National Conference of State Legislatures
| National Conference of State Legislatures | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. and Denver, Colorado |
| Affiliation: | Bipartisan |
| Top official: | Rep. Scott Saiki (D-Hawaii), President |
| Year founded: | 1975 |
| Website: | Official website |
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is a bipartisan organization established in 1975 that "represents the legislatures in the states, territories and commonwealths of the U.S."[1] The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and Denver, Colorado.
The NCSL monitors, tracks, and researches state and state-federal legislation that impacts state politics. The NCSL also has a nonprofit 501(c)(3) foundation, NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures.
Mission
The mission statement of NCSL, according to their website, is as follows:[1]
| “ |
...to advance the effectiveness, independence and integrity of legislatures and to foster interstate cooperation and facilitate the exchange of information among legislatures.[2] |
” |
Background
NCSL, founded in 1975, emerged from three separate organizations that represented the interests of state legislators and legislative staff.[1] According to NCSL, in order to establish a stronger influence, legislators and staffers created the NCSL as a means "to support, defend and strengthen state legislatures."[1]
Standing committees are at the core of the NCSL organizational structure. There are eight committees, which meet biannually, and membership is by appointment. The eight committees are as follows:[3]
- Budgets and Revenue
- Communications, Financial Services and Interstate Commerce
- Education
- Health and Human Services
- Labor and Economic Development
- Law, Criminal Justice and Public Safety
- Natural Resources and Infrastructure
- Redistricting and Elections
In addition to committees, the NCSL also includes task forces, which deal with issues spanning multiple committee areas. The task forces are also temporal, dealing with time-sensitive issues. The NCSL president and staff chair appoint task force members and each task force has a Republican and a Democratic co-chair.[4] As of June 2022, there were eight task forces, which included the following:[4]
- Agriculture
- Cybersecurity
- Energy Supply
- Immigration and the States
- Innovations in State Health Systems
- Insurance
- Military and Veterans Affairs
- State and Local Taxation
Leadership
NCSL is governed by an executive committee. The committee is composed of 63 members: seven officers, 30 at-large legislator members, four regional legislators from the Council of State Government, six ex officio members, and 16 legislative staff members. The executive committee implements the conference's policies and is in charge of disbursement of funds.[5]
As of June 2022, the NCSL executive committee was as follows:[6]
- Rep. Scott Saiki (D-Hawaii), President
- Rep. Scott Bedke (R-Idaho), President-Elect
- Rep. Brian Kennedy (D-Rhode Island), Vice President
- Rep. Robin Vos (R-Wisconsin), President Emeritus
- J.J. Gentry, Staff Chair
- Anne Sappenfield, Staff Vice Chair
- Martha Wigton, Immediate Past Staff Chair
Affiliated programs
NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures
In 1982, the NCSL created the NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures. The foundation's mission is as follows:[7]
| “ |
The NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures is committed to the important work of strengthening state legislatures, counteracting cynicism and distrust of the legislative process and helping lawmakers confront and solve the critical issues of our time through a public-private dialogue.[2] |
” |
As of June 2022, the foundation's officers were as follows:[8]
- Rep. Robin Vos (R-Wisconsin), President
- Christine Csizmadia, Vice President
- Martha Wigton, Secretary and Treasurer
Finances
The NCSL Foundation is, in part, funded by sponsors. The sponsors are divided into four groups: capitol circle sponsors - $50,000+; platinum sponsors - $30,000+; gold sponsors $15,000; and silver sponsors - $10,000.[9] In 2022, sponsors included large corporations, unions, and other organizations, including AT&T, Nuclear Energy Institute, Walmart, AARP, Amazon, Siemens, UPS, AAA, Nike, and Johnson & Johnson.[9]
The following is a breakdown of NCSL Foundations' revenue from contributions and grants received, total revenue, and expenses for 2010-2019 fiscal years, as reported to the IRS. (Note: the NCSL tax year is July to June.)
| Annual contributions and grants received, total revenue, and expenses for NCSL Foundation, 2010-2019 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax Year | Contributions and grants received | Total annual revenue | Expenses |
| 2019[10] | $3,038,000 | $3,895,985 | $3,848,891 |
| 2018[10] | $2,824,250 | $3,629,331 | $3,642,780 |
| 2017[10] | $2,588,500 | $3,179,316 | $3,158,402 |
| 2016[10] | $2,396,550 | $3,232,390 | $3,258,197 |
| 2015[10] | $2,312,950 | $3,230,438 | $3,238,247 |
| 2013/2014[11] | $2,236,500 | $3,078,989 | $3,073,299 |
| 2012/2013[12] | $2,108,327 | $2,758,288 | $2,803,207 |
| 2011/2012[13] | $2,096,254 | $2,875,010 | $2,859,408 |
| 2010/2011[13] | $1,986,336 | $3,234,387 | $3,278,177 |
Media
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Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 NCSL, "About Us," accessed November 18, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ NCSL, "NCSL General Officers," accessed November 18, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 NCSL, "Task Forces Overview," accessed November 18, 2015
- ↑ NCSL, "Executive Committee," accessed November 25, 2013
- ↑ NCSL, "Executive Committee Officers," accessed November 18, 2015
- ↑ NCSL, "The NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures," accessed June 7, 2022
- ↑ NCSL, "NCSL Foundation Board of Directors," accessed November 18, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 NCSL, "NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures | Sponsor List," accessed November 18, 2015
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 ProPublica, "NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures," accessed June 7, 2022
- ↑ Guidestar, "NCSL, IRS Form 990 (2013/2014)," accessed November 18, 2015
- ↑ Guidestar, "NCSL, IRS Form 990 (2012/2013)," accessed November 18, 2015
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Guidestar, "NCSL, IRS Form 990 (2011/2012)," accessed November 18, 2015
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