Education and Workforce
The bipartisan, interstate and binational Midwestern Legislative Conference Education & Workforce Committee provides a forum for state and provincial legislators to exchange information and ideas on a wide range of policy issues, particularly those identified by the committee’s legislative officers and members. Activities include ongoing policy research, committee-sponsored webinars for legislators and legislative staff, and in-person meetings.
The committee is made up of legislators from the states and provinces that are part of CSG’s Midwestern Legislative Conference. The committee’s composition changes every biennium, with appointments made by legislative appointing authorities and leaders of the MLC. The CSG Midwest staff liaison to the committee is Derek Cantù.
Officers for the 2025-’26 biennium are Nebraska Sen. Jana Hughes and Minnesota Rep. Bernie Perryman, co-chairs; and Kansas Rep. Mari-Lynn Poskin, vice chair.
The MLC Education and Workforce Committee met and led policy sessions in conjunction with the 2025 MLC Annual Meeting, which was held July 27-30 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Agenda for committee meeting and sessions in Saskatoon
This webinar will explore the potential of state policies and investments that allow for an "upstream" approach to youth mental health and suicide prevention. This approach focuses on community-based interventions before the point of crisis, with the goals of creating safe environments and a sense of belonging for teens and preventing youth suicide. All legislators, legislative staff and other state health leaders are encouraged to participate.
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- Committee Newsletters
- 2025-2026 Biennium
- 2023-2024 Biennium
A partnership of The Council of State Governments' Midwestern Legislative Conference and the AAAS Center for Scientific Evidence in Public Issues, this webinar featured insights from leading researchers on a critical issue for state policymakers — the impacts of technologies such as smart phones and generative AI on the well-being of young people.
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In this webinar, led by two interstate legislative groups of CSG's Midwestern Legislative Conference, participants explored a mix of school-based strategies and state policies to keep schools and students safe — a paramount concern for today's policy leaders.
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In conjunction with the 79th Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Legislative Conference (MLC), the MLC Education & Workforce Committee will hold its 2025 Meeting on Sunday, July 27, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
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Open to all legislators, legislative staff and interested others, this webinar of the Midwestern Legislative Conference Education & Workforce Committee will allow participants to share noteworthy developments on issues related to education and workforce policy and will include a featured presentation by the Urban Institute on a valuable new resource for policymakers. Committee members also will have the opportunity to share ideas on the committee's upcoming work over the biennium.
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