Governors to Discuss Public Safety, Health Care, and Job Creation at Winter Meeting

Article February 20, 2014 Read time:

Projects: Public Sector Retirement Systems, Public Safety Performance, Fiscal Federalism & State Fiscal Health

Governors from across the nation will convene in Washington, Feb. 21-24, in hopes of finding solutions to the tough economic problems confronting their states.

During the National Governors Association's annual winter meeting, leaders will share their perspectives on critical issues, many of which have been the focus of ongoing research by The Pew Charitable Trusts, including:

public safety: See how, over the span of five years, states were able to accomplish a challenging feat: reducing both crime and imprisonment rates at the same time.
clean energy: View Pew’s infographic to see how state-federal partnerships to create national renewable energy standards could help the United States compete globally to secure a stake in the rapidly expanding clean energy marketplace.
health care: See how state and local governments navigate the fiscal pressure of rising health care costs in this new Pew analysis.

Other key issues to be addressed by the governors include job creation, the economy and unemployment. Learn more about lagging employment rates in most states in this recent Pew study.

"Over the past few years, nearly half the states have taken substantial steps to improve public safety while also reining in the size and cost of their corrections systems. In Georgia, Oregon, South Dakota and other states, governors have led the way, often achieving unanimous votes in their legislatures for far-reaching reforms that keep violent offenders behind bars while diverting lower-level offenders to evidence-based prison alternatives. Continued leadership from chief executives is critical to reducing the rate of reoffending and making sure that taxpayers get the most public safety possible out of their corrections dollars.”

–Adam Gelb, director, Pew’s public safety performance project

Over the years, governors from both sides of the aisle have collaborated to solve complex issues. When faced with the task of protecting public safety, democrat and republican leaders spearheaded new research-based sentencing and corrections reforms to slow the growth of prison costs and keep communities safer. See what four governors have to say about leading on public safety.

State leaders also are proving that it’s possible to reduce crime rates while also reducing imprisonment rates. For more information, view our infographic.

President Barack Obama, along with members of his cabinet, will participate in several sessions with the governors as the focus shifts to another important alliance: a strong partnership between state and federal government officials.

Federal and state finances are closely intertwined and understanding this relationship is important to achieving fiscal stability at both levels of government. Recently, Pew looked at a number of these fiscal intersections in terms of state and local tax deductions, the sequester’s impact on states, and federal grants.

Interested in learning more about the federal-state relationship? View Pew’s Fiscal Federalism Initiative for information on how federal actions affect state budgets, taxes, spending, and revenue.