The history of us.NCSL NCSL National Conference of State Legislatures NCSL National College for School Leadership NCSL National Conference of Standards Laboratories NCSL National Council of State Legislators NCSL National Computer Systems Laboratory (NIST) was founded in the conviction that legislative service is one of democracy's worthiest pursuits. In 25 years it has grown to be the preeminent organization dedicated to serving state lawmakers and staffs. "If NCSL didn't exist, we would have to invent it" is a phrase we hear often. So who did "invent" NCSL? How has it changed? What are the milestones in its 25-year history? How has NCSL become "the forum for America's ideas"? In the early 1970s, there were three competing national organizations for state legislators. The National Legislative Conference was founded by a group of legislative service agency directors in 1948 to promote the coordination of research and exchange of ideas about legislative procedures, organization and services. Working as a wing of the Council of State Governments, NLC NLC National League of Cities NLC National Library of Canada NLC National Library of China NLC Northern Lights College (British Columbia, Canada) NLC North Lake College (Irving, Texas) remained largely a staff organization until the mid-1950s, when legislators began to participate and assume leadership roles. Legislative leaders from some of the larger states formed the National Conference of State Legislative Leaders in 1959. They felt that the Council of State Governments was dominated by governors and the National Legislative Conference by staff. They wanted to focus on the role of legislative leaders and to create an organization to rival the National Governors' Association. Rank and file legislators reacted to the formation of the leaders' conference by establishing the National Society of State Legislators in the early 1960s. The society was a relatively small organization, but had particularly effective relations with an association of private sector leaders who were committed to the improvement of state legislatures. In 1970-71 the three organizations, with the help of the Citizens Conference on State Legislatures (a private, non-profit organization A non-profit organization (abbreviated "NPO", also "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") is a legally constituted organization whose primary objective is to support or to actively engage in activities of public or private interest without any commercial or monetary profit purposes. committed to legislative improvement), discussed a possible merger. These negotiations eventually bogged down, but did result in greater cooperation among the three organizations, especially in the area of federal representation in Washington, D.C. Merger talks revived in 1973-74 under the leadership of Connecticut Speaker William Ratchford, Ohio Speaker Charles Kurfess, Pennsylvania Speaker Herbert Fineman Herbert Fineman is a former Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. O'Donnell was first elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1955[1]. , Florida Representative George Firestone, Tennessee Representative Tom Jensen and staffers William Snodgrass The Rev William Snodgrass (4 September 1827 – 22 July 1906) was a Canadian Presbyterian minister and the sixth Principal of Queen's College, now Queen's University. of Tennessee and George McManus
George McManus (January 23, 1884 – October 22, 1954) is an American cartoonist best known as the creator of the "Maggie and Jiggs" characters in his syndicated comic strip, of Pennsylvania. These leaders commissioned the Eagleton Institute of Politics The Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University was established in 1956 with an endowment from Florence Peshine Eagleton (1870-1953), and it focuses on state and national politics through education, and public service. under the direction of Alan Rosenthal to survey legislators and staff about the need for a single national organization and to make recommendations about the structure of a merged organization. In August 1974 the National Legislative Conference and the National Society of State Legislators met in Albuquerque, along with the executive committee of the National Conference of State Legislative Leaders. The three entities voted to dissolve their organizations and form the National Conference of State Legislatures The abbreviation NCSL redirects here. For the British educational institution see National College for School Leadership. The National Conference of State Legislatures effective Jan. 1, 1975. Speaker Kurfess characterized the merger as "the most important step we can take to convince the nation of the strength and the quality of state legislatures." Crucial to the success of the merger was the support of the Council of State Governments, which granted $500,000 to the new organization to support its first six months of operations until it could obtain its own funds from state appropriations. The Council of State Governments was the home of four regional organizations of state legislators, and this arrangement continued after the merger of the national organizations. The structure of NCSL today is a direct result of the key issues and compromises in the merger negotiations of 1975. During the final stages, Maryland Senate The Maryland State Senate is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is composed of 47 senators elected from single-member districts. Leadership Position Name Party District President of the Senate Thomas V. President Pro Tem president pro tem n. pl. presidents pro tem Informal A president pro tempore. Steny Hoyer (now a member of Congress) argued effectively that the most fundamental powers of the organization should reside in the annual meeting - the largest and most democratic forum of the organization. As a result, annual