Governor Janet T. Mills Welcomed Nineteen Governors at the National Governors Association Annual Summer Meeting at the Holliday by the Inn, Spring Street, Today.
A Large White Tent Was Erected in a Secure Area Between Casco Bay and Ocean Gateway on the Portland Waterfront for a Reception in the Natioal Governors Association Summer Meeting Last Night.
A Sign on the Stage at the Holiday Inn By the Bay, Spring Street, Portland.
NGA Out-going Chair and Governor Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas, Addressing Computer Skills Education This Morning at the NGA Annual Summer Meeting, Portland.
Developing a computer skilled workforce and jumpstarting a depressed tourism industry were the headliners that brought nineteen governors to Portland for a day of seminars – some offering solutions while others stood out looking for answers – like affordable housing for seasonal workers in Maine.
At the opening session, National Governors Association Out-going Chair and Governor Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas, unveiled a compact to advance computer education that has been signed by 50 governors. Those governors have committed to strategies to expand computer science education in public schools. One successful strategy ismaking computer science a requirement for graduation, funding more classes and supporting teaching professional development opportunities. This approach has increased the number of computer science students from 1,100 in 2015 to over 13,000 students currently. “Computer education is a national security issue,” he said.
Governor Janet T. Mills, the first woman governor of Maine, said that whatever career people choose to pursue, computers skills will be required. Mills supports including computer science education in elementary school rather than waiting for high school.
The afternoon session focused on the tourism industry and strategies to pump life back into this economic driver that is experiencing an “uneven recovery” according to a panel member convened on the subject. The pandemic that caused the depression of the tourism industry has now been replaced by fears of inflation.
According to industry surveys, 44% of American travelers are taking fewer trips and not traveling as much. Forty four percent of those surveyed said they are taking trips closer to home because of the cost of gas and other inflationary factors. A majority of those making up the tourstim industry are small businesses not big industry. The other side of the coin is the labor shortage that exists in the tourism industry. The industry lost a lot of people due to the pademic. They are not coming back. Another panel member that mhn.com did not identify said that some of the younger folks do not think working in this industry is a “cool businesses” as they once did. Strategies need to be developed to change that attitude toward the tourism industry.
Pressure needs to be put on the State Department to expedite approving visas for workers coming from overseas. It was that way before the pandemic and only increased during its. There is a wait for processing visas of up to 400 ddays – over a year.
Governor Mills said that a challenge for seasonal businesses is finding housing that is affordable for seasonal workers. “That is a major problem,” she said. “People want to work here, but can’t afford to live here.”
Security was very tight at the Holiday Inn by the Bay with the Maine State Police presence very obvious. Portland Police presence was strong both inside The Westin Harborview, 157 HIgh Street, where many, if not all, of the Governors are staying. The Portland Police were standing guard outside The Westin in Congress Square Park – not allowing media in there for lunch.
Last night Governors and others participating in the annual Summer Meeting of the NGA attended a reception under a white tent near the Ocean Gateway on the Portland waterfront. Oysters, pizza, and several kinds of New England chowder were available as well as wine and beer. According to a spokesperson for the NGA the attendance of nineteen governors and their staff members is on target for the annual summer meeting. The winter meeting usually has a higher attenance rate.
It is expected that the next chair of the National Governors Association (NGA), Governor Phil Murphy, will be announced tomorrow. His platform that led to his successful candidacy is the mental health of youth according to several sources familiar with his platform.