Gov. Mike Rounds plans to attend the annual conference of the Council of State Governments later this week in California. He is the incoming chairman of the organization.

Rounds says it includes elected and appointed officials from the legislative, executive and judicial branches who focus on governance issues and the interaction between and among the branches at the state level.

According to Rounds, the council has various committees that work to make government better and more efficient. The meeting begins Thursday and ends Saturday. One discussion topic involves state finances after the economic stimulus money ends.