By Jane Carroll Andrade

The weather, the gumbo and the sessions were hot. That’s what the three professional development seminars (PDS) for legislative staff had in common when they met in the Pelican State this fall.

The seminars were part of NCSL’s annual fall training for those who work in the unique environment of state legislatures. Clerks and secretaries, information officers, leadership staff and librarians got together in New Orleans and Baton Rouge to attend relevant and interesting sessions, network with colleagues from across the country and enjoy terrific social events.

Here is a quick synopsis of their seminars.

ASLCS: The oldest and most active of NCSL's 10 staff sections, the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries met in early October in Baton Rouge for its 48th annual professional development seminar. Three plenary sessions, six concurrent sessions, an exhibit hall, a staff networking session and a tour of the Louisiana State Capitol took place in the span of six days. Attendees also were treated to Louisiana food, culture and history. Highlighting the seminar was an appearance by James Carville and Mary Matalin—one of America’s best-loved political couples—who provided their perspective about the day’s most important political issues and a behind-the-scenes look at politics.

LSS and LINCS: The Leadership Staff Section and Legislative Information and Communications Staff Section joined forces to kick off the PDS season in New Orleans in September. Leadership staff attended a variety of stimulating sessions and enjoyed conflict-resolution training while LINCS attendees talked shop with a panel of reporters and discussed social media strategies, among other things. The groups combined business and pleasure for a session on leading multiple generations, touring the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge and cruising the Mississippi River on the Steamboat Natchez.

LRL: Twenty-one Legislative Research Librarians also gathered in Baton Rouge, learning about indexing legislation, database management and design, and French civil law, which forms the basis for Louisiana’s statutes. The group toured the Louisiana Supreme Court, where they were shown samples from the court’s rare book collection and met with Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Johnson, the first African-American female to serve as chief justice in Louisiana.

NCSL’s staff sections are professional groups for staff who work in particular areas of the legislature. They provide opportunities to hone skills, exchange ideas, learn best practices and meet with colleagues who have similar positions in other legislatures. All legislative staff are welcome! To learn more, visit NCSL’s Web page on staff professional development, our Legislative Staff Services page or contact NCSL at 303-364-7700 and ask for the staff section liaison.

Read an earlier blog post about NCSL’s other staff section seminars.

Jane Carroll Andrade is a communications program director and liaison to the LINCS staff section.

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