Governors from across the country gather in Williamsburg, Virginia, this weekend for the 104th Annual Meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA). The three-day agenda includes discussions on issues facing states, including Medicaid, job creation and developing policies that spur small business innovation.
National Governors Association Chairman Dave Heineman (R-NE) and Vice Chairman Jack Markell (D-DE) open the meeting with a morning press conference to discuss the agenda and the challenges facing state governments.
The opening session highlights Gov. Heineman’s initiative called "Growing State Economies." The program focuses on providing governors and other state policymakers with policy options to assess the economic environment in their states.
Friday afternoon, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and his predecessor Margaret Spellings lead a discussion examining the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, known as "No Child Left Behind."
On Saturday morning, an NGA panel talks about new strategies to lower Medicaid costs. Later that afternoon, governors hold a roundtable discussion about veterans’ welfare.
The Annual Meeting draws approximately 1,000 attendees. It is one of the organization's two official business meetings held each year. The nation’s current and former governors, administration and legislative officials, and business and academic leaders are attending the conference.