Council Of State Governments To Meet In Alaska
1500 State Leaders Nationwide Will Convene in Anchorage Sept. 24-29
Anchorage, AK - Governor Frank H. Murkowski will welcome more than 1,500 state officials and policymakers from across the nation who will gather here when the Council of State Governments (CSG) holds its 2004 Annual State Trends & Leadership Forum Sept. 24-29.
"I am honored to represent Alaska as the 2004 president of CSG, and I appreciate the opportunity to showcase our state and its magnificence for the leaders of our fellow states," said Murkowski. "I am especially looking forward to sharing with them our message of Alaska's critical role in our nation's energy future, and our expanding role in international trade with the nations of the Pacific Rim."
Murkowski will deliver a keynote address on Alaska energy and trade to the CSG convention on Monday, Sept. 27. That address and the convention's plenary sessions will take place at the William A. Egan Civic & Convention Center. Other convention events will take place at the Hilton Anchorage Hotel and the Hotel Captain Cook.
CSG's annual meeting provides state officials the opportunity to share solutions to common state problems and network with state leaders from across the country in a nonpartisan atmosphere. The topical sessions also educate state leaders on the best practices used in the community of states to solve problems and make informed decisions for taxpayers.
This year's fifty-seventh annual meeting of CSG-WEST, which will take place jointly with the CSG convention, will provide a forum for Western legislators to discuss issues that affect their states and to engage in professional development activities. The Anchorage meeting is an opportunity for Alaska legislators to showcase their state's unique heritage, landscape and perspective on state, regional and national policy matters unique to the largest and northernmost state in the union.
Among officials expected to attend are: Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas; Gov. Ruth Ann Minner of Delaware; Gov. David Freudenthal of Wyoming; Gov. Kwang-Hua Lin of the Province of Taiwan; Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty of Rhode Island; and U.S. Assistant Trade Representative Charles Freeman.
Alaska Attorney General Gregg Renkes will moderate a session on emerging trends in U.S.-Asia relations with speakers Ong Keng-Yong, Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and Deanna Okun, Vice Chair of the United States International Trade Commission.
CSG conferences are typically funded through registration fees, sponsorship and host state funds. This year, the generous donations of more than 175 individuals and businesses will re-pay in full the state's contributions, meaning no public money will be used for the event.
The impact to the local economy is expected to be $1.5 million in sales from the 1500 delegates attending the conference.