• Transcript of Proceedings NATIONAL GOVERNORS' ASSOCIATION WINTER MEETING Washington, D. C. Monday, 27 February 1978 ACE - FEDERAL REPORTERS, INC. Official Reporten 444 North Capitol Street Washington, D.C. 20001 NATIONWIDE COVERAGE· DAILY Te4ephone: • (202) 347-3700 _'a.c'.'f·" ..1~~ ,,-,,.-.;.,, o ERC 6413 NATIONAL GOVERNORS' ASSOCIATION 2 WINTER MEETING 3 4 • 5 6 7 8 Regency A The Hyatt Regency 9 Washington, D. C. Monday, February 27, 1978 10 11 12 The meeting was convened at 9:10 a.m., Governor 13 William G. Milliken of Michigan, Chairman, presiding. • 14 15 16 17 18 - ..\ 19 . 20 I 21 I 22 • 23 24 .. - ~~~'ill Reporters, Inc. 25 j.I I I I 2 CON T E N----TS 2 Agenda----Item: 3 3 Call to Order - Chairman Milliken 3 4 Adoption of Rules of Procedure 4 5 Opening Remarks - Chairman Milliken 6 The States and Domestic Priorities in 1978 - Benjamin L. Hooks, Executive Director, NAACP 9 7 The States and International Priorities in 47 8 1978 - Cyrus R. Vance, Secretary of State 9 10 11 12 13 • 14 .~..... 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 • 24 ,-;:.:deral Reporten. lne. 25 3 1 PRO C E E DIN G S 2 CHAIRMAN MILLIKEN: Will the Governors please take 3 their seats? We have a very full agenda this morning. 4 And so I now call to order the 1978 Winter Meeting 5 of the National Governors' Association. 6 We have with us today, not all present at this 7 moment in the room, but I think shortly to be present, some 8 52 Governors of the states and the Commonwealths and the 9 Territories. 10 On your desks before you, you have the Rules of 11 the meeting that were adopted last September. The Executive 12 Committee which met yesterday is recommending that these 13 Rules be adopted without change for this meeting. • 14 May I, therefore, have a motion from the floor 15 for the adoption of those Rules? 16 GOVERNOR SNELLING: So move. 17 CHAIRMAN MILLIKEN: I have a motion from Governor 18 Snelling of Vermont., Is there support? 19 GOVERNOR BOWEN: Second. 20 CHAIRMAN MILLIKEN: It has been moved and supported. 21 All those in favor will say "Aye." 22 (Chorus of "Ayes.") 23 Those opposed "No." • 24 (No response.) ,Feceral Reporters, Inc. 25 The Rules are officially adopted. 4 1 John Lagomarcino who is the General Counsel and 2 the Legislative Director for the National Governors' Associatio 3 will serve as Parliamentarian for our meeting. 4 It is my very great pleasure as Chairman of the S National Governors' Association to extend a personal welcome 6 to each of you who is attending this Winter Meeting of the 7 Association. Your attendance here today signifies the 8 importance both of this meeting and of the NGA since a number 9 of us have had our hands full in recent days and months at 10 home. 11 Some of us have seen a new meaning put into the 12 phrase "Snow Belt." Some of us who were coping a year ago 13 with severe drought have since had to cope with severe rain- • 14 fall and flooding. The nationwide coal strike has reminded lS us of the limits which exist in our energy supply and has force 16 some of our states to institute emergency procedures to insure 17 a continued supply of electrictiy. 18 We convene here this morning at a time of testing 19 for our nation. Our chronic energy problems have become for 20 the moment, at least, acute problems. As Governors, we have 21 been deeply involved with the President and the Congress in 22 the search for an easing of the severe energy pressures 23 we are now feeling. 24 Our continuing energy crisis has brought home to .--;:ederal Reporters. Inc. 25 us once again the interdependence of the states which we 5 1 govern. It also reminds us of how vitally important it is for 2 us as Governors to participate fully in the resolution, not 3 only of state policy issues, but also of national policy 4 issues as well. 5 On energy production, welfare reform, farm and 6 water policy, medical care, financing, urban development, on 7 these and other central issues of our time, our involvement 8 as Governors must occur, not only in the states where we serve 9 as Chief Executive, but also at the national level. These 10 issues and many other issues are the subject of this Winter 11 Meeting. 12 We will be meeting with the President, the Cabinet, 13 and other key federal officials to present our views on the, 14 shape of national policy. That is as it should be. And that 15 is what the National Governors' Association is all about. 16 The Association is our national policy instrument. 