July 17, 2009
State Legislators to Discuss Budget Battles
Constitution Center in Philadelphia will host event featuring NCSL leaders.
While tackling their own budgetary challenges, state legislatures also play a role in spurring the nation's economic recovery. To discuss this further, the National Constitution Center and the National Conference of State Legislatures will have a forum on the states' responses to the current economic crisis in America.
Speakers on the panel include state legislators who will discuss ways in which they are putting money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to work. Panelists include:
NCSL President Joe Hackney, the speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives
Georgia State Senator Don Balfour, NCSL President Elect
Pennsylvania State Senator Jake Corman.
The event begins at 5 p.m. on July 19. Admission is free, but reservations are required and can be made by calling (215) 409-6700.
This program is part of a broader series at the Constitution Center on the American economy, tracking the various causes of the recession and the ways to improve the economic situation. The series presents a balanced assessment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and how the money is being spent.
Speakers' bios:
Georgia State Senator Don Balfour of Snellville was first elected to the state Senate in 1992, and has served the 9th District consecutively for more than 17 years, making him the longest serving Republican in the Senate. Senator Balfour is chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, and is a member of the Appropriations, Education and Youth, and Health and Human Services Committees. Senator Balfour was elected incoming president of the National Conference of State Legislatures, and will be the first legislator from Georgia to hold the position since NCSL’s founding in 1975.
Pennsylvania State Senator Jake Corman was elected in 1998 and is now serving his third consecutive term. He represents the 34th Senatorial District and currently serves as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and as a member of the Banking and Insurance, Finance, Rules and Executive Nominations, and State Government Committees.
Representative Joe Hackney was elected speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives in January 2007, at the start of his 14th term. Before becoming speaker, Hackney was House Democratic leader for one term, House majority leader for one term, and Speaker pro tempore for two terms. He currently serves as president of the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 2007, he received the group’s Excellence in State Legislative Leadership Award, the nation’s top honor for state legislators.
The National Constitution Center, located at 525 Arch St. on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall, is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of the U.S. Constitution and the ideas and values it represents. It serves as a museum, an education center, and a forum for debate on constitutional issues. The museum dramatically tells the story of the Constitution from Revolutionary times to the present through more than 100 interactive, multimedia exhibits, film, photographs, written accounts, sculptures and artifacts, and features a powerful, award-winning theatrical performance, “Freedom Rising”. The center also houses the Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, which serves as the hub for national constitutional education. Also, as a nonpartisan forum for constitutional discourse, the center presents—without endorsement—programs that contain diverse viewpoints on a broad range of issues. For more information, call (215) 409-6700 or visit www.constitutioncenter.org.
NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the states, commonwealths and territories. It provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues and is an effective and respected advocate for the interests of the states in the American federal system.
