Executive Committee 2025 Winter Meeting

All NCSL Executive Committee, LSCC and NCSL Foundation meetings take place at the Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City unless otherwise noted.

Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025
4-5 p.m.	Registration Level 2 \| Salt Lake Foyer South
5-6:30 p.m.	LSCC Reception Level 2 \| Aspen
Friday, Jan. 17, 2025
8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.	Registration Level 2 \| Salt Lake Foyer West
8-9 a.m.	Breakfast Level 2 \| Salt Lake Foyer South
9-10:30 a.m.	LSCC Work Groups Professional Staff Association Officers Level 2 \| Blue Spruce Standing Committee Level 2 \| Salt Lake E Strategic Planning Level 2 \| Juniper Artificial Intelligence Level 2 \| Aspen
10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.	LSCC Subcommittees Legislative Institution Level 2 \| Juniper Programs and Professional Development Level 2 \| Aspen Information Technology, Social Media, E-Learning and Outreach Level 2 \| Blue Spruce NCSL 50th Anniversary Level 2 \| Salt Lake A
12:15-1:15 p.m.	LSCC Lunch Level 2 \| Salt Lake Foyer South
12:15-1:15 p.m.	Special Joint Lunch Meeting Level 3 \| Brighton Professional Staff Association Officers Information, Technology, Social Media, E-Learning and Outreach
1:30-3 p.m.	Full LSCC Meeting Level 2 \| Salt Lake A
3:15-4:30 p.m.	Foundation for State Legislatures Board Orientation Level 2 \| Salt Lake D
4:30-6 p.m.	Cocktail Reception Level 3 \| Park City
6 p.m.	Shuttle Departure Lobby
6:30-8:30 p.m.	Dinner Offsite–Utah State Capitol
Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025
8 a.m.-Noon	Registration Level 2 \| Salt Lake Foyer West
8-9 a.m.	Breakfast Level 2 \| Salt Lake Foyer South
8-9 a.m.	Subcommittee on Audit and Compliance Level 2 \| Salt Lake B
9-10 a.m.	International Legislative Advisory Council Meeting Level 3 \| Snowbird
9-10:15 a.m.	Committees of the Executive Committee Budget, Finance and Rules Level 2 \| Salt Lake B State and Federal Policy Level 2 \| Salt Lake A
10:30-11:45 a.m.	Committees of the Executive Committee Legislative Institution Level 2 \| Salt Lake A Outreach and Member Services Level 2 \| Salt Lake B
Noon-1:15 p.m.	Executive Committee and Foundation for State Legislatures Lunch Salt Lake Foyer South
1:30-3 p.m.	Foundation for State Legislatures Board Meeting Level 2 \| Salt Lake AB
3:15-5 p.m.	Full Executive Committee Meeting Level 2 \| Salt Lake DE

Jan. 18, 2025 | Salt Lake DE | Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City | 3:15-5 p.m.

Call to order
Approval of summer 2024 meeting minutes.
Approval of new Executive Committee members.
Approval of Executive Committee Task Forces.
Report by NCSL CEO Tim Storey.
Committee Reports:
1. Budget, Finance and Rules.
2. Outreach and Member Services.
3. Legislative Institution.
4. State-Federal Policy.
Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee report.
NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures report.
Closing remarks and other business.

To:	Members of the NCSL Executive Committee
From:	Tim Storey, NCSL CEO
Date:	Jan. 18, 2025
Subject:	Chief Executive Officer’s Report

NCSL’s 50th anniversary year has arrived! On Jan. 1, 1975, NCSL was officially born. I’ve spent the past several months pondering how much has changed in legislatures over the past 50 years and also marveling at how similar legislatures are today to when NCSL launched. The constant is the remarkable dedication of thousands of regular Americans who answer the call to serve their neighbors and states as lawmakers. In addition, thousands more make working for their communities as legislative staff their vocation, dedicating their careers in service to democracy. You are the best among us. These roles too often come with great sacrifice. Legislatures are stressful and highly demanding workplaces, yet the rewards are extraordinary. Legislatures enact meaningful policies and laws that keep our country moving forward and getting better year after year.

In addition, you develop lifelong friendships, a tremendous reward in itself. I’ve probably asked hundreds of retiring legislators and staff what they loved most about their experience at the capitol. Inevitably, they offer some version of the same answer: “It’s the people.” The people they work with and the people they serve and help along the way. This is a golden age of legislatures. They are at the center of democratic governance and tackling the biggest issues of our day. I’m incredibly proud that NCSL remains a vital partner for legislators and staff.

As NCSL marks 50 years in service to legislatures and democracy, we remain more committed than ever to the legislative institution. America’s best days lie ahead and NCSL will be there for legislators and staff for another 50 years as we strive together to serve each other and our fellow Americans.

I am delighted to report that NCSL is in terrific shape, firing on all cylinders, as we turn the calendar to 2025. Here are a few highlights.

Budget and Audit

As of Nov. 30, 2024, the NCSL general fund budget is in excellent shape at the (almost) halfway point of FY 25. The Louisville Summit far exceeded our conservative estimates for revenue and attendance, a “good problem to have” as they say. Final registration topped 5,500 leading to excess revenue north of $600,000. NCSL’s outstanding meetings team did a terrific job keeping expenses down and saved over $50,000 against budgeted costs. In addition, interest income on short-term cash accounts is on track to exceed budget if interest rates don’t move dramatically in the coming months. Furthermore, state dues are on track to meet budget and our grant and contract work remains very strong thanks to the tremendous work by NCSL’s policy teams. Add that all up and we are in strong fiscal shape and on track for another strong budget year ending with a surplus over and above the money designated for our reserve fund.

I fully expect us to stay on this path because most of our variable revenues and expenses happen in the first four months of the fiscal year. I look forward to our May meeting in San Antonio when we will have a clear picture of how the fiscal year will end.

Because many states with biennial budgets need to appropriate NCSL dues for FY 26 in their current sessions, we need to establish the FY 26 and FY 27 dues at this meeting. The NCSL officers propose an increase of dues of 3% for each fiscal year. Additional revenue from dues increases is, almost exclusively, used to keep pace with inflation, especially with rising personnel and health care costs.

I am happy to share that NCSL received a clean audit for FY 24. The full audit will be presented in Salt Lake City. NCSL’s finance and accounting team does an outstanding job managing accounts, complying with complex rules and guidelines, and providing the auditors with accurate and timely information. That can be especially challenging at times because of the significant revenue that comes from many sources through grants and contracts. In FY 24, our amazing research staff brought in nearly $16 million in grants and contracts. It is a massive team effort, and the successful audit is a testament to how well all NCSL staff work together to be good stewards of the money we collect to support the mission.

Publications

A few years ago, NCSL stopped printing State Legislatures magazine every month and moved the content to the website. We still print one issue in conjunction with the Summit. To celebrate NCSL’s 50th year, the NCSL communications team worked hard to produce a commemorative issue of State Legislatures. You will see it in your capitols soon. It has tons of interesting and useful information about NCSL’s milestone birthday. It also is beautifully designed and truly captures the elegance of our 50th anniversary.

The communications team also worked diligently to pull together important data about NCSL’s work over the past year. They assembled a sharp-looking annual report that we intend to produce every year to help the Executive Committee and others see the full extent of the work done by NCSL staff to support legislatures. I hope you enjoy seeing this new annual report in Salt Lake City and we welcome your feedback on how it can be even better going forward.

Looking ahead to 2025

While political change was relatively small in the states this past election, voters delivered change to Washington. As NCSL has done since its inception, we are making good contacts with the new administration and new congressional leaders and exploring where we can partner on common sense policies in line with the best interests of the states. I remain optimistic that we can find many partners from both parties at the federal level willing to pursue policies that recognize the central role that states play in moving the country forward.

This year will bring many excellent opportunities for NCSL to expand our value to the work of legislatures and engage more legislators and staff than ever before. I can’t wait to celebrate NCSL’s big year at every turn, culminating with the Legislative Summit in Boston in August. This Summit will be one for the ages. Please encourage your fellow lawmakers and legislative staff to make plans to attend.

As always, I close with gratitude. Thank you for all that you give of yourself to make your states great places to live. And thank you for being there for NCSL. Let’s make this an unprecedented year of celebrating what is extraordinary about your states, your legislatures and your organization, the National Conference of State Legislatures.

To:	Members of the NCSL Executive Committee
From:	Senate President Pro Tempore Wayne Harper, NCSL president Assistant Majority Leader Marcus C. Evans Jr., NCSL president-elect Majority Whip Barry Usher, NCSL vice president Speaker Pro Tempore Brian Patrick Kennedy, NCSL president emeritus
Date:	Jan. 18, 2025
Subject:	Executive Committee Legislator Vacancies

Pursuant to Article VIII, Section 11 of the NCSL Bylaws, the NCSL officers select Rep. Mike Schlossberg of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of the Wisconsin Legislature, and Rep. Mike Yin of the Wyoming Legislature to fill legislator vacancies on the NCSL Executive Committee and request your approval of these selections. Schlossberg and Vos will fill vacant at-large positions. Yin will fill the CSG Western Region position.

To:	Members of the NCSL Executive Committee
From:	John Snyder, NCSL staff chair Lonnie Edgar, NCSL staff vice chair Sabrina Lewellen, NCSL immediate past staff chair
Date:	Jan. 18, 2025
Subject:	Executive Committee Legislative Staff Vacancy

Pursuant to Article VIII, Section 12 of the NCSL Bylaws, the NCSL officers select Rachel Weiss of the Montana Legislature to fill a legislative staff vacancy on the NCSL Executive Committee and request your approval of this selection.

Jan. 18, 2025 | Salt Lake B | Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City | 8-9 a.m.

Agenda

Welcome and introductions.
Report on the fiscal year 2024 financial audit: Lisa Meacham, partner, Plante Moran.
1. Audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2024.
2. Federal awards supplemental information.
3. Audit committee letter: Required communication.

Subcommittee Roster

Chair	Staff Chair
Rep. Marcus Evans Illinois	John Snyder Kentucky
Legislator Members	Legislative Staff members
Sen. Cristina Castro, Illinois Speaker Robin Vos, Wisconsin Sen. Ann Millner, Utah Asm. Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, California	Doug Himes, Tennessee Eric Nauman, Minnesota Andrea Wilko, Utah
NCSL Liasons Alex Alavi (lead) Tim Storey Stacy Householder Arturo Pérez

NCSL on
Fiscal Year 2024 NCSL Audit

Jan. 18, 2025 | Salt Lake B | Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City | 9-10:15 a.m.

Agenda

Welcome and introductions.
Audit committee report: Plante Moran.
1. Audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2024.
2. Federal awards supplemental information.
3. Required communication letter to governance.
Fiscal year 2025 budget update.
1. Statement of net position as of Nov. 30, 2024.
2. General fund revenue and expense by program through Nov. 30, 2024.
3. Fiscal year 2025 appropriations update.
Investment report.
Fiscal year 2026 and 2027 appropriations schedule.
Financial management rules.
Other business.

Committee Roster

Chair	Vice Chair	Staff Chair	Staff Vice Chair
Rep. Marcus EvansIllinois	Sen. Ann MillnerUtah	John SnyderKentucky	Eric NaumanMinnesota
Legislator Members	Legislative Staff members
Asm. Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, California Rep. Tyler August, Wisconsin Sen. Malcolm Augustine, Maryland Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, Texas Sen. Cristina Castro, Illinois Rep. Roger Goodman, Washington Speaker Roger Hanshaw, West Virginia Del. Terry Kilgore, Virginia Asm. John McDonald, New York Sen. Becky Massey, Tennessee Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, Colorado Sen. Beth Mizell, Louisiana Rep. Kevin Ryan, Connecticut Senate President Robert Stivers, Kentucky Speaker Robin Vos, Wisconsin Rep. Mike Yin, Wyoming	Natalie Castle, Colorado Miriam Fordham, Kentucky Doug Himes, Tennessee Sabrina Lewellen, Arkansas Tim Sekerak, Oregon Paul Smith, New Hampshire Rachel Weiss, Montana Andrea Wilko, Utah
NCSL Liaisons Alex Alavi (lead) Tim Storey Stacy Householder Arturo Pérez

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES
STATEMENT OF NET POSITION
AS OF NOVEMBER 30, 2024 AND 2023

	2024		2023
Assets
Cash and Cash Equivalents	$	2,146,798	$	864,821
Investments - Short-Term		18,266,892		21,315,483
Investments - Reserves		7,663,503		-
Accounts Receivable		1,764,098		1,187,465
Accounts Receivable - Grants and Contracts		1,074,008		842,795
Due from NCSL Foundation		2,491,853		2,312,022
Prepaid Expenses		381,853		1,119,896
Deposits		148,203		207,188
Total Current Assets		33,937,208		27,849,670

Capital Assets, Net		9,025,952		9,613,969
Total Non-Current Assets		9,025,952		9,613,969

Total Assets		42,963,160		37,463,639

Liabilities
Accounts Payable		686,053		866,452
Accrued Liabilities		2,090,416		1,557,394
Revenue Collected in Advance		1,490,507		636,013
Revenue Collected in Advance - Grants and Contracts		13,040,649		12,185,269
Other Current Liabilities		58,713		106,156
Lease Liability		1,685,915		2,427,959
Total Liabilities		19,052,253		17,779,243

Net Position
Invested in Capital Assets		7,340,037		7,186,010
Designated Operating Reserve Fund		7,663,503		4,716,280
Unrestricted		8,907,367		7,782,106
Total Net Position		23,910,907		19,684,396

Total Liabilities and Net Position	$	42,963,160	$	37,463,639

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES
GENERAL FUND REVENUE AND EXPENSE BY PROGRAM
FOR THE FIVE MONTHS ENDED NOVEMBER 30, 2024

