At the 2018 State of the States address, chair of the National Governors Association, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, discussed innovations in transportation and energy across America’s state capitols.
“Governors are truly the nation’s chief innovators, fostering new technologies, creating new opportunities and laying the foundation for an innovative future,” Sandoval said at the Consumer Electronics Show Government conference last week. “What better backdrop than Las Vegas—the heart of the American West—to show how states are at the forefront of innovation?”
Sandoval discussed innovations in the areas of transportation and energy. Specifically, he talked about autonomous and electric vehicle technology, drones, and ridesharing. As NGA’s chair, Sandoval spearheaded the Ahead of the Curve: Innovation Governors initiative, which focuses on how states can respond to emerging technology in the energy and transportation sectors. He called on the federal government to “match the rapid pace of autonomous vehicle innovation” with the states, saying state and federal coordination on this issue is critical.
The Nevada governor also commented on the uncertainty at the federal level regarding infrastructure.
“The President has an incredible opportunity to invigorate not just our approach to infrastructure spending, but also to the funding stream state and local governments rely on most: the Highway Trust Fund,” Sandoval said.
NGA vice chair, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, provided examples where states have innovated. He cited an online portal in Montana that helps business owners start or relaunch their businesses; a technology platform in Maryland that allows social workers to use tablets in the field; and geospatial “hot-spotting” that enables states like Alaska and Wisconsin to improve health care outcomes for people on Medicaid.
“On any given day, you can visit any statehouse across our nation, and find government actually functioning for the betterment of communities,” Bullock said. “More often than not, you can see Democrats and Republicans working together to address challenges—because the closer government is to the people, the less the focus on partisanship. Working across party lines can be difficult, but as governors, we know the best policy comes from working with people who don’t always agree with us.”
Sandoval concluded by saying governors innovate without regard to politics or partisanship.
“We are competitive without being antagonistic,” Sandoval said. “Together we are singularly focused on one mission: advancing economic and social opportunities for the people of our states and improving their quality of life.”