17 And through its work, we now have the kind of impact on nationa 18 policy that we as Governors must have in our federal system. 19 We have a new, more effective, presence here in Washington. 20 Our goal is to continue to extend that presence 21 and that voice. We have found in this organization an oppor- 22 tunity to broaden viewpoints beyond the boundaries of our 23 states, to come together and to offer an effective voice on 24 behalf of our common goals and challenges. '=-;:~t"'31 Reporters, Inc. 2S You, the Governors, and especially my predecessors 6 1 as Chairmen -- Bob Ray, Cyril Andrus, Reubin Askew -- are 2 responsible for this new strength and impact of the National 3 Governors' Association. I believe our growth as an organizatio 4 reflects a growth in the role and the maturity of state 5 governments in general. 6 We have seen a movement in recent years away from 7 the concentration of power in Washington and toward a more 8 effective role for the states. This has been the result of 9 both the changing nature of needs in our society and a clear 10 improvement in the quality of state government. 11 If we are to be honest, we must concede that in the 12 past, the states forfeited much of their role and responsi- 13 bility to the Federal Government because of inaction and 14 because of ineffectiveness. That, happily, is not true today. 15 And the growth and maturing of the National 16 Governors' Association is very graphic evidence of that change. 17 The Association has become a powerful voice because the 18 Governors themselves are taking an aggressive leadership role. 19 Our committees and SUbcommittees are having a major impact: 20 Hugh Carey and welfare reform; Scott Matheson on water manage- 21 ment; Bob Rayon energy emergency preparedness; Jim Hunt on 22 small cities; Michael O'Callaghan on disaster assistance; 23 Joe Garrahy on health; Dick Lamm on impact assistance; Jay • 24 Hammond on air quality; Dick Snelling on management improve- -::~~r.1 Reporters, lne. 25 menti Clint Finch on manpmver; Jim Exon on agriculture; 7 Marty Schreiber on aging; Mike Dukakis on urban policy; Dave 2 Briscoe on oil and gas; Bob Straub on facility siting. 3 These Governors and many others including all of 4 our standing committee chairmen are exerting great leadership 5 for all of us. It is an exciting time to serve as your 6 Chairman, and I am confident that we will become an even 7 stronger and more constructive force in national policy in 8 1978. 9 Our first order of business this morning and during 10 the course of this conference is to review some of our key 11 domestic priorities in 1978. Tomorrow, we will be focusing 12 on the President's forthcoming national community development 13 policy. This morning, we want to examine some of our most 14 urgent needs with a special emphasis on jobs and the efforts 15 being made by Governors to address these needs. 16 But the fact is that Ellen Grasso, Brandon Byrne, 17 Jim Thompson and Governors throughout the country, are deeply 18 concerned about jobs for their citizens. And they are 19 developing aggressive new programs, working closely with the 20 private sector to do something about it. 21 This morning, we have the pleasure of talking about . 22 domestic priorities in 1978 with a man who has a clear sense e 23 of these priorities. Benjamin L. Hooks, National Executive Director of the NAACP, is a distinguished minister, business- ~"d~ral Reporters, ;~.I 25 man, and lawyer. Born in Memphis in 1925, Benjamin Hooks 8 attended Le Moyne College and Howard University and received 2 his law degree from De Paul University in 1948. 3 His range of experience and experiences include 4 being a veteran of World War II, Public Defender, Television 5 Producer, Co-founder of a Savings and Loan Institution, and 6 Member of the Federal Communications Commission. 7 He is firmly dedicated to the cause of equality, 8 social justic~and the improvement of the quality of life for 9 all. Reverend Hooks has the courage to say what he believes 10 and the commitment to take a position regardless of its 11 popularity. I admire his strength and his integrity. 12 In his most recent address to the National Executive 13 Committee of the NAACP, Reverend Hooks called for black • 14 leadership across the nation to organize and mobilize their 15 resources and strengths to continue the struggle for equality. 16 During the meeting, Reverend Hooks cited a recent 17 poll of our nation's minority population which identified 18 economic development and employment as the critical priority 19 for minorities.