NCSL summit opens with grief, warnings on polarization

• National summit of state lawmakers opens with somber tone • Legislators pay tribute to assassinated Melissa Hortman • Attendees urge focus on governance over grievance and service over self

BOSTON — A national summit of state lawmakers from around the country opened Monday with a somber tone as hosts reflected on the June assassination of Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and cautioned about the growing threat of political polarization.

Legislative leaders from Minnesota paid tribute to Hortman as a beacon of leadership who was unafraid to reach across the aisle, and they urged attendees to honor her by working to counteract increasingly inflammatory political rhetoric.

The topic became a consistent theme throughout the opening session of the three-day National Conference