Texas Governor George W. Bush is inaugurated President.

2001 Winter Meeting Washington, DC (Feb. 24-27)

At the Winter Meeting, governors hear reports on the federal surplus and addresses regarding the need for rebuilding traditional communities.

Governors adopt a policy position calling on Congress to reform the Medicaid program both to give states maximum flexibility in managing optional services and optional populations in order to stabilize the program, as well as to give states the tools and incentives to expand coverage broadly to the uninsured

(Photo: WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2001—Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer answers a reporter's question on student testing and education reform at the opening press conference. He is flanked by NGA Vice Chairman Michigan Gov. John Engler on his left and NGA Chairman Maryland Gov. Parris N. Glendening.)

2001 Annual Meeting: Providence, RI (August 4-7)
Chair: Parris Glendening, MD

At the Annual Meeting, governors are addressed on the issue of conservation by Theodore Roosevelt IV, the great-grandson of the President who had called governors together for the first time in 1908 to discuss the same issue.

(Photo: PROVIDENCE, RI, Aug. 4, 2001—NGA Chairman Maryland Gov. Parris N. Glendening, Vice Chairman Michigan Gov. John Engler, and NGA Annual Meeting Host Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Almond outline the agenda for the four-day meeting.)

The high-speed train "Acela Express" begins operating between Boston and Washington, DC.

Apple Computer introduces the Ipod, a hard disk-based digital music player.

The U.S. becomes the victim of a large-scale terrorist attack on September 11 when hijacked passenger jets are used as weapons to hit the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center as well as targets in the nation's capital, killing nearly 3,000 civilians and rescue workers. The U.S. responds with an invasion of Afghanistan, where the terrorist plot was hatched.

Letters containing anthrax spores are mailed to media offices and to members of Congress, killing five people and infecting seventeen others.

New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman is appointed Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Former Missouri Governor John Ashcroft becomes Attorney General of the United States.

Organization name is changed to "National Governors Association," (eliminating the apostrophe after Governors).

2003 Winter Meeting Washington, DC (Feb. 22-25)

At the Winter Meeting, governors continue discussions of childhood development, and it is announced that a gubernatorial Task Force on School readiness has been established to study the connections between early childhood programs and the K-12 educational system as well as to examine what policymakers need to know about assessing young children.

(Photo: WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2003—Rob Reiner spoke about the importance of early childhood education.)

2003 Annual Meeting: Indianapolis, IN (August 16-19)
Chair: Paul Patton, KY

Governors talk at the Annual Meeting about accountability for both school and student performance.

Governors adopt a policy position emphasizing the integral role of the National Guard in homeland security.

(Photo: INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 16, 2003—NGA Chairman Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton at the opening news conference of NGA's 95th Annual Meeting.)

Illinois becomes the first state in which the governor declares a moratorium on the death penalty, based on the finding of wrongful convictions against 13 people, 12 of whom had been put to death.

The U.S. invades Iraq, toppling the government of Saddam Hussein.

China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the United States begin talks with North Korea on the nation's development of nuclear weapons.

The space shuttle Columbia breaks apart shortly before it is due to land, killing all on board.

The Supersonic Transport (SST) fleet is retired.

The Supreme Court rules on affirmative action in education in two different cases:  In Grutter v. Bollinger et al., the Court decides that the use of race as a factor in University of Michigan law school admissions is constitutional because it is narrowly tailored to meet the compelling state interest of promoting diversity-in keeping with the Court's decision in Regents of U. of Cal. v. Bakke.  In contrast, in Gratz et al. v. Bollinger et al., the Court rules that a points-based formula for admission to the University of Michigan's main undergraduate program that assigned points based on race was not sufficiently narrowly tailored to meet requirements of constitutionality.

The Senate approves the appointment of former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge as the first secretary of a new Department of Homeland Security.

2005 Winter Meeting and Education Summit Washington, DC (Feb. 26-Mar. 1)

2005 Annual Meeting: Des Moines, IA (July 15-18)
Chair: Mark Warner, VA

At the Annual Meeting, for the first time in the nation's history, states reach a common definition for their high school graduation rate. Forty-five governors and twelve national organizations sign onto "Graduation counts: A Compact on State High School Graduation Data."

(Photo: DES MOINES, IOWA, Jul. 18, 2005—Govs. Mike Huckabee, Mark Warner and Haley Barbour.)

Lance Armstrong retires from cycling after his seventh consecutive win of the Tour de France.

Hurricane Katrina deals a devastating blow to the southern U.S. coastline of the Gulf of Mexico, destroying much of the City of New Orleans.

The Supreme Court rules that the federal Controlled Substances Act preempts state laws allowing possession and use of marijuana for medical purposes.

The Federal Deficit Reduction Act gives governors greater flexibility in the administration of Medicaid programs.

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA) provides governors flexibility to use innovative financing and tolls to general revenue for highways.

Former Utah Governor Mike Leavitt is appointed Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

2007 Winter Meeting Washington, DC (Feb. 24-27)

At the Winter Meeting, governors press federal officials for more funds to cover impending shortfalls in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) covering children of the working poor.

(Photo: WASHINGTON, DC, Feb. 24, 2007—Govs. Ritter, Douglas, Crist, Napolitano and Pawlenty.)

2007 Annual Meeting: Traverse City, MI (July 20-23)
Chair: Janet Napolitano, AZ

At their Annual Meeting, Governors urge increased federal funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP).

(Photo: TRAVERSE CITY, MI, Jul. 23, 2007—The Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor, Supreme Court of the United States [Ret.])

A celebration of America's 400th anniversary is held at the site of the Jamestown settlement in Virginia.

The United Nations Security Council approves joining forces with the African Union to send troops to the Sudan, where Arab militias allied with the government are accused of committing genocide against citizens of the Darfur region.

A student at Virginia Tech goes on a shooting spree in a dorm and classrooms, resulting in the deaths of 32 students, faculty, and staff, and the injury of 25 others, before committing suicide.

The Cable News Network televises Presidential debates conceived by "YouTube," a video-sharing Web site.

San Francisco Giants left-fielder Barry Bonds surpasses the career home-run record set by Hank Aaron in 1974.

In the joined cases of Meredith v. Jefferson County (Kentucky) Board of Education, and Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that absent a court order, the assignment of students to schools based on race is unconstitutional if methods other than explicit racial classifications have not been considered as a means of achieving integration.

The collapse of an interstate highway bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis triggers the Federal Highway Administration to instruct that states inspect the integrity of similarly-designed bridges throughout the nation.