Membership Monthly – December 2024

Updates from the NGA Membership Team for December 2024. For more about the programs below and a list of upcoming events please email NGA at: [email protected].

December Spotlight

Following the November gubernatorial elections, 10 Governors will depart office. NGA extends our appreciation to the following Governors, recognizing their service to the people of their states and territories:

· American Samoa Governor Lemanu P. S. Mauga

· Delaware Governor John Carney

· Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb

· Missouri Governor Mike Parson

· New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu

· North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper

· North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum

· Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi

· Washington Governor Jay Inslee

· West Virginia Governor Jim Justice

2025 Inaugurations & State of the State Addresses

Resource Available to Track Dates for Upcoming Inaugurations & State of the State Addresses

NGA maintains a resource to provide information about upcoming inauguration dates. NGA also maintains a resource to provide details about Governors' upcoming inaugural addresses and state of the state, territory or commonwealth addresses, including the dates of the addresses. The information can be found here.

NGA will collect and share Governors' 2025 addresses on NGA's website to help showcase Governors' leadership and priorities in the year ahead. Each year, NGA closely monitors Governors' inaugural and state of the state addresses to help inform the organization's overall communications strategy. NGA invites Governors' offices to contact NGA's communications team to share any dates or topics related to the upcoming addresses.

Save the Date: 2025 NGA Winter Meeting

2025 NGA Winter Meeting

NGA will host the 2025 Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C., February 20-22. Registration information will be shared soon. The meeting will be held at the Grand Hyatt Washington, D.C. for the next five years.

The NGA Winter Meeting is the most well-attended annual gathering of the nation's Governors and serves as a forum for bipartisan coordination on pressing national issues. Each year's agenda includes notable guest speakers and in-depth discussions on timely priorities like infrastructure, AI, disaster preparedness, workforce development, education and housing.

Recent Winter Meeting speakers included U.S. Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Amy Coney Barrett, Cabinet secretaries, and business and tech leaders like Marc Andreessen and Jamie Dimon.

Chair's Initiative

NGA Holds Second Let's Get Ready Convening

Governor Polis and Governor Lombardo administration officials toured Southeast Career Technical Academy to highlight the innovative work the school is leading to empower students with the tools needed to succeed with professional career paths.

NGA recently released the following publications to provide an overview of the conversations Governors held with the experts who participated in first Let's Get Ready convening held in November:

· Let's Get Ready to Educate for Opportunity

· Let's Get Ready to Better Measure Success

· Education for Life - A Conversation with Dr. Steven Levitt

Governors Polis, Lombardo Pen Op-Ed on Let's Get Ready Initiative

In a new opinion piece published by the Nevada Independent, NGA Chair Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo write about Governor Polis' NGA Chair's Initiative Let's Get Ready, noting how Governors are working together on a bipartisan basis to improve education outcomes. Read the op-ed here.

Communications

NGA Leadership Holds Call with President-elect Trump

NGA Chair Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Vice Chair Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt recently held a call with President-elect Donald Trump to talk about state priorities. NGA released this statement about the call.

Governors Green, Scott Urge Congress to Prioritize Disaster Funding

Hawai'i Governor Josh Green and Vermont Governor Phil Scott, co-chairs of the NGA Public Health and Disaster Response Task Force, wrote an op-ed published by Newsweek urging Congress to make comprehensive disaster funding a top priority and pass the President's request for additional disaster relief funding. Read the Governors' op-ed here.

Government Relations

Governors Urge Preservation of National Guard Authority in NDAA Conference Committee Negotiations

NGA leadership issued this statement regarding provisions on National Guard authority included in the legislative text for the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In the legislative text released, Senate Armed Services Committee and House Armed Services Committee members failed to include House Wilson amendment language, which rightly upholds U.S.C. Title 10 and Title 32 authorities within the National Guard. This development comes following Governors from all 55 states and territories repeatedly urging Congress to reject Legislative Proposal 480 (LP 480), which would reassign specified Air National Guard units to the U.S. Space Force without legally required approval from Governors.

States Request Full Congressional Funding of Disaster Relief Fund

NGA Public Health and Disaster Response Task Force Co-Chairs Hawai'i Governor Josh Green and Vermont Governor Phil Scott issued a statement urging Congress to approve comprehensive disaster relief funding. Read the statement here.

Governors Evers, Gordon Recognize Apprenticeship Week

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, Co-Chairs of the NGA's Education, Workforce, and Community Investment Task Force, issued a statement in recognition of the 10th annual National Apprenticeship Week. The Governors praised Registered Apprenticeship programs for combining on-the-job training with education, offering a debt-free workforce development pathway. The Governors emphasized efforts to expand apprenticeships across industries and strengthen existing programs. They also recognized the impact of over 27,000 apprenticeship programs and millions of participants.

Center for best practice

Governor Hobbs Speaks at NGA Apprenticeship Summit

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs recently delivered the keynote address at a convening NGA held in partnership with Cognizant to showcase Governors' leadership advancing apprenticeship. Held in Phoenix during National Apprenticeship Week, the summit brought together public and private leaders to explore best practices and opportunities to expand apprenticeship. An overview of the meeting is available here.

New Mexico Bridge Team Presents to State Policy Officials on Best Practices for Engaging with Hospitals

The NGA health team welcomed representatives from the New Mexico Bridge project to speak with the Opioid State Action Network about best practices for engaging with hospitals. Read a summary of the meeting here.

NGA to Host Governors' State-Federal Affairs Representatives Convening in January

NGA will bring together Governors' State-Federal Affairs Representatives for a convening January 30-31 in Washington, D.C. This convening will give State-Federal Affairs Representatives a chance to connect with peers from across the country, share insights and strategize on how best to engage Congress and the Administration on Governors' top priorities.

NGA Creates Financial Literacy Resource Webpage

NGA has created a financial literacy resource tool for Governors' staff members to help guide and support their constituents as they improve their financial literacy knowledge. Check out the tool here. It features an interactive map that provides details about states' and territories' financial literacy resources.

December in Photos

NGA routinely shares photos of Governors at work. A sampling of this past month's photo highlights follows.

Top Row (L to R): Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and Hawai'i Governor Josh Green
Middle Row (L to R): Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp, and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers
Bottom Row (L to R): Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, and Puerto Rico Governor-elect Jenniffer González-Colón and U.S. Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan Jr.

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