Report

DELEGATION MEMBERS AND STAFF

From 14–17 July 2016, Senators Michael L. MacDonald and Wilfred Moore, Q.C., who are Vice-Chairs of the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG), led a delegation to the annual summer meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA) in Des Moines, Iowa. The other delegates were the Honourable Mike Lake, P.C., M.P. and Mr. Randeep Sarai, M.P. The delegation was accompanied by Ms. June Dewetering, Senior Advisor to the Canadian Section.

THE EVENT

Founded more than a century ago when President Theodore Roosevelt gathered state governors in order to discuss the nation’s resources, the NGA is the collective voice of U.S. governors from the 50 states, three territories and two commonwealths. It is also a public policy organization that represents the governors on Capitol Hill and before the U.S. Administration on federal issues that affect them, and that develops and implements solutions to public policy challenges.

The NGA, which meets in the winter and summer each year, is supervised by a chair, vice-chair and nine-person executive committee, and governors participate on five issue-related standing committees – Economic Development and Commerce, Education and Workforce, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security and Public Safety, and Natural Resources – and, on occasion, on special ad hoc bipartisan committees and task forces.

The theme for the NGA’s activities in 2016 – including the winter and summer meetings – is “States: Finding Solutions, Improving Lives.” This initiative was selected by NGA Chair, Utah Governor Gary Herbert. Next year, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe will chair the NGA, and his theme will be “Meet the Threat: States Confront the Cyber Challenge.”

DELEGATION OBJECTIVES FOR THE EVENT

Members of the Canadian Section of the IPG have been attending the winter and summer meetings of the NGA for several years. At this meeting, delegates spoke with a number of governors, including Governors Matt Bevin (Kentucky), Terry Branstad (Iowa), Jack Dalrymple (North Dakota), Dennis Daugaard (South Dakota), Doug Ducey (Arizona), John Bel Edwards (Louisiana), Bill Haslam (Tennessee), Maggie Hassan (New Hampshire), Gary Herbert (Utah), Larry Hogan (Maryland), John Hickenlooper (Colorado), Dannel Malloy (Connecticut), Jack Markell (Delaware), Terry McAuliffe (Virginia), Pat McCrory (North Carolina), Jay Nixon (Missouri), Butch Otter (Idaho), Gina Raimondo (Rhode Island), Pete Ricketts (Nebraska), Brian Sandoval (Nevada), Peter Shumlin (Vermont), Earl Ray Tomblin (West Virginia), and Scott Walker (Wisconsin). As well, they spoke with U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman.

Their interactions with governors and others enable Canadian members of the IPG to better achieve 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 NGA 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. It is anticipated that the Canadian Section’s attendance at the winter and summer meetings will continue.

ACTIVITIES DURING THE EVENT

The NGA’s 2016 summer meeting included the following sessions:

• PurpleDocs: A Bipartisan Film Festival

• Feeding and Fueling the World

• States: Finding Solutions, Improving Lives – A Conversation with the Governors

• States: Finding Solutions, Improving Lives

• The State-Federal Relationship

• Solutions and Stories

• First in the Nation

• Governors United Against the Opioid Crisis

• Generating Jobs and Economic Growth: Foreign Direct Investment in the United States and Selling to the Global Marketplace

• Computer Science Education: Transforming How Students Think About the World

• Growing Food, Growing Economies: A Journey From Field to Plate

• The Road to the White House: Pre-Convention Perspectives

• The Next Generation State: A 360-Degree View of Changing Communities

• Meet the Threat: States Confront the Cyber Challenge.

This report summarizes the key points made at selected sessions.

FEEDING AND FUELING THE WORLD

Honorable Pham Quang Vinh, Vietnam’s Ambassador to the United States

• With rising income, people in Southeast Asia are seeking different foods.

• Technology helps to ensure both food quality and quantity.

• Less developed countries have challenges that they must overcome.

• The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is important.

• Countries must work together regularly in achieving peace and security.

Michael Froman, U.S. Trade Representative

• U.S. farmers and ranchers have been feeding the world for decades, including because of the rules-based trading system that exists.

• Middle-class consumers want more protein, and food that is both more nutritious and safer.

• The focus should include lower tariffs, more timely clearance of perishable goods through customs, regulations based on science and trade disciplines.

Honorable Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, Singapore’s Ambassador to the United States

• Singapore imports 90% of the food that the country needs.

• Singapore is the second most “food secure” nation in the world, behind the United States.

