State Legislatures Magazine: July/August 1999

Editor's Note: This article appeared in the July/August 1999 issue of NCSL's magazine, State Legislatures. To order copies or to subscribe, contact the marketing department at (303) 364-7700.

Staff Sections: A History

ASLCS; LRL; NLSSA; NLPES; LSS; NALFO; NALIT; RACSS; LSSS; LINCS

Looking Ahead

Staff Section Stories: A History

Staff, an important part of any legislature, are also an important part of NCSL.

By Jeanne Mejeur

Legislative staff have been an essential part of the establishment, growth and direction of NCSL. Many legislative staff worked with the National Legislative Conference and supported the merger of that organization with the National Conference of State Legislative Leaders and the National Society of State Legislators into what is now NCSL. Legislative staff played a key role in the merger negotiations in the early years of NCSL to ensure that the new organization would serve as a source of support and professional development for staff. They fought for participation with legislators on the NCSL Executive Committee and the ability to govern their own affairs.

Early on, legislative staff saw the importance of working with their counterparts. Legislative staff before the 1960s were primarily generalists, performing many different tasks. And most of them who were active in the National Legislative Conference valued meeting with all types of staffers. But as staffing in legislatures grew more specialized, so did the staff organizations.

The staff groups, called "sections," developed out of the need to share information and learn from colleagues in other states. Although NCSL provides an umbrella of support for the staff sections, it has also greatly benefited from their leadership, participation and support.

Four of the staff sections predate the founding of NCSL, growing out of the National Legislative Conference. Their histories parallel the growth of NCSL.

American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries (ASLCS) 1943
The American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries was established in 1943, making it the oldest of NCSL's 10 staff sections. Joseph A. Beek, secretary of the California Senate, and T. Thomas Thatcher, clerk of the Michigan House, were the founding members of the society, which began with 107 members. Beek served as president for 25 years, beginning in 1943.

ASLCS has a number of milestones in its history. The society presented its first seminar in 1967 in Albany, N.Y., with 16 members in attendance. Its newsletter, The Legislative Administrator, was first published in 1969. Bylaws and membership dues were adopted in 1972. ASLCS published the first edition of its code of ethics in 1973 and had a logo designed in 1975. In 1993, ASLCS celebrated its 50th anniversary.

The society now has more than 350 members, including principal clerks, secretaries and associate members, and publishes a number of publications, including The Legislative Administrator, Journal of the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries, ASLCS Roster and Reference Guide, International Directory, and, in cooperation with NCSL, Inside the Legislative Process and Mason's Manual.

Legislative Research Librarians Staff Section (LRL) 1972
Legislative librarians began gathering informally in 1968 at a National Legislative Conference (NLC) meeting in St. Louis, Mo., and published their first directory in 1971.

The group formally organized as the Legislative Reference Library Services Section at the 1972 meeting of NLC in New Orleans, and elected Maine librarian Edith Hary as chair. Several current LRL members were among the charter members of the staff section, including West Virginia's Mary Del Cont, Louisiana's Suzanne Hughes and Irene Stone of California.

LRL published its first newsletter in 1977, adopted bylaws in 1978, printed its first directory in booklet format in 1980 and presented its first professional development seminar in 1989 in Denver with 22 librarians in attendance.

The support the legislative librarians provided to NCSL was invaluable in designing and maintaining LEGISNET, the first on-line searchable database of legislative research reports, program evaluations and articles. LRL currently publishes the LRL Newsline and an annual Staff Contacts Directory. The staff section also publishes Core Reference Collection for Legislative Libraries, Survey of Automation in Legislative Libraries, and Legislative Intent Research: A 50-State Guide.

National Legislative Services and Security Association (NLSSA) 1973
A group of legislative staff working together in 1973 with the National Legislative Conference to produce a manual on legislative security established the National Legislative Services and Security Association. The group discovered common needs for training in security measures and the benefits of sharing information.

