In this week’s episode, you will join Maggie Mick in her home state of Kentucky for a constellation of conversations had with colleagues and friends attending the National Conference of State Legislatures' 2024 Legislative Summit in Louisville. We’ll take you into the policy sessions, along the rows of the exhibit hall, and the various social events that pepper the week.
[00:00:11] [SPEAKER_02]: Welcome back to another episode of The Political Life. This is Maggie Mick. You are joining
[00:00:16] [SPEAKER_02]: me today in my home state of Kentucky. I am so thrilled to host this week's episode in
[00:00:21] [SPEAKER_02]: Louisville at the National Conference of State Legislatures Legislative Summit. This
[00:00:26] [SPEAKER_02]: is the largest convening of state legislators and legislative staff in the country. Annually,
[00:00:32] [SPEAKER_02]: it brings together leaders from both sides of the aisle for a plethora of sessions
[00:00:36] [SPEAKER_02]: on pressing policy issues facing state lawmakers and industry around the country. This week's
[00:00:43] [SPEAKER_02]: episode will be a constellation of conversations had with colleagues and friends attending
[00:00:48] [SPEAKER_02]: this year's meeting. We'll take you into some of the policy sessions along the rows
[00:00:52] [SPEAKER_02]: of the exhibit hall and various social events that pepper the week. This is sure to be
[00:00:57] [SPEAKER_02]: a blockbuster conference with the leadership of Kentucky, Speaker of the House David Osborne
[00:01:03] [SPEAKER_02]: and Senate President Robert Stivers pulling out all the stops to make this an incredibly
[00:01:07] [SPEAKER_02]: memorable gathering. Together and with their talented and tireless staff, with whom I
[00:01:13] [SPEAKER_02]: have had the pleasure of working with for many years, over 6,000 people will gather
[00:01:18] [SPEAKER_02]: in Louisville to learn and network. We'll capstone this week's episode with two
[00:01:24] [SPEAKER_02]: longer conversations with two members of the Kentucky Host State team, recapping
[00:01:28] [SPEAKER_02]: how the week unfolded and what went into the planning of this year's legislative
[00:01:32] [SPEAKER_02]: summit. So, this is a Who's Who and Who's Here at the NCSL's Legislative Summit in
[00:01:38] [SPEAKER_02]: Louisville, Kentucky. I hope that you enjoy.
[00:01:41] [SPEAKER_02]: All right. This is the first interview from NCSL in Louisville and I am pleased
[00:01:46] [SPEAKER_02]: to introduce you all to my colleague Liz Malm. Liz is a Renaissance woman. She is
[00:01:53] [SPEAKER_02]: one of our vice presidents and an economist, but while she's not the producer of the
[00:01:58] [SPEAKER_02]: Political Life, that is another magical person in Connecticut, she is the producer
[00:02:03] [SPEAKER_02]: of most things at Multistate. She wears the head of communications for us and I
[00:02:08] [SPEAKER_02]: just feel honored every day to work with her on a number of projects. So, Liz,
[00:02:13] [SPEAKER_02]: welcome to the Political Life. Thank you for having me. So, Liz, how many
[00:02:17] [SPEAKER_01]: NCSLs have you been to? Oh gosh, I think this might be my seventh or eighth.
[00:02:21] [SPEAKER_01]: I actually interviewed for Multistate at a past NCSL and I started on the tax
[00:02:27] [SPEAKER_01]: team working for Joe Crosby many moons ago, so it's got a special place in my
[00:02:30] [SPEAKER_01]: heart. It was a secret interview probably. It was. I'm sure a lot of those
[00:02:35] [SPEAKER_02]: happen at NCSL actually just by the numbers of folks in the industry. So,
[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_02]: you head up our booth every year. So, walk people through like how do you
[00:02:46] [SPEAKER_02]: make a decision on, you know, how do you even get into the booth, you know,
[00:02:51] [SPEAKER_01]: lineup? How does that work? Yeah, well, so it's kind of changed a bit
[00:02:55] [SPEAKER_01]: over the years. I think we've had a booth for decades at NCSL and so I think
[00:02:58] [SPEAKER_01]: it used to be based on seniority and I think they're a little more relaxed
[00:03:00] [SPEAKER_01]: about it now, but location is everything. We always like to be next
[00:03:03] [SPEAKER_01]: to the beer tasting. That's always a popular one. But yeah, it's
[00:03:07] [SPEAKER_01]: all about the foot traffic. Like you wanna make sure you're on a
[00:03:09] [SPEAKER_01]: corner and you're walking by a lot of folks. We always like to
[00:03:12] [SPEAKER_01]: make sure we have a fun and inviting booth and we always don't
[00:03:14] [SPEAKER_01]: have any trouble having folks stop by. So, I think we picked good again
[00:03:16] [SPEAKER_02]: this year. Yep. So, next year in Boston, what's the footprint of the
[00:03:22] [SPEAKER_02]: booth gonna be? I actually have no idea. I haven't picked it yet.
