Report

DELEGATION MEMBERS AND STAFF

From 6–9 September 2016, the Honourable Wayne Easter, P.C., M.P., Co-Chair of the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, led a delegation to the 69^th annual meeting of the Council of State Governments–WEST (CSG-WEST) in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The other members of the delegation were Senator Michael L. MacDonald, Vice-Chair, Senator Jim Munson and Mr. Kerry Diotte, M.P. The delegation was accompanied by the Canadian Section’s Senior Advisor, Ms. June Dewetering.

THE EVENT

CSG-WEST is a non-partisan organization comprised of the legislatures of the 13 western U.S. states (see the Appendix); British Columbia and Alberta are associate members. It meets annually in the United States, with one exception to date: in 2012, the annual meeting was held in Edmonton, Alberta.

CSG-WEST has nine standing committees, as well as WESTRENDS, the Western Legislative Academy, the Border Legislative Conference and the Legislative Council on River Governance. The nine standing committees are:

• Agriculture & Water

• Canada Relations

• Education & Workforce Development

• Energy & Environment

• Finance

• Health & Human Services

• Public Safety

• State & Federal Relations

• Transportation & Economic Development.

DELEGATION OBJECTIVES FOR THE EVENT

Canada and the 13 U.S. states represented in CSG-WEST share a mutually beneficial relationship, and the recent establishment of the Canada Relations Committee provides a focused opportunity to discuss topics of joint Canada–U.S. interest.

The interaction with state legislators enables members of the IPG’s Canadian Section 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 with state legislators provide members of the Canadian Section with an important means to provide input to, and gather information about, state-level issues that affect Canada.

At this meeting, Mr. Easter had the opportunity to speak to participants about the change in government that occurred with the October 2015 federal general election.

ACTIVITIES AT THE EVENT

At CSG-WEST’s 2016 annual meeting, each of its standing committees had a meeting, legislative training was provided, the North American Summit was held, and the following plenary sessions occurred:

• Keynote: Governor Butch Otter, State of Idaho

• Keynote: Ken Adelman, Author, Professor and Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

• Keynote: Amy Walter, Cook Political Report

• Keynote: Kenneth Gronbach, Author and Futurist.

The standing committee sessions were focused on the following topics:

• Agriculture & Water: programs to help agricultural producers access international markets; fighting aquatic invasive species; and sustainable water supplies.

• Canada Relations: Canada’s new federal government and the new government in the Province of Alberta; trusted traveler and pre-clearance programs; and Canada’s approach to infrastructure development and service delivery programs through public-private partnerships.

• Education & Workforce Development: implications for states of the Every Student Succeeds Act; elements of a high-quality state school funding formula; effective state student data systems and concerns about the use of student data; and public-private-academic partnerships in support of workforce development.

• Energy & Environment: local communities’ development of sustainable energy plans; carbon research; and grid technology research and modernization.

• Finance: benefits and tips to maintain structural balance; different ways in which U.S. western states are using rainy day funds to protect against revenue volatility throughout the business cycle; and minimum wage policy.

• Health & Human Services: current best practices in suicide prevention; best practices regarding child welfare services and foster care; and medication compliance and controlling medication costs.

• Public Safety: officer-involved shootings, violence against law enforcement officials and innovative approaches to improve community relations; justice reinvestment efforts; and mental health illness in the criminal justice system.

• State & Federal Relations: efforts to reform the federal regulatory process; and efforts by the Western Governors’ Association in relation to reforming federal rulemaking.

• Transportation & Economic Development: express toll lanes and their effects on traffic management; pedestrian safety in multi-modal, transit-oriented smart cities; and the impacts of federal transportation-related actions on states.

WESTRENDS held discussions on the topics of domestic and global energy trends, and models of consensus building. A presentation was made about military and overseas voting.

The Annual Legislative Training Assembly heard presentations on the issues of the power of social media in politics and email marketing.

Finally, the North American Summit – which concluded with a reception hosted by the Government of Canada – heard presentations on the topics of the North American Leaders Summit, and a post–Trans-Pacific Partnership North America.

This report summarizes the discussions that occurred at selected sessions.

