Southern Governors' Association
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Southern Governors' Association (SGA) was founded in 1934, and is the oldest and historically the largest of the USA's regional governors' associations. Since its first meeting 70 years ago to discuss the repeal of discriminatory rates for transporting goods by rail, the Southern Governors' Association has represented the common interests of Southern states' chief executives and provided a vehicle for promoting them. The ongoing mission of SGA is to support the work of the governors by providing a bipartisan, regional forum to help shape and implement national policy and to solve state and regional problems. Currently, the association is comprised of 10 Democrats and 7 Republicans.
SGA pursues this mission by coordinating regionally collaborative initiatives, tracking and analyzing federal legislation and regulations of interest to the Southern states, advocating before Congress and the executive branch the Southern governors' policy agenda as expressed through approved policy resolutions and by convening meetings for governors and their staffs.
The current SGA Chairman is Republican Haley Barbour of Mississippi. The First Vice Chairman is Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia (who will assume the chairmanship in 2007). The Second Vice Chairman is Democrat Tim Kaine of Virginia. Florida recently rejoined the Association under Governor Charlie Crist.
[edit] List of current Southern Governors
| Current Governor | State | Past | Party | Elected/took office | Seat Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert R. Riley | Alabama | List | Republican | 2002 | 2010 (term-limited) |
| Mike Beebe | Arkansas | List | Democrat | 2006 | 2010 |
| Sonny Perdue | Georgia | List | Republican | 2002 | 2010 (term-limited) |
| Ernie Fletcher | Kentucky | List | Republican | 2003 | 2007 |
| Kathleen Blanco | Louisiana | List | Democrat | 2003 | 2007 |
| Martin O'Malley | Maryland | List | Democratic | 2006 | 2010 |
| Haley Barbour | Mississippi | List | Republican | 2003 | 2007 |
| Matt Blunt | Missouri | List | Republican | 2004 | 2008 |
| Michael F. Easley | North Carolina | List | Democrat | 2000 | 2008 (term-limited) |
| C. Bradford Henry | Oklahoma | List | Democrat | 2002 | 2010 (term-limited) |
| Aníbal Acevedo-Vilá | Puerto Rico | List | Democrat | 2004 | 2008 |
| Mark Sanford | South Carolina | List | Republican | 2002 | 2010 |
| Philip N. Bredesen | Tennessee | List | Democrat | 2002 | 2010 (term-limited) |
| Rick Perry | Texas | List | Republican | 2000 | 2010 |
| John de Jongh | U.S. Virgin Islands | List | Democrat | 2007 | 2011 |
| Timothy M. Kaine | Virginia | List | Democrat | 2005 | 2009 (term-limited} |
| Joseph Manchin III | West Virginia | List | Democrat | 2004 | 2008 |
