Economy Tops Agenda for Gov Meeting

WASHINGTON (AP) -- More than 30 of the country's governors have gathered in Washington for the annual winter meeting of the National Governors Association.

The agenda for Saturday's meeting includes discussions about the state of the economy and the ways states are responding to the heroin addiction epidemic.

Leaders of the governors association say the event fosters bipartisan cooperation and problem-solving. Democratic Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, the vice chairman of the association, says economic development is not a partisan issue because states are competing for jobs with foreign countries, not with one another.

Nonetheless, governors often differ sharply on how to stimulate economic growth. Some Democrats are touting their states' higher minimum wages and other protections for workers, while some Republicans are pushing for tax cuts and deregulation.

(KA)