AN UPDATE ON THE NORTH AMERICAN LEADERS SUMMIT

Roberto Dondisch Glowinski, Mexico Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• Efforts are being directed to creating a more united, cohesive and functional North American alliance, with the three countries working together both on the continent and in international fora.

• Historically, Mexico and Canada have always had the same position on issues; often, Mexico and the United States vote the same way within multilateral institutions.

• The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) region is five times the size of the European Union; it is the largest trade alliance in the world, comprising more than 25% of the world’s gross domestic product, and might be more properly characterized as a production alliance.

• Mexico is the United States’ and Canada’s third most important supplier.

• About 6 million U.S. jobs depend on trade with Mexico.

• North America is characterized by integrated supply chains.

• A car crosses North American borders six times prior to its sale to a customer.

• At the June 2016 North American Leaders Summit in Canada, the leaders recognized that anything that affects one of the three North American countries also affects the other two.

• The June 2016 North American Leaders Summit involved discussions in the following four major areas:

- climate change, clean energy and the environment;

- trade, competitiveness and border access;

- regional and global issues; and

- security and defence.

James Hill, Global Affairs Canada

• For the most part, the objectives of the three North American countries are “in sync.”

• The North American Leaders Summits, which are “11 years strong,” provide opportunities to discuss trilateral approaches to addressing trilateral challenges.

• The June 2016 North American Leaders Summit produced concrete results in such areas as shared targets, cross-border cooperation and a focus on collaboration.

• The “pillars of cooperation” that were identified at the June 2016 North American Leaders Summit are focused on energy and the environment, trade, and border security and efficiency.

• Regarding energy and the environment, the three North American countries should share best practices, undertake cross-border investment, focus on energy efficiency and diverse energy sources, and address the “drivers” of climate change.

• Regarding trade, trade facilitation on the North American platform is a long-standing goal, NAFTA must continue to be relevant, and trade agreements – which have state/provincial impacts – should be ever-green and modernized, as required.

• Regarding border security and efficiency, trusted traveller programs should be trilateral, pre-clearance should be expanded to more modes, and a focus on a more “facilitated” border is also a focus on trade.

• The three North American countries share economic and linguistic ties, as well as social bonds.

• Leaders change, but the commitment to working together remains strong; working together leads to economic viability and a sustainable future for all three North American countries.

• The tone set by the leaders of the North American countries is a key to fostering integration among the three nations.

• Technology is an engine of growth for all countries.

A POST–TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP NORTH AMERICA: A GLASS HALF FULL – MAKING PROGRESS ON INTEGRATION AND COMPETITIVENESS

Carlo Dade, Canada West Foundation

• There is a new vision for North America, and there is a need to “recalibrate the conversation.”

• With plants that are shutting down – rather than plants that are adding another shift – getting headlines, there are “waves of anti-trade voices” in at least two of the North American countries.

• North America “works,” and the model has been – and is being – copied in other regions around the world.

• The three North American countries “build things together,” and trade both with each other and with other countries; many of these other countries are forming NAFTA-type agreements, which increase the importance of Canada, the United States and Mexico working together to ensure competitiveness.

• The rest of the world has been advancing, and the North American countries have been “resting on their laurels”; complacency is a danger.

• Failure to conclude a Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement will mean that the rules of trade would be “written” by China, and that the North American Leaders Summits would be more likely to continue to be held.

• The following are the three “paths forward”:

- Conclude sub-national agreements.

- Continue to use the existing architecture of bilateral and trilateral working groups, etc.

- Pursue specific initiatives, such as a North American infrastructure bank.

• The North American countries are the world’s only trade bloc without an independent infrastructure bank, and prosperity is tied to the ability to move goods and people across borders.

KEYNOTE

Governor Butch Otter, State of Idaho

• Issues related to water, energy, fires and public lands should be at the forefront of conversations in the U.S West.

• States vary in the extent to which their lands are owned by the federal government; for example, such ownership is virtually 0% in Iowa and about 85% in Nevada.

• At a minimum, to try and fail leads to learning.

BENEFITS, TIPS AND TRICKS TO MAINTAINING STRUCTURAL BALANCE

Jonathan Ball, Utah Legislature

• There are two types of structural balance: long-term and short-term.

