Opportunities For Working Families

A Leadership Forum for State Lawmakers

Updated July 2008

Below is a list of sessions from past meetings, including links to a selection of handouts and presentations given by our speakers.  Links to past meetings are located in the blue column under Table of Contents.

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About The Forums:

Since 2003, the NCSL/AECF Partnership on Family Economic Success has held an annual meeting to give lawmakers a chance to convene with their colleagues and discuss solutions to the challenges faced by low-income working families.  Participants hear from leading experts and practitioners, who offer a look at some of the ways legislators can take the lead when it comes to helping families help themselves.  

The meeting's format is geared towards problem solving.  Each year, NCSL invites the leadership from 10 states to send small teams of legislators to the forum.  Each state team meets periodically between plenary sessions, designing an action plan that addresses some of the issues impacting low-income families in their home state.  NCSL staff and faculty are on hand to provide assistance throughout the meeting, especially during the state strategy sessions.

Over the years, participants have overwhelmingly approved of the meeting's action-oriented format.

"I generally tend to avoid conferences because most are ineffective and time consuming, but this one was quick moving, informative and will lead to results," said one legislator who has attended multiple times.

"My colleagues and I returned from that meeting with a strong sense of purpose," said another from a state that consistently sends bipartisan teams - a goal of conference organizers. 

 Family Economic Success Homepage

2008

Opportunities For Working Families

June 15-17, Denver, CO

Click here to listen to selected speakers from the 2008 Meeting

Sessions	Resources
Assets: The Key to Family Economic Success Rourke O'Brien, New America Foundation (DC)	Assets: The Key to Family Economic Success Access more of Rourke's work at New America Foundation
Building a 21st Century Workforce Mary Gershwin, Leaders for Skills (CO) Collie Langworty-Hutter, CEO, Click-Bond, Inc (NV)	Building a 21st Century Workforce
State Policy to Support Low-Income Students Joni Finney, National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education (CA), University of Pennsylvania (PA)	Helping Low-Income Students Enroll and Succeed in Higher Education
Effective Legislative Approaches to Poverty Elizabeth Kneebone, Brookings Institution (DC)	Find EITC data for your district and other EITC info at Brookings
Doorways to Dreams Peter Tufano, Harvard Business School (MA)	Check out savings innovations at Doorways to Dreams

NOTE: NCSL provides links to other Web sites from time to time for information purposes only. Providing these links does not necessarily indicate NCSL's support or endorsement of the site.

2007

Opportunities For Working Families

June 10-12, Denver, CO

Click here to listen to selected speakers from the 2007 Meeting

Sessions	Resources
Assets: The Key to Family Economic Success Heather McCulloch, Asset Building Strategies (CA)	Promoting Economic Security for Working Families: State Asset Building Policies
The Role of Community Organizations Angela Duran, Southern Good Faith Fund (AR)	Building Communities, Changing Lives
Small Business Development for Low Income Entrpreneurs Chuck Palmer, Institute for Social and Economic Development (IA) Eugene Severens, CFED (DC)	Restarting Rural Economic Engines: Get Your Goat Here Read more about low-income entrepreneurs at CFED
Building a 21st Century Workforce Mary Gershwin, Center for Workforce Success (CO) Reverend Steve Planning, Arrupe Jesuit High School (CO) Mary Andringa, President of Vermeer (IA)	The Skills Gap: Myth or Reality? Listen to Rev. Planning  The Demand For Skills: What will it take to address it?
Avoiding the Money Trap: Financial Education & Services Jessica LeVeen Farr, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (GA) Chuck Shannon, United Way of America (CO)	Accessing the Financial Mainstream: The Role of Financial Services and Education Financial Stability
The High Cost of Being Poor Matt Fellowes, Brookings Institution, (DC)	Listen to Matt Fellowes  Access more of Matt's work at Brookings

NOTE: NCSL provides links to other Web sites from time to time for information purposes only. Providing these links does not necessarily indicate NCSL's support or endorsement of the site.

