Special Briefing Series: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Fiscal Outlook for State and Local Governments

Upcoming Special Briefing: The New Administration’s First Month

February 20, 2025, 4PM ET

 

Special Briefing Podcast

Listen to the Special Briefing podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, TuneIn, iHeart Radio and more.

December 5, 2024

Special Briefing: The Road Ahead for the Economy, States, and Localities as Donald Trump and the GOP Take Charge

  • Torsten Slok, Partner and Chief Economist, Apollo Global Management
  • Annie Linskey, Wall Street Journal White House Reporter
  • Former US Representative Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA)
  • Eric Kazatsky, Head of Municipal Strategy, Bloomberg LP
  • Teryn Zmuda, Chief Research Officer and Chief Economist, National Association of Counties (NACo)

October 24, 2024

Special Briefing: America's Growth Regions

  • Mayor Kim Norton, Rochester, Minnesota
  • Robert Buschman, Georgia State Economist
  • Eric Kim, senior director, head of US state ratings, Fitch Ratings
  • Tom Schuette, senior vice president, PIMCO

September 19, 2024

Special Briefing: Year Ahead for America's States and Municipalities

  • Vikram Rai, head of municipal markets strategy, Wells Fargo
  • Jane Ridley, managing director and local government sector leader, S&P Global
  • Matthew Stitt, managing director, PFM's Management and Budget Consulting team
  • Mark Zandi, chief economist, Moody's Analytics

June 27, 2024

Special Briefing: State Tax Breaks

  • Matt Fabian, partner, Municipal Market Analytics
  • Jonathan Ball, legislative fiscal analyst, State of Utah
  • Tim Bartik, senior economist, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
  • Arlene Martinez, deputy executive director, Good Jobs First

May 29, 2024

Special Briefing: Doom Loop or Boom Loop—Work from Home and the Challenges Facing US Cities

  • David Stanek, vice president, Econsult Solutions, Inc.
  • Dick Voith, founding principal, Econsult Solutions, Inc.
  • Jose Maria Barrero, assistant professor, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico
  • Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, professor of real estate, Columbia Business School
  • Kathryn Wylde, president and chief executive officer, Partnership for New York City

April 25, 2024

Special Briefing: America's $900 Billion Water Crisis

  • Senator Bill Bradley, former United States Senator, D-NJ
  • Doug Evanson, executive vice president and chief financial officer, San Antonio Water System
  • Howard Neukrug, executive director, The Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania
  • Nicole Lick, senior life scientist, water division, United States Environmental Protection Agency Mid-Atlantic Region
  • Reese Tisdale, president and chief executive officer, Bluefield Research

March 28, 2024

Special Briefing: America's Hot Growth States

  • New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy
  • Alex Adams, chief budget officer, state of Idaho
  • Shatakshee Dhongde, professor of economics, Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Thomas Doe, president, Municipal Market Analytics, Inc.
  • Torsten Slok, chief economist, Apollo Global Management

February 29, 2024

Special Briefing: State Tax Cuts

  • Can Chen, associate professor, Andrew Young School of Public Policy at Georgia State University (GSU)
  • Alex Hathaway, senior research associate, Center for State and Local Finance at GSU
  • Geoffrey E. Buswick, managing director and government sector leader, S&P Global Ratings-US Public Finance
  • Natalie Cohen, founder and president, National Municipal Research

January 25, 2024

Special Briefing: 2024 Fiscal Outlook for States and Cities

  • Clarence Anthony, CEO and executive director, National League of Cities
  • Mayor Kim Norton of Rochester, Minnesota
  • Mark Ferrandino, director, Colorado Office of State Planning and Budgeting
  • Eric Kim, senior director, Fitch Ratings
  • Mark Zandi, chief economist, Moody's Analytics

November 30, 2023

Special Briefing: Public Pensions - Still a Crisis?

  • Liz Farmer, public finance journalist and co-host of the Public Money podcast
  • Vedanta Goenka, senior municipal strategist, Citigroup
  • Merl Hackbart, professor emeritus, Martin School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Kentucky
  • Shoaib Khan, director, New Jersey Treasury Division of Investment
  • Anthony Randazzo, executive director, Equable Institute
  • Les Richmond, vice president and actuary, Build America Mutual

October 19, 2023

Special Briefing: Rolling Out the $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act - What's Being Built and What's in the Pipeline

  • Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
  • Samantha Silverberg, deputy infrastructure implementation coordinator at The White House
  • Alison Premo Black, senior vice president and chief economist, American Road & Transportation Builders Association
  • Leah Brooks, professor, Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, George Washington University
  • Jessica Jennings, legislative director for transportation and infrastructure, National Association of Counties
  • Vikram Rai, lead strategist, Wells Fargo municipal division

