NCSL / Legislative Summit Archive

Florida State Senator Gwen Margolis' commitment to arts funding in an era of budget challenges has earned her the Public Leadership in the Arts Award for 2012, presented by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and Americans for the Arts.

The award honors a public official who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the advancement of the arts at the state level. Senator Margolis will receive her award at NCSL's 38th annual Legislative Summit in Chicago, Ill.

Children are particularly vulnerable to toxins in the environment. Their interaction with the environment can expose them to harmful chemicals and by-products. Schools and homes also host an array of potential environmental harms. Dr. Jerome Paulson of the American Academy of Pediatrics will discuss the potential threats to children from the environment and the responses states may take.

Children are particularly vulnerable to toxins in the environment. Their interaction with the environment can expose them to harmful chemicals and by-products. Schools and homes also host an array of potential environmental harms. The director of EPA's Office of Children's Health, Peter Grevatt, discusses the potential threats to children from the environment and the responses states may take.

From peanuts to eggs to cantaloupes, food-borne outbreaks sicken the public and harm the food industry. Joseph Rearson from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration talks about the federal government's role in ensuring a safe food supply, but says it is accomplished by state and local governments.

The Green Chemistry effort seeks to provide less environmentally harmful options to standard chemicals through directed and limited use, pollution prevention, and the designing of safer alternatives. Listen to Paul Anastas, Director for the Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering at Yale University discuss what states have adopted the principles of green chemistry and/or green engineering.

People, and especially young children, spend a majority of their time in their homes, few laws exist that protect the public from environmental threats within their personal domicile. Peter Hendrick, director of the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists, will discuss states' efforts to play an active role in radon testing, along with creating outreach and informational programs.

Term limits, no revolving door, no gifts. These reforms are touted by America's best-known lobbyist/felon, Jack Abramoff. Abramoff defended his ideas in front of a panel of experienced legislators who discussed ethics reforms in their states and challenged Abramoff on what makes sense.

Doris Kearns Goodwin, acclaimed historian, Pulitzer Prize winner, prolific author and captivating speaker, has written books on Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, the Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys, Lyndon Johnson and Abraham Lincoln.

She sits down with NCSL to talk about her new book on Teddy Roosevelt—legislator, president, bigger-than-life hero—and the leadership lessons we can learn from a time of economic and political turmoil that reverberate today.