meeting participants must approve the NCSL budget, review its annual audit, elect its officers and executive committee, and adopt all policy positions. Initial NCSL annual meetings drew 2,000 to 2,500 participants. Attendance at the 1979 event in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden jumped to over 4,000, and participation of 6,000 legislators, legislative staff, private sector and families has become routine in the 1990s. Each of the original groups left legacies still present in the structure of NCSL today. Legislative leaders were concerned that leaders play a key role in the new organization, so the bylaws The rules and regulations enacted by an association or a corporation to provide a framework for its operation and management. Bylaws may specify the qualifications, rights, and liabilities of membership, and the powers, duties, and grounds for the dissolution of an specified that the president and at least 10 members of the executive committee be legislative leaders. NCSL regularly conducts seminars and produces publications specifically for leaders and maintains a Leaders' Center to respond to their needs. The National Legislative Conference played a critical role in supporting the communication and professional development needs of legislative staff, and these services were continued and expanded under NCSL. Three of the seven NCSL officers are staff, and legislative staff are represented on the executive committee in a ratio of two legislators to one staff person. The original NCSL executive committee of 34 members has grown to 60, but the 2:1 legislator-staff ratio has remained constant. NCSL has 10 very active professional societies of legislative staff operating under its auspices. As a carryover from the National Society of State Legislators, NCSL established a close working relationship with the State Government Affairs Council Affairs Council may refer to:
SGAC Senate Governmental Affairs Committee SGAC Space-to-Ground Antenna Controller ), a national organization of private sector leaders who share NCSL's commitment to strengthening the legislative institution and the states' role in the federal system. Today's Assembly on Federal Issues was an outgrowth of an intergovernmental relations committee of the National Legislative Conference and has been in place virtually in its present form since the first days of NCSL. AFI AFI American Film Institute AFI Awaiting Further Instructions AFI Armed Forces Insurance AFI A Fire Inside (band) AFI Air Force Instruction AFI Australian Film Institute AFI Agencia Federal de Investigación develops NCSL's policy positions on federal issues and lobbies Congress and the administration on behalf of the legislatures. The Assembly on State Issues was founded in 1978 as a state issues counterpart to AFI. ASI ASI, n See Anxiety Sensitivity Index. serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas on state issues and generally does not adopt policy positions. NCSL established the Foundation for State Legislatures in 1982 as a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation that raises money to support the objectives and special projects of the conference. Its volunteer board of directors is composed of corporate and union executives, as well as state legislative leaders and senior legislative staff. OFFICES AND STAFF The first decision that confronted the executive committee of the new National Conference of State Legislatures was the selection of an executive director. Earl S. Mackey, one of two candidates from among the directors of the predecessor organizations, was chosen to run NCSL. Mackey had previously served in the Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 31,000 residents. , on the staff of the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. Senate and as an association executive. After hiring an executive director, the executive committee conducted a national search to select a headquarters city. After considering Washington, D.C., the committee decided that a national organization of states should be located in a state rather than the federal capital. Denver was selected in a competition with nine other cities because of its good air transportation, attractiveness for recruiting staff and the presence of a number of other national and regional organizations of state officials. The Denver office has occupied space in four different downtown locations since 1975. The NCSL leadership was committed to a strong office in Washington, D.C., to represent the interests of legislatures. NCSL's Washington offices were located with the National Governors' Association and the Council of State Governments, and NCSL was immediately recognized as part of the Big Seven organizations of state and local government officials. In 1976 NCSL, CSG CSG - constructive solid geometry and NGA Noun 1. NGA - a combat support agency that provides geographic intelligence in support of national security National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency established the Hall of the States in Washington as a home for most of the major state government associations and individual state offices. The new executive director was charged with hiring the rest of the staff. Several people who had worked for the National Legislative Conference came to work for NCSL. The staff numbered approximately 25 at the outset in 1975. A year later it had grown to 54. Today the staff includes 146 in Denver and 51 in Washington, D.C. Mackey served for 12 years as NCSL's executive director. William T. Pound succeeded him in 1987 and continues in that role today. Pound had worked for NCSL since early in 1975 and had previously taught political science at the University of Denver Background and rankings The University was founded in 1864 as Colorado Seminary by John Evans, the former Territorial Governor of Colorado, who had been appointed