September 21, 2023

Special Briefing: Recession? Soft Landing? … Impact on States and Cities

  • Zac Jackson, Indiana Budget Director
  • Eric Kim, senior director, Fitch Ratings
  • Torsten Slok, chief economist, Apollo Global Management
  • Matt Stitt, director, PFM's Management and Budget Consulting Team
  • Kate Watkins, president and chief economist, Bright Fox Analytics

July 27, 2023

Special Briefing: The Future of Mass Transportation as US Pandemic Aid Comes to an End

  • Janno Lieber, chair and chief executive officer, Metropolitan Transportation Authority
  • Anthony Foxx, former US Transportation Secretary
  • Kurt Forsgren, managing director and sector lead for transportation in US Public Finance, S&P Global
  • Frank Jimenez, senior fiscal policy analyst, California Legislative Analyst's Office
  • Leslie Richards, general manager and chief executive officer, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority

June 15, 2023

Special Briefing: The Debt Ceiling Deal and its Impact on the US Economy, States, and Municipalities

  • Matt Fabian, partner, Municipal Market Analytics
  • Marcia Howard, executive director, Federal Funds Information for States
  • Annie Linskey, white house reporter, the Wall Street Journal
  • Vikram Rai, managing director and head of the municipal strategy group, Citigroup
  • Torsten Slok, chief economist, Apollo Global Management

May 18, 2023

Special Briefing: Avoiding Municipal Distress

  • Rob Dubow, director of finance, Philadelphia, PA
  • Heather Gillers, the Wall Street Journal
  • Stephanie Miner, former mayor, Syracuse, NY
  • Richard Ravitch, former lieutenant governor, NY
  • David Schleicher, Yale Law School

April 27, 2023

Special Briefing: Managing Growth in America's Hottest States, Counties & Cities

  • Mayor Steve Adler, former mayor, Austin, Texas
  • Alex Adams, budget director, Idaho
  • Matthew D. Chase, National Association of Counties
  • Darryl Martin, county administrator, Dallas County
  • Anna Roach, Atlanta Regional Commission

March 30, 2023

Special Briefing: Revitalizing Downtowns by Turning Offices Into Homes

  • Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, NYC Economic and Workforce Development
  • Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business
  • Amy Cotter, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
  • Heather Long, Washington Post

February 16, 2023

Special Briefing: State and Local Budgets in Uncertain Times

  • Shelby Kerns, NASBO
  • Eric Kim, Fitch Ratings
  • Lauren Larson, Colorado Governor's Office of State Planning and Budgeting
  • Gabe Petek, California Legislative Analyst's Office

January 19, 2023

Special Briefing: The Future of Downtowns

  • Howard Cure, Evercore Wealth Management
  • Steven J. Davis, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
  • Tracy Hadden Loh, Brookings Metro
  • Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, Columbia University's Graduate School of Business
  • Romy Varghese, Bloomberg News

December 15, 2022

Special Briefing: 2023 Outlook for States and Cities

  • Mayor Kate Gallego, city of Phoenix, Arizona
  • Emily Brock, Government Finance Officers Association
  • Natalie Cohen, National Municipal Research
  • Julia Coronado, MacroPolicy Perspectives
  • Mark Zandi, Moody's Analytics

November 17, 2022

Special Briefing: Big Cities, Big Challenges

  • Greg David, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism
  • Shirley Clarke Franklin, former mayor, Atlanta, Georgia
  • Heather Gillers, the Wall Street Journal
  • Farhad Omeyr, National League of Cities

October 20, 2022

Special Briefing: The inflation reduction act: investment opportunities and challenges

  • Ben Beachy, BlueGreen Alliance
  • Sarah Gimont, National Association of Counties
  • Justin Marlowe, University of Chicago, Harris School of Public Policy
  • Richard Prisinzano, University of Pennsylvania, Penn Wharton Budget Model

September 15, 2022

Special Briefing: Stagflation Ahead? Inflation and Recession

  • Dr. Alison Premo Black, American Road and Transportation Builders Association
  • Beth Ann Bovino, S&P Global Ratings Services
  • Hughey Newsome, Wayne County, Michigan
  • Gabriel Petek, Legislative Analyst, California
  • Mark M. Zandi, Moody's Analytics

July 21, 2022

Special Briefing on Vulnerable Cities Facing Work from Home Realities

  • Nick Bloom, Stanford University, and Co-Founder, WFH Research
  • Andrew S. Rein, Citizens Budget Commission
  • Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh Columbia Business School
  • Lauren Weber, the Wall Street Journal

June 23, 2022

Special Briefing on States Cutting Taxes: Relief Now, Shortfalls Later?