	NOV 2024 YTD ACTUAL		FY 2025 APPROVED		FY 2025PROJECTED
	NOV 2024 YTD ACTUAL		FY 2025 APPROVED		FY 2025PROJECTED
REVENUE
Appropriations	$	10,256,324	$	12,893,246	$	12,893,246
Legislative Summit		4,064,873		3,562,450		4,125,340
Meetings		94,461		65,000		94,461
Publications		165,475		171,000		171,000
Professional Staff Association Seminars		604,394		583,740		604,394
Interest Income		389,086		500,000		750,000
Indirect Cost Recovery		953,319		2,150,000		2,150,000
Miscellaneous		263,509		300,465		300,465
TOTAL REVENUE		16,791,441		20,225,901		21,088,906

EXPENSE
State Policy Research
Center for Legislative Strengthening		220,285		553,993		553,993
Center for Results Driven Governing		18,794		91,034		91,034
Children and Families		83,201		216,114		216,114
Criminal Justice		106,480		190,276		190,276
Education		90,329		160,270		160,270
Elections and Redistricting		84,693		233,797		233,797
Employment, Labor and Retirement		84,328		134,744		134,744
Environment, Energy and Transportation		208,553		224,223		314,223
Financial Services, Technology and Communications		70,478		176,209		176,209
Health Services		36,653		166,421		166,421
Vice President of State Policy Research		242,494		630,001		630,001
Division Totals		1,246,288		2,777,082		2,867,082

State Services
Fiscal Affairs		242,469		608,755		608,755
Legislative Staff Services		312,081		784,128		784,128
Legislative Training Institute		94,528		242,561		242,561
Professional Staff Association Seminars		538,524		583,740		604,394
Vice President of State Services		168,966		416,304		416,304
Division Totals		1,356,568		2,635,488		2,656,142

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES
GENERAL FUND REVENUE AND EXPENSE BY PROGRAM
FOR THE FIVE MONTHS ENDED NOVEMBER 30, 2024

	NOV 2024 YTD ACTUAL		FY 2025 APPROVED		FY 2025PROJECTED
	NOV 2024 YTD ACTUAL		FY 2025 APPROVED		FY 2025PROJECTED
Communications
Digital Content		670,748		1,691,271		1,691,271
Marketing		278,167		773,429		773,429
Outreach and Engagement		178,100		464,898		464,898
Public Affairs		181,101		452,727		452,727
Publications		24,448		122,300		122,300
Division Totals		1,332,564		3,504,625		3,504,625

Leaders and International
International Program		78,705		282,061		282,061
Leaders Services		197,920		472,404		472,404
Division Totals		276,625		754,465		754,465

Executive Management
Office of the Chief Executive Officer		205,630		660,863		660,863
Officers and Executive Committee		53,998		325,800		325,800
Division Totals		259,628		986,663		986,663

Operations
Building and Facilities		414,184		1,086,566		1,086,566
Information Technology		1,028,717		2,273,862		2,393,862
Legislative Summit		2,136,385		2,331,093		2,261,385
Meetings		376,047		813,613		813,613
Vice President of Operations		430,159		1,176,857		1,176,857
Division Totals		4,385,492		7,681,991		7,732,283

Finance and Accounting		614,040		1,463,822		1,463,822
Division Totals		614,040		1,463,822		1,463,822

State - Federal Relations		1,277,441		3,313,819		3,263,819
Division Totals		1,277,441		3,313,819		3,263,819

TOTAL EXPENSE		10,748,646		23,117,955		23,228,901

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES
GENERAL FUND REVENUE AND EXPENSE BY PROGRAM
FOR THE FIVE MONTHS ENDED NOVEMBER 30, 2024

	NOV 2024 YTD ACTUAL		FY 2025 APPROVED		FY 2025PROJECTED
	NOV 2024 YTD ACTUAL		FY 2025 APPROVED		FY 2025PROJECTED
ALLOCATIONS
Building and Facilities		(414,184)		(1,086,566)		(1,086,566)
Information Technology		(1,029,225)		(2,273,862)		(2,393,862)
TOTAL ALLOCATIONS		(1,443,409)		(3,360,428)		(3,480,428)

REVENUE OVER EXPENSE	$	7,486,204	$	468,374		1,340,433

Designated Operating Reserve Fund		(465,000)		(465,000)		(465,000)

NET SURPLUS	$	7,021,204	$	3,374		875,433

GAIN ON OPERATING RESERVE FUND	$	491,257	$	-		nm

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES
FY 2025 APPROPRIATIONS SCHEDULE
AS OF JANUARY 3, 2025

State/Territory	Billed		Received		Remaining
Alabama	$	228,913	$	228,913	$	-
Alaska		145,539		145,539		-
American Samoa		25,442		979		24,463
Arizona		270,241		270,241		-
Arkansas		189,801		189,801		-
California		650,000		-		650,000
Colorado		243,466		243,466		-
Connecticut		201,342		-		201,342
Delaware		150,513		150,513		-
District of Columbia		144,684		144,684		-
Florida		549,780		-		549,780
Georgia		339,412		339,412		-
Guam		27,384		27,384		-
Hawaii		159,568		159,568		-
Idaho		167,029		83,515		83,515
Illinois		380,234		380,234		-
Indiana		263,130		263,130		-
Iowa		193,279		-		193,279
Kansas		188,363		188,363		-
Kentucky		218,829		218,829		-
Louisiana		221,783		-		221,783
Maine		157,761		157,761		-
Maryland		251,316		251,316		-
Massachusetts		267,870		267,870		-
Michigan		327,093		327,093		-
Minnesota		242,165		242,165		-
Mississippi		188,829		188,829		-
Missouri		250,869		-		250,869
Montana		152,359		152,359		-
Nebraska		169,399		169,399		-
Nevada		191,608		191,608		-
New Hampshire		158,052		158,052		-
New Jersey		311,763		311,763		-
New Mexico		172,430		172,430		-
New York		523,802		523,802		-
North Carolina		334,127		-		334,127
North Dakota		146,433		146,433		-
Northern Marianas		25,347		-		25,347
Ohio		360,552		360,552		-
Oklahoma		208,220		208,220		-
Oregon		213,622		213,622		-
Pennsylvania		383,926		383,926		-
Puerto Rico		195,125		195,125		-
Rhode Island		152,612		152,612		-
South Carolina		230,740		230,740		-
South Dakota		148,512		148,512		-
Tennessee		265,558		-		265,558
Texas		650,000		650,000		-
U.S. Virgin Islands		133,667		66,834		66,833
Utah		194,853		194,853		-
Vermont		143,790		143,790		-
Virginia		298,997		298,997		-
Washington		281,005		140,503		140,503
West Virginia		166,135		166,135		-
Wisconsin		245,798		245,798		-
Wyoming		142,489		142,489		-
Total	$	13,245,556	$	10,238,158	$	3,007,398
Percent of Total Billed		100.0%		77.3%		22.7%

International Affiliate	Billed		Received		Remaining
Alberta	$	40,000	$	20,000	$	20,000
Ghana		50,000		25,000		25,000
Québec		40,000		40,000		-
Total	$	130,000	$	85,000	$	45,000

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES
NCSL OPERATING RESERVE ACCOUNT STATEMENT

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES
FISCAL YEAR 2026-2027 DUES PROPOSAL

FY 2026: 3% increase to base fee and population factor.
Formula for FY 2026: $135,236 plus $20.01 per thousand population.

FY 2027: 3% increase to base fee and population factor.
Formula for FY 2027: $139,293 plus $20.61 per thousand population.

STATE/TERRITORY	FY 2025 APPROVED		FY 2020 CENSUS	FY 2026 PROPOSED		FY 2027 PROPOSED
Alabama	$	228,913	5,024	$	235,766	$	242,838
Alaska		145,539	733		149,903		154,400
Arizona		270,241	7,151		278,328		286,675
Arkansas		189,801	3,011		195,486		201,350
California		650,000	39,538		650,000		650,000
Colorado		243,466	5,773		250,754		258,275
Connecticut		201,342	3,605		207,372		213,592
Delaware		150,513	989		155,026		159,676
District of Columbia		144,684	689		149,023		153,493
Florida		549,780	21,538		566,211		583,191
Georgia		339,412	10,711		349,563		360,047
Hawaii		159,568	1,455		164,351		169,281
Idaho		167,029	1,839		172,034		177,195
Illinois		380,234	12,812		391,604		403,348
Indiana		263,130	6,785		271,004		279,132
Iowa		193,279	3,190		199,068		205,039
Kansas		188,363	2,937		194,005		199,825
Kentucky		218,829	4,505		225,381		232,141
Louisiana		221,783	4,657		228,423		235,274
Maine		157,761	1,362		162,490		167,364
Maryland		251,316	6,177		258,838		266,601
Massachusetts		267,870	7,029		275,886		284,161
Michigan		327,093	10,077		336,877		346,980
Minnesota		242,165	5,706		249,413		256,894
Mississippi		188,829	2,961		194,486		200,319
Missouri		250,869	6,154		258,378		266,127
Montana		152,359	1,084		156,927		161,634
Nebraska		169,399	1,961		174,476		179,709
Nevada		191,608	3,104		197,347		203,266
New Hampshire		158,052	1,377		162,790		167,673
New Jersey		311,763	9,288		321,089		330,719
New Mexico		172,430	2,117		177,597		182,924
New York		523,802	20,201		539,458		555,636
North Carolina		334,127	10,439		344,120		354,441
North Dakota		146,433	779		150,824		155,348
Ohio		360,552	11,799		371,334		382,470
Oklahoma		208,220	3,959		214,456		220,888
Oregon		213,622	4,237		220,018		226,618
Pennsylvania		383,926	13,002		395,406		407,264
Puerto Rico		195,125	3,285		200,969		206,997
Rhode Island		152,612	1,097		157,187		161,902
South Carolina		230,740	5,118		237,647		244,775
South Dakota		148,512	886		152,965		157,553
Tennessee		265,558	6,910		273,505		281,708
Texas		650,000	29,145		650,000		650,000
U.S. Virgin Islands		133,667	122		137,677		141,807
Utah		194,853	3,271		200,689		206,708
Vermont		143,790	643		148,102		152,545
Virginia		298,997	8,631		307,942		317,178
Washington		281,005	7,705		289,413		298,093
West Virginia		166,135	1,793		171,114		176,247
Wisconsin		245,798	5,893		253,155		260,748
Wyoming		142,489	576		146,762		151,164
Total: State Formula	$	13,167,383		$	13,522,637	$	13,889,233

American Samoa		25,442		26,205		26,991
Guam		27,384		28,206		29,052
Northern Marianas		25,347		26,107		26,891
Total: Other	$	78,173	$	80,518	$	82,933


Grand Total	$	13,245,556	$	13,603,155	$	13,972,166

Jan. 18, 2025 | Salt Lake A | Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City | 9-10:15 a.m.

Agenda

Welcome and introductions.
Discussion with transition team member (invited).
Grant and contract proposals.
State-federal priorities and major state issues discussion.
NCSL state-federal policy consideration.
Other business.

Subcommittee Roster

Co-Chair	Co-Chair	Staff Chair	Staff Vice Chair
Sen. Bob Duff Connecticut	Rep. Jon Eubanks Arkansas	KC Norwalk Indiana	Shunti Taylor Georgia
Legislator Members	Legislative Staff members
Rep. Chris Croft, Kansas Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, Nevada Rep. Sonya Harper, Illinois Speaker Matt Huffman, Ohio Rep. Jason Hughes, Louisiana Sen. Eric Koch, Indiana MNA Mathieu Lemay, Quebec Sen. Joan Lovely, Massachusetts Senate President Ty Masterson, Kansas Rep. Sam McKenzie, Tennessee Rep. Billy Mitchell, Georgia Speaker Sherm Packard, New Hampshire Rep. Dan Saddler, Alaska Rep. Michael Schlossberg, Pennsylvania Speaker Joe Shekarchi, Rhode Island	Lonnie Edgar, Mississippi Aurora Hauke, Alaska Terri Kondeff, Idaho Cliff McCollum, Alabama Claudia Méndez Morales, Puerto Rico Anne Sappenfield, Wisconsin Will Tracy, Arkansas Erica Warren, Kentucky Brad Young, Ohio
NCSL Liaisons Molly Ramsdell (lead) Kate Blackman Natalie Wood Victor Vialpando-Nuñez

To:	Members of the NCSL State and Federal Policy Committee
From:	Kate Blackman, vice president of policy and research Natalie Wood, vice president of policy and research
Date:	Jan. 18, 2025
Subject:	Grant and Contract Proposals for Approval

We are pleased to present a series of grant and contract proposals for your review and approval. The State and Federal Policy Committee has the responsibility of approving select proposed projects over $100,000.

The total potential funding for all proposals documented herein is $21,723,924.

NCSL GRANT SOLICITATION GUIDELINES

NCSL's main objective in fundraising is to pursue grants on issues important to legislators and staff. Among the measures of importance are research requests, requests for technical assistance, currently filed legislation, a federal initiative to which states must respond, priorities set by the Executive Committee, or a topic that NCSL staff foresee coming to center stage.
NCSL will consider topics that enhance established strengths of the organization to provide greater depth to legislators and staff as they consider increasingly complex facets of an issue.
When the issue is new to the organization, staff will consider how quickly it can develop expertise to ensure sustainability should future grant funding end.
NCSL will focus its fundraising on topics where reliable and impartial sources of information are not readily available to legislators and staff to avoid duplication of efforts. Where credible resources exist, NCSL will serve as a broker to facilitate access to information.
NCSL will not accept funding from a source unless it agrees that:
- NCSL will not advocate the funder's position on an issue (unless it is consistent with NCSL policy adopted under NCSL bylaws).
- NCSL will maintain total direction and editorial control over the operation and work produced under the grant.

Even when these guarantees are in place, NCSL understands that pursuing grant funding from certain sources may create a perceived conflict of interest. Staff must thoroughly assess these risks and confidently justify any such funding to NCSL's Executive Committee, which retains final authority to approve or reject any grant proposal, before proceeding with negotiations. In negotiating final grant conditions, NCSL and the funder must agree on the scope and timing of the proposal, project deliverables and budget.

New Projects Requiring Executive Committee Approval

Total Potential Funding of $5,360,916.

