Southern Pulse Newsletter, November

HELLO!

As the days grow shorter and the holidays approach, we’re reflecting on a season full of accomplishments while also gearing up for what’s next. 🥧🍁

Recently, our team brought together state legislative leaders from Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, and West Virginia to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The group met with federal lawmakers to discuss the state impacts of Federal Energy Permitting Reform. We also hosted a webinar titled “Finding Forever: Understanding Permanency in Foster Care” in partnership with Casey Family Programs. The webinar highlighted legislative challenges and provided actionable strategies to improve outcomes for children. Finally, the 2024 Staff Academy for Government Excellence (SAGE) class has graduated! The class, consisting of 29 staff members from Southern state legislative, judicial, executive, and agency positions, spent four full days in intensive leadership development, learning from expert speakers and facilitators, while also forming lasting connections and friendships. Click here to learn more and cheers to the SAGE class of 2024!

We’re especially grateful for you, our dedicated members, and the work you do to make a difference. Wishing you a day filled with joy, gratitude, and plenty of pie – Happy Thanksgiving!

With Gratitude, 
Lindsey G.

Click here to read Southern Pulse- November 2024

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CSG South Senior Policy Analyst Tom Opdyke Spoke to Lawmakers on Wind Energy Tax Policies

The Chair of the House Energy & Natural Resources Committee, Representative Brad Boles, invited Senior Policy Analyst Tom Opdyke to give testimony on state tax policies related to the wind energy industry. Opdyke gave the committee an overview of Oklahoma’s policies and how they compare to three of the Sooner State’s neighbors: Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas. He covered how properties with wind farms are taxed and the different incentives each state offers. Members of the committee then asked several questions to gain a better understanding of the issue.

Click here to view full recording

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CSG South Senior Policy Analyst Cody Allen Spoke to Lawmakers on Higher Education Systems

On Monday, October 21, 2024, CSG South Senior Policy Analyst Cody Allen presented to the Georgia House Study Committee on Assessing the Semester and Quarter Systems at the University System of Georgia (USG) and the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) Institutions at the invitation of Committee Chairman, Representative Shaw Blackmon at the Georgia Military College in Milledgeville. The study examined whether the USG and TCSG transitions in 1999 and 2011 realized the anticipated benefits, such as the alignment of curricula within and across the systems to facilitate the transfer of courses, increase administrative efficiencies, and reduce administrative costs. However, lawmakers expressed concerns that the conversion from the quarter system to the semester system has resulted in longer terms with more classes and fewer graduation cycles and if there are better options for students or workforce development. As part of the study, Cody Allen presented on the public university systems that still operate on a quarters calendar – the University of California System and those in Oregon and Washington – as well as the CSG South’s own Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana.

Nationally, only approximately 5 percent of postsecondary institutions do not operate on semesters, which could potentially make transfers and articulation agreements difficult – as recognized by the University of California at Berkley opting out of the quarter system. While there has not been much of a legislative appetite to revert to quarters, Cody Allen shared promising legislation from Indiana, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Tennessee that aimed to align high school curricula with core college courses, simplify the transfer process, encourage more students to graduate and programs to be completed in three years or less, and recognize apprenticeships or other workforce credentials for college credits. In closing, he highlighted how the trend for reducing time-to-degree completion and preparing students for the workforce in the states appears to be towards ensuring credit recognition and better aligning all levels of the education system.

Click here to view full recording

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Southern Pulse Newsletter, October

HELLO!

Life is “gourd” here at CSG South 🎃! As the leaves continue to turn, we are close to wrapping up our fall programming season.

We have successfully concluded three Fall Policy Masterclasses, with 45+ legislators and upper management executive staffers. Each masterclass focused on a unique and regionally relevant policy topic. We are already looking forward to planning our 2025 Policy Masterclasses.

The Center for the Advancement of Leadership Skills (CALS) class has graduated! The class of 24 elected officials spent four full days in intensive leadership development, hearing from world-class speakers and facilitators while also making lasting connections and friendships. Click here to learn more, and cheers to the CALS class of 2024!

Our hearts are with the Southern states affected by both Hurricane Helene and Milton. During this challenging time, please know that we stand with you in solidarity and are here to offer support as you continue to lead your communities. 

All the best,
Lindsey G.

Click here to read Southern Pulse- October 2024

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Missed Connections: Exploring the Impact of Social Media on Youth Mental Health 

Social media – initially conceived as a means of creating and enhancing community – can quickly devolve into dangerous echo chambers. These platforms that can sustain meaningful connection can, like any tool, also cause harm. Through presentations, interactive discussions, and evidence-based research, this CSG South Policy Masterclass highlighted strategies and policies implemented by states aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of social media on youth mental health. Participants will engaged in constructive dialogue, shared best practices, and brainstormed actionable solutions to promote digital well-being in today’s hyperconnected world.  

Eighteen participants from 10 Southern states – Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia – participated in the Masterclass over three days.  