• An “open” global trading system is critically important.

• The TPP agreement is both a strategic agreement and an economic agreement with high standards.

Governor Scott Walker, State of Wisconsin

• Greater efficiency and productivity are required in order to feed the world.

Governor John Bel Edwards, State of Louisiana

• Trade is critically important, including in respect of food, fibre, knowledge and experience.

Governor Jay Nixon, State of Missouri

• Competition between and among states can be both good and bad.

• There should be a focus on the United States competing against other countries worldwide.

• Trade is extremely important.

Governor Butch Otter, State of Idaho

• No two nations that each has at least one McDonald’s have ever engaged in war against each other.

• In international trade, relationships are important.

• Trade begets much more than feeding people.

• When food does not cross borders, troops will do so.

Governor Gary Herbert, State of Utah

• The marketplace is global.

• With exponential population growth, there are questions about how the world’s population will be fed; one answer is the elimination of trade barriers.

• Because competition is intense, it is important to find ways in which to be innovative and competitive.

• It is much easier to do business with your friends than with your enemies.

• “Coopetition” is a hallmark of U.S. states; the states share best practices, and “everyone wins.”

Governor Brian Sandoval, State of Nevada

• Research that is focused on food production in desert conditions should be helpful to a number of developing countries.

Governor Matt Bevin, State of Kentucky

• With population growth, there are questions about how to feed 9 billion people; because the capability to do so already exists, part of the answer is logistics and communication.

STATES: FINDING SOLUTIONS, IMPROVING LIVES – A CONVERSATION WITH THE GOVERNORS

David Yepson, of Southern Illinois University, moderated a discussion among the governors.

Governor Gary Herbert, State of Utah

• Poverty is an issue in all U.S. states, including those that are doing well.

• It is important to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty; in that regard, the underlying causes must be addressed, including through education.

• The goal of states is to solve problems and improve lives; these outcomes are facilitated when there is collaboration, including among agencies, the legislature, the courts and local governments.

• While the reality of term limits must be recognized, it is also important to understand that governors can “kick the can down the road,” and that they have the ability to bring various types of resources together “to get things done.”

• There are no “one size fits all” solutions, including for states; each state is unique and regional differences among states must be respected.

• A “healthy” economy leads to jobs for citizens.

Governor Terry McAuliffe, State of Virginia

• National security is important.

• States are the largest repositories of data, and they have an obligation to protect companies and citizens from data breaches.

• Cybersecurity is an issue that crosses party lines.

• The United States experiences cyberattacks constantly.

• Governors need to make decisions, lead and work with others to get things done.

Governor Terry Branstad, State of Iowa

• Veterans should be made to feel welcome and their skills should be recognized.

• Veterans should be provided with assistance, such as free tuition and tax credits for home purchases.

• Because it is not possible to get everything done all at once, it is important to focus.

STATES: FINDING SOLUTIONS, IMPROVING LIVES

John Hockenberry, WNYC Radio

• Agencies should work together to help people.

• States’ rights are important, and states need autonomy; however, these rights must not impair governance.

• In a time of crisis, it is the “helpers” who are the closest to the crisis who matter the most.

Barry Condrey, Information Systems Technology Department of Chesterfield County, Virginia

• State resources can help at the local level.

• Partnerships are important.

• Culture can be hard to change, and cultural change requires communication.

• People are no longer technology-enabled; rather, they are technology-dependent.

• It is important to meet citizens’ expectations regarding technology.

• In the future, there may be increased use of technology – including social media and predictive analytics – for citizen engagement.

Libby Shelton, Utah Intergenerational Poverty Initiative

• State employees need the flexibility to work with “clients” at the hours and on the days when those whom they are trying to assist are available; for example, case workers may work from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. but their clients may be available only after 5 p.m.

Brian Crozer, Iowa Finance Authority

• It is hard for some individuals to leave military service and get a civilian job; measures such as the Home Base Iowa Initiative, which matches veterans with employment opportunities, can be useful.

• It is possible that technology will “go too far”; consider, for example, tracking the behaviour of individuals.

• There are risks associated with having too much data.

THE STATE–FEDERAL RELATIONSHIP

Senator Chuck Grassley, U.S. Senate

• More dialogue between the U.S. Congress and the United States’ governors is needed.

• Often, Congressional actions and decisions occur without consideration of the impacts on states.

• Although there is partisan rancour in Congress, there are occasions on which Republicans and Democrats work together in a bipartisan manner; one example is the opioid epidemic.