1. SUPPORT FOR THE NCSL CIVIL AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE TEAM
Source	Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.
Amount	$100,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $90,909. $9,091 (Indirect Rate: 10% of direct costs).
Description	The grant is general operating support of the Criminal and Civil Justice Program’s work on pressing criminal justice issues, which includes specialized research assistance, legislative testimony, online tools, policy reports and educational events for NCSL members.
Time Period	Oct. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2025.
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
2. SUPPORTING THE NCSL TASK FORCE ON HIGHER EDUCATION AFFORDABILITY AND STUDENT OUTCOMES
Source	Joyce Foundation.
Amount	$100,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $90,909. Indirect Costs: $9,091 (Indirect Rate: 10% of direct costs).
Description	This grant will support the NCSL Higher Education Task Force and its work for the next two years. The next phase of this work will emphasize state policy, using the task force’s prior work as a guide to explore the most pressing state challenges, examine policy strategies to address them, and share a framework and other resources that can support legislators and staff nationwide.
Time Period	June 1, 2025 to Nov. 30, 2026.
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
3. SUPPORTING THE NCSL TASK FORCE ON HIGHER EDUCATION AFFORDABILITY AND STUDENT OUTCOMES
Source	Arnold Ventures.
Amount	$290,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $241,667. Indirect Costs: $48,333 (Indirect Rate: 20% of direct costs).
Description	This project proposes to continue NCSL’s work on state activities to address postsecondary success. This grant will support the NCSL Higher Education Task Force’s work for the next two years on state policy. The project will also include tracking of state legislative action, technical assistance for legislators and staff, and dissemination of educational resources.
Time Period	Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2026.
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
4. EDUCATING STATE LEGISLATORS AND STAFF ON HEALTH POLICY ISSUES
Source	Amgen.
Amount	$100,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $90,909. Indirect Costs: $9,091 (Indirect Rate: 10% of direct costs).
Description	This project will support two educational sessions at an NCSL health-focused invitational meeting on topics such as rare disease, health disparities and/or chronic disease prevention.
Time Period	Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025.
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
5. SUPPORTING STATE LEGISLATURES ON EARLY CHILDHOOD POLICIES
Source	Buffett Early Childhood Fund.
Amount	$400,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $372,754. Indirect Costs: $27,247 (10% of salaries and benefits).
Description	This project will support NCSL’s work on child care and early childhood policy issues. The project will include convening a bipartisan Child Care Policy Work Group as well as legislative research, outreach and education on child care and early childhood policy issues.
Time Period	Sept. 15, 2024 to Sept. 14, 2026.
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
6. PRENATAL-TO-3 ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION FOR STATE LEGISLATORS
Source	Pritzker Children's Initiative.
Amount	$695,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $631,818. Indirect Costs: $63,182 (Indirect Rate: 10% of direct costs).
Description	This project will support NCSL’s work on prenatal-to-3 issues and policy strategies for supporting positive developmental outcomes for healthy pregnancies, newborns, infants and toddlers. Project activities include convening a bipartisan Child Care Policy Work Group as well as producing educational resources and convenings, providing technical assistance, and tracking state legislative actions.
Time Period	Oct. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2026.
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
7. ENGAGING LEGISLATORS IN EDUCATION STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT HOMELESS STUDENTS
Source	Raikes Foundation.
Amount	$150,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $136,364. Indirect Costs: $13,636 (Indirect Rate: 10% of direct costs).
Description	NCSL will continue to engage a select group of legislators and legislative staff who serve as Education Finance and Youth Homelessness Fellows around educational supports and outcomes for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. This project will explore the impact of being unhoused on educational outcomes and highlight education policy options, strategies and resources.
Time Period	Oct. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2026.
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
8. PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE
Source	Casey Family Programs.
Amount	$262,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $262,000. Indirect Costs: $0.
Description	This project supports NCSL’s work on child welfare and child maltreatment prevention systems and services. Project activities include legislative research, technical assistance, convenings and educational resources.
Time Period	Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025.
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
9. BOLSTERING LEGISLATIVE EXPERTISE TO ADDRESS HEALTH SYSTEM ACCESS AND EFFICIENCY
Source	The Commonwealth Fund.
Amount	$199,218.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $173,233. Indirect Costs: $25,985 (Indirect Rate: 15% of direct costs).
Description	This project will support NCSL’s work around access, efficiency and quality of health care. Project activities include legislative tracking, publications, educational opportunities and technical assistance.
Time Period	Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025.
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
10. POLICIES FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PARTNERSHIPS
Source	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Amount	$100,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $79,004. Indirect Costs: $20,996 (Indirect Rate: 46.77% of salaries).
Description	This project will explore opportunities for connecting public health and behavioral health systems at the state level through policy resources and a convening. This is a supplemental project to the CDC Public Health Project (No. 6 under Previously Approved Projects).
Time Period	Sept. 30, 2024 to July 31, 2025.
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
11. STATE OVERDOSE RESPONSE AND PREVENTION: ENGAGING STATE LEADERSHIP AND ENTITIES TO ADDRESS THE OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC
Source	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Amount	$650,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $574,139. Indirect Costs: $75,860 (Indirect Rate: 46.77% of salaries).
Description	This project will support state policymakers to address the overdose epidemic through exploring evidence-based policies and cross-agency collaborative efforts. This is a supplemental project to the CDC Public Health Project (No. 6 under Previously Approved Projects).
Time Period	Sept. 30, 2024 to July 31, 2025.
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
12. STATE HEALTH INJURY AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION POLICY
Source	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Amount	$464,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $391,450. Indirect Costs: $72,550 (Indirect Rate: 46.77% of salaries).
Description	The project will help educate state policymakers on evidence-based policies to prevent injury and violence prevention through legislative tracking, technical assistance, education resources and convenings. This project also supports the Opioid Policy Fellows program. This is a supplemental project to the CDC Public Health Project (No. 6 under Previously Approved Projects).
Time Period	Sept. 30, 2024 to July 31, 2025.
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
13. SUPPORTING THE INFECTIOUS DISEASE POLICY CAPACITY OF STATE LEGISLATORS
Source	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Amount	$175,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $141,277. Indirect Costs: $33,723 (Indirect Rate: 46.77% of salaries).
Description	This project will support NCSL’s work on HIV, STDs, viral hepatitis and TB through several activities including legislative tracking, technical assistance, and educational resources and convenings. This is a supplemental project to the CDC Public Health Project (No. 6 under Previously Approved Projects).
Time Period	Sept. 30, 2024 to July 31, 2025.
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
14. NCSL CONTINUED WORK ON OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING
Source	U.S. Department of Labor.
Amount	$200,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $158,045. Indirect Costs: $41,955 (Indirect Rate: 46.77% of salaries).
Description	This project supports NCSL’s work on occupational licensing. This support will allow NCSL to maintain two databases, provide technical assistance to states and produce resources on emerging policy areas including ways states can address current labor shortages through occupational licensing policies.
Time Period	Oct. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2027.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
15. INFORMING JUSTICE POLICY
Source	John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Amount	$900,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $697,674. Indirect Costs: $202,326 (Indirect Rate: 29% of direct costs).
Description	This project will provide information and assistance to state legislators on policies focused on the front-end of the criminal justice system. Project activities include publications and meetings that will highlight information, legislation, and research to support state efforts.
Time Period	Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2026.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
16. EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION
Source	MDRC
Amount	$100,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $90,909. Indirect Costs: $9,091 (Indirect Rate: 10% of direct costs).
Description	NCSL will work with MDRC to educate state legislators and staff around early education issues. Project activities include two sessions at an NCSL meeting and a policy brief.
Time Period	Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025.
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
17. EARLY MATH EDUCATION
Source	Heising-Simons.
Amount	$100,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $90,909. Indirect Costs: $9,091 (Indirect Rate: 10% of direct costs).
Description	The project provides support for the Education Program for work on early education, with an emphasis on building solid math and numeracy skills for children in preschool through third grade.
Time Period	Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025.
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
18. INFORMING STATE POLICYMAKERS ON PRESCRIPTION DRUG LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Source	Arnold Ventures.
Amount	$225,698.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $188,082. Indirect Costs: $37,616 (Indirect Rate: 20% of direct costs).
Description	This project supports NCSL’s work around prescription drug access and affordability policy issues. Project activities include an in-person meeting, a webinar, publications, legislative tracking and technical assistance.
Time Period	Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
19. ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING
Source	Eastern Transportation Coalition, subcontract under Federal Highway Administration.
Amount	$150,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $126,327. Indirect Costs: $23,673 (Indirect Rate: 46.77% of salaries).
Description	NCSL will collaborate with the Eastern Transportation Coalition to convene two meetings for eastern state transportation legislative leaders on transportation revenue shortfalls and possible alternative user fees to raise revenue. NCSL also will produce three policy briefs.
Time Period	Feb. 2, 2025 to Jan. 30, 2026.
Submitted to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.

Previously Approved Projects: Status Updates

Total Funding of $9,535,753. Change in status since the last report shown in bold.

1. SUPPORT FOR TRIBAL ENGAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION
Source	U.S. Department of Energy, Indian Energy Office.
Amount	$1,452,658 \| FUNDED at $1,452,658.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $1,283,670. Indirect Costs: $168,988 (Indirect Rate: 46.77% of salaries).
Description	NCSL will continue to assist the Office of Indian Energy by supporting the meetings and policy work of the Indian Country Energy Infrastructure Working Group (ICEIWG) and the Biennial Tribal Energy Summit.
Time Period	July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026.
Approved by EC	Aug. 4, 2024.
2. STATE LEGISLATIVE TRAFFIC SAFETY RESEARCH
Source	National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Amount	$1,400,000 \| FUNDED at $1,400,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $1,074,935. Indirect Costs: $325,065 (Indirect Rate: 46.77% of salaries).
Description	NCSL will educate state legislators and legislative staff on state traffic legislation by convening meetings and developing informational briefs and training materials.
Time Period	Dec. 31, 2024 to Dec. 30, 2029.
Approved by EC	Aug. 4, 2024.
3. SUPPORTING STATE MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH POLICY INNOVATION
Source	Health Resources and Services Administration.
Amount	$1,200,000 \| FUNDED at $400,000 (Year 1).
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $ 327,280. Indirect Costs: $ 72,719 (Indirect Rate: 46.77% of salaries).
Description	NCSL’s project will support state legislators and legislative staff with technical assistance and education related to state-level policy options that improve outcomes and reduce health disparities for maternal and child health populations. Funding is reflective of the first year of a three-year program.
Time Period	Sept. 30, 2024 to Sept. 29, 2025.
Approved by EC	Aug. 4, 2024.
4. IDENTIFYING POLICIES TO IMPROVE POSTSECONDARY VALUE
Source	Funding Consortium including Arnold Ventures, the Gates Foundation, the Joyce Foundation and Strada Education Foundation.
Amount	$100,000 \| NOT FUNDED.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $90,909. Indirect Costs: $9,091 (Indirect Rate: 10% of direct costs).
Description	This proposal will augment the work of NCSL’s Higher Education Task Force in supporting policy solutions to help institutions improve and boost student outcomes. Funds will support research, convenings of the task force, and the publication of a framework addressing key questions related to institutional improvement and support and higher education governance.
Time Period	Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025.
Approved by EC	Aug. 4, 2024.
5. ENHANCING LEGISLATIVE CAPACITY FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Source	Arnold Ventures.
Amount	$3,217,660 \| FUNDED at $3,284,693.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $2,739,577. Indirect Costs: $478,052 (@20% of direct costs, excluding contracted services).
Description	The project will support legislatures around criminal justice policy issues by convening specialized meetings, publishing policy reports and managing online tools. Areas of focus will include policing, pretrial release, sentencing and corrections and reentry.
Time Period	July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027.
Approved by EC	May 18, 2024.
6. STRENGTHENING PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEMS AND SERVICES THROUGH NATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS TO IMPROVE AND PROTECT THE NATION'S HEALTH
Source	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Amount	$200,000 \| FUNDED at $200,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $165,230. Indirect Costs: $34,770 (@46.77% of salaries).
Description	NCSL will provide capacity-building assistance to state legislators and legislative staff related to public health systems, services and improving health outcomes. Project activities include legislative tracking, educational publications and a convening for legislators and staff. Funding is reflective of the first year of a five-year program.
Time Period	Aug. 1, 2024 to July 31, 2025.
Approved by EC	May 18, 2024.
7. BUILDING BRIDGES FOR ELECTIONS EXCELLENCE
Source	Election Trust Initiative.
Amount	$2,414,402 \| FUNDED at $2,798,402.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $2,675,258. Indirect Costs: $123,144 (@10% of salaries).
Description	This three-year project aims to forge stronger connections between state legislators and election officials by communications and outreach, support of networks of election chairs and elections staff and organizing gatherings. Additional funding supports convenings of elections chairs, site visits and dissemination of NCSL resources.
Time Period	March 7, 2024 to March 6, 2027.
Approved by EC	May 18, 2024.

Previously Approved Projects: Renewals

Total Potential Funding of $6,197,800.

1. OUTREACH TO STATE LEGISLATURES ON JUVENILE JUSTICE
Source	Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Amount	$300,000 \| FUNDED at $300,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $234,703. Indirect Costs: $65,297 (Indirect Rate: 46.77% of salaries).
Description	This project will educate and inform state legislatures as they review and reform juvenile justice systems and policy. Information, assistance, and training provided by NCSL helps state lawmakers strengthen their capacity to comply with the JJDPA Act core requirements, administer Formula Grant awards, and strengthen their individual juvenile justice systems.
Time Period	Jan. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
2. EDUCATION LEADERSHIP
Source	Wallace Foundation.
Amount	$150,000 \| FUNDED at $150,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $125,000. Indirect Costs: $25,000 (Indirect Rate: 20% of direct costs).
Description	In partnership with the Wallace Foundation, NCSL will disseminate research about principal and school leadership policy with legislators and lead conversations about how it can be translated into state policy.
Time Period	Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
3. NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS OF STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS
Source	Health Resources and Services Administration.
Amount	$747,000 \| FUNDED at $747,800.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $605,634. Indirect Costs: $142,166 (Indirect Rate: 46.77% of salaries).
Description	This project will support states in preparing for and addressing health issues to improve access to quality health care, including topics such as access to care, health workforce, rural health and Medicaid. This project will include research and technical assistance, publications and convenings for legislators and staff. Funding is reflective of the second year of a three-year program.
Time Period	Sept. 30, 2024 to Sept. 29, 2025.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
4. STATE LEGISLATIVE ENERGY POLICIES TO ENHANCE ELECTRIC GRID SECURITY, RESILIENCE AND RELIABILITY
Source	U.S. Department of Energy, Grid Deployment Office
Amount	$5,000,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $4,302,122. Indirect Costs: $697,878 (Indirect Rate: 46.77% of salaries).
Description	NCSL will engage with state legislatures on federal and state funding opportunities around energy sector technology, investments and policies that examine electric grid resilience and security. Increased funding extends the project into 2028 and supports additional activities including technical assistance, national meetings, publications and bill tracking.
Time Period	May 1, 2023 to Jan. 31, 2028.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.