[00:03:26] [SPEAKER_02]: Okay, so your favorite NCSL location that you've been in these seven
[00:03:30] [SPEAKER_01]: or eight years? I actually really enjoyed Denver because I'm a
[00:03:32] [SPEAKER_01]: born and raised Wyomingite so I got to extend that trip and
[00:03:35] [SPEAKER_01]: go see my family. But again, I really enjoyed Seattle because
[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_01]: that's where I got my job at Multistate and I'm still here.
[00:03:41] [SPEAKER_02]: I love it. Well, thank you for being a guest. Our first guest
[00:03:45] [SPEAKER_02]: from on the ground in Louisville and just honored to work with
[00:03:48] [SPEAKER_02]: you. Thanks, Liz. We're back with Jennifer Dura, Director of External
[00:03:54] [SPEAKER_02]: Relations, I believe or External Affairs for EEI and we were just
[00:03:59] [SPEAKER_02]: in a session that had some spice. Why don't you tell us about
[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_02]: the Natural Resources Energy and Environment Committee meeting
[00:04:07] [SPEAKER_03]: that we just left? Sure, Maggie. So, we had a couple of resolutions
[00:04:12] [SPEAKER_03]: and directives. This committee for a while has been pretty
[00:04:18] [SPEAKER_03]: just moving at its pace, not a lot of controversy. Coming out
[00:04:23] [SPEAKER_03]: of COVID, I think we saw the committee trying to work in a
[00:04:28] [SPEAKER_03]: more collaborative way. And this meeting, there was an amendment
[00:04:34] [SPEAKER_03]: to the Agricultural Directive that brought in some agro-votaics.
[00:04:41] [SPEAKER_03]: Trend alert. Trend alert, correct. It is a term that has sort of
[00:04:47] [SPEAKER_03]: started popping up in a lot of places. But really what it was
[00:04:50] [SPEAKER_03]: doing was talking about solar on agricultural land and I think
[00:04:55] [SPEAKER_03]: not just in the energy space but generally we're seeing a lot
[00:04:57] [SPEAKER_03]: of conversations about ag land from foreign ownership to land
[00:05:02] [SPEAKER_03]: use issues. So, it sort of tracks a little bit. However,
[00:05:07] [SPEAKER_03]: when you add an amendment to a directive, it can always sort of
[00:05:11] [SPEAKER_03]: bring up some challenges. And in this case it did. So, it was
[00:05:15] [SPEAKER_03]: talking about putting solar on farmland and this dual use
[00:05:20] [SPEAKER_03]: sort of piece. And so, when that happened, amendments on
[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_03]: directives only have to pass 50% or slightly majority. And
[00:05:33] [SPEAKER_03]: so, that was what happened based on the states that were there.
[00:05:37] [SPEAKER_03]: And as it works at NCSL, whoever shows up for that state sort of
[00:05:41] [SPEAKER_03]: hold that vote. So, in some red states you get blue and in
[00:05:45] [SPEAKER_03]: blue states you get red. So, you can't always know how a
[00:05:49] [SPEAKER_03]: state is going to actually vote. And in this case it
[00:05:52] [SPEAKER_03]: sort of operated that way. So, they passed this amendment
[00:05:54] [SPEAKER_03]: because you only needed the 50%. And then they quickly
[00:05:57] [SPEAKER_03]: discovered that the amendment barely passed. And then to
[00:06:02] [SPEAKER_03]: pass the directive you have to have three-fourths. So, there
[00:06:05] [SPEAKER_03]: was no way they were going to get the three-fourths to pass
[00:06:08] [SPEAKER_03]: the directive. So, when that happened there were some
[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_03]: legislators who recognized they were sort of in a pickle.
