NCSL Law & Criminal Justice Committee Roster

Committee Officers & NCSL Staff // Committee Members // Committee Jurisdiction

Committee Description

NCSL's Standing Committee on Law and Criminal Justice addresses underlying principles for a balanced state-federal system and takes policy positions to preserve state sovereignty and set a high standard for preemption of state laws. The Committee's broad jurisdiction includes federalism and preemption issues, constitution and constitutional law, civil rights and liability issues. The many state criminal justice issues under the Committee's jurisdiction include capital punishment, corrections, crime victims, drug crime, juvenile justice, law enforcement, probation and parole and criminal sentencing. Policies of the Law and Criminal Justice Committee include the federalism policy that states the overall philosophy of NCSL with regard to American federalism, and includes sections on preemption, grant conditions and mandates, sovereign immunity and criminal jurisdiction within the purview of the states. Other policies, some joint with other Standing Committees, include crime and justice, state identification, crime records and information, child support enforcement, faith-based initiatives, government regulations and takings under the Fifth Amendment, and recent policies that address medical malpractice and enforcement of civil immigration law.

NCSL Law & Criminal Justice Committee

Chair: Representative Joni M. Cutler, South Dakota
Vice Chair: Representative Daniel T. Blue Jr., North Carolina
Vice Chair: Senator Chuck Gray, Arizona
Vice Chair: Representative R. Phillip Haire, North Carolina
Vice Chair: Representative Janice L. Pauls, Kansas
Vice Chair: Representative Thomas Upton Reynolds II, Mississippi
Vice Chair: Senator Kel Seliger, Texas
Immediate Past Chair: Senator Adam Kline, Washington
Staff Chair: Michele Childs, Vermont
Staff Vice Chair: Rashada Houston, Florida
Staff Vice Chair: Robie Ingram, Virginia
Staff Vice Chair: Richard Merkel, Ohio
Immediate Past Staff Chair: Susan McNamee, Maryland

NCSL CONTACTS: Donna Lyons (Denver) Susan Parnas Frederick (DC)

Alabama
Representative Marcel Black
Representative Laura Hall
Representative Priscilla Dunn
Representative Spencer Collier
Representative George Marc Keahey
Representative Benjamin Allen Treadaway
Representative John Robinson
Sharon C. Bivens, Legislative Fiscal Office

Alaska
Representative Andrea Doll
Representative Lindsey S. Holmes
Representative John B. Coghill Jr.
Senator Lesil L. McGuire
Representative Bob Lynn
Representative Nancy A. Dahlstrom

Arizona
Senator Jim Waring
Senator Linda Gray
Senator Charlene Pesquiera
Senator Chuck Gray

Arkansas
Representative Lamont B. Cornwell
Representative Robbie Wills
Senator Irma Hunter Brown
Senator Robert Thompson III
Senator Sharon Trusty

California
Assemblymember Sharon Runner
Tony Beard, Senate

Colorado
Donna Lyons
Representative Andrew Kerr
Representative Claire Levy

Connecticut
Representative Elizabeth Boukus
Representative Gerald Fox III
Representative Leonard C. Greene
Sandra Norman-Eady, Office of Legislative Research
Senator John A. Kissel
Representative James F. Spallone
Senator Andrew J. McDonald
Mary M. Janicki, Office of Legislative Research

Delaware
Representative Donna D. Stone
Representative Deborah Hudson
Representative Gregory F. Lavelle
Representative Robert J. Valihura Jr.
Representative Nancy H. Wagner
Senator Charles L. Copeland
Senator Anthony J. DeLuca
Senator David B. McBride
Pamela Price, House of Representatives

Florida
Representative Dick Kravitz
Marti W. Harkness, OPPAGA
Don Rubottom, House Rules & Calendar Council
Amanda Cannon, Senate Criminal Justice Committee
Eric Maclure, State Senate
Rashada Houston
Tim Sadberry, Senate

Georgia
Representative Kevin Levitas
Representative Robert F. Mumford
Representative David Ralston
Senator Bill Cowsert
Senator William Hamrick
Senator Preston W. Smith
Josh Landers
Representative Timothy J Bearden

Hawaii
Senator Clayton Hee

Idaho
Senator Denton Darrington

Illinois
Senator Kirk W. Dillard
Senator John J. Cullerton

Indiana
Leslie Hiner, IN House of Representatives
Senator Richard D. Bray
Senator Timothy S. Lanane
Senator Brent E. Steele
Senator Karen Tallian
Senator John M. Waterman
Senator Joe Zakas
Representative Phil Hoy
Representative Linda Lawson
Representative Vern Tincher
Representative Trent Van Haaften