Proposals under $100,000

Total Potential Funding of $629,455.

1. UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE OF CRISIS RESPONSE ACTIVITIES
Source	Urban Institute, subcontract under National Institute of Justice funding.
Amount	$92,422.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $70,927. Indirect Costs: $ 21,495 (Indirect Rate: 46.77% of salaries).
Description	NCSL will be responsible for researching legislation that creates a funding stream or authorizes funds for crisis intervention activities.
Time Period	March 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
2. PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE
Source	Prevent Child Abuse America, subcontract under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding.
Amount	$82,656 \| FUNDED at $82,656.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $ 63,630. Indirect Costs: $19,026 (Indirect Rate: 46.77% of salaries).
Description	NCSL will partner with Prevent Child Abuse America and MassKids on a federal cooperative agreement funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to evaluate the effects of state child sexual abuse policies on reports and substantiations for child maltreatment.
Time Period	Sept. 30, 2024 to Sept. 29, 2027.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
3. EDUCATING STATE LEGISLATORS AND STAFF ON YOUTH AND MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH
Source	Inseparable.
Amount	$45,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $40,909. Indirect Costs: $4,010 (Indirect Rate: 10% of direct costs).
Description	This project will support state legislators and legislative staff on topics related to mental health and well-being, especially among youth and maternal populations. Proposed activities include two educational sessions at an NCSL meeting and a web-based resource.
Time Period	Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
4. LONG-TERM CARE FINANCING: EDUCATING STATE POLICYMAKERS
Source	The SCAN Foundation.
Amount	$81,517.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $70,550. Indirect Costs: $8,466 (Indirect Rate: 12% of direct costs).
Description	This project would allow NCSL to produce nonpartisan resources around policies supporting aging, including quality and cost-effective long-term care. Project activities include educational resources and a session at an NCSL meeting.
Time Period	Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
5. WOMEN’S HEALTH
Source	Arnold Ventures.
Amount	$70,378.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $58,648. Indirect Costs: $11,730 (Indirect Rate: 20% of direct costs).
Description	This project will provide research and information related to women’s health and state policy options and examples.
Time Period	Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
6. ENGAGING LEGISLATORS IN ENDING YOUTH HOMELESSNESS
Source	Youth Hope Foundation.
Amount	$70,000 \| FUNDED at $70,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $63,636. Indirect Costs: $6,364 (Indirect Rate: 10% of direct costs).
Description	NCSL proposes a 24-month scope of work to help state legislatures prevent youth and young adult homelessness and improve education completion outcomes when it does occur. The proposal thoughtfully sequences research and analysis, publications and convenings. In many cases, it also builds on NCSL members’ prior experiences as Youth Homelessness Fellows and Education Finance Fellows.
Time Period	Nov. 1, 2023 to Oct. 31, 2025.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
7. QUAD CAUCUS AND HEALTH DISPARITIES, RARE DISEASE AND CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
Source	Amgen.
Amount	$47,000 \| FUNDED at $47,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $42,727. Indirect Costs: $4,273 (Indirect Rate: 10% of direct costs).
Description	This project supports Quad Caucus state legislators and legislative staff around advances in health disparities and issues around rare disease and cardiovascular health in communities of color. Quad Caucus members would hold virtual meetings for education and information about health disparities, rare diseases and cardiovascular health.
Time Period	Sept. 2, 2024 to July 31, 2025.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
8. EDUCATING STATE LEGISLATORS AND STAFF ON SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS
Source	Otsuka.
Amount	$10,000
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $9,091. Indirect Costs: $909 (Indirect Rate: 10% of direct costs).
Description	NCSL proposes to publish a multimedia publication, such as a podcast, webinar, policy snapshot or summary, in 2025, on serious mental illness or another topic. The funding will support staff time to develop, finalize and promote the publication.
Time Period	Dec. 1, 2024 to Nov. 30, 2025.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
9. STATE POLICY OPTIONS ON TESTING AND ACCREDITATION STANDARDS
Source	American Association for Laboratory Accreditation.
Amount	$55,482.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $50,438. Indirect Costs: $5,044 (Indirect Rate: 10% of direct costs).
Description	This project will engage and inform state lawmakers on policy options related to sound testing and accreditation principles in a variety of disciplines, such as food safety, toxics and pollutants, and water quality. The project will develop and deliver informational resources and in-person and virtual meetings.
Time Period	Jan. 6, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
10. HEALTH POLICY LANDSCAPE
Source	Colorado Trust.
Amount	$50,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $45,455. Indirect Costs: $4,545 (Indirect Rate: 10% of direct costs).
Description	This project will support operational expenses to support legislative tracking and TA on mental health, access to healthy foods, addressing health disparities, and possibly other topics.
Time Period	March 1, 2025 to Feb. 28, 2026.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
11. GOUT IN ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITIES
Source	Amgen.
Amount	$10,000 \| FUNDED at $10,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $9,091. Indirect Costs: $909 (Indirect Rate: 10% of direct costs).
Description	This project will educate members of the National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators and National Caucus of Native American State Legislators around the high incidence of gout in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.
Time Period	Nov. 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.
12. RETAIL FOOD SAFETY COLLABORATION
Source	National Environmental Health Association.
Amount	$15,000 \| FUNDED at $15,000.
Direct/Indirect Costs	Direct Costs: $12,441. Indirect Costs: $2,488 (Indirect Rate: 20% of direct costs).
Description	NCSL will engage state legislators and legislative staff on national food code adoption issues through webpage updates and legislative tracking. NCSL staff will attend meetings about the national food code adoption collaborative and share relevant outcomes.
Time Period	Sept. 1, 2024 to July 30, 2025.
Reported to EC	Jan. 18, 2025.

To:	Members of the NCSL State and Federal Policy Committee
From:	Molly Ramsdell, vice president, state-federal affairs
Date:	Jan. 18, 2025
Subject:	Update on NCSL’s State-Federal Activities

Below are highlights on NCSL’s state-federal work since the August 2024 Executive Committee Meeting in Louisville, Ky.

NCSL Lame Duck Successes

As the 118th Congress wrapped up its work, a few items NCSL was working on made it across the finish line.

The EXPLORE Act was signed into law. This is one of, if not the most significant, outdoor recreation-focused bills since the Wildlife Restoration Fund was established in the 1930s. NCSL’s Natural Resources, Energy and Environment Committee passed a resolution at the Summit in support of the act.
The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) was reauthorized. WRDA provides guidance to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by authorizing flood control, navigation, ecosystem restoration and water infrastructure projects and programs across the country. This legislation also includes a full reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration for the first time in 20 years.
The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act was adopted with overwhelming bipartisan support. The goal of the act is to study and implement best practices for the well-being of youth in residential programs.
Disaster relief received additional funding.
The farm bill was extended to Sept. 30, 2025.

119th Congress and a New Administration

As of mid-December, NCSL staff continued to engage with members of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition/landing team. NCSL’s principles for federal tax reform have been shared with the team, as this is a first 100-day priority for the administration. NCSL also shared the calendar of when state legislatures meet in 2025.

In mid-January, NCSL sent a letter of congratulations to all newly elected members of Congress who are former state legislators. The members also received an NCSL wall calendar and a list of NCSL state-federal staff. There are currently 251 members of Congress who are former state legislators (see chart at end of report).

Select Meetings with Congressional and Agency Staff

Members of NCSL’s Task Force on Higher Education and NCSL staff met with higher education professional staff from both parties on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and House Education and Workforce to discuss the task force’s newly released recommendations on reauthorizing the Higher Education Act. This was the first time that a bipartisan, bicameral meeting of congressional staff on higher education issues had taken place in recent memory.
Members of NCSL’s Task Force on Higher Education hosted U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal at an event to discuss the state-federal relationship in higher education and the findings of the task force from its final report. The meeting led to an opportunity for the task force to offer feedback on forthcoming federal initiatives in higher education.
A group of legislators and NCSL staff met with Andrew Gradison, senior education policy advisor for Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) on the Senate HELP Committee and Kim Meinert, professional staff member (for the minority), Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support, House Ways and Means Committee, to discuss the outlook for congressional action on child care and opportunities for a bipartisan agreement.
A group of legislators and NCSL staff met virtually with Rob Thormeyer, director, State, International and Tribal Affairs Division, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, to discuss data centers.

NCSL staff met with:

Senate and House technology committee staff to discuss comprehensive AI and privacy legislation including research, education and preemption.
Representatives from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission to discuss consumer protection initiatives with a focus on collaborating on fraud prevention.
Officials from the Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to discuss new TANF reporting requirements and a TANF pilot mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
Senate offices urging passage of the EXPLORE Act.
Senate and House Agriculture Committee majority staff to discuss farm bill prospects.
Senate and House committee staff on the permitting bill that failed back in October.

State-Federal Virtual Meetings/Briefings

Throughout the fall, NCSL hosted a number of meetings on various topics including the farm bill, summer EBT, cryptocurrency, 2025 federal tax policy and more. You may access the recordings below.

Lay of the Land: A Farm Bill Update (Dec. 12, 2024)
What States Should Know About Summer EBT (Dec. 13, 2024)
Cryptocurrency Demystified: What You Need to Know and Why It Matters (Dec. 6, 2024)
Data Center Download (Dec. 5, 2024)
Unified Human Foods Program: What Does FDA Reorganization Mean for States? (Nov. 19, 2024)
Domestic Soil: The Agricultural Impacts of Foreign Ownership of Land (Nov. 12, 2024)
Immigration Enforcement Updates from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Nov. 15, 2024: Not recorded)
In Brief: Federal Tax Policy in 2025 (Nov. 1, 2024)
Navigating Bird Flu: Response and Risk (Oct. 10, 2024)
A State-Led Strategy to Enhance the Value of Degrees: The Findings of the NCSL Task Force on Higher Education (Oct. 10, 2024)

Our Analysis

Below are a few state-federal items for your reading enjoyment.

Supreme Court Hears Dispute Over FDA Denial of Flavored Vapes (December 2024)
Artificial Intelligence in Government: The Federal and State Legislative Landscape (November 2024)
Footing the Bill: How Congress Pays for Surface Transportation (October 2024)
Final Report: A State Led-Strategy to Enhance the Value of Degrees (October 2024)
Supreme Court Hears Arguments in ‘Ghost Guns’ Case (October 2024)
Planes, Trains and Automobiles: How Congress Shapes Transportation Infrastructure (October 2024)
Supreme Court to Rule on Actions Required Before Filing Federal Civil Rights Claims (October 2024)
Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace: The Federal and State Legislative Landscape (October 2024)
AI in Elections: A Look at the Federal and State Legislative Landscape (September 2024)
Where Is Federal Early Childhood Policy Heading? (September 2025)
Supreme Court Allows Partial Enforcement of Voter Proof-of-Citizenship Law (September 2024)

Letters, Comments and Testimony to Congress and the Administration

NCSL Comments on USDA Rule on Summer EBT (Aug. 23, 2024)
NCSL and NACo Urge Congress to Oppose EQUIP Act of 2024 (Sept. 18, 2024)
NCSL Highlights Tax Priorities for Potential Federal Legislation (Sept.27, 2024
NCSL Supports Preserving DEA Telemedicine Flexibilities (Sept. 27, 2024)
NCSL Joins 13 National Organizations in Disaster Supplement Request to Administration for Homeless Students (Oct. 24, 2024)
NCSL Letter to President Trump (Nov. 8, 2024)
B7 Joint Letter Supporting the Reauthorization of the Second Chance Act (Nov. 13, 2024)
Coalition Letter Supporting the Disaster Management Costs Modernization Act (Nov. 13, 2024)
Coalition Letter to President-Elect Trump (Nov. 15, 2024)
NCSL Priorities for Remainder of 118th Congress (Nov. 19, 2024)
Coalition Urges Passage of Farm Bill (Nov. 26, 2024)
NCSL Supports EXPLORE Act (Dec. 16, 2024)

United States Senate
41 Total \| 22 Republicans \| 19 Democrats As of Dec. 30, 2024. New members highlighted.
Alaska Lisa Murkowski (R) Arizona Ruben Gallego (D) Connecticut Richard Blumenthal (D) Chris Murphy (D) California Alex Padilla (D) Adam Schiff (D) Florida Marco Rubio (R) Hawaii Mazie Hirono (D) Brian Schatz (D) Idaho Michael Crapo (R) James Risch (R) Indiana Mike Braun (R) Jim Banks (R) Iowa Charles Grassley (R) Joni Ernst (R) Kansas Jerry Moran (R) Louisiana Bill Cassidy (R) Maryland Chris Van Hollen (D) Massachusetts Ed Markey (D) Michigan Gary Peters (D) Mississippi Roger Wicker (R) Cindy Hyde-Smith (R)	Nebraska Deb Fischer (R) New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen (D) Margaret Wood Hassan (D) New York Charles Schumer (D) North Carolina Thom Tillis (R) Oklahoma James Inhofe (R) Oregon Jeff Merkley (D) Rhode Island Jack Reed (D) South Carolina Lindsey Graham (R) Tim Scott (R) South Dakota Mike Rounds (R) Tennessee Marsha Blackburn (R) Vermont Peter Welch (D) Washington Maria Cantwell (D) Patty Murray (D) West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito (R) Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin (D) Wyoming John Barrasso (R) Cynthia Lummis (R)

