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
- ICYMI: Climate Impacts in the Great Lakes Region PresentationOn March 31, the GLLC hosted climatologist Omar Gates from Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments (GLISA) for a presentation on the impacts of climate change on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region. Gates explained that GLISA uses a predictive model for climate impact based on an advanced simulation of natural processes and available data.… Read more: ICYMI: Climate Impacts in the Great Lakes Region Presentation
- Great Lakes Legislators Study Climate Resiliency at April Meeting in DetroitIn April, the binational, bipartisan 2023 Birkholz Fellows met in Detroit to set the GLLC policy priorities for Climate Resiliency in Great Lakes Communities. Over the two-day workshop, the Fellows learned about Great Lakes shorelines and nature-based restoration, stormwater and wastewater infrastructure, flooding impacts, and climate resiliency and adaptation policies, including the Tribal Climate… Read more: Great Lakes Legislators Study Climate Resiliency at April Meeting in Detroit
- Executive Committee Welcomes New Representation from Minnesota, Ohio, Québec, and WisconsinEarlier this year, the GLLC welcomed four new Executive Committee members: Senator Mary Kunesh from Minnesota, Senator Theresa Gavarone from Ohio, MNA Joëlle Boutin from Québec, and Representative Lisa Subeck from Wisconsin. Senator Kunesh serves on the Environment, Climate, and Legacy Committee and is a founding member of the Native American and People of… Read more: Executive Committee Welcomes New Representation from Minnesota, Ohio, Québec, and Wisconsin
- GLLC Joins Statement on U.S. Federal Great Lakes PrioritiesOn 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,… Read more: GLLC Joins Statement on U.S. Federal Great Lakes Priorities