[00:06:16] [SPEAKER_03]: And so, then it became sort of this whole question of we
[00:06:19] [SPEAKER_03]: passed a resolution. Can we undo it? This is Maggie
[00:06:22] [SPEAKER_02]: Mick and I am outside the Adams and Reese reception
[00:06:25] [SPEAKER_02]: talking to dear friend and colleague Evan Hoffman with
[00:06:28] [SPEAKER_02]: Phillips. Welcome to the podcast Evan. Oh my gosh.
[00:06:32] [SPEAKER_04]: Thank you for having me. So excited. So, I understand that Phillips actually has
[00:06:36] [SPEAKER_02]: a new podcast. So, you want to like promo that at all?
[00:06:39] [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah. So, we in the government affairs department are
[00:06:42] [SPEAKER_04]: privileged to bring a podcast to the 18,000 U.S. employees at Phillips
[00:06:48] [SPEAKER_04]: just to help them understand what government means,
[00:06:51] [SPEAKER_04]: how government interacts with Phillips. Biggest customer in the world for
[00:06:55] [SPEAKER_04]: Phillips is the Department of Veterans Affairs.
[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_04]: They are the biggest regulator of health care. So, to connect the dots
[00:07:01] [SPEAKER_04]: between government and our work, our employees love it.
[00:07:04] [SPEAKER_02]: That is so smart. Just using every single
[00:07:07] [SPEAKER_02]: communications platform to tell about the good work that you're doing in the
[00:07:10] [SPEAKER_02]: states. So, here at NCSL are you exhibiting? Are
[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_02]: you sponsoring? What is currently your footprint at the
[00:07:18] [SPEAKER_04]: meeting? Wow. So, we're not exhibiting. We are
[00:07:22] [SPEAKER_04]: sponsoring as a foundation sponsor and we
[00:07:25] [SPEAKER_04]: absolutely love NCSL. So, for Phillips we are involved in
[00:07:30] [SPEAKER_04]: the intersection of health care policy and technology.
[00:07:33] [SPEAKER_04]: And so many lawmakers come to this conference to learn and hear from
[00:07:36] [SPEAKER_04]: stakeholders in their community who are tackling those same health care
[00:07:40] [SPEAKER_04]: challenges. So, we try to be a resource to them.
[00:07:42] [SPEAKER_02]: It's a great place to meet them. But one of your trade associations I
[00:07:46] [SPEAKER_02]: believe is exhibiting. Yes. And I think last year you were on
[00:07:49] [SPEAKER_02]: the floor. So, want to talk about that? Yes. So, Phillips as a health
[00:07:54] [SPEAKER_04]: care technology company, we are a proud member of Advomed, the
[00:07:58] [SPEAKER_04]: Advanced Medical Technology Association. And they, yes, they are exhibiting and
[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_04]: they bring their member companies to join them in the exhibit hall and we
[00:08:07] [SPEAKER_04]: get to display our technology. So, even though we're not
[00:08:09] [SPEAKER_04]: officially exhibiting with them this year, we do stop by and show off our
[00:08:13] [SPEAKER_04]: cool technology like Portable or ForSound. I think last
[00:08:17] [SPEAKER_02]: year you were the pilot and you were a very good pilot
[00:08:19] [SPEAKER_02]: just bringing people to the booth. So, set the good standard for Advomed.
[00:08:24] [SPEAKER_02]: So, in terms of all the organizations that you are a part of,
[00:08:27] [SPEAKER_02]: you were just telling me that you are at another organization with NFWL
[00:08:31] [SPEAKER_02]: a week ago. Just what makes NCSL and the Legislative Summit
[00:08:35] [SPEAKER_02]: so special and just of value to you? No organization except CSG. Throwing
[00:08:43] [SPEAKER_04]: that in there for you, Maggie. No organization brings together such a
[00:08:47] [SPEAKER_04]: diverse group of stakeholders who are all united with one vision of
[00:08:51] [SPEAKER_04]: trying to advance policy forward within the state government.