United States House of Representatives
210 Total \| 105 Republicans \| 105 Democrats
Alabama Barry Moore (R) Mike Rogers (R) Arizona Andy Biggs (R) David Schweikert (R) Arkansas Bruce Westerman (R) California Julia Brownley (D) Judy Chu (D) Lou Correa (D) Jim Costa (D) Mark DeSaulnier (D) Laura Friedman (D) John Garamendi (D) Jimmy Gomez (D) Adam Gray (D) Jared Huffman (D) Sidney Kamlager-Dove (D) Kevin Kiley (R) Young Kim (R) Doug LaMalfa (R) Ted Lieu (D) Tom McClintock (R) Dave Min (D) Kevin Mullin (D) Jay Obernolte (R) Luz Rivas (D) Mike Thompson (D) Norma Torres (D) David Valadao (R) Juan Vargas (D) Maxine Waters (D) Colorado Diana DeGette (D) Gabe Evans (R) Brittany Pettersen (D) Connecticut Joe Courtney (D) John Larson (D) Delaware Sarah Elizabeth McBride (D) Florida Aaron Bean (R) Gus Bilirakis (R) Mario Diaz-Balart (R) Byron Donalds (R) Lois Frankel (D) Michael Haridopolos (R) Jared Moskowitz (D) Darren Soto (D) Greg Steube (R) Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D) Daniel Webster (R) Frederica Wilson (D) Georgia Sanford Bishop (D) Earl “Buddy” Carter (R) Mike Collins (R) Barry Loudermilk (R) Austin Scott (R) David Scott (D) Nikema Williams (D) Guam James Moylan (R) Hawaii Ed Case (D) Jill Tokuda (D) Idaho Russ Fulcher (R) Michael Simpson (R) Illinois Mike Bost (R) Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D) Robin Kelly (D) Darin LaHood (R) Delia Ramirez (D) Jan Schakowsky (D) Indiana Jim Baird (R) Erin Houchin (R) Mark Messmer (R) Victoria Spartz (R) Marlin Stutzman (R) Iowa Randy Feenstra (R) Ashley Hinson (R) Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) Zach Nunn (R) Kansas Derek Schmidt (R) Kentucky James Comer (R) Brett Guthrie (R) Morgan McGarvey (D) Louisiana Troy Carter (D) Cleo Fields (D) Mike Johnson (R) Steve Scalise (R) Maine Jared Golden (D) Chellie Pingree (D) Maryland Sarah Elfreth (D) Andy Harris (R) Steny Hoyer (D) Johnny Olszewski (D) Jamie Raskin (D) Massachusetts Katherine Clark (D) Bill Keating (D) Stephen Lynch (D) Michigan Tom Barrett (R) Bill Huizenga (R) Kristen McDonald Rivet (D) John Moolenaar (R) Rashida Tlaib (D) Shri Thanedar (D) Tim Walberg (R) Minnesota Tom Emmer (R) Brad Finstad (R) Michelle Fischbach (R) Betty McCollum (D) Ilhan Omar (D)	Missouri Eric Burlison (R) Sam Graves (R) Bob Onder (R) Jason Smith (R) Montana Ryan Zinke (R) Nebraska Adrian Smith (R) Mike Flood (R) Nevada Mark Amodei (R) Steven Horsford (D) Dina Titus (D) New Hampshire Chris Pappas (D) New Jersey Herb Conaway (D) Tom Kean, Jr. (R) Donald Norcross (D) Frank Pallone, Jr. (D) Nellie Pou (D) Jeff Van Drew (D) Bonne Watson Coleman (D) New Mexico Melanie Stansbury (D) New York Adriano Espaillat (D) Andrew Garbarino (R) Hakeem Jeffries (D) Timonthy Kennedy (D) George Latimer (D) Mike Lawler (R) Nicole Malliotakis (R) John Mannion (D) Gregory W. Meeks (D) Grace Meng (D) Joseph Morelle (D) Jerrold Nadler (D) Claudia Tenney (R) Paul Tonko (D) North Carolina Alma Adams (D) Chuck Edwards (R) Valerie Foushee (D) Virginia Foxx (R) Tim Moore (R) Greg Murphy (R) Deborah Ross (D) David Rouzer (R) Ohio Troy Balderson (R) Joyce Beatty (D) Jim Jordan (R) Bob Latta (R) Michael Rulli (R) Emilia Sykes (D) Oklahoma Stephanie Bice (R) John Brecheen (R) Tom Cole (R) Frank Lucas (R) Oregon Cliff Bentz (R) Suzanne Bonamici (D) Janelle Bynum (D) Maxine Dexter (D) Pennsylvania Brendan Boyle (D) Madeleine Dean (D) Dwight Evans (D) Summer Lee (D) Ryan MacKenzie (R) Scott Perry (R) Guy Reschenthaler (R) Lloyd Smucker (R) South Carolina Russell Fry (R) Nancy Mace (R) Ralph Norman, Jr. (R) William Timmons (R) Joe Wilson (R) Tennessee Tim Burchett (R) Steve Cohen (D) Mark Green (R) Texas Joaquin Castro (D) Jasmine Crockett (D) Henry Cuellar (D) Lloyd Doggett (D) Jake Ellzey (R) Pat Fallon (R) Sylvia Garcia (D) Lance Gooden (R) Julie Johnson (D) Sylvester Turner (D) Marc Veasey (D) Randy Weber (R) Utah Michael Kennedy (R) Vermont Becca Balint (D) Virginia Ben Cline (R) Morgan Griffith (R) Jen Kiggans (R) Jennifer McClellan (D) John McGuire (R) Bobby Scott (D) Suhas Subramanyam (D) Rob Wittman (R) Washington Michael Baumgartner (R) Pramila Jayapal (D) Dan Newhouse (R) Emily Randall (D) Adam Smith (D) West Virginia Carol Miller (R) Riley Moore (R) Wisconsin Scott Fitzgerald (R) Glenn Grothman (R) Gwen Moore (D) Mark Pocan (D) Tom Tiffany (R)

Jan. 18, 2025 | Salt Lake A | Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City | 10:30-11:45 a.m.

Agenda

Welcome and introductions.
Fast facts about the Utah Legislature.
Review of NCSL’s work supporting the legislative institution, August-December 2024.
Report from the LSCC Legislative Institution Subcommittee.
Report from the International Legislative Advisory Council.
Discussion of 2025 programming and research.
Other business.

Subcommittee Roster

Co-Chair	Co-Chair	Staff Chair	Staff Vice Chair
Speaker Roger Hanshaw West Virginia	Sen. Malcolm Augustine Maryland	Natalie Castle Colorado	Paul Smith New Hampshire
Legislator Members	Legislative Staff members
Rep. Tyler August, Wisconsin Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, Texas Rep. Chris Croft, Kansas Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, Nevada Sen. Bob Duff, Connecticut Rep. Jon Eubanks, Arkansas Rep. Roger Goodman, Washington Rep. Sonya Harper, Illinois Sen. Becky Massey, Tennessee Sen. Ann Millner, Utah MNA Mathieu Lemay, Quebec Speaker Sherman Packard, New Hampshire Rep. Kevin Ryan, Connecticut Rep. Michael Schlossberg, Pennsylvania Speaker Joe Shekarchi, Rhode Island	Miriam Fordham, Kentucky Doug Himes, Tennessee Eric Nauman, Minnesota Tim Sekerak, Oregon John Snyder, Kentucky Rachel Weiss, Montana Andrea Wilko, Utah Brad Young, Ohio
NCSL Liaisons Natalie Wood (lead) Stacy Householder Arturo Pérez

To:	Members of the Executive Committee Legislative Institution Committee
From:	Natalie Wood, vice president for policy and research Julie George, director, Center for Legislative Strengthening
Date:	Jan. 18, 2025
Subject:	Legislative Institution-Focused Research, Training and Consulting: Summer-Fall 2024 Report

Promoting Legislative Institutions

It has been a busy season for the Center for Legislative Strengthening (CLS). Throughout the late summer and fall, the team tackled a variety of research requests, presentations and special projects for our members. Artificial intelligence in the legislative environment continues to be a hot topic. Other topics the team handled included questions on seating of legislators, legislator demographics, legislator and staff compensation, legislative staff hiring and oversight, tied chambers and parliamentary procedure and rules. Between July 1 and Dec. 19, 2024, the team fielded 121 research requests.

In October, CLS staff presented on legislative use of AI to the Colorado Legislative Council Staff and at the international LegisTech AI in Parliaments event in Washington, D.C. Staff also provided a national perspective on the nature of legislatures at the South Carolina House Legal Continuing Education (CLE) meeting. In November, staff spoke at the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) Newly Elected Officials Convening at a session on legislative rules and parliamentary procedure. Additionally, CLS staff joined several of NCSL’s fall professional development seminars to provide sessions on AI, rules and procedures, the legislative process and to staff the Mason’s Manual Commission.

This fall, CLS published the Legislative Use of Artificial Intelligence 2024 Survey and launched a new survey in November to legislative IT directors and chief information officers to further NCSL’s understanding of the use of AI by legislatures. The 2025 session calendar on ncsl.org will be updated regularly to reflect which states are in session. CLS also released a piece on strategies to recruit top talent and a Map Monday feature on parliamentary manuals.

NCSL Base Camp

A highlight of the fall was the team’s NCSL Base Camp session, titled “State Legislatures Eras Tour,” which provided a decade-by-decade highlight reel of the major events and topics that dominated the focus of state legislatures since the birth of NCSL in 1975. As part of NCSL Base Camp, CLS staff also facilitated a session called “Leading with Civility,” featuring Emily Dickens, chief of staff for the Society of Human Resources Management, as well as “AI Tools for the Legislative Workplace.”

Currently, staff are developing session proposals for the 2025 Summit in Boston.

Training, Professional Development and Special Projects

The team wrapped up several special projects started earlier in the year, including a consulting project on staffing structures, classification and compensation and a study project regarding legislative staff collective bargaining efforts. CLS also lent its expertise on legislatures and representative democracy to a legislature working on a civics initiative for capitol visitors. Team members serve as the state liaisons to Colorado, Maine, New Hampshire and South Carolina, and are actively conducting outreach to new legislators and staff while planning for 2025 state visits.

Personnel

Our summer and fall intern, Tobin Lindstrom, wrapped up his work on legislative interims. NCSL will publish two pieces he composed after the New Year. CLS is grateful for Lindstrom’s hard work and contributions.

Jan. 18, 2025 | Salt Lake B | Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City | 10:30-11:45 a.m.

Agenda

Welcome and introductions.
Report and discussion: NCSL communications and outreach.

NCSL’s 50th anniversary.
Member engagement.
Media, digital and other communications activities.

Report and discussion: 2025 NCSL membership survey.
Report and discussion: NCSL meetings.

2024 Legislative Summit (Louisville).
Other 2024 NCSL meetings.
2025 Legislative Summit (Boston).

Other business.

Committee Roster

Chair	Vice Chair	Staff Chair	Staff Vice Chair
Sen. Barry Usher Montana	Asm. Cecilia Aguiar-Curry California	Lonnie Edgar Mississippi	Sabrina Lewellen Arkansas
Legislator Members	Legislative Staff members
Sen. Cristina Castro, Illinois Speaker Matt Huffman, Ohio Rep. Jason Hughes, Louisiana Del. Terry Kilgore, Virginia Sen. Eric Koch, Indiana Sen. Joan Lovely, Massachusetts Senate President Ty Masterson, Kansas Asm. John McDonald, New York Rep. Sam McKenzie, Tennessee Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, Colorado Rep. Billy Mitchell, Georgia Sen. Beth Mizell, Louisiana Rep. Dan Saddler, Alaska Senate President Robert Stivers, Kentucky Speaker Robin Vos, Wisconsin Rep. Mike Yin, Wyoming	Aurora Hauke, Alaska Terri Kondeff, Idaho Cliff McCollum, Alabama Claudia Méndez Morales, Puerto Rico KC Norwalk, Indiana Anne Sappenfield, Wisconsin Shunti Taylor, Georgia Will Tracy, Arkansas Erica Warren, Kentucky
NCSL Liasons Bryan Thomas (lead) Kate Blackman Molly Ramsdell Victor Vialpando-Nuñez

To:	Members of the NCSL Outreach and Member Services Committee
From:	Bryan Thomas, chief communications officer
Date:	Jan. 18, 2025
Subject:	Communications and Outreach Update

The NCSL Communications Division connects members with all the resources and opportunities the conference has to offer, while advancing the story of how state legislatures serve their constituents. This report summarizes several of the communications and outreach activities undertaken in the second half of 2024 (July 1 to Dec. 31).

NCSL’s 50th Anniversary

NCSL launched its commemoration of its 50th anniversary at the opening general session of the 2024 Legislative Summit. This month, January 2025, marks our official 50th birthday.

NCSL is using a multi-faceted 50th anniversary campaign to tell the story of how state legislatures drive representative democracy, civility and innovation, and how NCSL is the indispensable partner in achieving all three.

NCSL launched www.ncsl.org/50 as the hub of all 50th anniversary-related content, which includes a special video, podcast series, interactive timeline, “Profiles in Service” series of staff profiles and more. This month we also published a special 50th anniversary edition of State Legislatures magazine, which is being mailed out to all legislatures and other supporters.

The 50th anniversary will feature prominently at the 2025 Legislative Summit in Boston, including through each of our general sessions. At the Summit, we will also release a coffee table-style book featuring NCSL-shot photography of all state capitols.

As NCSL launched its anniversary celebration, states were encouraged to participate in this commemorative occasion by passing a resolution about NCSL’s anniversary. Legislatures have been asked to consider taking up this resolution as soon as possible to help build momentum and excitement as we mark this important milestone. Thirty-seven states have acted on resolutions so far. Many chambers have personalized the resolution text with details about the state’s engagement with NCSL, such as legislators and staff who have served in NCSL leadership, or notable meetings held in the state.