• The opioid epidemic is having devastating impacts on communities throughout the United States; expanded treatment options, increased access to naloxone and more drug take-back programs are needed.

• To address cybersecurity, federal-state-private sector partnerships are needed.

• There is a need to protect critical infrastructure from cyberattacks and cyber threats.

GOVERNORS UNITE AGAINST THE OPIOID CRISIS

Michael McGinnis, National Academy of Medicine

• The United States’ opioid crisis is a multi-faceted challenge, and efforts should be directed to prevention, identification and treatment.

• Opioid-related services are often organized with a focus on programs, rather than on individuals.

• Addressing the opioid crisis must be a priority for everyone.

Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

• A federal-state partnership is key in order to address the United States’ opioid crisis.

• It is important to have information and guidelines to educate opioid-related service providers.

• There should be enhanced access to naloxone.

Gary Franklin, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries

• The United States’ first opioid-related guidelines were developed in Washington State, and the state is experiencing a sustained reduction in opioid-related deaths.

• Inappropriate subscribing of opioids should end, and future dependence, addiction and overdosing among citizens must be prevented.

• Efforts should be directed to optimizing the capacity to treat pain and addiction effectively.

Karen Flowers, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

• The United States’ opioid crisis is at an historic level and every segment of society is affected.

• A coordinated strategy regarding opioid-related prevention, treatment and enforcement is needed in order to solve the United States opioid epidemic.

• Heroin availability is rising in most regions of the United States; it is easy to access, inexpensive and of high quality.

• Fentanyl is a rising concern; it is more potent than heroin, and is sometimes laced with heroin.

• Because fentanyl can be absorbed through the skin or inhaled, law enforcement officers are endangered.

Harry Chen, Vermont Department of Health

• The number of criminal cases involving opioids and opioid-related deaths is rising.

• A coordinated federal-state-local solution to the United States’ opioid crisis is needed.

• Regarding opioids, there is a need to enhance access to treatment, improve health outcomes and reduce medical costs.

• Medication-assisted therapy is an effective treatment for opioid addiction.

• Opioid addiction should be treated in the same manner as any long-term illness.

THE NEXT GENERATION STATE: A 360-DEGREE VIEW OF CHANGING COMMUNITIES

Lillian Lowery, Future Ready Columbus

• “Apps” should be used to facilitate health care for seniors.

• Initiatives that are working well should be accelerated and/or expanded, and gaps should be addressed.

• People who are about to leave the workforce should be mentors to those who are entering the workforce.

Scott Pattison, National Governors Association

• With population aging, the U.S. states will have to ensure that they have adequate funds for health care and pensions, despite any statutory obligation to balance their budgets.

• As more funds are allocated to health care and pensions, there are fewer funds available for education, infrastructure, etc.

Tom Gillaspy, Gillaspy Demographics

• The notion that people should be forced to retire at age 65 should be “thrown out.”

• Efforts should be devoted to finding ways in which to keep people active and in the workforce; retraining of older workers may be required.

Surya Kolluri, Bank of America

• According to many Americans, they either want to or need to work past age 65; often, those who want to continue to work would like to do so on their own terms.

• Employers and communities may want to examine the extent to which their workplaces and public spaces, respectively, are “age-friendly.”

• Because a child who is born today has a 33% chance that he/she will live to be 100 years of age, there is a need to change policies.

MEET THE THREAT: STATES CONFRONT THE CYBER CHALLENGE

Susan Story, American Water

• Everyone has a role to play in meeting cyber challenges.

• Regarding critical infrastructure, it is not possible to separate physical security and cyber security.

• Cyber security cannot be an “add on”; it needs to be part of the “fibre” and part of resiliency, and efforts should be taken to ensure the existence of resiliency in assets and infrastructure.

• Partnerships – including within states, between levels of government, and among governments, other public entities and the private sector – are needed to address cyber issues; as well, communications, teamwork and the sharing of information are important.

• Because a cyber-breach is inevitable, it is important to have a response plan in place in advance that can be activated when it is needed; simulation exercises are important.

Joseph Swedish, Anthem, Inc.

• It is important that investments be made to protect health and other data.

• Data protection must be part of an entity’s culture, and leadership in this regard “begins at the top.”

• Predictive analytics have a role to play in enhancing the protection of data; they can help to identify the largest risks and provide information about the best ways in which to address those risks.

Respectfully submitted,