Voice for the region: Four policy resolutions adopted by CSG’s Midwestern Legislative Conference

On the final day of this year’s Midwestern Legislative Conference Annual Meeting, participating lawmakers approved four policy resolutions urging federal action on subjects such as border operations, food security and the farm bill.

These resolutions, adopted on July 12, are shared with leaders in the federal legislative and executive branches of government, as well as others.

• The MLC’s new policy statement on border policy calls on U.S. Customs and Border Protection to expand hours of operation at several ports of entry. Specifically, legislators want the agency to “immediately adopt the same hours of operation as the Canadian Border Services Agency at these land border ports of entry, or 7 p.m. local time, whichever is later.” The resolution states that early closures “greatly harm cross-border trade, tourism, agriculture production, social relationships and the economies of border communities.”
• A second resolution is built around the MLC Chair’s Initiative of Michigan Sen. Roger Victory — “Food Security: Feeding the Future.” Specifically, legislators note the importance of continuing investments in nutrition incentive programs in the farm bill as well as helping states build up local and regional food infrastructure systems.
• The third resolution urges passage of a new farm bill.
• The fourth resolution endorses the continued support of the relationship and shared interests between member jurisdictions of the MLC and Taiwan.

A bipartisan committee of legislators oversees the MLC’s resolutions process. This Resolutions Committee considers resolutions introduced by individual members of the MLC as well as those supported by various MLC policy committees. Any resolution approved by the Resolutions Committee is then voted on by legislators in attendance at the MLC Annual Meeting. This year’s meeting was held July 9-12 in Detroit.

View all recent MLC policy resolutions »