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Organized around the guiding principle of assuring that the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River continue to provide a plentiful source of clean, affordable water to the region’s residents, businesses, and industries.

The GLLC’s mission is to strengthen the role of state and provincial legislators in the regional, national, and binational policymaking process by providing a forum to exchange good practices, ideas, and opportunities, and by advancing legislation to promote the restoration, protection, economy, and sustainable use of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River for current residents and future generations.

Organized and staffed by The Council of State Governments Midwestern Office (CSG Midwest), the GLLC was founded in 2003 at the urging of a core group of state legislators led by the late Michigan Sen. Patricia (Patty) Birkholz. The Caucus has grown from an ad hoc group of like-minded legislators to an active, member-driven organization of state and provincial legislators from all 10 jurisdictions that share the Great Lakes basin.

The evolution of the GLLC would not have been possible without the generosity of foundations that have supported CSG Midwest’s work, with much gratitude especially to The Joyce Foundation. We also thank the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for funding general operations and the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation for funding the GLLC’s work on nutrient management.

Catch up on our latest news

  • GLLC Joins Statement on U.S. Federal Great Lakes Priorities
    On March 9, Great Lakes organizations across the region gathered in Washington D.C. to highlight U.S. federal priorities for the basin on Great Lakes Day. The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus (GLLC) signed onto the joint statement addressing Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding, water infrastructure investment, climate resiliency, harmful algal blooms, emerging contaminants, […]
  • ICYMI: Tracking the Great Lakes Region’s Progress Through Blue Accounting
    On February 10, the GLLC hosted speakers from the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) to talk about their Blue Accounting program. Program manager Nicole Zacharda and project manager Ceci Weibert presented on Blue Accounting’s drinking water, aquatic invasive species, and nutrient management data sets and visualizations. Zacharda outlined the areas of focus for the newly […]
  • A Look Back at Great Lakes Legislation: The 2021-2022 Session
    During the 2021-2022 legislative session, the GLLC tracked more than three hundred pieces of legislation in the Great Lakes states and provinces related to our five issues areas: aquatic invasive species, coastal communities, nutrient management, toxic substances, and water consumption. one-third of the 2021-2022 bills and resolutions were introduced or co-sponsored by GLLC members. […]
  • Executive Committee Welcomes New Representation from Michigan and Pennsylvania
    At the January Executive Committee meeting of the 2023-2024 biennium, Representative Rachel Hood from Michigan and Senator Daniel Laughlin from Pennsylvania were confirmed as the new Executive Committee members for their respective states. Grand Rapids-based Representative Hood was a 2019 Birkholz Institute Fellow, served on the GLLC Task Force on Nutrient Management, and is […]