Iowa
Representative Deborah L. Berry
Senator Tom Hancock
Senator Robert M. Hogg
Senator Keith Alvin Kreiman
Julie Simon, Senate Democratic Caucus

Kansas
Representative Richard F. Kelsey
Representative Michael R. O'Neal
Representative Tim C. Owens
Representative Tom Sawyer
Carol Benoit, Senate Vice Presidents Office
Representative Janice L. Pauls

Kentucky
Representative Rob Wilkey
Representative Kathy W. Stein
Representative Darryl T. Owens
Senator Carroll Gibson
Representative Robin L. Webb
Senator Ray S. Jones II
Representative John Vincent
Senator Robert Stivers
Representative Jesse Crenshaw
Representative Tom Kerr

Louisiana
Senator Michael A. Walsworth
Senator Daniel R. Martiny
Senator Lee Joseph Amedee

Maine
Representative Patricia A. Blanchette
Representative Cynthia A. Dill
Representative Stanley J. Gerzofsky
Representative Bryan T. Kaenrath
Representative Deborah L. Simpson
Senator G. William Diamond
Senator Earle L. McCormick

Maryland
Susan McNamee, Dept of Legislative Services/Ofc of Policy Analysis
Senator James Brochin
Senator Brian E. Frosh
Senator Nancy Jacobs
Delegate Ann Marie Doory
Delegate Joseph F. Vallario Jr.
Guy Cherry, Dept of Legislative Services/Ofc of Policy Analysis

Massachusetts
Senator Robert S. Creedon Jr.

Michigan
Representative Bettie Cook Scott
Representative Rebekah Warren
Representative Tonya Schuitmaker
Representative Mark S. Meadows
Senator Alan Cropsey
Senator Gretchen Whitmer
Kyle I. Jen, House Fiscal Agency
Marilyn Peterson, House Legislative Analysis Section
Bruce Baker, Senate Fiscal Agency
Rebecca Ross, House Fiscal Agency

Minnesota
Gary Karger, House of Representatives
Senator Leo T. Foley
Senator Linda I. Higgins
Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen
Senator Mee Moua
Senator Mary Olson
Senator Julie A. Rosen
Representative Debra Hilstrom
Representative Joe Mullery
Representative Michael Paymar

Mississippi
Representative Thomas Upton Reynolds II
Clarence (Jimbo) J. Richardson, House of Representatives
Oona McKenzie, House of Representatives
Representative Edward Blackmon Jr.
Representative Linda F. Coleman

Missouri
Senator Chris Koster
Senator Maida Coleman
Senator Robert Mayer
Senator Matt Bartle
Senator Michael R. Gibbons

Montana
Susan Byorth Fox, Legislative Services Division
Representative Cynthia Hiner
Representative Krayton D. Kerns
Senator Steve Gallus
Senator Daniel W. McGee

Nebraska
Senator Abbie Cornett
Speaker Mike Flood
Senator Dwite Pedersen
Senator Pete Pirsch
Senator John Synowiecki

Nevada
Senator Terry Care
Assemblymember Bernard Anderson
Assemblymember Ty Cobb
Assemblymember William Horne
Assemblymember James Ohrenschall
Assemblymember Richard Segerblom
Senator John Jay Lee
Senator Valerie Wiener

New Hampshire
Representative Claudia Anne Chase
Representative Mary Stuart Gile
Representative Shawn Jasper
Representative Edward P. Moran Jr.
Representative Lori Movsesian
Representative Gary Richardson
Representative John E. Tholl Jr.
Senator Robert E. Clegg Jr.
Senator Joseph A. Foster

New Jersey
Assemblymember Linda R. Greenstein
Wendy S. Whitbeck, Office of Legislative Services
Assemblymember Gordon M. Johnson

New Mexico
Senator William H. Payne
Senator Michael S. Sanchez
Senator Shannon Robinson
Senator John T.L. Grubesic
Senator Lidio G. Rainaldi
Senator Richard C. Martinez
Representative Elias Barela
Representative Gail C. Chasey
Representative Alfred Alexander Park
Representative William R. Rehm
Representative Thomas E. Swisstack
Senator Linda M. Lopez

New York
Senator Dale M. Volker
Senator Michael F. Nozzolio
Senator William J. Larkin Jr.
Senator John A. DeFrancisco

North Carolina
Senator Martin L. Nesbitt Jr.
Howard A. Pell, General Assembly
Susan Sitze, Legislative Research Division
Representative R. Phillip Haire
Representative John M. Blust
Representative Angela R. Bryant
Representative Carolyn K. Justus
Representative Joe L. Kiser
Representative Jimmy L. Love Sr.
Representative Henry M. Michaux Jr.
Representative Annie W. Mobley
Representative Karen Brotherton Ray
Representative Timothy L. Spear
Representative Ronnie N. Sutton
Representative Ray Warren
Representative Daniel T. Blue Jr.