  • Alex Adams, State of Idaho
  • Beverly S. Bunch, School of Public Management and Policy, University of Illinois Springfield
  • Howard Cure, Evercore Wealth Management
  • Shelby Kerns, National Association of State Budget Officers

May 19, 2022

Special Briefing on the Deployment of the $1 Trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by States and Localities

  • Lauren Larson, Colorado Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting
  • Mayor Jorge Elorza, City of Providence
  • Larry Parks, Forethought Advisors
  • Patrick Brett, Citi Municipal Debt Capital Markets

April 21, 2022

Special Briefing on Inflation and Recession Risks for States and Cities

  • Welcoming Remarks: Chair Jerome H. Powell, Federal Reserve System Board of Governors
  • Mark Zandi, Moody’s Analytics
  • Matt Gress, Arizona Governor's Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting
  • Natalie Cohen, National Municipal Research
  • Les Richmond, Build America Mutual Assurance

March 17, 2022

Special Briefing on Work from Home: What it Means for State and Local Economies and Revenues

  • Jose Maria Barrero, Instituto Tecnològico Autònomo de Mèxico
  • Howard Chernick, Hunter College, CUNY
  • Ally Schweitzer, WAMU
  • Anthony Williams, Washington, D.C.

February 17, 2022

Special Briefing on New York City: New Mayor, Federal Aid, Challenges to Recovery

  • Ronnie Lowenstein, New York City Independent Budget Office
  • Ray McGuire, Citigroup
  • Richard Ravitch, former Lieutenant Governor, New York
  • Kathryn Wylde, Partnership for New York City

January 20, 2022

Special Briefing: 2022 Outlook for States and Cities 

  • Lucy Dadayan, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center
  • Larry Johnson, Dekalb County, GA
  • Eric Kim, Fitch Ratings
  • Torsten Slok, Apollo Global Management
  • Mark M. Zandi, Moody's Analytics 

December 16, 2021

Special Briefing on State and City Spending of Federal Infrastructure Funds

  • Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-OR
  • Patrick Brett, Citi
  • David Glick, Boston University
  • Controller Rebecca Rhynhart, City of Philadelphia

November 18, 2021

Special Briefing on Climate Change, Federal Aid, and State and Local Strategies

  • Tim Coffin, Breckinridge Capital Advisors
  • Hughey Newsome, Wayne County, MI
  • Emily Robare, PIMCO Municipals
  • Nora Wittstruck, S&P Global Ratings

October 21, 2021

Special Briefing on the Biden Infrastructure Plan: Unmet Needs and State of Play

  • Carolyn Coleman, League of California Cities
  • Andy Haughwout, Household and Regional in the Research and Statistics Group
  • Annie Linskey, Washington Post
  • Torsten Slok, Apollo Global Management

September 23, 2021

Special Briefing on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Clean Water, better Broadband, Resilience, and Equity

  • Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Newark, NJ
  • Kathryn de Wit, Pew Trusts
  • Thomas Hazlett, Clemson University
  • Howard Neukrug, Philadelphia Water (former)

July 15, 2021

Special Briefing on the Biden Infrastructure Plan: Resilience, Equity, and Federal Investment

  • Governor Brad Little, Idaho
  • Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux, Georgia
  • Laura Curran, Nassau County
  • Thomas Doe, Municipal Market Analytics

June 17, 2021

Special Briefing on COVID-19, the American Rescue Plan, and 2022 State and Local Budgets

  • Shelby Kerns, NASBO
  • Hughey Newsome, Wayne County, MI
  • Mayor Kim Norton, Rochester, MN
  • Mark Zandi, Moody’s Analytics

May 20, 2021

Special Briefing on the $2.3 Trillion American Jobs Plan and State and Local Infrastructure Needs

  • Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Oregon
  • Marc Morial, National Urban League
  • Robert Poole, Reason Foundation
  • Richard Ravitch, retired attorney, businessman, public official
  • Polly Trottenberg, US Deputy Secretary of Transportation

April 15, 2021

Special Briefing on State Budgeting, the COVID-19 Recession, and What Comes Next

  • Erica MacKellar, National Conference of State Legislatures
  • Gabriel Petek, Legislative Analyst
  • Juliette Tennert, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
  • Lisa Washburn, Municipal Market Analytics

February 11, 2021

Special Briefing on the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout and the Impact on States and Municipalities

  • Greg Brown, Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise
  • Matthew D. Chase, National Association of Counties
  • Toluse “Tolu” Olorunnipa, Washington Post
  • Torsten Slok, Apollo Global Management

January 14, 2021

Special Briefing on the Year Ahead for States and Municipalities

  • Shelby Kerns, National Association of State Budget Officers
  • Eric Kim, Fitch Ratings
  • Vikram Rai, Citi
  • Mark Zandi, Moody’s Analytics

December 10, 2020

Special Briefing on Working with the Cares Act and What May Come Next

  • Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux, D-GA
  • Julie Demuth, Pierce County, WA
  • Mark Funkhouser, Funkhouser & Associates
  • Fitzroy Lee, Office of the Chief Financial Officer
  • Brandom McComas, Peter G. Peterson Foundation
  • Richard Ravitch, retired attorney, businessman, public official

