By Marissa Meador, Indiana Capital Chronicle
Indianapolis will host The National Conference of State Legislatures’ 48th annual Legislative Summit at the Indiana Convention Center from Aug. 14 through 16.
The summit is held in a different city each year, with the previous two summits being held in Denver, Colorado and Tampa, Florida. The conference was set to be held in Indianapolis in 2020 but was ultimately canceled due to the pandemic.
This year will be the third time Indianapolis has hosted the conference, which is projected to generate more than $4.8 million in economic activity, according to a press release.
Each year, the NCSL Legislative Summit attracts more than 5,000 attendees across the country, making it the largest gathering of state legislators and staff in the U.S. The conference is described as a way for lawmakers to learn from experts and from each other to solve urgent policy issues.
Speakers for the summit include Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush and local sports legends like former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and former Indiana Fever player Tamika Catchings.
Other speakers include Rahul Gupta, the director of the Office of Drug Control Policy under President Joe Biden; Nancy Giordano, a self-described “strategic futurist” and Blake Resnick, an engineer in his twenties whose drone company — BRINC Drones — supplies police departments and is even being used in Ukraine.
Summit sessions vary, but many focus on the theme of technology and change, including rapidly approaching developments in artificial intelligence, a transition of electric power and strategizing for an evolving workforce.
This article originally appeared on Indiana Capital Chronicle.
