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Florida House Sergeant at Arms Earnie Sumner will Retire

Longtime Florida House Sergeant at Arms and NCSL Officer, Earnest "Earnie" Sumner will be retiring next month after 42 years of legislative service. More

Courteous & Effective Communication:  Social Media & Email 

Formal letters and phone calls were once the norm but times have changed.  Today, email is our primary form of communication, and social media provides an easy outreach tool.  More

State Budget Update:  Spring 2013

As the four-year anniversary of the official end of the Great Recession approaches, no strong indication exists that states are entering a robust recovery phase. More

 
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NCSL Leadership Staff Section (LSS)

Content

Overview

Purpose

The NCSL Leadership Staff Section was founded in 1975 as a professional organization for legislative staff in the fifty states who work for leaders and party caucuses. The purposes of the section are:

  • To provide a national forum for the recognition of the contributions of leadership staff to the legislative process; 
  • To enhance communication among leadership staff members in the 50 states and the insular possessions and the territories; 
  • To increase effectiveness of leadership staff; and 
  • To offer a forum for discussion of how leadership staff can better serve their leaders and their legislators.

Governance

The staff section is governed by a chair, a first vice-chair, a second vice-chair, an immediate past chair, and an 9-member executive committee. The officers and executive committee are elected by the general membership at the annual business meeting of the staff section. They serve one-year terms with a three consecutive term limit. The executive committee makes general decisions that guide the staff section including planning the activities of the staff section. The executive committee meets at least twice a year at the annual training seminar in the fall and during the winter for a planning session. The executive committee is responsible for setting the agenda for the annual training seminar, publishing the staff section newsletter, maintaining communication with the NCSL executive committee and conducting other business and special projects that arise.

Activities

The Leadership Staff Section is committed to developing the professional skills of legislative staff working in the unique and demanding offices of state legislative leaders. The LSS Annual Training Seminar is the main venue through which the staff section offers professional skills development. The annual training seminar is held each fall for four days. The staff section also sponsors several sessions at the NCSL Annual Meeting in the summer. Curious about last year's agenda? Click here. The 2009 agenda will be available this summer.

 LSS also meets annually at NCSL's Legislative Summit.

LSS publishes a periodic newsletter called Leadership Staff Connections which is sent to all LSS members.

Contact

For more information on LSS, contact Natalie O'Donnell Wood, NCSL staff liaison to LSS.

NCSL's 2013 Legislative Summit

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Denver Office
Tel: 303-364-7700 | Fax: 303-364-7800 | 7700 East First Place | Denver, CO 80230

 

Washington Office
Tel: 202-624-5400 | Fax: 202-737-1069 | 444 North Capitol Street, N.W., Suite 515 | Washington, D.C. 20001

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