Member Outreach

State Liaison Program: State liaisons have maintained regular contact with legislators and staff in their states since August 2024, promoting NCSL events, policy resources and training opportunities, and welcoming new legislators. State liaisons will visit state capitols during the 2025 legislative sessions and host legislators and legislative staff for gatherings and briefings celebrating NCSL’s 50th anniversary.

Outreach at the 2024 NCSL Legislative Summit: NCSL outreach staff Katie Ziegler and Sydne Enlund led the New Attendee Orientation session at the Legislative Summit. More than 175 people attended and the audience was a mix of legislators, legislative staff and other attendees. The goal was to help attendees feel prepared to make the most out of their Summit experience and their engagement with NCSL after the meeting, and to feel welcome in Louisville.

Ziegler and Enlund spoke about NCSL’s bipartisanship, research, training, programs for legislative staff, and state-federal work, and emphasized that all legislators and legislative staff are members of NCSL. Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers welcomed attendees and spoke about the value of engaging with NCSL. Jon Heining, general counsel to the Texas Legislative Council, and a former NCSL staff chair, shared tips for navigating the Summit successfully. Mark Giuffre, vice president of state government affairs for UPS, and an NCSL Foundation sponsor, spoke about the value of the Summit for private sector attendees. Marianne Eaves, Kentucky’s first female master distiller since Prohibition, led the audience through a bourbon tasting while sharing information about the importance of bourbon to the state. She also discussed her journey as an entrepreneur. The event concluded with a light reception thanks to sponsorship by Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits. The attendees enjoyed the opportunity to chat and network with each other over food and drink.

NCSL held a State Meet and Greet the morning of Aug. 5, where legislators and staff were encouraged to stop by before the general session to have coffee, mingle with colleagues and meet their NCSL state liaisons.

New Legislator Outreach

NCSL updated and refined its new legislator outreach plan for 2024 and welcomed the more than 1,100 new legislators elected in November.

The first of four messages in a welcome email campaign was delivered to new legislators one week after the election. Messages had open rates as high as 96% and directed readers to a new legislator webpage with welcome videos from NCSL officers, policy resources, information about NCSL’s 50th anniversary and a message from state liaisons. NCSL debuted state-specific web addresses to allow legislators and staff to quickly connect with state liaisons (example: ncsl.org/utah). The email activity was complemented with outreach by NCSL state liaisons and in-state NCSL coordinators to welcome new legislators.

NCSL offered a series of virtual new member orientation trainings throughout December which were well attended and had high engagement among participants.

Topics included:

Moving From Campaigning to Governing: Four Ways to Become an Effective Legislator.
Navigating Media and Social Media.
The Art of Legislative Negotiation.
Using Rules as Tools.

New legislators will receive a special welcome package in January with NCSL’s Guide to Parliamentary Procedure, a list of NCSL staff contacts by policy topic, a welcome from their NCSL state liaison and other introductory information.

2024 Legislative Summit

The communications team supported a variety of activities at the 2024 Legislative Summit:

State Legislatures Magazine: The magazine staff produced another successful print edition themed to the Louisville, Ky., Summit. The magazine served as a guide for attendees, including an abbreviated schedule, things to do and stories about people and places in the host state, as well as U.S. state facts, professional training tips and more. The cover artist was also on hand in the Exhibit Hall to sign copies of a commemorative poster featuring her art.

org: The State Legislatures News team produced 36 articles from the event, covering a wide range of policy and professional development sessions for those not in attendance. This year, nine sessions were selected to be livestreamed, generating 9,382 views. One livestreamed session was not retained due to a speaker not granting permission.

Media Relations: More than 40 local, state and national reporters covered the Summit, with 1,100 media mentions related to the event. Twelve Summit-focused press releases were distributed to NCSL’s media list, and an announcement of the new executive officers were distributed to local media through the legislators’ press offices.

Public Broadcasting Project/Media Studio: In partnership with Kentucky Educational Television, we conducted interviews with 38 legislators, totaling more than 200 minutes of content.

Media Relations

NCSL continues to position itself as a valued source for local and national media. During this reporting period, a record of more than 11,130 media mentions occurred. Much of this success is due to the proactive media outreach for NCSL’s 2024 state elections coverage.

This elections coverage campaign packaged numerous external releases to the media that positioned NCSL as a source of information on state legislative matters, election administration and ballot measures. Additionally, we hosted an online post-election media briefing attended by more than 60 reporters from across the country. This resulted in numerous stories mentioning information presented during the briefing.

Podcasts

NCSL produced nine episodes of the “Our American States” podcast during this reporting period. Topics included insurance coverage for weight-loss drugs, AI, an election preview, higher education and advice for new lawmakers.

NCSL also produced the first two podcasts in a series celebrating NCSL’s 50th anniversary. The first podcast, on the history of legislatures and NCSL’s role, was released just before the Legislative Summit in Kentucky. A second episode, in October, traced the development of the legislative institution. Three more podcasts in the series are planned for 2025.

Between downloads and streaming, the potential audience for this period was about 6,000 listeners.

State of Play

Since announcing our partnership with A Starting Point, the civic engagement platform created by Chris Evans, Mark Kassen and Joe Kiani, we have produced nine videos in the “State of Play” series. “State of Play” offers video content and conversations with lawmakers about the big issues facing states.

The videos have covered topics such as artificial intelligence, housing costs, voter ID laws, immigration, children and social media, election security, disaster resilience, minimum wage and cellphones in schools. These nine videos have garnered 2.7 million views, generated 35,000 impressions across X, YouTube and LinkedIn, and reached 2.4 million unique visitors on Instagram.

Due to its success, NCSL and A Starting Point will continue their partnership and are already in discussions for planning well into 2025.

Website

Presidential election years traditionally lead to significant traffic increases on the NCSL website, and 2024 was no exception. Ncsl.org saw a whopping 147% increase in web traffic during the same reporting period YOY. Pages on State Primary Election Types, Felon Voting Rights and Voter ID Laws led the traffic, with each receiving more than 500,000 pageviews during the reporting period.

In fact, resources on ncsl.org were so popular, especially during the week leading up to the Nov. 5 election, that the IT and digital teams had to implement a queuing system to keep the site from overloading. In response to this high demand, new protocols are being developed to accommodate future user surges.

Additionally, NCSL’s State Legislatures News experienced steady growth, with a 7% increase in pageviews YoY.

By The Numbers (July 1 to Dec. 10, 2024)

Total views (how many times a page is visited): 12.3 million
Total sessions (how many interactions user has with website): 10 million
State Legislatures News views: 258,850
New webpages published (July-December): 100
State Legislatures News articles published (July-December): 142

Most-visited Webpages

State Primary Election Types: 667,608
Felon Voting Rights: 546,478
Voter ID Laws: 523,430
State Minimum Wages: 415,889
NCSL Homepage: 362,176
NCSL Search Results: 333,364
Access to and Use of Voter Registration Lists: 303,692
Early In-Person Voting: 292,403
When States Mail Out Absentee/Mail Ballots: 266,488

Most-visited State Legislatures News Articles

Forecasting the 2024 Presidential Election: The Data Says … Who Knows?: 77,585
Debating the Electoral College: 41,850
Supreme Court Strikes Down Student Loan Forgiveness Program: 27,681
What the Electoral Count Reform Act Means for States: 17,765
Minnesota Unfurls Revamped State Flag: 11,937
Supreme Court Overrules Purdue Pharma Opioid Settlement, Rejects Immunity for Sacklers: 9,938

Most-popular Organic Google Search Queries

can felons vote
when will I receive my vote by mail ballot 2024
ncsl
minimum wage by state
public voting records
when are absentee ballots mailed out
common law marriage
provisional ballot
how many states require photo id to vote

Social Media

During this reporting period, NCSL gained 1,193 new net followers across all platforms, giving NCSL a total of 66,208 followers. LinkedIn reported 1,226 new followers, while Facebook reported 244 new followers.

The total impressions (the number of times content is displayed) for this period was 679,228. About 335,516 (49.4%) of the total impressions came from X while about 148,270 (21.83%) came from LinkedIn, 105,980 came (15.6%) came from Facebook and 89,462 (13.17%) came from Instagram.

The total engagement was 20,198. The average engagement rate was 3% across all platforms. LinkedIn had the most engagements with 10,603 engagements, representing 52.5% of all engagements. X held the second-most engagements with 5,143, representing 25.46% of all engagements.

There was a total of 22,460 video views across the platforms, with Instagram generating 40.55% or 9,108 of those video views and LinkedIn generating 29.53% or over 6,632 video views. There were also approximately 9,234 post link clicks (number of times users clicked on links from NCSL’s posts) during the reporting period.

NCSL Town Halls

During the reporting period, NCSL produced six Town Hall videos. Across all platforms, there were a total of 112 posts related to these videos, which garnered nearly 20,000 impressions, 700 engagements and 3,528 total video views.

Newsletters

During the third and fourth quarter, NCSL sent out 250 regularly occurring newsletters, including NCSL Today, NCSL This Week and policy-specific newsletters, to 22,386 recipients totaling 2.63 million emails. Legislators and legislative staff comprised 53% of the recipients.

NCSL Today is a daily curated roundup of national news and NCSL resources produced Monday-Friday. NCSL This Week, published weekly on Sundays, includes recent NCSL reports, articles, meetings, and other valuable information for members. Approximately 19,144 people subscribe to the newsletters. Notable statistics during the reporting period include:

Legislators and legislative staff made up 59% of opens and 62% of clicks in both newsletters with a 11% increase in clicks since Q2.
The newsletters received 725,545 opens and 127,083 clicks during the reporting period.
Fifty-eight percent of NCSL Today and NCSL This Week subscribers are legislative members, including 5,211 legislators and 5,855 legislative staff.

Awards

NCSL communications staff were honored with the following awards during the reporting period:

MarCom Awards Gold Level Award for Website and Magazine

Ncsl.org and the summer 2024 edition of State Legislatures magazine received Gold Level awards. Judged by the International Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, the awards honor excellence in marketing and communication. More than 6,500 entries were submitted.

To:	Members of the NCSL Outreach and Member Services Committee
From:	Bryan Thomas, chief communications officer
Date:	Jan. 18, 2025
Subject:	2025 Membership Survey

As part of NCSL’s efforts to provide excellent service and gain a better understanding of our members’ perspectives, NCSL will survey all members beginning in February 2025. The last comprehensive membership survey was conducted in 2019-2020, and moving forward, this survey will be conducted annually.

All legislators and legislative staff will receive an email with a personalized link to a brief set of questions. This initial survey will provide baseline data for measuring trends and informing future member engagement efforts, including long-form surveys, pulse surveys, focus groups and member interviews. The survey rollout will be staggered across four phases, with all but one state receiving their initial outreach in February. Customized response links will help NCSL better understand the experiences of different respondent cohorts and ensure a broad spectrum of member feedback is collected.

The current draft of the survey will be provided as a separate handout.

To:	Members of the NCSL Outreach and Member Services Committee
From:	Tim Storey, NCSL CEO
Date:	Sept. 20, 2024
Subject:	2024 Legislative Summit

The 2024 Legislative Summit in Louisville was a true success by nearly every metric. Here are some data points on the event:

5,584 people registered for Summit, exceeding our goal by more than 750 registrants.

808 legislators registered, with an almost even split between Republicans and Democrats.
941 legislative staff registered.
Registrants included both legislators and legislative staff from all 50 states, D.C., and two territories.
700 registrants represented NCSL Foundation sponsors.

More than 700 attendees replied to the post-Summit satisfaction survey.

A whopping 84% of respondents said they plan to attend another Summit in the future.
75% of legislators said they learned more about policy issues and over half of the legislators said they are considering legislation based on an idea from the Summit.
Over 70% of legislative staff highlighted professional development and networking as top takeaways.

We sold 98.5% of Exhibit Hall space to 270 exhibitors.
While we are still reconciling the books, we expect the Summit to prove a strong financial success. We anticipate expenses to be in line with budget, while we exceeded our revenue expectation by about $640,000, (hopefully) netting more than $1.5 million for the general fund.

There are a lot of folks who deserve credit for putting on such an amazing Summit, and I want to shoutout a few of them:

The Kentucky Legislature host committee, led by President Robert Stivers and Speaker David Osborne, along with their staff leaders, Jay Hertz and Teresa Arnold, could not have been more hospitable. Their army of volunteers made everyone feel welcome, and their social events were phenomenal. They got numerous shoutouts on the Summit survey.
Our event sponsors, including NCSL Foundation sponsors, gave us the resources to put on this growing Summit.
The NCSL staff did a great job building an agenda of engaging sessions and a roster of top speakers.
And of course, the guidance from you, our Executive Committee members, over the course of the last year as we heard your priorities and ideas to make Summit a success.

Of course, there are always ways to improve. We heard several comments regarding the convention center’s meals and signage, that we are looking to mitigate in Boston. Some policy sessions proved too introductory for some of our members, and we are challenging ourselves to go deeper in Boston. And as our Summit attendance numbers increase, we are looking for creative ways to help the Summit feel small, approachable and relevant.