NLSSA was founded in 1973, and elected Tony Beard Sr., chief sergeant at arms for the California Assembly, as the first president. Following in his father's footsteps, Tony Beard Jr. now serves as the chief sergeant at arms for the California Senate and was NLSSA president from 1987 to 1989.

The staff section established specific membership qualifications and is one of only two NCSL staff sections to charge dues. The group held its first training conference in 1974 in Sacramento, Calif., drawing 100 members from 33 states.

NLSSA continues to provide an annual training conference and publishes a quarterly newsletter and an annual directory of its members. In cooperation with NCSL, NLSSA also produces Services and Security Inside the Legislature, a comprehensive survey on state legislative security, and Protocol: A Handbook for Legislative Staff, which offers information on proper protocol and etiquette in handling important guests, state funerals, flags and legislative ceremonies. The group celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1998.

National Legislative Program Evaluation Society (NLPES) 1974
The National Legislative Program Evaluation Society traces its beginnings to the early 1970s, when many states began forming legislative units to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of government programs.

In 1974, legislative staff from Illinois, Connecticut, New York, North Carolina, Minnesota, Mississippi, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Montana and Virginia established the Legislative Program Evaluation Section, in affiliation with the Government Research Association.

The group produced a newsletter, published a report on the status of program evaluation in the states, and met at the Government Research Association's annual meetings.

NLPES joined the National Conference of State Legislatures as one of the original staff sections when NCSL was formed in 1975. Gerald Silliphant of New Jersey was elected as the first chair. And two of the chairs from the staff section's early years continue to be involved today: Florida's John Turcotte, who served as NLPES chair in 1978, and Virginia's Philip Leone, who chaired the staff section in 1981.

In the late 1970s, NLPES worked with the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University to create a national clearinghouse of legislative program evaluation reports. The staff section held its first formal professional training seminar in 1987, hosted by the Minnesota legislative auditor's office. Before that members met informally and held training sessions for several years with the General Accounting Office in Washington, D.C.

Now with more than 1,000 members, NLPES offers an annual training conference and continues to publish a newsletter, the NLPES News. It also has a listserv and an impressive Internet site that includes research links and a nationwide database of published legislative program evaluation reports.

Leadership Staff Section (LSS) 1975
The Leadership Staff Section was the first to be organized after the establishment of NCSL. Sue Bauman of Kansas, Patricia Briggs of New York and Tim Campbell of Illinois were instrumental in founding the Leadership Staff Section, having realized the value of sharing information with other staff who worked for legislative leaders. Having laid the groundwork in 1975, staff section status was granted to "Leadership" at the NCSL Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Mo., in 1976.

It was a busy year for Leadership. The staff section adopted bylaws and elected its first executive committee, chaired by Robert Smartt of New Jersey and Maria Garcia of Colorado as vice chair. The group also held its first professional development seminar in 1976 in St. Paul, Minn., with Alan Rosenthal as a featured speaker on a program that included panels on leadership staff roles, management techniques, and legislative staff organization and development.

In 1981, Leadership began publishing a newsletter, From the Office of the Leader, which evolved into Leadership Staff Notes in 1987. In addition to the newsletter, LSS presents an annual training conference for its members.

National Association of Legislative Fiscal Offices (NALFO) 1977
NALFO was created by members of the Eastern Fiscal Officers Association, the Western States Legislative Fiscal Officers Association, the Mid-Western States Legislative Fiscal Officers Association, and the Fiscal Affairs and Government Operations Committee of the Southern Legislative Conference, who saw the need for a national organization representing legislative fiscal staff.

Discussion about establishing NALFO began in 1976 at the NCSL Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Mo. The group formally adopted bylaws at the 1977 NCSL Annual Meeting in Detroit.

NALFO elected Maralyn Budke of New Mexico as chair, Al Roberts of New York as vice chair and Gerry Rankin of Iowa as secretary for 1977, and held its first training seminar that year. NALFO members contribute to The Fiscal Link, an on-line newsletter, and publish an annual NALFO directory, NALFO Fiscal Office Salary survey, State Budget Actions report and State Tax Actions report.