by US President Abraham Lincoln. . EXPANSION OF SERVICES NCSL's flagship publication has always been State Legislatures magazine. However, the one-color newsletter style of the January 1975 issue bears little resemblance to NCSL's modern magazine. State Legislatures began accepting advertising in 1983 and moved to four-color printing in 1986. From the outset, NCSL staff placed high priority on prompt, accurate, bipartisan responses to information requests. In the earliest days of the organization, a small group of NCSL generalists would meet every Monday morning to review all pending information requests and discuss how to answer them. Those days are long gone. Information requests now number several thousand per month, and the staff are issue specialists. In order to facilitate the exchange of information among state legislatures and to reduce the number of questions asked of NCSL, a small group of legislative staff directors worked with NCSL in the late 1970s to develop an electronic information exchange of legislative research reports called LEGISNET. This was an important milestone in NCSL's growth and was a very early use of on-line information systems for exchange of policy information among the states. In 1994 NCSL began making LEGISNET available through an electronic bulletin board system that soon evolved into a presence on the World Wide Web. Today, over half a million legislative policy documents are accessible to legislators and legislative staff via NCSLnet, NCSL's Web site (www.ncsl.org). NCSL made some fundamental budget decisions in 1975 to emphasize services in two areas: the management and organization of the legislative institution and state fiscal policy. These early decisions about the allocation of resources allocation of resources Apportionment of productive assets among different uses. The issue of resource allocation arises as societies seek to balance limited resources (capital, labour, land) against the various and often unlimited wants of their members. are still present in the NCSL budget today. NCSL emphasizes the legislative institution because it is unique in this field, and improving the quality and effectiveness of legislatures is one of its fundamental goals. State fiscal policy has been a focus because the power of the purse The power of the purse is the ability of one group to manipulate and control the actions of another group by withholding funding, or putting stipulations on the use of funds. The power of the purse can be used positively (e.g. is the most fundamental legislative power, and NCSL believes it should be expert in this field. NCSL was actively involved in providing training and professional development for legislative staff from the outset. The development of training and technical assistance programs for legislators was facilitated by a grant from the federal government under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act beginning in 1976. This grant, called Project TRAIN, provided resources to allow NCSL to tailor training programs to the needs of individual states and deliver services directly in state capitals. After Project TRAIN funding ran out, NCSL continued to provide specially tailored individual state assistance programs. Today, NCSL delivers more than 100 programs in three-quarters of the states every year. In the 1990s it has moved into the international arena to assist emerging democracies in strengthening their legislatures and federal systems. The National Legislative Conference brought a few federal and foundation grants to NCSL in education finance and science and technology. The energy crisis of the late 1970s caused the federal government to urge states to invest more in alternative energy sources and led to a great expansion of NCSL grant activity in the areas of energy, natural resources and the environment. NCSL's growing reputation in these policy areas helped to obtain grants in human services, health care and criminal justice. In the early 1980s the first Reagan administration Noun 1. Reagan administration - the executive under President Reagan executive - persons who administer the law substantially reduced federal grants to state and local government, and this led to the first significant cutbacks in NCSL funds and staffing. It also caused NCSL to expand marketing of its products and services, including advertising in the magazine and sale of publications and exhibits at the annual meeting in order to diversify funding sources. After the first Reagan administration, grants and contracts gradually expanded again. In the early 1990s grants made up 42 percent of NCSL's funding and allowed staff to specialize in specific policy areas in ways that would not be possible without them. Almost all of these grants were in the Denver office. In 1996 the Intergovernmental Health Policy Project and the Health Policy Tracking Service, formerly housed at George Washington University George Washington University, at Washington, D.C.; coeducational; chartered 1821 as Columbian College (one of the first nonsectarian colleges), opened 1822, became a university in 1873, renamed 1904. , agreed to transfer operations to NCSL in its Washington office. This greatly expanded both NCSL services in health care policy and the size and mission of the Washington office. NCSL's core funding comes from the appropriations that state legislatures make to support the organization. This means that there is an annual test of the value of this invention: whether or not the 50 states provide the necessary operating funds. In NCSL's first fiscal year, 1975-76, 46 states appropriated funds to support the new organization. Within one year, 49 states were participating, and by 1977-78 all 50 states were members. Since that time, state, territorial and commonwealth legislatures have confirmed the value of NCSL every year by appropriating more than 95 percent of the funds requested of them. Working in partnership with the state legislatures, NCSL has matured into a vital organization. As legislatures have taken on more and more responsibilities, NCSL has grown in its ability to support their work. Together NCSL and the state legislatures have become the forum for America's ideas. 