• Spending and revenue may grow at different rates.

• There is a difference between ongoing and one-time expenditure and revenue sources; for example, a prior-year surplus or an inheritance tax is one-time, while such taxes as sales, property and withholding are ongoing.

STATE REVENUE VOLATILITY AND STRATEGIES FOR FISCAL PLANNING

Jonathan Moody, The Pew Charitable Trusts

• Rainy day funds exist in 47 states, and some states have more than one such fund.

• Volatility is a measure of change, and it is important to identify the sources of revenue volatility.

• Sales tax revenue is typically less volatile than personal income tax or corporate income tax revenue.

• Volatility influences the timing and size of states’ budgets.

• Smoothing volatility across the business cycle can reduce the need for short-term budget “fixes.”

• The effects of volatility can be reduced through the establishment of a rainy day fund; ideally, a state’s rainy day fund should be a dedicated fund with enabling legislation that operates across fiscal years and over the whole economic cycle, and serves as a government-wide reserve for general purposes.

• The elements of a sound design for a rainy day fund include the following:

- evidence-based analysis of revenue volatility that is undertaken periodically as revenue sources change;

- deposit rules that promote savings during periods of growth;

- a fund size that is aligned with a clear purpose for the fund, as well as the desired level of risk tolerance and volatility; and

- withdrawal rules that support a careful and appropriate use of amounts in the fund.

• The benefits of a rainy day fund include the following:

- Amounts in the fund are purpose-driven savings.

- Rules for the rainy day fund are distinct from those for the general fund.

- The establishment of an evidence-based rainy day fund sends a clear and positive signal to credit rating agencies.

MINIMUM WAGE POLICY

Jennifer Burnett, Council of State Governments

• The federal minimum wage was last increased in 2009.

• At present, 29 states have a minimum wage that is higher than the federal minimum wage, although five states do not have a minimum wage.

Mark McKenzie, California State Senate

• California implemented a minimum wage in 1916; it was $0.16 per hour, and has been increased 27 times since its establishment.

• Local minimum wage laws are being established in an increasing number of California cities.

Daniel Markels, National Federation of Independent Business

• Increasingly, cities are establishing a minimum wage.

• Increases in the minimum wage lead to job losses, with those who have the least skills being the first to lose their job or being unable to find a job.

• The unintended consequences of an increase in the minimum wage include the following:

- higher prices for consumers;

- automation to replace employees;

- reduced employment benefits;

- layoffs or reduced hours of work; and

- changes to the business model.

• Alternatives to raising the minimum wage include the following:

- Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit.

- Encourage training programs for those earning the minimum wage.

- Provide small businesses with reduced taxes.

Dan Arnett, Central Co-op

• A “one size fits all” approach often does not work; cities and states vary in their affordability.

• Productivity suffers when employees do not feel that they are being paid what they are worth.

• With a higher wage rate, employers should be able to recruit and retain better job candidates, as well as have higher performance expectations.

OVERVIEWS OF NEW GOVERNMENTS IN CANADA: THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA

Honourable Wayne Easter, P.C., M.P., Parliament of Canada and Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group

• The October 2015 federal general election resulted in a change in government; the Liberal Party of Canada moved from being Parliament’s third party to being the governing party, the Conservative Party of Canada became the country’s Official Opposition rather than its governing party, and the New Democratic Party moved from Official Opposition status to third-party status.

• With the October 2015 election, the number of members of the House of Commons increased from 308 to 338 to recognize Canada’s population growth; the House of Commons now has 182 Liberals, 97 Conservatives, 44 New Democrats, 10 Bloc Quebecois members, one member of the Green Party, one Independent member and three vacancies for which by-elections will be held in due course.

• The change in the composition of Parliament and in the size of the House of Commons has implications for many aspects of the functioning of the House, from additional seats in the Chamber to the composition of party representation on House parliamentary committees to greater collegiality across party lines.

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was invited by President Barack Obama to a state visit in Washington, D.C.; according to some observers, this March 2016 visit signalled the beginning of a renewed bilateral relationship.

• Members of the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group were in Washington for Congressional meetings in the weeks following the state visit, and many members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives – both Democrats and Republicans – used the term “rock star” in reference to Prime Minister Trudeau.