North Dakota
Senator Stanley Lyson
Representative Duane L. DeKrey

Ohio
Senator Stephen Buehrer
Senator Bill Seitz
Representative Timothy J. DeGeeter
Senator Lance T. Mason
Senator Timothy J. Grendell
Richard Merkel, Legislative Service Commission

Oklahoma
Representative Scott BigHorse
Representative Gus Blackwell
Representative Rex Duncan
Representative Larry Glenn
Representative Terry M. Harrison Jr.
Representative Fred Jordan
Representative Jason W. Murphey
Representative Paul D. Roan
Representative T.W. Shannon
Representative Ben Sherrer
Representative Glen Bud Smithson
Representative Daniel S. Sullivan
Representative Sue Tibbs
Representative John Trebilcock
Sue A. Derr, House of Representatives

Oregon
Senator Ginny Burdick
Representative Wayne Krieger
Representative Andy Olson

Pennsylvania
Representative Paul I. Clymer
Representative Craig A. Dally
Representative Frank Dermody
Representative Harold James
Representative Cherelle L. Parker
Representative Ronald G. Waters
Erik Randolph, House Appropriations Committee

Puerto Rico
Representative Liza Fernandez Rodriguez

Rhode Island
Senator Michael J. McCaffrey

South Carolina
Representative Fletcher N. Smith Jr.
Representative Gloria Arias Haskins
Representative G. Murrell Smith Jr.
Jane Shuler, South Carolina Senate
David Jordan, South Carolina Senate
Senator Michael L. Fair
Senator John D. Hawkins
Senator C. Bradley Hutto
Senator John M. Knotts Jr.

South Dakota
Senator Kenneth D. Albers
Representative Joni M. Cutler
Senator Gene G. Abdallah
Representative Roger Hunt

Texas
Representative Debbie Riddle
Representative Juan Manuel Escobar
Representative Trey Martinez Fischer
Representative Jerry Madden
Representative Roberto Alonzo
Representative Joe Driver
Representative Lon Burnam
Representative Terri Hodge
Representative Tommy Merritt
Representative Jim Dunnam
Representative Senfronia Thompson
Representative Pete Gallego
Senator Kel Seliger
Senator Rodney Ellis
Senator Juan J. Hinojosa
Senator John Whitmire
Representative Allen Vaught
Representative Robert E. Talton
Representative Aaron Pena
Representative Thomas Latham
Representative Ismael Kino Flores

Utah
Senator Carlene M. Walker
Speaker Greg J. Curtis
Representative Lorie D. Fowlke
Representative Curtis Oda
Gary Ricks, Legislative Fiscal Analyst Office

Vermont
Erik Fitzpatrick, Legislative Council
Representative Margaret K. Flory
Stephanie Barrett, Joint Fiscal Office
Representative Alice M. Emmons
Catherine Benham, Joint Fiscal Office
Representative Donna G. Sweaney
Representative Linda K. Myers
Representative Richard Marek
Michele Childs

Virginia
Robie Ingram
Delegate Salvatore R. Iaquinto
Senator Janet D. Howell
Senator Ryan T. McDougle
Delegate H. Morgan Griffith
Senator Kenneth W. Stolle
Senator Henry L. Marsh III
C W. Cramme, Division of Legislative Services
Senator William Roscoe Reynolds
Jessica French, Division of Legislative Services
Delegate Kenneth R. Melvin
Delegate Joseph P. Johnson Jr.
Delegate David B. Albo

Washington
Representative Sherry Appleton
Representative Roger E. Goodman
Representative Mary Helen Roberts
Yvonne Walker, Office of Program Research
Shelly McDonald, House Democratic Caucus
Senator Pam Roach
John Gower, House Republican Research Office
Senator Debbie E. Regala
Edie Adams, House Program Research Office
Senator Adam Kline

West Virginia
Delegate Corey Palumbo
Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer
Senator Jeffrey V. Kessler
Senator Michael A. Oliverio II

Wisconsin
Representative Garey D. Bies
Representative Bill Kramer
Representative Joel Kleefisch
Cathlene Hanaman, Legislative Reference Bureau
Senator Lena C. Taylor

Wyoming
Representative Keith Gingery
Senator Tony Ross
Senator Ken Decaria
Dan Pauli
John H. Rivera, Legal Services Division, Legislative Service Office