NCSL Summit

I recently had the opportunity to take part in the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) 2011 Legislative Summit.  The annual event brings leaders from across the country together to discuss various issues facing states, including budgetary concerns and mandates from the federal government. 

As Chairwoman of the Senate Revenue Committee, I have had the opportunity to learn the inner workings of revenue mechanisms and how Illinois’ revenues relate to the larger budget creation process.  With this experience, I was recently appointed to serve on the NCSL Budget and Revenue Standing Committee.  This appointment gave me the opportunity to vote on several policy statements and resolutions that call on Congress to take action on certain pieces of legislation that directly affect states, such as unfunded mandates and federal tax reform.  The Budget and Revenue Standing Committee is one of ten committees that met at the NCSL Summit. 

The power that group discussion and interaction can have on formulating good public policy is often over-looked.  Discussing some very tough budgetary issues with colleagues from across the country gave needed insight into how other states are dealing with dramatically reduced revenues and other budgetary concerns.