Resource Legislative Staff Institutional Essentials Resources

Welcome to NCSL’s Legislative Staff Institutional Essentials Program

This webpage for participants contains program information and session resources. Here you’ll find the agenda for the overall program, the roster for each cohort and resources provided by each of the faculty. Session resources may include links to NCSL webpages, worksheets, videos and presentations.

If you have any questions about the resources posted, please us the contact form at left.

Legislative Staff Institutional Essentials 2023

• Agenda
• Cohort 1 Roster | Cohort 2 Roster

Module 1: The Model Code of Conduct for Legislative Staff

Faculty: Mark Quiner, NCSL

• NCSL’s Model Code of Conduct for Legislative Staff
• The Compass: Navigating Ethics for Legislative Staff
• Model Code of Conduct: PowerPoint

Module 2: Our American Legislatures: Understanding Their Characteristics and Procedures

Faculty: Mari Henderson, NCSL

• Welcome to Module 2
• Glossary of Legislative Terms
• Full- and Part-Time Legislatures
• 2023 Legislative Session Calendar
• Legislatures at a Glance

Module 3: Budgeting 101

Faculty: Erica MacKellar, NCSL

• New Mexico's Legislative Finance Committee Agency Report Cards
• Oregon "Kicker" Surplus Credit
• Budgeting in the States Presentation

Midpoint Event: Emotional Intelligence Workshop | Participant Networking

Faculty: Angela Andrews, NCSL

• Presentation: Increasing Our Emotional Intelligence

Module 4: Concise, Clear Communications

Faculty: Marianna Swallow, communications workshop leader and public speaking coach

• Smoother, Simpler Communication Presentation
• Smoother, Simpler Communication Worksheet

Module 5: Cultivating Your Craft: Principles of Being an Effective Staffer

Faculty: Angela Andrews, NCSL

• Professional Staff Associations
• Legislative Video Resource Center
• Cultivating Your Craft presentation 
• What's Your Principle? Annotated Slide 
• A View of the Legislature from the Trenches