Senator

Carolyn Allen

Arizona

Representative

Sam Hunt

Washington

This committee considers issues that impact the institution of the legislature. Initiatives, redistricting, public perceptions of legislatures, term limits, the media, Internet communications and other forces have had serious impacts on legislative authority and effectiveness. Legislators from around the West meet with experts in interactive forums to discuss the personal and institutional dimensions of the legislature and the legislative experience. Lawmakers will consider actions and ideas that will strengthen western legislative institutions from within and without.

For more information on THE FUTURE of WESTERN LEGISLATURES

Please contact CSG-WEST staff: Mary Lou Cooper,

phone (505) 424-3322 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

2009 Highlights: The Future of Western Legislatures focused on purple politics and whether bipartisanship in state legislatures is possible. Political commentators and leading experts on state legislatures joined with western legislators to discuss whether lawmakers should cross partisan divides to craft policy solutions, whether parties are more polarized than voters, the causes and consequences of political polarization inside the legislature as well as lessons learned from western state chambers that govern with bipartisan coalitions.

2008 Highlights:The Future of Western Legislatures brought lawmakers and experts together to tackle tough questions surrounding redistricting in the 21st Century. Governing Magazine’s Alan Greenblatt joined with leading redistricting experts Peter Wattson from the Minnesota Senate and Mike McDonald from George Mason University to debate commission versus legislative redistricting.

2007 Highlights: The Future of Western Legislatures held a forum on political engagement that featured the study “A New Engagement? Political participation, Civic Life and the Changing American Citizen.” The Education Commission of the States offered practical insights on how to bring young people into the political process. Lawmakers looked at western innovations to engage citizens in state legislatures, such as Washington State’s nationally known TVW broadcasts, Hawaii’s Public Access Room and Politicopia, Utah’s invitation to citizens to participate in the legislative process via the Internet.

2006 Highlights: Lawmakers and media experts discussed how “new” media resources like the Internet can help lawmakers “Get Statehouse Stories Out.” They also learned the relevance of “old” media while working on a practical case study moderated by a reporter from the Denver NBC TV affiliate.