November 19, 2020

Special Briefing on Assuring Public Worker Retirement Security Amid COVID-19 Fiscal Stress

  • Donald J. Boyd, State and Local Government Finance Project, University of Albany
  • David G. Lenze, US Bureau of Economic Analysis
  • Timothy Little, S&P Global Ratings
  • Stephanie A. Miner, former Mayor of Syracuse, NY
  • Herman B. Santos, Los Angeles County Employees Retirement System

October 15, 2020

Special Briefing on State and Local Infrastructure Spending Cutbacks Amid the COVID-19 Recession

  • Alison Premo Black, PhD, American Road & Transportation Builders Association
  • Norman E. Brown, New York State Council of Machinists
  • Howard Cure, Evercore Wealth Management
  • Robert Poole, Reason Foundation

September 10, 2020

Special Briefing on Fiscal and Operational Priorities for Cities in the COVID Crisis Era

  • Linda J. Bilmes, Harvard University
  • Andrew Reschovsky, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Bill Lucia, Route Fifty
  • Andrew Rein, Citizens Budget Commission of New York

July 16, 2020

Special Briefing on How Cities and Counties Are Coping with COVID-19's Fiscal Shock

  • Natalie Cohen, National Municipal Research
  • Elizabeth Kellar, International City/County Management Association
  • Chuck Reed, Hopkins & Carley

June 25, 2020

Special Briefing on COVID-19: Unemployment, and State and Local Fiscal Consequences

  • Timothy J. Bartik, Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
  • Matt Fabian, Municipal Market Analytics
  • Marcia Van Wagner, Moody’s Investor Service

June 18, 2020

Special Briefing on COVID-19, State and Local Fiscal Stress, and the Politics of Federal Aid

  • Norman J. Ornstein, American Enterprise Institute
  • Robin Prunty, S&P Global Ratings
  • Richard Ravitch, retired attorney, businessman, public official
  • Frank H. Shafroth, George Mason University

June 11, 2020

Special Briefing on COVID-19, the US Economy, and Critical Needs of States and Municipalities

  • Austan D. Goolsbee, University of Chicago
  • Dan Smith, University of Delaware
  • Juliette Tennert, University of Utah
  • Mark Zandi, Moody’s Analytics

June 4, 2020

Special Briefing on COVID-19 and the Outlook for Cities as State Economies Reopen

  • Bruce J. Katz, Nowak Metro Finance Lab
  • Stephanie Miner, former Mayor, Syracuse, NY
  • Kim Norton, Mayor, Rochester, MN

May 28, 2020

Special Briefing on COVID-19 and the Funding of Essential Services: Strategies for Generating Cash through Improved Public Asset Management

  • Michael A. Nutter, former Mayor, Philadelphia, PA
  • Eric Berman, Eide Bailly, LLP
  • Michael Imber, Conway MacKenzie, Inc.

May 21, 2020

Special Briefing on COVID-19 and the Future of US Aid to States, Counties, and Cities after the CARES Act

  • Rep. Earl Blumenauer, (D-OR)
  • William A. Galston, Brookings Institution Governance Studies Program

May 14, 2020

Special Briefing on COVID-19 and the Federal Reserve Municipal Liquidity Facility: How $500 Billion in Credit will Bolster America’s States, Counties, and Cities

  • Patrick Brett, Citi
  • Emily Swenson Brock, Government Finance Officers Association’s Federal Liaison Center
  • Peter Hayes, BlackRock

May 7, 2020

Special Briefing on COVID-19 and Federal Aid to States and Municipalities: Federal Dollars, State and Local Needs

  • Bill Haslam, former Governor of Tennessee
  • Robert P. Inman, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
  • Stephen Klein, Vermont Legislature’s Joint Fiscal Office
  • Joe Torsella, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

April 30, 2020

Special Briefing on COVID-19 and the Fiscal Outlook for US Cities: Strategies for Survival and Recovery

  • Shirley Clarke Franklin, former Mayor, Atlanta, GA
  • Mary Murphy, Pew Charitable Trusts
  • Michael A. Pagano, University of Illinois at Chicago
  • Richard Ravitch, retired attorney, businessman, public official

 

April 23, 2020

Special Briefing on Stress-Testing State Budgets and the Critical Role of Rainy Day Funds

  • Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene, Barrett & Greene, Inc.
  • Scott Pattison, University of Ottawa
  • Dan White, Moody’s Analytics

April 16, 2020

Special Briefing on the Impact of COVID-19 on the Fiscal Outlook of State and Local Governments

  • Thomas W. Ross, the Volcker Alliance
  • Richard Ravitch, retired attorney, businessman, public official
  • Matt Fabian, Municipal Market Analytics