[00:08:54] [SPEAKER_04]: And so, we are privileged and humbled to be part of this community and do our
[00:08:58] [SPEAKER_04]: best to interact with these amazing lawmakers.
[00:09:00] [SPEAKER_04]: And these lawmakers who come to NCSL are special because they take time out
[00:09:04] [SPEAKER_04]: of their calendars to come here and learn from other
[00:09:07] [SPEAKER_04]: stakeholders. And together we can move our country forward with policy.
[00:09:11] [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's been a whole week in Louisville, Kentucky.
[00:09:14] [SPEAKER_02]: So, Evan, it's always a pleasure. Thanks for taking the time
[00:09:18] [SPEAKER_04]: to hop on the pod. Appreciate it. Thank you so much.
[00:09:21] [SPEAKER_02]: And we're back. It's the final day of NCSL and I'm with my
[00:09:25] [SPEAKER_02]: friend, Jada Schaefer from the great state of Alabama.
[00:09:28] [SPEAKER_02]: She is Director of Comment Relations for the American Heart Association.
[00:09:32] [SPEAKER_02]: And is this your first NCSL or how many have you been to?
[00:09:36] [SPEAKER_02]: This is actually my first NCSL. Welcome!
[00:09:40] [SPEAKER_02]: So, okay, overwhelming. Tell me what your experience has been.
[00:09:45] [SPEAKER_00]: So, it is very large. I normally go to SLC and so this is my first time.
[00:09:52] [SPEAKER_00]: It's been a little bit challenging to find my lawmakers,
[00:09:55] [SPEAKER_00]: but it's been a good experience so far. They're all going to be at Churchill
[00:09:58] [SPEAKER_02]: tonight. You'll be able to find them. So, you know, coming to NCSL for the
[00:10:03] [SPEAKER_02]: first time, like when you looked at the agenda,
[00:10:06] [SPEAKER_02]: like what stood out to you? What were you hoping to learn here?
[00:10:10] [SPEAKER_02]: And what are some of your public policy priorities?
[00:10:13] [SPEAKER_00]: So, what stood out to me most and what was most interesting
[00:10:17] [SPEAKER_00]: was seeing Kellyanne Conway and the DNC chair.
[00:10:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Former chair, Donna Brazile. Okay, yes. And had the conversation between
[00:10:27] [SPEAKER_00]: the two of them and the political climate. I really
[00:10:29] [SPEAKER_02]: enjoyed that. Yeah, it was so refreshing to hear them talking about
[00:10:33] [SPEAKER_02]: being human and trying to bring civility back into the political game
[00:10:37] [SPEAKER_02]: and just how hard it's become. So, that was a
[00:10:41] [SPEAKER_02]: really, really nice way to end the day. So, what is your next meeting? Where are
[00:10:46] [SPEAKER_02]: you off to next? So, I'm headed to the reception,
[00:10:49] [SPEAKER_00]: the final reception. I'm hoping to find some of my lawmakers there.
[00:10:53] [SPEAKER_00]: It was real interesting to see all the different types of
[00:10:55] [SPEAKER_00]: exhibitors and the different policy groups
[00:10:58] [SPEAKER_00]: that are working on policies across the country. I've
[00:11:01] [SPEAKER_00]: really enjoyed getting to know other people and other organizations to see
[00:11:04] [SPEAKER_02]: what they're working on. Yeah, the exhibit hall was hopping, AHA
[00:11:07] [SPEAKER_02]: was in there, and then you do the walking challenge.
[00:11:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so we do the walking challenge every year and give away
[00:11:14] [SPEAKER_00]: prizes for 10,000 steps and 20,000 steps. And so, we have some winners today.
[00:11:18] [SPEAKER_02]: It's pretty exciting. I mean, people love doing it every year.
[00:11:22] [SPEAKER_02]: Well, thanks for chatting with me, Jada. Talk to you soon.
[00:11:25] [SPEAKER_02]: Thanks, Maggie. And that's a wrap for the NCSL 2024 Legislative Summit.
[00:11:30] [SPEAKER_02]: Hope you enjoyed this tour around the meeting and we look forward to
[00:11:33] [SPEAKER_02]: seeing you next week.