Feb 21, 2019
Regional Roundup
ANNUAL MEETING REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
Join us for the 72nd CSG West Annual Meeting in Big Sky, Montana. Against the backdrop of spectacular scenery, legislators, legislative staff, and private sector stakeholders gather to share their experiences as they learn from both topic experts and colleagues.
 
The meeting hosts conversations on topics relevant to the west through policy committees and the North America Summit.  Additional forum sessions will focus on forest and rangeland management and foster care offering an opportunity for in depth discussions among participants. 

Additional information on the schedule, housing and travel is available on our website. 
 
Border Region
THE U.S. - MEXICO BORDER REGION
PRESE NTS: COAHUILA

Coahuila de Zaragoza straddles the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains and while mostly desert, it also features springs, mountains, lagoons, forests and a white-sand oasis.  In support of Mexico's push to generate 35% of its electricity from clean sources by 2024, Coahuila is also home to the Villanueva power plant - the largest solar park in Latin America and biggest solar project in the world outside China and India. 
In 2017, Coahuila's population was over 3 million, accounting for 2.5% of Mexico's total population. The legislature is a unicameral assembly of representatives of the people, called the State Congress and is formed by full-time Deputies who are elected every three years. Currently, the legislature consists of 44% male and 56% female Deputies.



Regional Updates
CSG WEST JOINS LETTER & RECOMMENDATIONS TO U.S. EPA AND USACE
On Wednesday, February 20th, CSG West joined a group of state associations in sending the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers a list of process recommendations aimed at improving the Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification process while preserving states' well-established legal authority over water resources. The letter was co-signed by WGA, NCSL, ACWA, ASWM, CSG West, and WSWC. Western Governors' will be presenting these proposed improvements to federal officials and legislators while in Washington, D.C., next week and will be using this document as a starting point to engage with federal agencies on this important issue. 

Learn More
CSG WEST STAFF VISIT WESTERN STATE LEGISLATURES
CSG West Director, Edgar Ruiz, and accompanying staff visit each of our member states during their legislative sessions each year. State visits are coordinated to share information about programs and services for policy-makers, as well as to learn more about the issues that legislatures are addressing to assist in the facilitation of regional dialogue.

Below is a listing of upcoming state visits. Be sure to keep an eye out for your state!

    Alaska - February 19-21          Colorado  - March 6-7        Oregon - March 11-13


Member Resources
SUPREME COURT MIDTERM WEBINAR
The big news for state and local governments is that the Supreme Court will decide a gun case-next term. This term's docket is now set. Since September the Supreme Court agreed to take a case involving a religious display on public lands. It also has decided an employment case and agreed to hear another employment case-both involving local governments. And partisan gerrymandering has returned to the docket again. Join Colleen Roh Sinzdak, Hogan Lovells, who will discuss three cases she and others in her firm have worked on this term, Richard A. Simpson, Wiley Rein, LLP,  who co-wrote the SLLC amicus brief in an alcohol regulation case, and Brian Cardile, an editor and producer at the Daily Journal.
 
Date:  March 20, 2019
Time:  1:00 PM Eastern
 
Register Here


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