To:	Members of the Information Technology, Social Media, E-Learning and Outreach Subcommittee
From:	Victor Vialpando-Nuñez, NCSL chief operations officer
Date:	Jan. 17, 2025
Subject:	2024 NCSL Meetings

DATE	MEETING NAME	LOCATION
Jan. 5-7	Opioid Policy Fellows	New Orleans
Jan. 11-14	Winter LSCC and Executive Committee Meeting	Las Vegas
Jan. 11-12	Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Privacy	Las Vegas
Jan. 17	SALT Working Group Meeting	Las Vegas
Jan. 17	2024 50-State Bill Information Service (BIS) Training (Jan.)	Online
Feb. 2	Minor Guardianship Webinar	Online
Feb. 5-8	STGWG Sacred Sites Workshop	Denver
Feb. 15	2024 US Economic Outlook and What it Means for State Budgets and Credit Ratings	Online
Feb. 16	NCSL State-Federal Briefing: Behavioral Health	Online
Feb. 21	2024 50-State Bill Information Service (BIS) Training (Feb.)	Online
Feb. 23	Housing Availability Virtual Meeting Series	Online
Feb. 23-25	Officer's Retreat	Ft. Myers, Fla.
Feb. 25-29	Tribal Clean Energy Summit	Temecula, Calif.
Feb. 26	Student Debt-Basic Needs Webinar	Online
Feb. 28	NLPES Zoom - Dealing With Difficult Stakeholders	Online
March 8	2024 Spring Webinar Series: The Election Workforce: The Front Lines of Democracy	Online
March 15-17	Education Policy Academy	Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
March 15	NCSL State-Federal Briefing: Federal Update…Rapid Fire	Online
March 15	Broadband Deployment and BEAD Webinar Series (Part 1)	Online
March 20	2024 50-State Bill Information Service (BIS) Training (Mar.)	Online
March 28	2024 NREE Spring Webinar Series: The Great Outdoors: New Frontiers for Youth and	Online
April 4	2024 Transportation Spring Webinar Series: All Aboard: Expanding Passenger Rail	Online
April 5	Broadband Deployment and BEAD Webinar Series (Part 2)	Online
April 4-6	ASLCS Spring Business Meeting	New Orleans
April 7-11	D.C. Staff Collab Week	Denver
April 11	2024 NREE Spring Webinar Series: Energy Efficiency for Low-Income Households and	Online
April 13-14	Behavioral Health Training Institute	St. Louis
April 12	Juvenile Justice State/Federal Update	Online
April 12	2024 Spring Webinar Series: After the Voting Is Over: Counting, Results Reporting	Online
April 17	2024 50-State Bill Information Service (BIS) Training (Apr.)	Online
April 18	2024 NREE Spring Webinar Series: Protecting Livestock and Wildlife: The Fight Ag	Online
April 19	NCSL State-Federal Briefing: Workforce	Online
April 25	2024 NREE Spring Webinar Series: Unpacking the Elements of Extended Producer Res	Online
May 1-3	Budget Stress Testing Workshop	Washington, D.C.
May 3	Broadband Deployment and BEAD Virtual Event	Online
May 6-9	STGWG Spring Meeting	Santa Fe, N.M.
May 8	Using Creativity: Don’t Just Survive, Thrive!	Online
May 9	2024 NREE Spring Webinar Series: GDO and Grid Modernization Efforts in the State	Online
May 10	2024 Spring Webinar Series: Focus on the Voters	Online
May 10	NCSL State-Federal Briefing: SCOTUS Update	Online
May 15	2024 50-State Bill Information Service (BIS) Training (May)	Online
May 15-17	NETWG	Washington, D.C.
May 16	2024 Transportation Spring Webinar Series: Tanked: How States Are Looking to Rep	Online
May 16-18	Spring LSCC and Executive Committee Meeting	Québec City
May 16-18	Military and Veterans Affairs TF	Québec City
May 16-18	Energy Supply Task Force	Québec City
May 16-18	SALT	Québec City
May 16-18	Health Innovations Task Force	Québec City
May 16-18	TF on Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Privacy	Québec City
May 17	The Pros and Cons of Prescription Drug Importation	Online
May 21-23	Prison Oversight Site Visit	New Orleans
May 23	2024 Transportation Spring Webinar Series: States in Action: Addressing America’	Online
May 29-31	Women in Pensions	Savannah, Ga.
June 2-7	Exec Leadership Development Program Greece	Greece
June 3-5	Law Enforcement Policy Teams	Charleston, S.C.
June 3-7	Youth and Young Adult Policy Convening (June 3-5) and Young Adult Reentry Site Visit (June 5-7)	Boston
June 4-7	Managing Federal Funds Preconference & Spring Budget Working Group	Seattle
June 6-8	Prenatal-to-3 Government in Action State Teams Meeting	Minneapolis
June 5-7	Mississippi River Basin Cohort	St. Paul, Minn.
June 7	Improving Access to Rare Disease Care Through State Policy	Online
June 6-8	Agriculture Task Force	St. Paul, Minn.
June 6-8	Election Chairs	Kansas City, Mo.
June 7-9	Opioid Policy Fellows Meeting 2	Denver
June 14	2024 Spring Webinar Series: Voter Confidence: What Can Move the Needle	Online
June 19-22	Leaders Symposium	Washington, D.C.
June 19	2024 50-State Bill Information Service (BIS) Training (Jun.)	Online
June 21	NCSL State-Federal Briefing: Federal Child Care Landscape	Online
June 24-28	Legislative Education Leaders and Staff Policy Forum	Park City, Utah
June 24-28	Health & Human Services Chairs Meeting & Health Policy Seminar	Washington, D.C.
July 7-9	Nuclear Legislative Working Group	Chicago
July 9	YNP Webinar \| Own the Room: The Easy Method to Speak with Clarity and Confidence	Online
July 11-18	LSMI	Denver
July 12	Decreasing Drug Costs for Patients with Rare Disease	Online
July 17	2024 50-State Bill Information Service (BIS) Training (Jul.)	Online
July 17	Immigration Enforcement Updates from U.S. Customs and Border Protection	Online
July 29	Special Virtual Summit Orientation for Staff Serving on NCSL Standing Committees	Online
Aug. 21	2024 50-State Bill Information Service (BIS) Training (Aug.)	Online
Aug. 25-30	Exec Leadership Development Program Normandy	Normandy, France
Sept. 4-6	Juvenile Justice Site Visit	San Diego
Sept. 8-13	Baltimore Energy Security	Baltimore
Sept. 11-13	Maryland Apprenticeship Site Visit - Europe	Munich
Sep.t 13	NCSL Election Security Briefing	Online
Sept. 15-19	NALIT	Richmond, Va.
Sep.t 18	2024 50-State Bill Information Service (BIS) Training (Sept.)	Online
Sept. 22-24	Criminal Justice Policy Forum	Asheville, N.C.
Sept. 23-26	Wireless U	Seattle
Sept. 24-27	Election Staff Network Annual Convening	Asheville, N.C.
Sept. 25-26	NETWG Q4	Denver
Sept. 25-28	Health Legislative Staff Seminar	Chicago
Sept. 26-28	NCNASL Annual Meeting	Minneapolis
Sept. 27-Oct 4	ASLCS	Manchester, N.H.
Sept. 28-Oct. 4	NLSSA	Boise, Idaho
Oct. 1	ESN 2024-2025 Virtual Meeting Series	Online
Oct. 1	Election Leaders 2024-2025 Virtual Meeting Series	Online
Oct. 6-9	LRL	Raleigh, N.C.
Oct. 7-10	NLPES	New Orleans
Oct. 10	Higher Ed Task Force Report	Washington, D.C.
Oct. 10	A State-Led Strategy to Enhance the Value of Degrees: The Findings of the NCSL T	Online
Oct. 10	Navigating Bird Flu: Response and Risks	Online
Oct. 8-11	NALFO/ Fiscal Analysts Seminar	New Orleans
Oct. 14-16	RELACS	Austin, Texas
Oct. 16-18	Roundtable on Evaluating Economic Development	Washington, D.C.
Oct. 16	2024 50-State Bill Information Service (BIS) Training (Oct.)	Online
Oct. 17	2024 Legislative Staff Institutional Essentials	Online
Oct. 18-20	Fall LSCC Meeting	Denver
Oct. 20-23	LINCS	Denver
Oct. 20-23	LSPA	Denver
Oct. 29-30	NCSL Base Camp	Online
Oct. 31-Nov. 3	German Delegation visit to Atlanta	Atlanta
Nov. 1	In Brief – Federal Tax Policy in 2025	Online
Nov. 7	2024 Elections Analysis and Trends	Online
Nov. 12	Domestic Soil: The Agricultural Impacts of Foreign Ownership of Land	Online
Nov. 13	Health Care Consolidation and Competition: State Actions and Innovations	Online
Nov. 12-15	Fiscal Institute Symposium	Nashville, Tenn.
Nov. 12-15	NLWG Fall Mtg	Baltimore
Nov. 13-15	Ghana Delegation visit to Denver	Denver
Nov. 14	NCSL Post-Election Forum	Washington, D.C.
Nov. 17-19	NETWG FY25 Q1	Columbus, Ohio
Nov. 19	The Policy Pulse: Health Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease	Online
Nov. 19	Unified Human Foods Program: What Does FDA Reorganization Mean for States	Online
Nov. 19	Artificial Intelligence and Policing	Online
Nov. 20	2024 50-State Bill Information Service (BIS) Training (Nov.)	Online
Nov. 19-24	Legislative Energy Horizon Institute	Washington, D.C.
Nov. 21	Addressing Social Needs in Value-Based Care Models	Online
Dec. 2-3	ESTF Fall Mtg.	Denver
Dec. 5	Data Center Download	Online
Dec. 6	Cryptocurrency Demystified: What You Need to Know and Why It Matters	Online
Dec. 6	Adverbs Are Like Torpedoes	Online
Dec. 9	Top State Legislative Issues for 2025 Media Availability	Online
Dec. 13	Lay of the Land: A Farm Bill Update	Online
Dec. 13	What States Should Know About Summer EBT	Online
Dec. 11-14	Leaders Symposium	Austin, Texas
Dec. 12-13	Health Innovations Task Force	Palo Alto, Calif.

To:	Members of the NCSL Outreach and Member Services Committee
From:	Victor Vialpando-Nuñez, NCSL chief operations officer
Date:	Jan. 18, 2025
Subject:	2025 Legislative Summit Schedule

Sunday, Aug. 3
Exhibit Hall Setup (8 a.m.-5 p.m.)
8 a.m.-5 p.m.	Pre-Conferences NCSL Task Forces
8-11:45 a.m.	Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee
11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.	Foundation Meeting & Lunch
1:30-3:45 p.m.	Executive Committee Subcommittees
4-5:30 p.m.	Executive Committee
4-5:30 p.m.	New Attendee Orientation & Reception
6:30-8 p.m.	President Elect's Reception
Monday, Aug. 4
Exhibit Hall Setup (8 a.m.-5 p.m.)
8-8:45 a.m.	State Meet & Greet
9-10:30 a.m.	Opening General Session
Block #1 11 a.m.-noon	Sessions
Noon-1 p.m.	Lunch
Noon-1 p.m.	Legislative Staff Chair Lunch
Block #2 1:15-2:15 p.m.	Sessions
Block #3 2:45-3:45 p.m.	Sessions
Block #4 4-5 p.m.	Sessions Legislative Staff University
5:30-7 p.m.	Opening Reception
Tuesday, Aug. 5
Exhibit Hall (10 a.m.-4 p.m.)
6:30-8 a.m.	Fun Run
9-10 a.m.	General Session
10-11 a.m.	Exhibit Hall Grand Opening
Block #5 11:15 a.m.-noon	Sessions
11:15 a.m.-1 p.m.	Salute to Staff Session & Lunch
Noon-1 p.m.	Exhibit Hall Lunch
Block #6 1:15-2:15 p.m.	Sessions
Block #7 2:45-3:45 p.m.	Sessions
4-5 p.m.	General Session
5:30 p.m. start or later	Ancillary Groups
5:30-7 p.m.	President's Reception
Wednesday, Aug. 6
Exhibit Hall (9 a.m.-2 p.m.)
6:30-8 a.m.	Bike Ride
9-9:45 a.m.	Networking Breakfast in the Hall
Block #8 10-10:45 a.m.	Sessions
Block #9 11:15 a.m.-noon	Sessions
12:15-1:15 p.m.	Dem/Rep/Legislative Staff Lunches Exhibit Hall Lunch
1:30-3 p.m.	Business Meeting
3:15-4:30 p.m.	General Session
6:30-9 p.m.	Closing Reception

To:	Members of the NCSL Executive Committee
From:	Rhode Island House of Representatives Speaker Pro Tempore Brian Patrick Kennedy, NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures president
Date:	Jan. 18, 2025
Subject:	NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures President’s Report

As we welcome the new year and the first meeting of the NCSL Foundation board, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to lead this remarkable group. The collective efforts of the board over the past year have resulted in significant achievements, including strong revenue growth, increased sponsorship engagement, impactful outreach activities, and prudent management of operating expenses. This year, the Foundation will build upon that success and continue a path of growth. This report offers a snapshot of accomplishments and highlights of our activities since the 2024 Legislative Summit in Louisville and a preview of the year ahead.

FY 2025 Revenue

The NCSL Foundation Board of Directors approved an unrestricted fundraising goal of $5 million for fiscal year 2025. As of Dec. 20, 2024, the Foundation has raised $1,375,000 in unrestricted giving.

I am pleased to report that we have 35 Capitol Circle level sponsors, with Dominion upgrading from the Silver level and DeleteMe joining since our meeting in Louisville. Eli Lilly, Adobe and Las Vegas Sands also joined the Foundation at the Platinum level. Combining Capitol Circle sponsors with our 67 Platinum-level sponsors, we have a total of 102 top sponsors. A complete list of NCSL Foundation sponsors can be found on the following pages.

FY 2025 Operating Expenses

I am delighted to report that the Foundation is successfully managing its finances for FY 2025, adhering closely to the approved operating budget of $1,613,445 and the allocated $3.4 million for awards to NCSL. The Foundation closed out the 2024 fiscal year within the operating budget.

Foundation Outreach and Activities

This year is off to a great start for our dynamic outreach efforts and other activities. Our initiatives are bolstering our financial stability and strengthening our engagement with legislators, legislative staff and private sector partners. Below is a summary of our key activities thus far this fiscal year:

New Bylaws, New Vice President-elect: The NCSL Executive Committee approved the Foundation’s bylaws on Aug. 4, 2024. This was a major overhaul which included the creation of a new officer position of vice president-elect. The nominating committee and Foundation officers worked meticulously throughout the fall to create and administer the first-ever election process for that position. This new process resulted in the election of Ethan Wilson and an active and engaging process among the board. I am deeply appreciative of the engagement of the candidates and board members in regard to the implementation of the new bylaws and commitment to NCSL.

