On October 25, The Heartland Institute hosted its fourth annual Emerging Issues Forum in Chicago. This year’s event was the most successful yet!

More than 50 elected officials attended from nearly 20 states, “a record by far for these events," noted Heartland President Joseph Bast. "I listened to every panel presentation and without exception they were terrific. The legislators in the audience were alert, engaged, and never left the room."

Seventeen panelists—representing not only Heartland but also the American Legislative Exchange Council, Americans for Tax Reform, Association for Competitive Technology, Hudson Institute, Independence Institute, National Center for Policy Analysis, Secure Services Corp., UST Public Affairs, and Washington Policy Center—addressed the audience on five topics: climate change, air quality and transportation, budget and taxes, public health, and information technology/telecommunications.

Click the Speakers link above for the text of presentations as they become available.

The presentations also will be collected in a book, Emerging Issues 2008, scheduled for release in February. Watch the Heartland Web site for details as they become available.

Our sincere thanks to all the speakers, our attentive and influential audience, and the sponsors who made the Fourth Annual Emerging Issues Forum a smashing success.