2006

Opportunities For Working Families

June 11-13, Denver, CO

Sessions	Resources
Public-Private Partnerships in Workforce Development Dr. Keith Bird, Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KY)	Career Pathways as a Strategy to Advance Low-Wage Workers: The Kentucky Experience
Economic Development in Today's World Bob Friedman, CFED (DC)	Access more of Bob's work at CFED
Asset Building: Initiatives & Strategies Heather Tyler, Pennsylvania Department of Banking (PA) Barbara Danbom, Young Americans Bank of Denver (CO) Jeffrey Lubell, Center for Housing Policy (DC)	PA Department of Banking: Special Initiatives Young Americans Center For Financial Education  Asset Building as a Framework
Welfare to Work: State Responses to TANF Changes Jack Tweedie, NCSL (CO)	Learn more about states and welfare reform at NCSL
Promising Approaches in Health Care Oxana Golden, National Child Care Information Center (CO)	Improving the Quality of Early Care and Education Programs
Prognosis for the Uninsured Laura Tobler, NCSL (CO)	Learn more about health care in the states at NCSL
Family Economic Success: Rural Areas are Important Too Miriam Shark, Annie E. Casey Foundation (MD)	Strengthening Rural Families

NOTE: NCSL provides links to other Web sites from time to time for information purposes only. Providing these links does not necessarily indicate NCSL's support or endorsement of the site.

Helping Working Families in Tight Budget Times

July 14-16, Chicago, IL

Sessions	Resources
Building Assets for Low Income Working Families Representative Dwight Evans, Pennsylvania Task Force on Working Families (PA) Heather McCulloch, Asset Building Strategies (CA) Dory Rand, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law (IL)	PA Dept. of Banking Task Force on Working Families  Promoting Economic Security for Working Families  State Asset Building Initiatives
Rural America: Challenges & Opportunity Roger Thomas, Former Chair, NCSL Agriculture & Rural Development Committee (KY)	Learn more about Agriculture and Rural Development in the states at NCSL
Assets & Opportunity: Hope for Families Lillian 'Beadsie' Woo, CFED (NC) Dorie Rosenband, SmithBarney (IL) Beth Llewellyn, Partnership for Homeownership, Inc (IL)	Financial Security Across the States Partnership for Homeownership
State Budget Outlook: Implications for Low-Income Working Families Senator Donne E. Trotter, Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee (IL) Ron Snell, NCSL (CO)	Learn more about state budgets at NCSL
Health Care for Low-Income Families Laura Tobler, NCSL (CO)	Learn more about health care in the states at NCSL
After Welfare Reform: Are Families Better Off? Bruce Meyer, University of Chicago (IL)	Access more of Bruce's work at the University of Chicago
Family Resource Simulator Nancy Cauthen, National Center for Children & Poverty, Columbia University (NY)	Access the simulator at the National Center for Children & Poverty
Workforce Development: A Cornerstone of Family Economic Success Burt Barnow, Johns Hopkins University (DC)	The Workforce Investment Act in Eight States: Briefing on the Final Report

NOTE: NCSL provides links to other Web sites from time to time for information purposes only. Providing these links does not necessarily indicate NCSL's support or endorsement of the site.

2004

Helping Working Families in Tight Budget Times

June 17-20, Philadelphia, PA

NOTE: NCSL provides links to other Web sites from time to time for information purposes only. Providing these links does not necessarily indicate NCSL's support or endorsement of the site.

2003

Helping Working Families in Tight Budget Times

June 5-8, Seattle, WA

Sessions	Resources
Achieving Financial Security By Building Assets Carl Rist, CFED (NC) Stella Chao, International District Housing Alliance (WA)	Access more of Carl's work at CFED Read more about the International District Housing Alliance
Job Retention & Advancement Fred Keller, Chairman & CEO, Cascade Engineering (MI) Robin Arnold-Williams, Utah Department of Human Services (UT)	Moving to Self-Sufficiency: It Works  Improving Outcomes for TANF Families in Utah
Improving Access to Health Care: Public Private Partnerships & Community-Based Solutions Laura Tobler, NCSL (CO)	Learn more about health care in the states at NCSL
State Legislative Approaches to Helping Families in Tight Budget Times Corina Eckl, NCSL (CO)	Learn more about state budgets at NCSL
Achieving Positive Outcomes for Vulnerable Families & Neighborhoods Eldon Mulder, Legislative Consultants (AK) Roxanne Lieb, Washington Institute for Public Policy (WA)	Missions and Measures: Results Based Budgeting  Identifying Effective Programs Through Legislative Evaluation

NOTE: NCSL provides links to other Web sites from time to time for information purposes only. Providing these links does not necessarily indicate NCSL's support or endorsement of the site.

Table of Contents

• 2008: Opportunities For Working Families
• 2007: Opportunities For Working Families
• 2006: Opportunities For Working Families
• 2005: Helping Working Families in Tight Budget Times
• 2004: Helping Working Families in Tight Budget Times
• 2003: Helping Working Families in Tight Budget Times

Staff Contact

• Mary Fairchild