SIA Economic Outlook Series: Economic Conditions Impacting the States

ABOUT THE WEBINAR:

How have state governments weathered challenging economic conditions in 2023 and what lies ahead for local governments in 2024? To address this question and more, SIA will welcome American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) chief economist and executive vice president of policy Jonathan Williams on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. EST.

During this virtual briefing made available to the security industry, Mr. Williams will provide an overview of state economic trends and a forecast of the policies that could be adopted in many state capitals to spur economic growth in 2024 and beyond in response to certain economic variables. Williams will also interpret how federal monetary policy by the Biden Administration and Congressional action, or inaction, impacts state fiscal decision making and the business community.

The Economic Outlook briefing will be moderated by SIA CEO Don Erickson. Registrants are encouraged to submit questions below.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Jonathan Williams is the chief economist and executive vice president of policy at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), where he works with state policymakers, congressional leaders and members of the private sector to develop fiscal policy solutions for the states. Williams founded the ALEC Center for State Fiscal Reform in 2011 and co-authors Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer Economic State Competitiveness Index with Reagan economist Dr. Arthur Laffer and Stephen Moore. Prior to joining ALEC, Williams served as staff economist at the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, authoring numerous tax policy studies.

Williams’ work has appeared in many publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Financial Times, Toronto Star and Investor’s Business Daily. He is a contributor for The Hill and a columnist at Tax Analysts, the leading provider of tax news and analysis for the global community. Williams also serves on the Advisory Board of the State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF) and as an adjunct fellow at the Kansas Policy Institute. He has written for the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. In addition, Williams was a contributing author of In Defense of Capitalism (Northwood University Press).

Williams has spoken to audiences across all 50 states and provided testimony for the U.S. Congress, as well as numerous state legislative bodies. His work has been featured at the federal level by The White House, the Congressional Joint Economic Committee and the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means. He is a frequent guest on talk radio shows and has appeared on numerous television outlets, including the PBS NewsHour, Fox Business News and Bloomberg News. Williams was also the recipient of the prestigious Ludwig von Mises Award in Economics.