10 DATE: PENN STATER STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA

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NATIONAL GOVERNORS' ASSOCIATION

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TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS

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92ND ANNUAL MEETING

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DATE:

JULY 9, 2000, 11:00 A.M.

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PLACE: PENN STATER

215 INNOVATION BOULEVARD

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STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA

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SHERRY BOWES, RMR, CRR

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NOTARY PUBLIC

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CHAIRMAN LEAVITT: Good morning, Governors,

2 distinguished guests and ladies and gentlemen. It's my

3 privilege to welcome you to the opening plenary session of

4 the 92nd annual meeting of the National Governors'

5 Association. In just a moment we're going to be hearing from

6 our first distinguished guest, General Colin Powell, and a

7 bit later Ivan Seidenberg, who is president and the co-chief

8 executive officer of Verizon Communications, but I'd like to

9 make a couple of points in opening.

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During the course of this meeting, we will be

11 discussing a number of critical and important issues to

12 states and to this country and we'll be making a particular

13 focus on the new economy. This morning, our guests will be

14 discussing building communities in the new economy, and a

15 little later in this session we'll be talking about

16 telecommunications in the new economy.

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In our closing plenary session, we'll be

18 hearing from Alan Greenspan, the Chairman of the Board of

19 Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and he'll be

20 speaking about structural change in the new economy. And on

21 Monday, two concurrent task forces will be meeting, one on

22 information technology and the other on the new economy.

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At our plenary session on Monday afternoon,

24 we'll be joined by President Clinton, and we look forward to

25 hearing him. This will be his last NGA meeting as the

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1 President of this nation. We hope that we'll all leave

2 enlightened and challenged.

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Now, as I call this meeting to order, I'd like

4 to receive a motion for the adoption of the rules of

5 procedure so that we may govern. We have a motion and a

6 second. All in favor of adopting the rules of procedure say

7 aye. Opposed. The motion carries.

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A part of the rules require that any Governor

9 who wants to submit a new policy or a resolution must submit

10 it and receive three-fourths vote to suspend the rules. If

11 you have such a motion, please submit any proposals to Frank

12 Shafroth, the director of state-federal relations here at

13 NGA, by 5 o'clock tomorrow, Monday.

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I'd like to announce the appointment as well

15 of the following Governors to the nominating committee of the

16 2000-2001 NGA Executive Committee: Governor Schafer,

17 Governor Johanns, Governor Knowles and Governor o 'Bannon, and

18 Governor Rossello will serve as the chairman.

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At this time I'd like to recognize and to

20 thank on behalf of all of you this year's host Governor,

21 Governor Tom Ridge and First Lady Michelle Ridge. Governor

22 Ridge has been an active member of the National Governors'

23 Association since 1995 and he has worked tirelessly on

24 education reform issues. Michelle is a longtime advocate for

25 issues supporting the safety of children and promoting

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1 children's health.

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Before Governor Ridge makes his welcome

3 remarks, I'd like to ask you to join with me in thanking he

4 and Michelle with a warm round of applause for the

5 terrific hospitality we're receiving. Governor Ridge.

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(Applause.)

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GOVERNOR RIDGE: On behalf of 12 million

8 pennsylvanians, Republicans and Democrats and Independents,

9 and those who aren't inclined to vote we hope will affiliate

10 themselves with at least one of the three and become more

11 involved in the governing of both the Commonwealth and the

12 country, we consider it a great honor and an enormous

13 privilege to welcome my colleagues and friends, the Governors

14 of this country.

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I said yesterday, but it bears repeating, that

16 when William and Hannah Penn received the charter from the

17 king in the 17th century, their goal was to plant the seed of

18 a nation, and they did a very good job. The very idea of

19 America was put on paper through the Declaration of

20 Independence and then the Constitution of the united States

21 enshrined in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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But that seed of a nation that William and

23 Hannah Penn planted, now there are 49 other sturdy oaks in

24 the forest and they are states. And one of the most

25 rewarding relationships that I've had as Governor has been

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1 with my colleagues, the Governors of this country. It's

2 amazing to me how much innovation and energy and compassion

3 that they all bring to their job every single day and how

4 willing they are to share with each other ideas that work.

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I've said this before, I will say it again.

6 Governors, regardless of their political affiliation, have to

7 practice the politics of what works. And you take your

8 philosophy to your office every day and then you have those

9 individuals, those families, those communities and those

10 problems that you have to solve, and you're in the solution

11 business, the problem solving business.

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So, again, on behalf of 12 million

13 Pennsylvanians, our great first lady, Michelle Ridge, we

14 welcome you. We thank you for your participation. This is a

15 difficult summer. We have other interests that will take us

16 out of our -- well, you have other interests that will take

17 you out of your state in the next couple of weeks. I don't.

18 But it's a tough time to be visiting when you've got so many

19 other things going on.

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We're grateful for your participation and I

21 personally am grateful for your friendship and for your

22 willingness to share what works for you so that we can

23 sometimes take it and see that it works for pennsylvanians as

24 well. Thank you and welcome.

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(Applause.)

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