Council of State Governments
 | |
| Abbreviation | CSG |
|---|---|
| Motto | Sharing capitol ideas |
| Formation | 1933 |
| Founder | Henry Wolcott Toll |
| Type | non-governmental organization |
| Location | |
Executive Director/CEO | David Adkins |
| Website |
www |
The Council of State Governments (CSG) is a nonpartisan non-profit organization in the United States serving the state governments. It serves state legislatures, state courts, and executive branch officials and agencies, and is the only multi-branch organization of state governments in the United States. CSG was founded by Colorado Senator Henry Toll in 1933. CSG also serves the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands (commonwealths) as well as Guam and the United States Virgin Islands.
CSG is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, and also operates four regional offices, for the East (northeast), Midwest, West, and South. The Council also maintains an office in Washington, D.C. to monitor federal government activities and their impact on state issues and programs. CSG's Justice Center, based in New York City and with offices around the country, provides practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven strategies—informed by available evidence—to increase public safety and strengthen communities
CSG is funded by annual dues paid by each state and territory to support CSG's operations, in addition to revenue derived from publication sales, registration fees, corporate grants and contributions, and investment income.
The organization is headed by a governor who serves as President and a member of a state legislature who serves as chairman.
Several Canadian provinces are international members of some of CSG's regional subdivisions, notably the "Eastern Regional Conference" or ERC. In fact, Quebec City was chosen as the venue for CSG's annual national meeting in 1999, Halifax, Nova Scotia as ERC's annual regional meeting in the summer of 2011, and Edmonton, Alberta as WRC's in the summer of 2012.
CSG is the precursor and partner of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), with which it shares Executive Committee members, and is the umbrella organization for multiple state leaders' organizations as well as research entities, such as the Healthy States Initiatives, founded by CSG and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), headquartered in Atlanta, GA, as well as the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators.
History
In 1925, Colorado state senator Henry Wolcott Toll created the American Legislators' Association, which provided legislators with information and opportunities to connect.[1] Prior to its establishment, Senator Toll published a four-page leaflet called "The Legislator" that was designed to make state legislators aware of what their counterparts in other states were doing. The first meeting of the Association was held on July 19 and 20, 1926 in Denver and was made up of "councils" consisting of five members of the senate and five members of the house from each state. Originally underwritten by Senator Toll, Senator George Woodward of Pennsylvania began contributing in 1926 and was later joined by legislators William A. Davenport, Morton Hull, and Henry L. Shattiick. Eventually the Association received an appropriation from the Spelman Fund, which led to the development of the magazine, "State Government" in April 1930. Due to the increased volume of work, the Association moved offices from Denver to Chicago on October 15, 1930.[2]
On January 18-20, 1935, the planning board of the American Legislators' Association met in Washington D.C. to discuss a league of state governments, which would serve as a co-ordinating agency for administrative as well as legislative officials. As a result the Council of State Governments was organized. The purpose of the Council was to develop and promote means by which the states could better cooperate with one another and with the federal government. The plan contemplated that the Council would derive its existence and authority from Commissions on Interstate Cooperation which were to be created by law in the (then) forty-eight states.[3]
Timeline [4][5]
- 1925 - The American Legislators' Association was established in Denver, CO
- 1930 - The headquarters of the American Legislators' Association moved to Chicago, IL
- 1935 - The Council of State Governments (CSG) was established
- 1937 - The Eastern Regional Conference (ERC) was established as the eastern regional office of CSG
- 1938 - CSG opened a Washington D.C. office
- 1945 - The Midwestern Legislative Conference (now a part of CSG Midwest) is established as the midwestern regional office of CSG
- 1947 - The Southern Conference (now the Southern Legislative Conference) and the Western Regional Conference (now known as CSG West) are established to support CSG's work in the southern and western regions
- 1969 - The CSG headquarters were moved to Lexington, KY
- 1986 - The CSG Henry Toll Fellowship, a leadership development program for state officials was established
- 2006 - The CSG Justice Center was formed out of the ERC justice program
Regional offices
CSG has 6 offices across the country including 4 regional offices, a federal affairs office in Washington D.C., and the headquarters office in Lexington, KY.[6]
Justice Center
On December 3, 2006, the Council of State Governments Governing Board voted to transform the Eastern Regional Conference’s (CSG/ERC) criminal justice program into a national Justice Center. The Justice Center’s Board of Directors includes state legislative leaders, judges, corrections administrators, juvenile justice agency directors, and law enforcement professionals, who together represent a cross-section of the senior-level state officials who shape criminal justice policy across the country.[7] The Justice Center is headquartered in New York City with additional offices in Austin, Seattle, Bethesda, and Washington, D.C.
Affiliate Organizations
Affiliate organizations contribute specialized expertise, information, resources and issues to the overall mission of CSG. In turn, CSG offers a mechanism by which affiliates may tap into CSG's products and services, and a forum for bringing issues to a broader, collective state audience.
- American Probation and Parole Association
- Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies
- Emergency Management Accreditation Program
- Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision
- Interstate Commission for Juveniles
- Military Interstate Children's Compact Commission (MIC3)
- National Association of State Facilities Administrators
- National Association of State Personnel Executives
- National Association of State Technology Directors
- National Emergency Management Association
- National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators
- State International Development Organizations (SIDO)
CSG Presidents and Chairs
Notes
References
- ↑ Hopkins, Shawntaye (January–February 2016). "From Milestone to Milestone CSG Evolves From the Vision of Henry Toll" (PDF). Capitol Ideas (Kentucky: The Council of State Governments).
- ↑ The Book of the States. Illinois: The Council of State Governments. 1937. p. 8-13.
- ↑ The Book of the States. Illinois: The Council of State Governments. 1937. p. 8-13.
- ↑ The Book of the States. Illinois: The Council of State Governments. 1937. p. 8-13.
- ↑ Hopkins, Shawntaye (January–February 2016). "From Milestone to Milestone CSG Evolves From the Vision of Henry Toll" (PDF). Capitol Ideas (Kentucky: The Council of State Governments).
- ↑ source
- ↑ source
- Reentry Policy Council
- Charity Navigator: The Council of State Governments
- State of Illinois Wins National Award for Efficiency Efforts (example of interest in States Innovation Awards)
- Pennsylvania Wins Second Innovations Award (example of interest in States Innovation Awards)
- Minister attending Council of State Governments Conference in Burlington, Vermont
External links
- The Council of State Governments – Official website
- CSG East | Eastern Regional Conference
- CSG South | Southern Legislative Conference
- CSG Midwest
- CSG West
- CSG Justice Center