Interviews & Profiles

Grace Lee on key takeaways from the Somos of the Midwest

The Manhattan Assembly member talked about what Albany legislators learned from Democratic lawmakers in other states.

Assembly Member Grace Lee and other state lawmakers conferred with their Democratic colleagues from across the country.

Assembly Member Grace Lee and other state lawmakers conferred with their Democratic colleagues from across the country. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Several state legislators went to Indianapolis for the National Conference of State Legislatures Legislative Summit, where state lawmakers from all over the country gather for three days of panels, innovative ideas and networking.

The conference, taking place from Aug. 14-16, is intended to give legislators and their staff opportunities to advance professional skill sets, find out what the latest legislative trends are, and explore new legislative services. All of this while being able to stand on the field of the Indianapolis Colts stadium. It is a state lawmakers dream come true.

City and State sat down with Assembly Member Grace Lee to discuss her takeaways from the conference. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Which state lawmakers went to the National Conference of State Legislatures Legislative Summit in Indianapolis?

Alex Bores, Michaelle Solages, Jo Anne Simon, Brian Cunningham, David Weprin and I all came from the Assembly. The senators that attended were Kristen Gonzalez, Roxanne Persaud and Zellnor Myrie.

What lessons did you learn from other states at the conference?

Sometimes in New York we take for granted the power that we have with a Democratic majority. I learned about the challenges that other states have when Democrats are in the minority. One thing that I was reminded of was the power that we have within New York to do great things and that we should make sure that we’re using it to pass legislation that can be nation-leading. It made me really proud to be part of a legislature that leads on progressive legislation.

Was the conference similar to Somos? How was it different?

I think that the Somos conference has a stronger social component and networking component. There was a social component to NCSL, but there was a heavy focus on policy, and it was a really robust conference that had many different sessions. The aspect of being able to connect with legislators from all over the country is also something that you don’t get during Somos because it is very New York-centric, and NCSL is nationwide.

What was your biggest takeaway from the conference, other than being able to stand on the Indianapolis Colts field?

Well, a few things that were takeaways for me were that I was able to network with a variety of advocacy groups on a number of different topics. It really gave me a spectrum of resources to draw from for future legislation. I also appreciated the opportunity to interact with the (National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators), which happened right before NCSL. That was an opportunity to network with AAPI legislators from 13 other states in the country. We talked about the AAPI curriculum bill. It was really great to hear the perspective of the legislator from Illinois, who passed that bill, as well as hear about the strategies that other states are taking in order to move that forward. As a sponsor of the AAPI curriculum bill in the Assembly here in New York, I will definitely be taking away some of those strategies and resources that they use to hopefully be successful in getting my legislation passed in the upcoming year. I would say, more on a general level, though, is that other states really look up to New York as a role model for legislation. I think it is important for us, as legislators, to recognize the role that we have in advancing progressive change, not only in New York state, but across the country.

How was it decided who would go?

Anyone is allowed to go into the conference. It’s a voluntary attendance. Legislators don’t attend for different reasons. For example, it doesn’t work with their schedule or they have other commitments in the district.

Why go to these conferences?

I think it’s really important for us to be aware of what’s happening in other states and to meet with other legislators. We all have something we can all learn from each other, and having the opportunity to be in one space and share experiences and learn about each other’s legislation is really important. It’s an opportunity to share the great work that New York state is doing.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.