• One outcome of the state visit was the identification of areas in which Canada and the United States will be working together in the coming months and years, both areas where disagreements exist and those where the two countries can act cooperatively within North America and internationally with common cause; these issues include softwood lumber, Arctic leadership, energy and climate change cooperation, and border cooperation.

• Bilateral trade in softwood lumber is often an irritant between Canada and the United States; during the state visit, Prime Minister Trudeau and President Obama provided Canada’s Minister of International Trade and the U.S. Trade Representative with a very specific task: “intensively explore all options and report back within 100 days on the key features that would address this issue.”

• Before 100 days had passed, Canadian and American officials had met on 26 May, 8 June and 15 June 2016, and Canada’s Minister of International Trade and the U.S. Trade Representative had discussed the issue of softwood lumber on the telephone and face-to-face on a number of occasions.

• During the June 2016 North American Leaders Summit, Prime Minister Trudeau and President Obama issued a statement on softwood lumber that highlighted the substantial cross-border investment in the softwood lumber sector, an improved understanding in each country about softwood lumber-related sensitivities and priorities in the other country, and ongoing cooperative efforts designed to achieve what the two leaders characterized as “durable and equitable solutions for softwood lumber producers from both countries”; it also identified their commitment to working to achieve a new softwood lumber agreement, with – among other measures – a focus on an appropriate structure, commitments regarding the use of trade remedies, provisions for information collection and exchange, and neutral, transparent, binding and expeditious enforcement tools.

• While progress has been made in negotiating a new softwood lumber agreement, a successor agreement to the 2006 softwood lumber agreement that expired on 12 October 2015 is not yet in place, and some significant differences between Canada and the United States continue to exist; the 2006 agreement’s standstill provision will expire after 12 October 2016, which increases the importance of achieving a mutually acceptable agreement and avoiding trade actions.

• Regarding the Arctic, Canada and the United States are both neighbours and partners in the region; the United States – Canada’s most important partner in the North – has succeeded Canada as the Chair of the Arctic Council, and the two countries’ goals regarding the Arctic – such as conserving biodiversity, a sustainable Arctic economy and strong Northern communities – are broadly similar.

• The joint statement made by Prime Minister Trudeau and President Obama during the March 2016 state visit identified a commitment to supporting strong Arctic communities, a goal that is to be accomplished through working with Indigenous peoples to implement land claims agreements, and through taking greater actions to address such issues as mental wellness, education and skills development, among others; the statement also obligated the two countries to establishing low-impact shipping corridors, working toward a binding international agreement to prevent the opening of unregulated fishers in the Central Arctic Ocean, and making commitments designed to protect and restore Arctic ecosystems.

• Canada and the United States are not the only countries that have an interest in the Arctic, but both countries recognize the need to work with other Arctic nations to ensure that all relevant countries act in a manner that benefits the Arctic.

• Addressing climate change and moving toward continental energy security – and, thereby, self-sufficiency – from a range of non-renewable and renewable energy sources is another area where a strong partnership between Canada and the United States is being sustained and, in some ways, renewed.

• Canada is the United States’ most important source of foreign energy, and the two countries have both considerable regulatory alignment and highly integrated energy infrastructure, with pipelines, a shared grid and other linkages.

• Part of Canada’s and the United States’ cooperative work regarding energy is the development of clean energy technology, and one motivating factor in this regard is the need to address environmental and climate change issues both effectively and efficiently; one successful mechanism that guides joint efforts is the Clean Energy Dialogue through which, since its establishment in 2009, more than 60 joint initiatives have advanced carbon capture and storage technologies, modernized the electricity grid, supported research and development, and improved energy efficiency.

• Canada and the United States also continue to work together through the Energy Consultative Mechanism, and to cooperate in the context of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, the Montreal Protocol, the United Nations 2015 Climate Change Conference in Paris, and the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, which is led by the United States.

• During the United Nations 2015 Climate Change Conference, Canada announced that it was joining the U.S.-led Mission Innovation initiative; with about 20 other countries, Canada and the United States will increase investments in transformative clean energy research and development, and encourage private-sector investment in clean energy technology, among other goals.

