Iowa Senate New Release
For Immediate Release: June 15, 2017
The state of Iowa will host the Midwest’s largest annual gathering of state and provincial legislators this summer in Des Moines. On July 9-12, more than 500 lawmakers, staff, private sector representatives and guests representing 11 Midwestern states and 4 Canadian provinces will gather in Iowa’s capital city for the 72nd Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Legislative Conference (MLC) of The Council of State Governments (CSG).
While providing the region’s legislators with an invaluable opportunity to learn from guest experts and each other in a nonpartisan setting, the MLC Annual Meeting serves as a forum for the exchange of information and ideas related to many of the critical public policy challenges facing states and provinces across the Midwest.
The MLC Annual Meeting also provides a unique opportunity to showcase the host state of Iowa and the city of Des Moines to visiting policymakers representing much of the American heartland and Canada.
A bipartisan team of Iowa legislators led by Senator Janet Petersen, 2017 Chair of the Midwestern Legislative Conference, is hard at work on plans for what promises to be an interesting and enjoyable event. Featured guest speakers at the conference will include:
- Isabel Wilkerson, author of the best-selling, award-winning “The Warmth of Other Suns”
- Kenneth Quinn, former U.S. ambassador and president of the World Food Prize
- Denise Kiernan, author of The New York Times best-seller, “The Girls of Atomic City”
- Harry Enten, senior political writer and analyst for FiveThirtyEight
The business program will also include guest presentations and discussions on a wide variety of topics, including health care, public safety, agriculture, education, economic development, state fiscal conditions, new uses of technology to improve government performance, and some of the key demographic trends shaping the future of the Midwestern region.
Evening events will afford conference attendees the chance to visit some of Des Moines’ finest venues, including the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates, Living History Farms; and Iowa’s historic State Capitol.
Participation in the 72nd Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Legislative Conference is open to private sector guests who register to attend. For more information about the MLC Annual Meeting, or to register for the conference, please visit the CSG Midwest website at www.csgmidwest.org and click on the annual meeting tab. Information about conference sponsorship opportunities is also available on the website or by calling CSG Midwest at 630/925-1922.