Introducing the BILLD Class for 2023

A bipartisan group of legislators from the Midwest has been selected to take part in a one-of-a-kind leadership program offered by The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Legislative Conference.

The Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development, or BILLD, is designed for legislators from this region in their first four years of service. Photos of the state and provincial legislators selected to take part in the 2023 institute can be found below. The program will be held Aug. 18-22 in Madison, Wis.

This marks the 28th year in which the MLC has offered leadership training to its members: legislators from 11 member states, the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and three Canadian affiliate provinces. CSG Midwest provides staff support to the MLC and its various products and services, including BILLD.

This year, close to 80 lawmakers applied for a fellowship. Selections were made in May by the BILLD Steering Committee, a bipartisan group of legislators from 11 Midwestern states. Nearly 1,000 current or former state and provincial legislators have graduated from BILLD; many have gone on to serve as leaders in their legislatures and state executive branches, while others are now members of the U.S. Congress.

BILLD’s highly interactive curriculum includes a series of leadership training courses and professional development workshops in areas such as conflict resolution, negotiation, consensus building, public speaking and time management. The program also includes expert-led policy seminars as well as sessions led by the region’s legislative leaders. Along with advancing leadership and policymaking skills among the region’s newer legislators, BILLD provides the opportunity for networking and relationship building across partisan, state and international lines.