• In addition to energy and a shared climate, joint water resources – as well as the air and wildlife that do not respect national boundaries – are a key part of the environment shared by Canada and the United States; in relation to the Great Lakes, bilateral efforts are continuing through the International Joint Commission, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the regulation of ballast water, and efforts to deal with the Asian carp problem and water levels, among others.

• A number of Canadian Prime Ministers and American Presidents have had a focus on managing our shared border; in March 2016, Prime Minister Trudeau and President Obama committed to deepening further the two countries’ longstanding border cooperation, with particular mention of the need to continue to facilitate bilateral trade, to increase competitiveness, to enhance productivity and to support integrated production networks.

• A number of the measures in the Beyond the Border initiative are a continuation and refinement of the elements contained in the December 2001 Smart Border Action Accord that was supported by Prime Minister Jean Chretien and President George W. Bush in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks.

• In Canada, Prime Minister Trudeau is supporting legislation in relation to entry/exit, which provides for additional information exchanges on travel watch lists and on basic biographic entry information that can be used as exit information for the other country, and for the expansion of pre-clearance to all modes of transportation.

• Regulatory cooperation is another area in which Prime Minister Trudeau and President Obama made commitments in March 2016; work in this area is ongoing, and contributes to our countries’ prosperity.

• With Canada’s Liberal government, little has changed in terms of the country’s commitment to working alongside the United States in the context of the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Counter ISIL in Iraq and Syria.

• Canada is one of the few members of the Coalition that is contributing to each of the Coalition’s civilian lines of effort, with commitments of financial resources to humanitarian, development, stabilization and security, and military assistance, and of extended engagement under Operation IMPACT.

• Like Americans, Canadians believe that security must be one of their government’s highest priorities.

• Consultations about the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement are currently under way in Canada; Canada is a trading nation that, like the United States, believes that trade agreements must enable both free trade and fair trade.

Estefania Cortes-Vargas, Legislative Assembly of Alberta

• In Alberta, there has been a change in government for the first time in 44 years; the New Democratic Party won 54 of 87 seats in the most recent provincial election, there are 70 new members of Alberta’s Legislative Assembly, and both the provincial Cabinet and the New Democratic Party caucus are gender-balanced.

• Five of the Government of Alberta’s priorities at this time are the following:

- ensuring access to capital;

- helping the province to emerge from the economic downturn with increased strength through diversification;

- implementing a competitive tax structure to expand the province’s economy and create jobs;

- support science and innovation; and

- address climate change.

THE U.S.–CANADA BORDER IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Laurie Trautman, Western Washington University

• Canada and Mexico are the United States’ top export markets.

• Mexico and China are the only major U.S. trading partners that have grown in importance over the last 15 years.

• Canada and the United States “build things together.”

• Changes in the Canada–U.S. exchange rate can have significant impacts on “traffic” across the shared border and on local communities along that border.

• Each border crossing is different from every other border crossing; there is a need to “understand” each crossing in terms of who and what are crossing it, and why.

• Managing a border is not a “one size fits all” endeavour.

SUCCESS WITH PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES

Marv Hounjet, Plenary Group

• Canada has used public-private partnerships since the 2000s, and governments in other countries have used them for decades; in the United States, public-private partnerships are a source of confusion.

• Public-private partnerships are now used in every developed nation as the preferred vehicle for delivering large, complex public infrastructure; their value proposition is value for money.

• Although the legislation varies, 38 U.S. states have enabling legislation for public-private partnerships regarding transportation.

• With public-private partnerships, projects are structured on the basis of their long-term life cycle.

• Public-private partnerships can be one of two models: toll/revenue model; or availability payment/performance model.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Ken Adelman, Author, Professor and Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

• Make no small plans; they lack the “fire” to “move souls.”

• Work out how to get from “here” to “there.”

• Trust the team.

• Do not accept defeat.

• When issues arise, “stay the course.”

AGRICULTURAL AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Andy Anderson, Western U.S. Agricultural Trade Association

• Because 95% of the world’s population resides outside the United States, there is a need to export.

• There are opportunities for U.S. agricultural exports.

