COMMITTEE REPORT

SPRING FORUM REGISTRATION BEGINS

The NCSL Spring Forum is scheduled for April 5-8 in Washington D.C., coinciding with the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival. The Economic Development, Trade & Cultural Affairs Committee anticipates lively discussions on trade issues, enterprise zones, and economic development, as well as visits with members of Congress. Proposed policies for consideration at the Spring Forum are online at www.ncsl.org/standcomm/scecon/chairmark.htm. If you have suggestions for amendments to these or any existing policies or ideas for new policies, please email jeremy.meadows@ncsl.org. Plenary sessions will include remarks from David Walker, Comptroller General of the U.S., on the imbalance between federal spending and tax revenues, as well as a reception at the National Museum of the American Indian. Spring Forum registration and housing information are online at www.ncsl.org/forum/. Cherry Blossom Festival information is available at www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.

TRADE POLICY LEADERSHIP SEMINAR PRESENTATIONS ONLINE

Presentations and remarks from the Trade Policy Leadership Seminar, held with the Fall Forum in December 2005, are now online at www.ncsl.org/standcomm/scecon/TPLSFall2005.htm.  

NCSL STAFF TESTIFIES IN CALIFORNIA SENATE ON TRADE POLICY

Jeremy Meadows, Director for the NCSL Economic Development, Trade & Cultural Affairs Committee, participated in a California Senate hearing in January on the World Trade Organization’s rules and their effect on state public health and environmental standards. He outlined the role of states in trade policy and some of the informal and formal ways state legislatures are involved in trade policy. For more information on the hearing, please email jeremy.meadows@ncsl.org.

NRN HOSTS PRESENTATION ON AG TRADE

In January, the National Rural Network, of which NCSL is part, hosted a presentation in Washington, DC on the linkage between international trade, American agriculture, and U.S. rural policy. Speakers were from the Georgetown University Law Center’s Harrison Institute for Public Law. The presentation is accessible online at www.ncsl.org/standcomm/scecon/scecon.htm.

HONG KONG TRADE SUMMIT SUMMARIZED

The Forum on Democracy & Trade has released an article assessing the Hong Kong Ministerial meeting last December. Committee members are encouraged to use the article for discussion purposes. It is online at www.forumdemocracy.net/trade_negotiations/assessing_hongkongs_ministerial.html.  

CFED RELEASES STATE ECONOMY REPORT CARDS

The Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) has released the 19^th edition of the Development Report Card for the States. The project is intended to provide elected officials with measures to assess and compare each state’s business climate and the potential for economic development. According to CFED, the “health” of a state’s economy is measured in the economic climate for a wage-earner, the economic climate for a business, and how a state is positioned for the future. The report is online at www.cfed.org/go/drc.

HUD CREATES WEBSITE TO ASSIST WITH AFFORDABLE HOUSING

The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Policy Development and Research has created a website to assist state and local governments seeking information about laws, regulations and policies affecting the cost of affordable housing. The searchable database provides resources for state legislators to find what other states are doing to reduce regulatory barriers to affordable housing. The Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse is online at www.regbarriers.org.