Presentations included: 

  • Policy Roundtable: State Approaches to Social Media Regulation

The 18 participants were as follows: 

  • Representative Alan Baker, Alabama 
  • Representative Mandi Ballinger, Georgia; Chair, CSG South Human Services & Public Safety Committee 
  • Senator Jim Burgin, North Carolina 
  • Senator Tyler Dees, Arkansas 
  • Representative Vincent Dixie, Tennessee 
  • Senator Hillman Frazier, Mississippi 
  • Representative Denise Garner, Arkansas 
  • Representative Brandon Guffey, South Carolina 
  • Delegate Anitra Hamilton, West Virginia 
  • Representative Scott Holcomb, Georgia 
  • Representative Leigh Hulsey, Alabama 
  • Representative Marilyn Lands, Alabama 
  • Representative Carolyn Logan, North Carolina 
  • Representative Annie McDaniel, South Carolina 
  • Representative Orlando Paden, Mississippi 
  • Representative Felicia Robinson, Florida 
  • Senator Ally Seifried, Oklahoma 
  • Senator Kristen Thompson, Oklahoma 

Click here for photo gallery

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Dream Machine: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Governing  

The rapid adoption and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) has broad implications for every facet of public and private life. In this burgeoning field, the public policy stakes are high, and the issues are complex. CSG South hosted the Dream Machine: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Governing Policy Masterclass to facilitate an exchange of knowledge and expertise to aid policymakers in striking a balance between fostering innovation and establishing regulatory guardrails.  

Twenty-one participants from 12 Southern states – Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia – participated in the Masterclass over three days.  

Throughout the Masterclass, attendees participated in nine learning sessions and a site visit ranging from information on the impacts of AI and data centers on the energy grid, generative AI tools for legislators and staff, deepfakes and election security, workforce development impacts, permitting reform and governmental transparency, AI and transportation, and protecting student and citizen data privacy. Participants reflected on these presentations and the key issues in their states by participating in a legislative roundtable discussion on AI policies and priorities for the 2025 legislative session. Additionally, participants heard a keynote from Ambassador Jovita Neliupšienė, Delegation of the European Union to the United States of America, who shared the EU’s leading work regarding consumer data privacy laws and AI regulatory reforms. 

Participants also traveled to the Arlington campus of the Virginia Tech National Security Institute, where they received briefings on partnering with postsecondary institutions and the private sector to develop the workforce of the future and increase the U.S.’s physical and cyber security. The Learning Sessions throughout the event were as follows: 

  • Learning Session 3 | Innovation and AI in the Commonwealth’s Permit Transparency Portal  Presenter: Matthew Nolan, Deputy Director, Office of Regulatory Management, Virginia 
  • Learning Session 4 (cont.) | Country R.O.A.D. Take Me Home: How West Virginia’s Using AI to Improve the State Presenter: Hussein Elkhansa, Chief Technology Officer, West Virginia Department of Transportation 
  • Learning Session 5 | AI, Deep Fakes, and Election Security  Presenter: Lindsey Forson, Deputy Executive Director, National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), Washington, D.C. 
  • Learning Session 6 | The King and (A)I: Tennessee’s First-in-the-Nation E.L.V.I.S. Act  Presenter: Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, Tennessee 
  • Learning Session 7 | AI, EdTech, and Protecting Student Data Privacy  Presenter: Paige Kowalski, Executive Vice President, Data Quality Campaign, Washington, D.C. 

The 21 participants included:  

  • Representative Leigh Hulsey, Alabama 
  • Ms. Laura Howell, General Counsel for the Alabama Office of Information Technology 
  • Representative Denise Garner, Arkansas 
  • Ms. Kimberly Davis, Statewide Program Manager for the Arkansas Department of Transformation and Shared Services 
  • Mr. Zachary Roger, Assistant to the Senate President Pro Tempore of the Arkansas General Assembly 
  • Representative Scott Holcomb, Georgia 
  • Mr. Patrick Love, Attorney Analyst for the Georgia Senate Office of Policy and Legislative Analysis 
  • Representative Derek Lewis, Kentucky 
  • Representative Barbara Freiberg, Louisiana 
  • Ms. Julia George Moore, General Counsel for the Office of the Lieutenant Governor/Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism 
  • Senator Rod Hickman, Mississippi 
  • Representative Renee Reuter, Missouri 
  • Senator Jim Burgin, North Carolina  
  • Representative Carolyn Logan, North Carolina 
  • Representative Daniel Pae, Oklahoma 
  • Representative Arturo Alonso Sandoval, Oklahoma 
  • Ms. Abby Berquist, Research and Budget Analyst for the South Carolina House Ways and Means Committee 
  • Delegate Bonita Anthony, Virginia  
  • Delegate Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Virginia  
  • Mr. Luke Priddy, Chief of Staff to the Virginia Senate General Laws and Technology Committee Chairman Adam Ebbin  
  • Delegate Daniel Linville, West Virginia 

Click here for photo gallery

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Southern Pulse Newsletter, September

HAPPY FALL Y’ALL!

As fall approaches, we’re thrilled about the upcoming events at CSG South. We’ve already hosted two Policy Masterclasses: “Bigger May Not Be Better” in Ontario, Canada, and “Dream Machine” in Alexandria, Virginia. Next, we’re excited for “Missed Connections” this week in Charlotte, North Carolina, focusing on social media’s impact on youth mental health.

Our fall leadership development began with the Legislative Service Agency Directors Group’s retreat in St. Louis, Missouri. In the coming months, the Center for the Advancement of Leadership Skills (CALS) and the Staff Academy for Governmental Excellence (SAGE) will convene, offering networking and training for officials and staffers.

We’re also reflecting on the successes of the 2024 Southern Legislative Conference at The Greenbrier Resort, West Virginia. The Summary Report, which celebrates the contributions of attendees, staffers, and volunteers, is now available to download below. 

We hope you continue to keep CSG South at the top of your mind if you need anything! 

All the best, 
Lindsey G.

Click here to read Southern Pulse- September 2024

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