• Export education is important, especially for small businesses.

Jennifer Verdon, Idaho Department of Commerce

• Economic development is assisted by the development of clusters.

• Exporting creates jobs.

• Trade offices can be helpful in such areas as education, export counselling, diplomatic relations and investment promotion.

• Federal collaboration is important in helping state trade offices.

Andy Karellas, Council of State Governments

• There is a need to make the trade “process” easier.

• Exporters can be supported with counselling, market analysis, financial support, etc.

AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES

Lloyd Knight, Idaho Department of Agriculture

• Regarding invasive species, prevention, monitoring and outreach are important.

• There is a need to protect natural resources from invasive species.

• Regarding watercraft inspection, the focus should be the busiest routes travelled, and both roving inspection crews and static inspection stations can be beneficial.

WESTERN WATER PLANNING IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

Tony Willardson, Western States Water Council

• Certain areas in the United States are facing their limits in terms of water availability.

• Regarding water, there is a need to work across governmental, as well as domestic and international, boundaries.

• Investments to support the availability of clean water are key to continued economic development.

• Efforts should be directed to improving water use, availability and data.

• Challenges in relation to water include population growth, changing values, competing environmental and economic needs, conflicts among users, aging infrastructure, and “stressed” surface and ground water supplies.

Tom Loranger, Washington State Department of Ecology

• Some tribes have unquantified water rights.

• Funding for water-related infrastructure is a challenge.

• New reservoirs are costly, and it is hard to gain approvals for siting.

• Because droughts can occur quickly, it is important to have a plan in place to ensure a quick response.

John Stulp, State of Colorado

• Agriculture is highly dependent on supplemental water from irrigation.

• A water plan should be a dynamic and strategic document, and it should recognize the strengths and needs of various basins.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Amy Walter, Cook Political Report

• Every election has a theme; the 2016 U.S. election is about change.

• Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton are two of the most unpopular candidates in modern history.

• The “top of the ticket” is important because fewer and fewer people “split the ticket” when they are voting; if they vote for the Democratic/Republican presidential nominee, then they tend to vote for Democratic/Republican candidates “down ballot” as well.

• Increasingly, people are saying that they are Independent, yet they are really more partisan than ever before.

• On balance, U.S. voters are currently pessimistic about their own situation and the direction of their country.

• There is a deep lack of trust in “institutions,” including the media, sports, government, “corporate America,” law enforcement, religion, etc.

FREEWAY TOLLING AND EXPRESS LANES: FROM POLICY TO IMPLEMENTATION

David Ungemah, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff

• Tolls raise revenue and help to solve the “economics of congestion,” which is an imbalance between the supply of highway lanes and the demand for highway travel.

• “Tolling for revenue” involves different fundamental decisions than “tolling for traffic management.”

• In the United States, there has been rapid growth in tolled express lanes when measured in terms of lane miles.

• With enhanced fuel efficiency, there has been a net decline in gas tax revenue despite increased driving.

SMART CITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

Peter Lagerwey, Toole Design Group

• Consideration should be given to the extent to which communities are safe and “walkable.”

• Safety is all about speed; as speed increases, so too do accident frequency and severity.

• Principles regarding pedestrian safety include the following:

- Good engineering “invites” the right use.

- Design for the target speed.

- Ensure accessibility for all.

- Provide safe street crossings.

- Sidewalks need “buffers.”

- Access management benefits all modes.

- Ensure that routes to schools are safe.

- Aesthetics are important.

- Creating great places to walk is an element of good economic development.

- Buildings, not parked vehicles, should define streets.

- People shop where they live, not where they work.

- Transit stops need to have sidewalk access.

- Priorities should be identified based on data.

- Performance measures should be established.

- Stakeholder involvement matters.

FAST AND FURIOUS: THE TRANSPORTATION EDITION – PERSPECTIVES ON THE FAST ACT

Matthew Hardy, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

• The U.S. federal Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act – or FAST Act – provides funding certainty regarding surface transportation until 2020.

• Public-private partnerships are not a long-term solution for funding transportation in the United States.

• Two technological innovations on the “transportation horizon” are dedicated high-speed routes for driverless vehicles and hands-free driving.