1974-1975 President Senate President Kevin Harrington Kevin Harrington (born 4 September 1959 in Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian actor who is perhaps best known for his role as David Bishop on the Australian soap opera Neighbours. Massachusetts Staff Chair Eugene Farnum Fiscal Agency Director Michigan 1975-1976 President Representative Tom Jensen Tennessee Staff Chair Bonnie Reese Secretary Joint Legislative Council Wisconsin 1976-1977 President Speaker Martin Sabo Minnesota Staff Chair McDowell Lee Secretary of the Senate Alabama 1977-1978 President Senate President Fred Anderson Fred Anderson is the name of a number of notable people, including:
Staff Chair Robert Herman Robert Herman (born in August 29, 1914 in Bronx, New York City – died, February 13, 1997 in Austin, Texas) was a United States scientist, best known for his work with Ralph Alpher in 1948-50, on estimating the temperature of cosmic microwave background radiation from the Big Special Advisor Speaker's Office New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of 1978-1979 President Senate President Jason Boe Oregon Staff Chair Arthur Palmer Arthur Palmer is a name common to a number of notable individuals including:
1979-1980 President Speaker George Roberts George Roberts may refer to:
Staff Chair David Johnston David Johnston can refer to more than one person:
1980-1981 President Representative Richard Hodes Florida Staff Chair Patrick Flahaven Secretary of the Senate Minnesota 1981-1982 President Senate President Ross Doyen Kansas Staff Chair Robert Smartt Assembly Deputy Director New Jersey 1982-1983 President Senate President Pro tem Wm. Passannante New York Staff Chair Joe Brown Secretary of the Senate Florida 1983-1984 President Senate President Miles "Cap" Ferry Utah Staff Chair John Lattimer Dr. John Kingsley Lattimer (October 14, 1914, in Mount Clemens, Michigan - May 10, 2007 in Teaneck, New Jersey) was a urologist who did extensive research on the Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations, becoming the first medical specialist not affiliated with the United States Director Intergovernmental Commission Illinois 1984-1985 President Deputy Speaker John Bragg John Bragg is the name of:
Staff Chair Leo Leo, in astronomy Leo [Lat.,=the lion], northern constellation lying S of Ursa Major and on the ecliptic (apparent path of the sun through the heavens) between Cancer and Virgo; it is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Memmott Fiscal Analyst Utah 1985-1986 President Senate President David Nething North Dakota North Dakota, state in the N central United States. It is bordered by Minnesota, across the Red River of the North (E), South Dakota (S), Montana (W), and the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (N). Staff Chair Dale Cattanach State Auditor State auditors are executive officers of U.S. states. The office usually is created by the state constitution.
1986-1987 President Speaker Irv Stolberg Connecticut Staff Chair John Andreason Director Budget Office Idaho (took over for Sue Bauman, Kansas) 1987-1988 President Senate President Ted Strickland Ted Strickland, (born August 4 1941) is an American politician of the Democratic Party, and the current Governor of the state of Ohio. Before his election in 2006, he served six terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio’s 6th district. Colorado Staff Chair John Andreason Director Budget Office Idaho 1988-1989 President Senate President Pro Team Samuel Nunez Louisiana 1988-1989 President Senate President Pro Tem Samuel Nunez Louisiana Staff Chair Betty King Secretary of the Senate Texas 1989-1990 President House Minority Leader Lee Daniels Illinois Staff Chair Patrick O'Donnell
1990-1991 President Speaker John Martin Maine Staff Chair William Russell William Russell, Bill Russell, Billy Russell, or Willy Russell may refer to:
1991-1992 President Senate President Paul "Bud" Burke Kansas Staff Chair Terry Anderson Terry Anderson may be:
1992-1993 President House Minority Leader Art Hamilton Arizona Staff Chair Don Schneider Clerk of the Senate Wisconsin 1993-1994 President Senate Minority Whip Robert Connor Robert Connor can refer to
Staff Chair John Turcotte PEER Committee Director Mississippi 1994-1995 President Representative Karen McCarthy Karen McCarthy (born March 18, 1947) is a Missouri politician. She served as the U.S. Representative for the fifth district of Missouri from 1995 to 2004. McCarthy was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts and grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. Missouri (elected to Congress mid-term) President House Assistant Minority Leader Jane Campbell Might mean
Staff Chair Ted Ferris Joint Budget Committee Director Arizona 1995-1996 President Deputy Majority Whip James Lack New York Staff Chair Alfred Speer Clerk of the House Clerk of the House can refer to positions in a number of countries:
