National Conference of State Legislatures - The Forum for America's Ideas
Legislative Staff Services

 

News Highlights: Legislative StaffProfessional DevelopmentDirectoriesBill Information | Other Resources
    View Full Address                   
Photo of legislative chamber

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

 
Legislative Staff Organizations, Networks and Coordinating Committee
OverviewEducation NetworkFiscal OfficesHealth StaffInformation OfficersInformation TechnologyLeadership StaffLegal Services
Legislative Clerks & SecretariesPersonal StaffProgram EvaluationResearch & CommitteeResearch LibrariansServices & SecurityLegislative Staff Coordinating Committee
    View Full Address                   
NCSL Legal Services Staff Section (LSSS)

Legal Services Executive Committee: 2012-2013

The terms of office commence at the close of the NCSL Legislative Summit at which officers are elected.

Chair
Margaret Piety
Staff Attorney
Legislative Services Agency
Indiana General Assembly
200 W Washington St Ste 301
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Vice Chair
Jon Heining
General Counsel
Legislative Council
Texas Legislature
PO Box 12128
Austin, TX  78711-2128

Secretary
Julie Pelegrin
Deputy Director
Legislative Legal Services
200 E Colfax Rm 091 State Capitol
Denver, CO 80203-1782

Immediate Past Chair (2011-12)
Roger Norman
Legislative Auditor
Division of Legislative Audit
Rm 172 State Capitol
Little Rock, AR 72201

 

2012-2013 Legal Services Directors

Directors shall be elected for a term of two years and may be reelected for a second consecutive term.  The terms of office commence at the close of the NCSL Legislative Summit at which directors are elected.

Newsletter Editor
Jery Payne
Staff Attorney
Office of Legislative Legal Services
Room 091, State Capitol
Denver, CO 80203

Wendy Jackson
Senior Legislative Editor
Legislative Reference Bureau
Wisconsin Legislature
Suite 200
One East Main Street
Madison, WI 53703
Term of Office:  2nd Term Expires 2014

Frank Arey
Legal Counsel
Division of Legislative Audit
Rm 172 State Capitol
Little Rock, AR 72201
Term of Office: 2nd Term Expires 2013

 

Raúl E. Burciaga
Director
Legislative Counsel Service
490 Old Santa Fe Trail, Suite 411
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Term of Office:  2nd Term Expires 2014

Julie Pelegrin
Assistant Director
Legislative Legal Services
200 E Colfax Rm 091 State Capitol
Denver , CO 80203-1782
Term of Office:  1st Term Expires 2013

Othni Lathram
Assistant Director
Alabama Law Institute
Alabama Legislature
PO Box 861425
Tuscaloosa, AL  35486 
Term of Office:  1st Term Expires 2013

Edith Pollitz
Senior Attorney
Florida Legislature
Rm 612 111 West Madison Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1400
Term of Office: 1st Term Expires 2014


 

2012-13 LSSS Committees

 

2012-13 Program Planning Committee

The committee identifies session content and activities for LSSS sessions at the NCSL Legislative Summit, the fall Professional Development Seminar, and webinars.  This committee also selects the LSSS Distinguished Scholar, locates speakers, and conducts other tasks that contribute to the success of Legal Services Staff Section meetings and webinars. Committee members' term of office: August 2012-August 2013

Co-Chairs:
Frank Arey, Arkansas
Wendy Jackson, Wisconsin 

Members:
Robert Rothberg, New Jersey
Debbie Haskins, Colorado
Anne O'Brien, Oregon
Michael Chernick, Vermont
Doug Himes, Tennessee
Katherine McBride, KS
Tami Dodge, WI
Thomas Vaughn, UT
Raúl E. Burciaga, NM

Outreach Committee

Committee activities primarily include the continuation of outreach efforts to legal services staff in all state legislatures.  Efforts are made to encourage inactive legal services staff to become involved in LSSS by sending letters and e-mails and making personal phone calls to staff in states where staff have not been active in LSSS.  Committee members' term of office: August 2012-August 2013

Chair:
Julie Pelegrin, Colorado

Members:
 Nancy Cyr, Nebraska
John Bjornson, North Dakota
Anne Sappenfield, WI
Doug Himes, TN
Edith Pollitz, FL
Jack Ewing, IA
Josh Nacey, KY

Nominations Committee

The LSSS Nominations Committee consists of the immediate past section chair, who shall serve as chair of the nominating committee, the vice-chair, one director and two other members.   The Committee selects a slate of nominees and that slate is submitted by the Chair of the Nominating Committee for a vote of the general members of the Association at the NCSL Legislative Summit.  Nominees are elected by a simple majority of the general members of the Association present and voting.  Committee members' term of office: August 2012-August 2013

 

Chair:
Roger Norman, AR

Vice-Chair:
Jon Heining, TX

Members:
TBD

Awards Committee

The annual Legislative Staff Achievement Award was created by the Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee to recognize excellence in supporting the work of a state legislature and strengthening the legislative institution.  Each staff section associated with NCSL may name up to two recipients–individuals, teams or legislative offices–for recognition each year.  The LSSS Awards Committee solicits nominations and recommends award recipients for the 2011 LSSS Legislative Staff Achievement Award, based on criteria outlined on the LSSS website.  Committee members' term of office: August 2012-August 2013

Chair:
Jon Heining, TX

Members:
TBD

Long-Term Planning Committee

Committee activities include designing a survey of LSSS members, evaluating the information gathered from the survey and recommending way that LSSS can use that information to best serve the needs of legal services staff in the legislatures.    The committee will also develop additional methods and activities to enhance the value of the survey information. Committee members' term of office: August 2012-August 2013

Chair:
Karen Lenertz, Minnesota

Members:
 Jon Heining, TX
Sheila Mohan, CA
Julie Pelegrin, CO
Raul Burciaga, NM

Newsletter Committee 

The newsletter committee recommends topics for articles and assists the newsletter editor in finding state contacts to write the State News section. Committee members' term of office: August 2012-August 2013

Chair:
Jery Payne, Colorado

Members:
 Scott Harrison, NE
Edith Pollitz, FL
Katherine McBride, KS
Othni Lathram, AL
Michael Gallagher, WI

Technology

 The website review task force evaluates the LSSS web page and other NCSL web pages of interest to legal staff in legislatures. Committee members' term of office: August 2012-August 2013
Chair:
Jon Heining, TX

Members:
 Scott Harrison, NE
Jery Payne, CO
Othni Lathram, AL
Anne Sappenfield, WI
Lisa Wallmeyer, VA
Jamie Clariday, TN
Richard Sweetman, CO

 


 

 

NCSL's 2013 Legislative Summit

Graphic promoting NCSL's mobile app for members

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

©2013 National Conference of State Legislatures.  All Rights Reserved.