ENHANCING LAW ENFORCEMENT AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS

Sue Rahr, Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission

• The Presidential Task Force on 21st Century Policing had the following six pillars, which gave rise to recommendations and actions items:

- building trust and legitimacy;

- policy and oversight;

- technology and social media;

- community policing and crime reduction;

- training and education; and

- officer wellness and safety.

• Leadership, transparency, accountability, and a better balance between crime fighting and public trust are needed; the culture should reflect a “guardian of democracy,” rather than a “warrior” mindset, although being a “warrior” is one dimension of being a “guardian.”

• Having a “guardian” mindset improves job satisfaction and retention, increases self-regulation, and promotes the sense that law enforcement is a “calling,” rather than a job.

• Data are important, and should reflect both how often force is used, and how often it is not used.

• Policies on the use of force are needed in relation to training, reporting, investigation, prosecution, data collection and information sharing.

• Crime control is not self-justifying.

• It is efficient to centralize law enforcement training, and training innovation hubs should be developed in partnership with academic institutions.

JUSTICE REINVESTMENT

Bree Derrick, Council of State Governments

• Some U.S. states are reinvesting in their justice systems.

• States can use risk assessment tools to reduce recidivism.

• It is important to predict the risk of re-offending accurately, and then to plan solutions; for example, it is important not to overestimate the probability that black offenders will re-offend.

• There is a need to prevent bias in risk assessment and to recognize that treating everyone in the same manner increases the risk of re-offending.

• Common problems with criminal justice–related programming include the following:

- The tendency to think that one size fits all.

- An overemphasis on “feeling good.”

- A program intensity that is not matched to participants.

- Programs that do not teach new skills.

- Programs that do not reflect good correctional practices.

• The focus of programs should be the following:

- who - Get those who are most likely to re-offend into programs.

- what - Use evidence-based programs.

- how well - Ensure high-quality program delivery.

Kevin Kempf, Idaho Department of Corrections

• Funds need to be allocated to programs that actually work; thus, program assessment is important.

• Offenders need to be “treated” with the right programs.

ADDRESSING MENTAL ILLNESS IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

Will Englelhardt, Council of State Governments

• U.S. jails are filled with too many individuals who have a mental illness; jails should not be de facto mental health centres and there is a need to develop a systematic way in which to identify those who are entering jail with a mental illness.

• People with a mental illness tend to remain in jail for twice as long as those without a mental illness.

• Evidence-based practices should be used to provide appropriate treatments to those with a mental illness.

• Key challenges include the following:

- being data-driven;

- using best practices;

- connecting people to care; and

- measuring results.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Kenneth Gronbach, Author and Futurist

• Governments need to have vision and to know where they are going.

• There is enough food in the world to feed 14 billion people but, in some countries, food cannot get to those in need because their government is corrupt.

• The size of the world’s population is expected to reach 10 billion or 11 billion by 2050, after which it will begin to decrease based on declines in fertility.

• Democrats gain a voter every eight seconds, and those voters are entering voting age; Republicans lose a voter every 16 seconds because of death.

• Candidates do not get elected based on the basis of the zeal of their followers, but rather on the number of their followers.

OVERSEAS VOTING INITIATIVE

Matt Boehmer, U.S. Department of Defense

• The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act has been amended twice since it was enacted; there are challenges in serving the unique characteristics and needs of those who are covered by this statute.

• In communicating with voters, it is important to do the following:

- Use plain language.

- Make effective use of election websites and social media.

- Create more user-friendly electronic ballot return envelopes.

- Let voters know when their ballot has been accepted.

Kim Wyman, Washington Secretary of State

• Voting must be secure and accessible to everyone; voters should be provided with every opportunity to vote and should be given “the benefit of the doubt.”

• To the extent possible, technology should be used with voters who are covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.

Alex Padilla, California Secretary of State

• When the number of voters rises, the electorates’ views are better represented.

• Often, the voters who are covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act are putting their life “on the line” for American democracy and a high quality of life in the United States; everyone should “go the extra mile” to ensure that these individuals are able to vote.

• Efforts should be directed to ensuring that people are not disenfranchised.

Respectfully submitted,