National Governors Association - Definition and Overview

The National Governors Association (NGA) is an organization of the governors of the fifty U.S. states and five U.S. territories (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). NGA is one of Washington's most respected public policy organizations and serves as a key interface between the state governments and the federal government. NGA provides governors and their senior staff members with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and at the White House when discussing federal issues to developing policy reports on state programs and hosting networking seminars for state executive branch officials. The NGA Center for Best Practices focuses on state innovations and best practices on issues that range from education and health to technology, welfare reform, and the environment. NGA also provides management and technical assistance to both new and incumbent governors.

The current chair of NGA is Virginia Governor Mark Warner.

Several other countries, including Japan and Canada, have similar organizations. The Canadian analogue, for instance, is the Council of the Federation.

External links

• National Governors Association (http://www.nga.org/) - official homepage of the American NGA.
• National Governors' Association (http://www.nga.gr.jp/english/index.html) - official homepage of Japan's NGA.