The group was one of the first staff sections to use a listserv as a means of sharing information among members. In 1998, NALFO completed a staff training video developed for use in orienting new staff to the work of a legislative fiscal analyst.

National Association of Legislative Information Technology (NALIT) 1978
NALIT had its roots in the Legislative Information Needs Committee that served as a forum on technology for legislators, staff and vendors in the mid-1970s, and the Legislative Information System Task Force, which was established by NCSL and included legislative staff from Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin who had an interest in technology issues.

At the 1977 NCSL Annual Meeting, legislative computer staff laid the foundation for what would become the Computer Applications Staff Section. It was formally recognized in 1978. Founding members included Washington's Ed Miller and Illinois' Walt Kesselman, who were among the few professional information technology staff back then.

From fledgling technology issues in word processing and document reproduction, legislatures began considering computer networks, chamber automation, fiscal analysis systems, databases and bill drafting software.

Reflecting the enormous importance of technology in support of the legislatures, the staff section became the National Association of Legislative Information Technology in 1992. From a handful of staff, NALIT has grown to more than 400 members and boasts an interactive Web site, on-line directory and listserv; publishes the NALIT Newsletter; and presents an annual professional development seminar.

Research and Committee Staff Section (RACSS) 1979
The impetus for what is now RACSS came from legislative council and agency directors, including Bonnie Reese of Wisconsin, Serge Garrison of Iowa, Dave Johnston of Ohio, Lyle Kyle of Colorado and Carl Frantz of Connecticut, who had been meeting informally at NCSL's meetings. RACSS was formally established in 1979, as the Research and Substantive Committee Staff Section.

Bylaws were adopted in 1979 and the staff section began presenting programs at NCSL meetings.

Originally established for research and service agency managers, by 1987 staff section officers, including Allan Green of Connecticut and Joyce Honaker of Kentucky, agreed that they should include nonmanagement staff as well. As a result, RACSS began a concentrated effort to reach out to all legislative staff who are involved in research or policy analysis, and in 1988, changed its name to the Research and Committee Staff Section.

Also in 1988, the staff section published the first RACSS Newsletter, and in 1991 added its annual Directory of Key Research Contacts. In 1994, RACSS began presenting an annual seminar for senior professional development.

At more than 1,700 members, RACSS is the largest of NCSL's staff sections, and one of the most diverse, with both partisan and nonpartisan research staff, committee staff, legislative attorneys, caucus staff and individual member staff.

Legal Services Staff Section (LSSS) 1982
As the NCSL staff sections became more specialized, legislative attorneys felt the need to have a forum of their own.

Established in 1982 at the NCSL Annual Meeting in Chicago, Ill., Legal Services started with a core group of legislative attorneys who had worked closely with NCSL, including Becky Lennahan and Douglas Brown, both of Colorado, William Russell of Vermont, James Clodfelter of Tennessee and Dennis Cooper of Washington. A long-time staff section member, Bruce Feustel who was with the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau and chair of Legal Services for 1993-94, is now a senior fellow in NCSL's Legislative Management program.

Legal Services is still the only national legal professional organization dedicated to legislative attorneys and paralegal staff. In 1987, Legal Services began publishing its newsletter, The Legislative Lawyer, and has since added an annual directory, Legal Services Key Contacts.

Legal Services has long sponsored the senior bill drafting seminar and recently joined in the professional development seminars of NLPES and RACSS, as a co-sponsor. Legal Services supports a listserv for communication among legislative legal staff and maintains an active Web site. Legal Services also provides extensive support to bill drafting staff in emerging democracies.

Legislative Information and Communications Staff Section (LINCS) 1999
The genesis for NCSL's newest staff section began in 1997 at the Public Information and Media Relations seminar in Washington, D.C., when four legislative staff articulated the same ambition: to enhance and expand the resources available to legislative communications professionals.

