Frequently Asked Questions About the NCSL Standing Committees
What are the NCSL Standing Committees?
The NCSL Standing Committees are composed of legislators and legislative staff who are
appointed by the leadership of the legislatures. The committees are the main organizational
mechanism for serving NCSL members. There are 11 committees that deal with both state and
state-federal issues.
The Standing Committees allow legislators and staff to benefit from the experiences of
other states in shaping public policy, experimenting with new laws, and managing the
legislative institutions. Committee members explore issues that states have to deal with,
but committees do not recommend policy to the legislatures on issues that are internal to
the states.
Committees do develop policy on state-federal issues to guide NCSL's lobbying efforts
in Washington, D.C. NCSL's Washington staff lobby the Congress, the White House and federal
agencies for the benefit of state legislatures in accord with the policies recommended by
the Standing Committees and adopted at the NCSL Annual Business Meeting. For information
on these policies and NCSL's lobbying activities, see the
standing committees'
home page.
The committees' jurisdictions are divided by subject, like the committee jurisdictions
in every legislature. The 11 committees' jurisdictions are listed in detail at the end of
this document.
How do the Standing Committees accomplish their goals?
The Committees meet three times each year (the Fall Forum, Spring Forum, and in Summer
at the NCSL Annual Meeting), providing an exchange of information through dialogue, meeting
sessions, and networking opportunities. In addition to the meetings, committees disseminate
information through special seminars, web sites, a variety of written documents, and audio
tapes. As needed, committees also consider and adopt policy positions for NCSL. The Spring
Forum is held in Washington, D.C. and the Fall Forum is held outside of Washington--in
Chicago in 2005, in San Antonio in 2006, and it will be held in Phoenix in 2007 and Atlanta
in 2008.
How are the Standing Committees structured?
There are 11 committees: Agriculture, Environment and Energy; Budgets and Revenue;
Communications, Financial Services and Interstate Commerce; Education; Health; Human
Services and Welfare; Labor and Economic Development; Law and Criminal Justice; Legislative
Effectiveness; Redistricting and Elections; and Transportation.
The Fall and Spring Forums have a structure similar to that of the NCSL Annual Meeting
and staff section training conferences. Two plenary sessions addressing topics of wide
interest are usually held while concurrent sessions are held on a variety of topics
relevant to each committee.
How are chairs and vice-chairs of committees selected?
The NCSL President recommends legislators and the NCSL Staff Chair recommends legislative
staff to serve as Chairs and Vice-Chairs of all the Standing Committees. Committee officers
serve a term of one year.
Who serves on the Standing Committees?
Each biennium, presiding officers and staff directors in all the states are asked to
appoint members for each of the committees. Terms for members of committees are two years.
What are the expectations of committee members?
Members are asked to bring the perspective of their chamber to the state issues the
committee addresses and to the state-federal policy positions the committee develops.
Members identify topics for the committee to explore and may serve as speakers or moderators
for committee programs. Members consider and vote on state-federal policy positions developed
by the committee. Members are sometimes recruited to testify before Congressional committees
on committee policies, or to meet with federal agency officials. It's desirable for members
to attend the committee meetings, but they also communicate their perspectives to committee
officers and the NCSL committee staff. Only legislators present at committee meetings are
allowed to vote on committee policies, however.
What are the expectations of a committee officer?
Officers are expected to give leadership to the committees by helping to define the
committee's agenda, plan activities at the forums, preside over committee sessions, and
identify ways to disseminate information to committee members outside of the meetings. In
addition, the officers of all committees work together to ensure that the committees are
an effective outlet for the exchange of information among legislators and staff.
Do legislators and legislative staff have to be appointed to a committee to participate
in meetings and activities?
No! Committee meetings, the Fall and Spring Forum, and the NCSL Annual Meeting are open
to all legislators and legislative staff, regardless of committee membership. Participants
at these meetings also typically include members of the private sector, public associations,
state and local government, and others interested in state and federal policy. All those
interested in the issues addressed by the Standing Committees are encouraged to attend
meetings.
Last Updated February 11, 2007
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