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The Council of State Governments has been collecting data on governors’ salaries for The Book of the States since 1937. The average governor’s salary has grown more slowly in recent years than in the past, with a number of states cutting their chief executive’s pay during and after the Great Recession.

In an effort to develop alternate funding sources to implement critical transportation and infrastructure projects, states across the country increasingly are looking to public-private partnerships, known as P3s, as an important strategy. States in CSG's Southern Legislative Conference have been particularly active in pursuing the P3 format for a number of years. This webinar provides the latest perspectives and approaches from three SLC states—Florida, Texas and Virginia.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—While last winter was harsh and this one is expected to be similar, federal grants to states for heating assistance have dropped precipitously. The grants from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program , popularly known as the LIHEAP, help low-income families pay a portion of their home energy needs. Mayors across the U.S. are formally requesting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to continue funding this program for 2016 fiscal year. Last year, the government provided $3.424 billion for the program, down from $5.1 billion in FY2010. That $1.7 billion cut...

Even as the recession abates, working family incomes often cannot cover family expenses and families are reaching out to food banks and community support systems to meet basic needs. These support systems also have struggled under economically stressful times and new creative approaches are needed.

In the fall of 2014, the attention of state leaders and their constituents was focused on the Ebola epidemic in Africa and how to prevent its spread to the United States. In the days since the first U.S. case was diagnosed in Texas, federal and state leaders have strived to implement evidence-based responses to the disease. This CSG eCademy features Christine Kosmos, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of State and Local Readiness, who explores lessons learned about Ebola and states’ responses, as well as state/federal role differentiation.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security in December 2013 announced a phased enforcement plan for the REAL ID Act of 2005. The act enacted a recommendation of the 9/11 Commission that the federal government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.” States and other jurisdictions have made significant progress in enhancing the security of their licenses in recent years, but hurdles and holdouts remain and key deadlines in 2015 and 2016 loom. This CSG eCademy provide an update from DHS on states’ progress, with discussion and questions posed by a representative of the REAL ID advocacy organization the Coalition for a Secure Driver’s License.

Transactive energy, a technique for managing the generation, consumption or flow of electric power within an electric power system, relies on a market-based approach to promote grid reliability. These systems increasingly are being used to promote renewable energy sources, recognizing that technologies permit customers to work together to shift generation load and demand. This eCademy session provides an opportunity for policymakers to learn about the evolving technique and its potential implications for states.

The Environmental Protection Agency in June released the Clean Power Plan Proposed Rule under the authority of 111(d) of the Clean Air Act. This proposed rule allows states to meet state-specific goals to limit greenhouse gas emissions. As states consider options for meeting these goals, concerns have emerged that the proposed rule could result in higher energy costs for utility customers, or ratepayers. This webinar examines energy efficiency opportunities that can help states achieve their emissions targets with minimum impact to their energy portfolio.

What if a middle-skills job—one that requires more education than a high school diploma but less than a four-year degree—could be a ticket to the middle class? It’s possible, experts say, but not enough state policymakers are taking the steps to help ensure the middle can grow. It’s going to take good data, innovative programs and the will to work together, experts say, but growing the middle class can be done.