NCSL Post-Election Forum: Held in Washington, D.C., this event provided analysis and discussion of the state legislative elections and NCSL’s forecast of 2025 issues facing state legislatures. The event included top-level legislative leaders who shared their insights on their own races and any impacts of the federal election in their states and districts. The Foundation was proud to host this event and honored to have over 100 Foundation sponsors in attendance.

State Government Affairs Council Leader’s Policy Conference: The annual Leader’s Policy Conference, attended by NCSL leadership, including me, along with other NCSL officers and NCSL staff, provided an invaluable platform to gain insights into the challenges shaping state policy landscapes. The key themes of innovation, collaboration and inclusivity were central to the conference, with discussions ranging from the complexities of health equity and the evolving digital privacy landscape to the strategic implications of artificial intelligence for governance. The meeting provided an opportunity to connect with NCSL Foundation sponsors, allowing for productive conversations and reinforcing partnerships ahead of the holiday season.

As we begin a new calendar year and continue the work we started in FY 2024, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to each of you for your continued leadership and support. Looking ahead, I am confident that we will build upon our accomplishments and propel the Foundation toward even greater success.

NCSL on
Sponsor List
NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures

NCSL on
Board of Directors
NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures

Aug. 4, 2024 | Louisville Marriott Downtown | Louisville, Ky.

The following officers and members were present:

Officers

Speaker Pro Tempore Brian Patrick Kennedy, Rhode Island, NCSL president
Senate President Pro Tempore Wayne Harper, Utah, NCSL president-elect
Assistant House Majority Leader Marcus Evans Jr., Illinois, NCSL vice president
Speaker Robin Vos, Wisconsin, president emeritus
Sabrina Lewellen, Arkansas, NCSL staff chair
John Snyder, Kentucky, NCSL staff vice chair
Anne Sappenfield, Wisconsin, immediate past staff chair

Members

Cecilia Aguiar Curry, California
Tyler August, Wisconsin
Barbara Ballard, Kansas
Giovanni Capriglione, Texas
Natalie Castle, Colorado
Cristina Castro, Illinois
Marilyn Dondero Loop, Nevada
Bob Duff, Connecticut
Jon Eubanks, Arkansas
Lonnie Edgar, Mississippi
Miriam Fordham, Kentucky
Donna Frett-Gregory, USVI
Roger Goodman, Washington
Bill Hansell, Oregon
Speaker Roger Hanshaw, West Virginia
Sonya Harper, Illinois
Doug Himes, Tennessee
Senate President Matt Huffman, Ohio
Briggs Hopson, Mississippi
Jennifer Jackson, Texas
Wendy Jackson, Wisconsin
Eric Katz, New York
Terry Kilgore, Virginia
Terri Kondeff, Idaho
John McDonald, New York
Anne Millner, Utah
Beth Mizell, Louisiana
Eric Nauman, Minnesota
Rich Olsen, West Virginia
Speaker Sherman Packard, New Hampshire
Melissa Renick, Kansas
Jill Reinmuth, Washington
Becky Massey, Tennessee
Senate President Ty Masterson, Kansas
Sam McKenzie, Tennessee
Billy Mitchell, Georgia
Kevin Ryan, Connecticut
Paul Smith, New Hampshire
Senate President Robert Stivers, Kentucky
Betsy Theroux, Georgia
Speaker Ben Toma, Arizona
Will Tracy, Arkansas
Erica Warren, Kentucky
Whitney Westerfield, Kentucky

Fifty-one members were in attendance. A quorum was present.

Welcome and Introductions

The meeting began with a warm welcome from Brian Patrick Kennedy, NCSL president and speaker pro tempore from Rhode Island. Attendees were encouraged to enjoy the hospitality of Louisville, Ky., and were thanked for their participation in the Executive Committee meeting. Special recognition was given to the Kentucky Host Committee for its efforts in organizing the event.

Kennedy emphasized the collaborative spirit of the meeting and the opportunity to engage in various events showcasing Kentucky's culture and pride. He introduced notable attendees, including international affiliates and delegates from Quebec, Alberta, Ghana and other countries, highlighting the strong international presence at the Summit.

Tim Storey, NCSL CEO, provided housekeeping updates, confirming a quorum for the meeting and distributing the Executive Committee books. Attendees were reminded to speak clearly into microphones for accurate recording of the minutes.

Consul General of Canada Colin Bird delivered remarks on the importance of U.S.-Canada relations, inviting attendees to an international reception hosted by the Canadian Consulate.

Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers welcomed attendees with remarks on the unique attributes of Louisville, the city's vibrant culture and local culinary highlights. He expressed pride in bipartisan efforts to bridge the rural-urban divide in Kentucky and acknowledged the city’s collaborative investments.

The introduction concluded with a ceremonial recognition of longstanding traditions and contributions, including the presentation of American flags flown over the Pentagon to past NCSL presidents, acknowledgment of military and veterans' affairs partnerships, and tributes to retiring Utah Sen. Curt Bramble for his extraordinary 24-year legislative career.

Approval of Minutes, New Executive Committee Members and Task Forces

The minutes from the previous meeting in Quebec City were reviewed and approved. Additionally, two new members were welcomed to the Executive Committee: Rep. Giovanni Capriglione of Texas as an at-large member and Sen. Joan Lovely of Massachusetts as a Legislative Summit delegate, representing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for next year’s Summit in Boston. Both appointments were approved unanimously.

The Executive Committee approved the establishment of several task forces, including the Task Force on Agriculture, Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Privacy, Task Force on Energy Supply, Health Innovations Task Force, Task Force on Higher Education Affordability and Student Outcomes, Military and Veterans Affairs Task Force, and State and Local Taxation.

CEO’s Report

CEO Tim Storey highlighted NCSL’s strong financial health and organizational success in his report, noting record participation at the Louisville Summit and significant progress as NCSL approaches its 50th anniversary. He emphasized that the organization is operating effectively, with strong engagement and a clear commitment to its mission of strengthening legislative institutions and providing a united voice in Washington.

Budget, Finance and Rules Committee Report

Sen. Wayne Harper shared updates from the Budget, Finance and Rules Committee, reporting a $2.3 million surplus for FY 2024, attributed to strong revenue from state dues, increased grant funding and interest income. He highlighted the successful allocation of surplus funds to the reserve account and the completion of building repairs. The committee also noted that, for the first time in more than 15 years, all 50 states are dues-paying members of NCSL, marking a significant milestone for the organization.

Committee on Outreach and Member Services Report

NCSL Vice President Marcus Evans and Staff Chair Sabrina Lewellen presented the report from the Committee on Outreach and Member Services. The committee reviewed and forwarded four proposed grants totaling over $4 million for Executive Committee approval. These grants were detailed on page 33 of the agenda book. The committee also provided an update on the start of NCSL's 50th-anniversary commemoration, which will kick off with the first general session. NCSL is launching a dedicated 50th-anniversary hub on its website, featuring a special video, interactive timeline, podcasts and more.

Additionally, the committee shared that NCSL’s website continues to perform strongly, with 2.4 million page views in the last quarter, and social media engagement is growing. The outreach team facilitated visits from all 50 states and territories in the first half of the year. The committee discussed outreach strategies related to the 2024 elections, aiming to introduce NCSL to new members and staff. Finally, the Legislative Summit exceeded expectations with over 5,000 registrations, and the agenda was packed with policy and professional development sessions.

Lewellen highlighted the significant milestone of NCSL’s 50th anniversary, noting that 37 states have already passed resolutions recognizing NCSL's contributions. She encouraged everyone to celebrate the organization's accomplishments and its future, as it moves into the second half of its first century of service.

A motion was made to adopt the proposed grants listed on page 33 of the agenda book. The motion passed with unanimous approval.

Legislative Institution Subcommittee Report

Speaker Roger Hanshaw provided an update from the Legislative Institution Subcommittee, which met earlier in the day. The committee's discussion began with a presentation from Jay Hartz of Kentucky, who shared the history of the Kentucky Legislature, focusing on the division of power between the executive and legislative branches. Hartz highlighted the changes made to Kentucky's governing documents in the 1970s and 1990s, including the shift from biennial to annual legislative sessions in 2000. His presentation ended with a light-hearted challenge to members, asking if they could meet Kentucky's constitutional prohibition against participating in a duel, excluding tweets and direct mail.

Julie George, director of the NCSL Center for Legislative Strengthening, provided updates on various initiatives, including supporting the Ghanaian Legislature, offering training for fostering democracy abroad, providing in-state technical assistance, and conducting a study on legislator pay and the use of AI in legislatures. The committee also discussed the importance of educating members on successfully and ethically deploying these technologies in legislative work.

The committee also received updates on the 11 sessions being offered at the Summit, including a session on recent court decisions affecting legislator immunity. George and Natalie Wood shared NCSL’s tracking of legislative changes across the country, such as alterations to legislative rules, bill tracking and term limits, specifically in Hawaii and Maine. The committee also discussed a proposal in New Mexico to enhance individual legislator staffing, especially for those who are not full-time legislators.

Jennifer Jackson reported on the Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee’s (LSCC) ongoing projects, including a staff code of conduct, a legislative litigation toolkit, and a guide to writing a legislative personnel manual, which is particularly relevant in light of evolving employment laws. The committee concluded with a discussion about the nature of interim periods in modern legislatures, comparing full-time versus part-time roles and responsibilities. The committee plans to continue researching the evolving role of interim periods in 21st-century legislatures.

State and Federal Activities Report

Rep. Jon Eubanks presented the report from the State and Federal Policy Subcommittee. The committee began with a briefing by Lindsey Volz, senior advisor in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. The discussion covered over 40 policies that will be reviewed by the standing committees in meetings on Monday and Tuesday, with the final vote scheduled for the annual business meeting on Wednesday morning. Each state is allowed one vote in this process.

The subcommittee also received updates from several task forces. The AI, Cybersecurity and Privacy Task Force is finalizing white papers on AI and its impact on elections and the workforce. The State and Local Tax Task Force discussed expiring tax cuts and will make recommendations to the Budgets and Revenue Committee regarding necessary updates to NCSL policy. The Higher Education Task Force is nearing the completion of a significant report, targeting an October release. The Health Innovation Task Force has focused on the intersection of AI and health and has released a brief on AI applications in healthcare and related state legislative activity.

Finally, NCSL’s Susan Frederick provided an update on recent Supreme Court decisions. For those interested in more details, a session on Wednesday from 1:30-2:45 p.m. titled "The Supremes: Unpacking Cases That Matter to States" will delve deeper into these decisions. Additional information can be found in Tab 9 of the agenda book.

LSCC Report

Sabrina Lewellen, staff chair, provided an update on the Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee (LSCC). She expressed gratitude to the members of the LSCC for their time, commitment and efforts throughout the year.

The Professional Staff Association Work Group reported a successful year, with seven staff associations participating in the staff exchange program. Appreciation was extended to the NCSL Foundation for its funding and support of these programs. The Standing Committee Work Group focused on preparing for the new officer orientation this fall. The Strategic Planning Work Group, which prepared goals for incoming Staff Chair John Snyder, outlined priorities including the continuation of the 50th anniversary celebration and a special work group on artificial intelligence.

The 50th Anniversary Work Group will continue its efforts with a special committee and is collaborating with the professional staff associations to complete a goal of creating profiles in service, which will highlight exceptional legislative staff contributions across states, commonwealths and territories.

The Legislative Institution Subcommittee completed several staff publications, including the Staff Code of Conduct and Legislative Litigation Tool Kit. The Program and Professional Development Subcommittee also accomplished a wide range of tasks, including providing guidance on the delivery of the Legislative Staff Management Institute, which will now fall under the NCSL umbrella.

Lewellen concluded by recognizing the successful year for the LSCC and thanking all legislative staff involved in its efforts.

NCSL Foundation Report

Speaker Robin Vos provided an update on the NCSL Foundation, celebrating a successful year with a record-breaking fundraising achievement. The Foundation raised $5.1 million, exceeding its goal by 10%. To date, $3.4 million has been awarded for 2025 projects, with an additional $600,000 granted for supplemental programs in the current year.

The Foundation's success is attributed to strong sponsorship support, with 287 corporate sponsors, including 34 at the highest level (Capital Circle). This marks an increase from last year, with 13 new Capital Circle members. Since 2015, the foundation has contributed over $33 million to NCSL's programs. Vos thanked the sponsors and NCSL staff, particularly Diana Noel, for their efforts.

Vos also discussed updates to the Foundation's bylaws, which had not been revised since NCSL's formation 50 years ago. Key changes include increasing the board size to 57 members, setting clearer term limits, and introducing a vice president-elect position for the private sector side to aid in transition planning. The proposed bylaws were put forward for approval, with a motion to adopt them.

After a discussion, the bylaws were adopted by the Executive Committee. Vos then presented the slate of candidates for the NCSL Foundation Board of Directors, with the exception of Sen. Bill Hansell, who requested his name be removed due to not seeking re-election. The remaining slate was approved.

Recognition and Adjournment

NCSL President Brian Patrick Kennedy acknowledged the individuals completing their terms on the Executive Committee, including Kansas Rep. Barbara Ballard, Sen. Donna Frett-Gregory from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mississippi Sen. Briggs Hopson, Rich Olsen of West Virginia, Jill Reinmuth of Washington, Betsy Theroux of Georgia and Oregon Sen. Bill Hansell. Kennedy expressed gratitude for their dedication and service to NCSL, noting that many serve without state funding and still make the effort to attend.

Additionally, those completing their terms as officers, including Vos (president emeritus) and Anne Sappenfield from Wisconsin, were recognized. Vos and Sappenfield would continue their roles until Wednesday, at which point the gavel would be passed.

Storey also thanked Whitney Westerfield, who is not seeking re-election, for his service on the Executive Committee. The committee jokingly noted that Westerfield, who has triplets, would need three backpacks for his future endeavors.

The next meeting of the Executive Committee is scheduled for Jan. 17-18, 2025, in Salt Lake City. Kennedy concluded the meeting with a motion to adjourn, which was seconded and passed.

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Report From NCSL CEO Tim Storey

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