First Lady Laura Bush will address delegates at NACo’s 2003 Legislative Conference, held in Washington, D.C., Feb. 28–March 4.
While Mrs. Bush’s efforts have focused primarily on strengthening early education and recruiting teachers for America’s classrooms, she is set to launch a new initiative on the preservation of our nation’s historic and natural resources with a focus on the enjoyment of public spaces.
Mrs. Bush will issue a nationwide call to action, encouraging all citizens to develop a deeper appreciation of what it means to be an American by learning about, helping to preserve, and enjoying America’s cultural and natural assets.
The goals of the initiative include:
• a greater shared knowledge about the nation’s past
• strengthened regional identities and local pride
• increased local participation and the preservation of the country’s irreplaceable heritage, and
• increased economic health in the nation’s communities.
The First Lady headlines an impressive speaker line-up for the conference that features Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), who will address delegates during Monday’s general session; Virginia Gov. Mark Warner; Dr. James Ledbetter, director of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia; and Dr. Gene Stanaland, known as the Will Rogers of Economics.
Warner will speak at the Opening General Session on Sunday about the economic “state of the states.” Ledbetter, also slated to speak at Sunday’s opening session, will report the results of a just-completed county economic survey conducted by NACo and the institute. The survey looked at the ways counties are adjusting their budgets in response to decreased state support.
In addition to a dynamic speaker’s line-up, this year’s Legislative Conference will honor the members of the Sniper Task Force, led by Montgomery County (Md.) Police Chief Charles Moose. The task force, which included federal, state and local government representatives, was formed in the wake of the first sniper killings, which began in Montgomery County on Oct. 2 and ended with the capture of the alleged gunmen on Oct. 24. NACo will honor task force members for their leadership and unprecedented cooperation.
During the conference, NACo’s steering committees will consider a number of new policy positions on issues ranging from illegal immigration to President George W. Bush’s tax-free dividend proposal. Their recommendations will be taken up by NACo’s Board of Directors at its meeting on Monday, March 3.
