, Shaping Our Appalachian Region

• Change is driven by innovation.
• The “blueprint” for a 21st-century Appalachian region includes consideration of the following:
  • regional food systems;
  • regional tourism development;
  • industrial development;
  • healthy communities;
  • small businesses in the digital economy;
  • broadband infrastructure expansion; and
  • a 21st-century workforce.

• The future of the Appalachian region depends on the ability to embrace technology and become a participant in the 21^st-century digital economy.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SITE SELECTION FOR PROMOTING GROWTH

Adam Bruns, Site Selection Magazine

• The purpose of economic development is to put a regional economy on a trajectory of higher growth by increasing the productivity of firms and workers, leading to a higher standard of living for all.
• According to an October 2017 Site Selection Magazine reader survey, the 10 most important site location criteria – in order – were the following:
  • workforce skills;
  • transportation infrastructure;
  • cost and reliability of utilities;
  • state and local tax structures;
  • prices and supply of land and buildings;
  • quality of life;
  • workforce development;
  • permits and regulatory ease;
  • incentives; and
  • higher education resources.

• According to a November 2017 National Site Consultants survey, the 10 most active sectors were the following:
  • logistics;
  • headquarters/”back office”;
  • advanced manufacturing;
  • food processing;
  • data centre;
  • biomedical/health care;
  • automotive;
  • chemicals and plastics;
  • finance, insurance and real estate; and
  • oil and gas.

• According to a November 2017 National Site Consultants survey, the top “deal killers” regarding site selection include the following:
  • better incentives;
  • an improved tax structure;
  • efforts to streamline permits;
  • the enactment of right-to-work laws; and
  • a better workforce.

Christopher Chung, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina

• The term “economic development” means different things to different people.
• Economic development is a “sales” business, and state economic development officers must deliver high-quality “customer service.”
• Businesses that are seeking a new location in which to conduct operations may contact the state agency responsible for business recruitment with a view to discussing the following:
  • real estate, with a focus on available sites and buildings;
  • workforce and “talent,” with a focus on the ease of recruiting and retaining employees;
  • incentives, with a focus on those that might be available at each level of government;
  • taxes, with a focus on the existing and expected future tax regime;
  • pro-growth policies, with a focus on the philosophy of relevant decision makers; and
  • “quality of place,” with a focus on the vibrancy of the community.

• Business recruitment should not be a state’s only economic development tool; it is also important to focus on enhancing tourism, expanding existing businesses and increasing international trade.

EFFECTIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES IN MISSOURI

Rob Dixon, Missouri Department of Economic Development and Zora Mulligan, Missouri Department of Higher Education

• States should identify their most strategic risks, and then take actions to address them; they should also identify their competitive advantage, and take actions that will distinguish them from other states.
• Ultimately, economic development is about selling “place.”
• The availability of “talent” drives economic development within U.S. states and communities within those states.
• Global megatrends include the following:
  • accelerating urbanization;
  • climate and resource scarcity;
  • shifts in global economic power;
  • demographic changes; and
  • technological breakthroughs.

• Economic development is a “team sport.”
• U.S. states, and communities within those states, compete with each other, but there are also opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration.

WORLD CLASS EDUCATION SYSTEMS

Dion Burns, Learning Policy Institute

• Students entering kindergarten today will graduate and work in jobs that do not yet exist, using technologies that have not yet been invented, to solve problems that are not yet recognized as such.
• Policies in a high-quality teaching and learning system should address the following:
  • recruitment;
  • preparation;
  • induction and mentoring;
  • ongoing professional learning;
  • appraisal and feedback;
  • career and leadership development;
  • curriculum and assessment; and
  • school funding and organization.

• Common principles underpin professional learning; the principles include collaboration, with teachers providing instruction jointly as a team in the same class, teachers observing the instruction provided by their colleagues and providing feedback, teachers undertaking joint activities across different classes and age groups, etc.
• Lessons learned from well-developed teaching and learning systems include the following:
  • professional teaching standards, with clarity about what constitutes “high-quality” teaching;
  • selectivity, which is facilitated by competitive compensation, support for preparation and supportive teaching conditions;
  • professional learning, which should be collegial, job-embedded, research-oriented, ongoing and connected to school improvement efforts;
  • time, which allows teachers to work with – and learn from – colleagues, to conduct their own research and to share practices;
  • feedback, which involves collaboration and continuous feedback to help teachers reflect on, and improve, individual and collective practices;
  • teacher leadership, which could involve teacher-led professional learning to enable teachers’ expertise to be developed, recognized and shared; and
  • networks, which enable practices to be shared across schools.

CLOSING PLENARY SESSION

Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops

• Outdoor recreation is an important part of the United States; it provides an opportunity to connect youth to nature rather than to their mobile devices, to support conservation, and to make memories with family and friends.
• Conservation, which is required to ensure the desired future, requires teamwork and some level of regulation.
• Sportsmen and sportswomen are the greatest conservationists.

Respectfully submitted,