The Council of State Governments (CSG) is a

nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

that serves all three branches of

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...

. Founded in 1933 by Colorado state Sen. Henry W. Toll, CSG is a region-based forum that fosters the exchange of insights and ideas to help state officials shape public policy. The CSG National Headquarters is located in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...

, but the council also operates regional offices in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and

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. CSG maintains an office in Washington, D.C. that monitors

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-gover ...

activities and their impact on state issues and programs. Other CSG services include policy academies, research briefs, webinars an
annual conferences and meetings
at the national and regional levels. The CSG Justice Center, which is based in New York City and has offices across the country, provides strategies to increase public safety and strengthen communities. CSG national leadership includes a governor, who serves as the national president, and a member of a state legislature, who serves as national chair. CSG regions are chaired by state legislators. CSG membership includes 56 U.S. states and

territories A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

; six Canadian

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

s also partner with the council. Annual dues are paid by each state and territory to support the council's operations. In addition, revenue is derived from publication sales, registration fees, corporate grants and contributions, and investment income. The CSG is considered part of the ' Big Seven', a group of organizations that represent local and state government in the United States.

History

In 1925, Henry Wolcott Toll, then a Colorado state senator, created the American Legislators’ Association, the forerunner to CSG, which provided legislators with information and opportunities to connect. Toll believed interstate cooperation was imperative for states to maintain control over inherent state issues. CSG—the only national organization that serves all three branches of state government—was created in 1933. "Probably 12 or 15 of us sat around a table in a small room," Toll recalled 25 years later. "The Council of State Governments had never been heard of before that day." About five years after CSG was conceived, a new building at 1313 East 60th St., in Chicago became the council's central home. In 1967, CSG and the Commonwealth of Kentucky entered into an agreement that provided CSG with a headquarters building in Lexington, Kentucky. The building was dedicated on June 9, 1969. In 1993, the state financed the construction of a second building to facilitate the council's continued growth. Some CSG services have been offered since the early years. ''The Book of the States'', which provides comprehensive data and analysis about state governments and their operations, was first published in 1935. ''State Government News'', which later became the CSG bimonthly magazine, ''Capitol Ideas'', was first published in 1958. The Eastern Regional Conference was established in 1937. CSG opened a Washington, D.C. office in 1938. The Midwestern Legislative Conference was established in 1945. Both the Southern Conference—now the Southern Legislative Conference—and the Western Regional Conference—now CSG West—were established in 1947. In 2006, the CSG Justice Center was formed. The CSG Henry Toll Fellowship program, a leadership development program for state officials, was established in 1986.

Timeline

* 1925 – The American Legislators' Association was established in Denver, CO * 1930 – The headquarters of the American Legislators' Association moved to Chicago, IL * 1935 – The Council of State Governments (CSG) was established * 1937 – The Eastern Regional Conference (ERC) was established as the eastern regional office of CSG * 1938 – CSG opened a Washington D.C. office * 1945 – The Midwestern Legislative Conference (now a part of CSG Midwest) is established as the midwestern regional office of CSG * 1947 – The Southern Conference (now the Southern Legislative Conference) and the Western Regional Conference (now known as CSG West) are established to support CSG's work in the southern and western regions * 1969 – The CSG headquarters were moved to Lexington, KY * 1986 – The CSG Henry Toll Fellowship, a leadership development program for state officials was established * 2006 – The CSG Justice Center was formed out of the ERC justice program * 2015 – CSG rededicates its national headquarters after a $5.5 million renovation to the original headquarters building * 2016 – CSG changes address to 1776 Avenue of the States

Regional offices

CSG has 6 offices across the country including 4 regional offices, a federal affairs office in Washington D.C., and the headquarters office in Lexington, KY.

Justice Center

On December 3, 2006, The Council of State Governments' Governing Board voted to transform the Eastern Regional Conference's (CSG/ERC) criminal justice program into a national Justice Center. The Justice Center's Board of Directors includes state legislative leaders, judges, corrections administrators, juvenile justice agency directors, and law enforcement professionals, who together represent a cross-section of the senior-level state officials who shape criminal justice policy across the country. The Justice Center is headquartered in

with additional offices in Austin,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

, Bethesda, and Washington, D.C.

Affiliate organizations

Affiliate organizations contribute specialized expertise, information, resources and issues to the overall mission of CSG. In turn, CSG offers a mechanism by which affiliates may tap into CSG's products and services, and a forum for bringing issues to a broader, collective state audience.

Publications

*''Capitol Ideas'' (bimonthly magazine) *''The Current State'' (weekly e-newsletter) *''The Book of the States'' (published annually since 1935, provides data and analyses about state governments and their operations) *''Shared State Legislation'' or SSL (annual volume that compiles

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred to ...

on topics of current importance to states)

Presidents and Chairs

Notes

References

* * {{Authority control Nonpartisan organizations in the United States Government-related professional associations in the United States 1933 establishments in the United States Organizations established in 1933 Organizations based in Lexington, Kentucky Paradiplomacy