Susan Swords and Penny Silletti from the New Jersey Office of Legislative Services, and Sheila McCant and Brenda Hodge from the Louisiana House and Senate joined forces to explore the creation of a staff section for legislative public information staff.

Although NCSL had sponsored biannual training seminars for communications staff for a number of years, staff agreed there was a need for ongoing support and formal information exchange on a continuous basis.

The initiative took greater shape in late spring 1998, when letters were received from 26 states in support of the idea. A staff section mission statement and bylaws were drafted and presented at the 1998 NCSL Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. In January 1999, the NCSL Executive Committee granted full approval to the new staff section at its meeting in Louisiana.

LINCS is developing its home page on the NCSL Web site and will continue to use its newsletter, The Informant, as a primary means of communication. The LINCS executive committee will hold its first formal meeting at the NCSL Annual Meeting in Indianapolis with the Public Information and Media Relations seminar to follow in the fall.

LOOKING AHEAD
As the staff sections continue to expand the programs and services they provide for their members, they also continue to help shape the future of NCSL. Each of the 10 staff sections has two representatives on the Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee (LSCC), which serves as the guiding entity for legislative staff activities and services at NCSL. Through its committees and task forces, the LSCC has developed products such as the Model Code of Conduct for Legislative Staff and the Model Policy for Appropriate Use of The Internet, and promoted professional development opportunities. Many staff section members have gone on to serve on NCSL's Executive Committee and several have been elected as NCSL staff chair, the highest legislative staff position within NCSL.

NCSL's Jeanne Mejeur works with the Research and Committee Staff Section. Other NCSL staff section liaisons also contributed to this article.

©1999, National Conference of State Legislatures. All rights reserved.

Staff Section Trivia:

ASLCS is the oldest staff section, founded in 1943.
LINCS is the newest staff section, established in 1999.
Leadership was the first staff section formed after the founding of NCSL.
NLSSA is the smallest staff section, with 215 members.
RACSS is the largest staff section, with 1,700 members.
Four staff sections-ASLCS, LRL, NLSSA and NLPES-are older than NCSL.
Joseph A. Beek is the longest serving staff section officer, having served as the president of ASLCS for 25 years beginning in 1943.
The oldest newsletter is The Legislative Administrator, first published by ASLCS in 1969.
Alan Rosenthal was a speaker at the first professional development seminar sponsored by the Leadership Staff Section.
ASLCS had 16 members at its first professional development seminar in 1967.
LRL members served as an integral part of LEGISNET, NCSL's online data base.
NLSSA members have written a book on legislative protocol and etiquette, Protocol: A Handbook for Legislative Staff.
Only two staff sections charge dues: ASLCS and NLSSA.
LSSS is the only national legal professional organization representing legislative legal staff.
Leadership is the only staff section to have its professional development seminar disrupted by the eruption of a volcano-Mt. Spur-at its meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1992.
ASLCS is the only staff section to hold a meeting while under tsunami warnings, at its professional development seminar in Monterey, Calif., in 1994.
NALIT is the most recent staff section to begin holding an annual professional development seminar.
Four staff sections-LSSS, NALFO, NLPES and RACSS-jointly sponsor NCSL's annual Skills Development Seminar.
In 1993, ASLCS celebrated its 50th anniversary.
In 1997, LRL celebrated its 25th anniversary.
In 1998, NLSSA celebrated its 25th anniversary.
The newest staff section, LINCS, will hold its first formal meeting at the NCSL Annual Meeting in Indianapolis this summer.

The Staff Networks

The Legislative Education Staff Network provides a forum for legislative staff with responsibility for education policy and finance issues. Cosponsored by NCSL and the Education Commission of the States (ECS), activities include a newsletter, an on-line discussion group, a directory of legislative education staff and regular seminars on education issues.

The Legislative Health Policy Staff Network promotes the exchange of information and ideas for legislators and legislative staff interested in health policy. The network sponsors an on-line discussion group and meets in conjunction with NCSL's Annual Meeting.

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