Sunday, November 07, 2010

GA Legislative Policy Briefing - November 13th, 2010


Georgia Legislative Policy Briefing
“Wisdom, Justice and Innovation
Bringing the nation's top experts to Georgia for an all day event focused on innovative solutions to Georgia's challenges
Hosted by
The Conservative Policy Leadership Institute and
The Georgia Public Policy Foundation
The Westin Buckhead Atlanta / November 13, 2010

7:30  Continental Breakfast

8:00  Welcome: The Honorable David Ralston, Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives. Introduction by Rep. Edward Lindsey, Chairman, Conservative Policy Leadership Institute

8:15  Breakfast speaker: Governor Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia, "The Power of Digital Learning for Georgia and the Country."

9:15-10:15  Concurrent Sessions
Conservative Budgeting: Less is more
What innovative practices are state and local governments using to adjust to the “new normal” of lower tax revenues and budget shortfalls?
Leonard Gilroy, Director of Government Reform, Reason Foundation; Bob Williams, former Washington State Senator and Founder and Senior Fellow of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation; Moderator: Eva Galambos, Mayor, City of Sandy Springs, Ga.
The Promise of Digital Learning
How Georgia can take advantage of the coming disruptive innovation of digital learning.
Susan Patrick, President and Chief Executive Officer, International Association for K-12 Online Learning; Chris Klaus, Founder and CEO, Kaneva, Inc.; Vicki Davis, Co-Founder, Flat Classroom Project and teacher and IT Director at the Westwood Schools (Camilla, Ga.); Moderator: Sajan George, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal

10:30-11:30  Concurrent Sessions
K-12 Education: Focusing on Teacher Quality
Why teacher quality is the most important variable in education and how we can improve it.
Dr. Ben Scafidi, Chairman, Georgia Charter School Commission; Dr. William L. Sanders, senior manager of value-added assessment and research, SAS Institute Inc.; Moderator: Russ Moore, Founder, Seamless Education Associates, Inc., and former CEO of Central Educational Center in Newnan, Ga.
Getting Criminal Justice Right: Less Crime for Less Money
How to bring corrections costs under control, while reducing crime, making victims whole and putting more offenders on the path to becoming productive, taxpaying citizens.
Marc Levin, Director of the Center for Effective Justice, Texas Public Policy Foundation; Jerry Madden, former Chair and current Vice Chair of the Texas House Committee on Corrections; Moderator: Adam Gelb, Director of the Public Safety Performance Project, Pew Center on the States

11:45-1:00  Lunch
Keynote speaker: Stephen MooreWall Street Journal editorial board, “How to Make Georgia the Most Economically Competitive State in the Nation.” Introduction by the Lt. Governor

1:15-2:15  Concurrent Sessions
21st Century Transportation Systems and Funding 
Innovative approaches to address Georgia's transportation challenges and improve mobility.
Bob Poole, Director of Transportation Policy, Reason Foundation; Todd Long, Director of Planning, Georgia Department of Transportation; Moderator: Robert Brown, Board member, Georgia State Transportation Board
Investing in Georgia's Economy: A Prescription for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Venture Capital
How health care innovation can serve as an economic growth engine in Georgia.
Ross Mason, Founder, HINRI Labs; Bob Bozeman, General Partner at Eastlake Ventures; Mike Cassidy, President and CEO, Georgia Research Alliance; Moderator: Bill Ide, General Counsel, EastWest Institute and Partner, McKenna Long & Aldridge

2:30-3:30  Concurrent Sessions
Tax Reform: Flatter, Broader, Lower
Learning from the lessons of other states, what are the principles to follow to ensure a simpler, pro-growth tax code?
A.D. Frazier, Chairman, Special Council on Tax Fairness for Georgians; Scott Hodge, President, Tax Foundation; Clint Mueller, Legislative Director, Association County Commissioners of Georgia; Moderator: Kelly McCutchen, President, Georgia Public Policy Foundation
State Opportunities in the Health Care Arena
Now that the federal government has passed health care reform, what can Georgia do to maximize market-based solutions?
Ron Bachman, President and CEO, Healthcare Visions, Inc.; Nina Owcharenko, Director of the Center for Health Policy Studies at theHeritage Foundation; Moderator: Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, former President, Georgia Ob-Gyn Society

3:45-4:45  Concurrent Sessions
Water: Solutions to a Future of Shrinking Supply
Steven Woodruff, President and CEO, Woodruff & Howe Environmental Engineering, Inc. and Board member, Georgia Department of Natural Resources; Dr. Aris Georgakakos, Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech and Director, Georgia Water Resources Institute; Moderator: Benita Dodd, Georgia Public Policy Foundation
Opening up Georgia Government: Operating with Transparency and Taxpayers in Mind 
How governments are using innovative tools to increase transparency and efficiency.
Joe Lonsdale, CEO of Addepar; Dan MillerExecutive Vice President, INgage Networks; Moderator: Patrick Jones, Black Turtle Media
5:00  Private reception for sponsors with Governor-elect (invited)