No Health Help for NGA Dues Shirkers
The is a bit of a misnomer these days.
Sure, it still represents the interests of governors from all 50 states, but it no longer provides 鈥渢echnical assistance鈥 to four states that have聽failed to pay their annual dues. Those states — all of which have Republican governors —聽are Florida, Texas, Idaho and Ohio, according to an NGA source.
As a result, these states don鈥檛 get any help implementing the federal health law. Of course, these states are among the 26 who have filed a lawsuit聽to the health law.
An NGA spokeswoman refused to confirm the names of the states who had not paid dues.
But an NGA source who works with states on health issues said the organization no longer follows the states who failed to pay dues.
According to the state dues pay for the association鈥檚 advocacy activities. The NGA Center for Best Practices, which provides assistance to states on various public policy issues, is funded through federal grants and private and corporate donations.
NGA collected a total of $5.5 million in dues from states, according to a . Some cash-strapped states declined to pay NGA聽dues earlier this year, .