1996-1997 President House Majority Chairman Michael Box Alabama Staff Chair Russell Larson Controller General Delaware 1997-1998 President Senate President Richard Finan Ohio Staff Chair Anne Walker Clerk of the House Missouri 1998-1999 President Representative Daniel Blue, Jr. North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. Staff Chair Thomas Tedcastle General Counsel Director Bill Drafting Florida SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW NCSL 1. Who was the first woman officer of NCSL? 2. Which annual meeting had the largest attendance (and the most media coverage)? 3. What city has hosted the annual meeting most frequently? 4. Who was the first African American African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race. officer of NCSL? 5. Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton have all spoken numerous times at NCSL functions. However, only one has spoken in person at the annual meeting during his term in office. Who, where and when? 6. What state has had the most officers of NCSL? 7. What three state capitals were the finalists for selection as the NCSL headquarters? 8. What were the original names of the Assembly on Federal Issues and the Assembly on State Issues? 9. What are the voting rules for NCSL to take a policy position? 10. What major event in U.S. political history occurred one week before the 1974 annual meeting in Albuquerque at which the formation of NCSL was approved? 11. What former presidents of NCSL currently serve in Congress? 12. What are the names of the four people who have served as directors of NCSL's Washington office? Answers to NCSL Trivia (1) Bonnie Reese, Wisconsin, staff chair, 1975-76. Missouri Representative Karen McCarthy, 1994, was the first woman legislator officer. (2) Orlando in 1991 - 8,200. (3 New Orleans New Orleans (ôr`lēənz –lənz, ôrlēnz`), city (2006 pop. 187,525), coextensive with Orleans parish, SE La., between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, 107 mi (172 km) by water from the river mouth; founded , Philadelphia and Indianapolis, twice each. (4) Robert Smartt, New Jersey, staff chair, 1981-82. Arizona Representative Art Hamilton, 1992-93, was the first African American legislator officer. (5) Reagan in Atlanta in 1981. (6) Florida - four. Kansas, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin have had three each. (7) Denver, Indianapolis, Columbus. (8) Intergovernmental Relations Committee (later State Federal Assembly) and Assembly on the Legislature. (9) One vote per state, three-fourths majority required for passage. (10) Resignation of President Nixon. (11) Martin O. Sabo, Minnesota, and Karen McCarthy, Missouri. (12) Jerome Sohns, John Callahan, Robert Goss, Carl Tubbesing. WHO WAS WHO By the middle of 1975, a number of stall who continue to serve as leaders of NCSL today were working for the new organization. Karl Kurtz, current director of state services, and Dick Merritt, director of the Intergovernmental Health Policy Project, had worked for the National Legislative Conference and joined the staff of the new organization. Executive Director Bill Pound and Deputy Executive Director Card Tubbesing came to work soon after the headquarters opened in Denver in 1975. Jerry Sohns, director of the NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures, was the first director of NCSL's Washington office. Other staff with more than 20 years of service with NCSL include Doug Sacarto, Diane Chaffin, Doug Webb and Larry Morandi in the Denver office and Joy Johnson Wilson and Kathy Brennan-Wiggins in the Washington office. Many NCSL staff have gone on to other distinguished positions in and out of government. Among the more noteworthy are: * Jim Edgar, NCSL's first director of state services, served as governor of Illinois The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. from 1990-98. Before that he was an Illinois representative, on Governor Jim Thompson's staff and secretary of state. * Two former NCSL staff members became directors of congressional budget committees. John Callahan was director of the Senate Budget Committee under Tennessee Senator James Sasser and now serves as assistant secretary for management at the Department of Health and Human Services Noun 1. Department of Health and Human Services - the United States federal department that administers all federal programs dealing with health and welfare; created in 1979 Health and Human Services, HHS . Rick May served as director of the House Budget Committee chaired by Ohio Representative John Kasich. May now lobbies in Washington, D.C., for Davidson and Associates. * Former NCSL executive director Earl Mackey is vice chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents The Ohio Board of Regents is the coordinating board for higher education in Ohio. The board was created in 1963 by the Ohio General Assembly to: provide higher education policy advice to the Governor of Ohio and the Ohio General Assembly; develop a strategy involving Ohio's public . 25 YEARS OF SERVICE TO YOU For the past 25 years, we have been at your service: answering your questions, giving you the kind of research you need to do your job better, providing you with ideas for solving America's problems. You've turned to us and in all our work, you come first. Here's a snapshot of that work over the past quarter century. * Number of state legislators we have served: 112,500 * Members of Congress we have lobbied: 7,400 * Presidential administrations we have lobbied: 7 * The number of times you've asked us for information, and we've answered: 304,124, plus hundreds of thousands more that you get answered from www.ncsl.org that we can't count * The number of books, magazines and periodicals we've written and published: 1,708 * The number of meetings we've put on: 500 * The attendance at those meetings: 175,000 * The number of issues we've lobbied: 1,250 * The number of topics covered in the magazine: 5,000 * The number of issues researched by NCSL: 21,000 * The total of research grants won on behalf of the states: $88 million * The number of times we visited states to testify or support your work on issues: 900 * Number of NCSL staff who have provided these services: 868 As we enter a new century, just as we have for the past 25 years, we will be here to help you advance your ideas, bring you the latest ideas, promote the exchange of ideas and take America's ideas to Capitol Hill. |
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