Professional Staff Associations Leadership Staff Section (LSS)

The staff section is governed by a chair, a first vice-chair, a second vice-chair, an immediate past chair, and an nine-member executive committee. The officers and executive committee are elected by the general membership at the annual business meeting of the staff section. They serve one-year terms with a three consecutive term limit. The executive committee makes general decisions that guide the staff section including planning the activities of the staff section. The executive committee meets at least twice a year at the annual training seminar in the fall and during the winter for a planning session. The executive committee is responsible for setting the agenda for the annual training seminar, publishing the staff section newsletter, maintaining communication with the NCSL executive committee and conducting other business and special projects that arise.

The Leadership Staff Section is committed to developing the professional skills of legislative staff working in the unique and demanding offices of state legislative leaders. The LSS Professional Development Seminar is the main venue through which the staff section offers professional skills development. The annual training seminar is held each fall for four days. The staff section also sponsors several sessions at the NCSL Legislative Summit in the summer.

LSS publishes a periodic newsletter called Leadership Staff Connections which is sent to all LSS members.

The general membership of the Leadership Staff Section (LSS) consists of persons designated as leadership staff by legislative leaders of the fifty states and the insular possessions and territories of the United States. Each individual state's definition of legislative leaders shall apply when determining membership.

A searchable database of the LSS membership (as well as other staff section memberships) is available to you.  This is a fast--and easy--way to find LSS members when you are looking for information and need a contact in a state. The roster of the staff section is maintained by NCSL. To be added to the membership of the staff section, or to search the database, contact the NCSL liaison for LSS.

Guidelines for Retired Members

Members of the Leadership Staff Section who leave active legislative employment are eligible to continue their membership in the LSS as "retired members." Retired members shall be defined as those former LSS members actually drawing retirement benefits from legislative service and those who have left legislative employment but are employed elsewhere. Lobbyists registered to lobby state legislatures shall not be eligible for retired member status.

A retired member shall not have voting privileges, but is eligible to receive all other privileges of LSS membership. Specifically, a retired member is eligible to participate in the LSS annual training seminar in the same manner as an active legislative staff member. The retired member will pay the same registration fee as for guest registration.
Application for retired member status shall be made in writing to the current LSS chair. Final approval shall be by majority vote of the LSS Executive Committee.

These guidelines are adopted as general policy of the LSS, but are not incorporated into its bylaws. The guidelines become effective immediately upon their adoption. They can be amended or revoked at any time by a majority vote at an annual meeting of the Leadership Staff Section.

For More Information

Contact an officer or a member of the executive committee, or contact Stacy Householder, the NCSL liaison for LSS, at (303) 364-7700.

General Information

Do you have a question about how other states handle an issue or a problem that you’ve encountered? The Leadership Staff Section (LSS) listserv is an electronic discussion group. It provide an e-mail form for information exchange to legislative leadership staff and others interested in leadership issues.

LSS listserv subscribers may post questions to the list. Every question sent to the list’s address is automatically distributed to all LSS listserv subscribers. In return, any subscriber’s response to a listserv e-mail is automatically transmitted to all other subscribers.

NCSL staff use the listserv to distribute meeting announcements and other association information.

NCSL Listserv Use Policy

IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: When you send or reply to a question on a listserv, all subscribers will be able to view your inquiry or message. NCSL staff section listservs are open to all registered legislative members and staff.

To Subscribe

To subscribe to the LSS listserv, send an e-mail requesting a subscription to LSS-L to Stacy Householder, the LSS liaison and listserv administrator. In your e-mail, please provide the following:

• Name
• Title (for example—Chief of Staff, Legislative Assistant, etc.)
• Office (for example—Office of the Speaker, Office of the Minority Leader, etc.)
• Chamber (for example—Senate, House or Assembly)
• State
• Phone number
• E-mail address

You will receive a welcome message that confirms your subscription and describes how to post messages to (and to be removed from) the listserv. It’s a good idea to save those instructions.

Posting Messages

IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: When you send (or reply to) a question on the LSS listserv, all subscribers receive your inquiry or message.

To post a message to the LSS listserv, send an e-mail message addressed to LSS-L@ncsl.org. In the subject field, please put a brief description of the topic of your message. In the body of the message, present your questions or comments. Also, include your name and contact information at the bottom of every message, so others may contact you individually if they choose. When you hit "Send," your message will be sent to all subscribers on the list.

Also, if confidentiality is important, LSS listserv subscribers may ask Stacy Householder, the LSS liaison, to post questions.

Replying to Messages

IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: When you send (or reply to) a question on the LSS listserv, all subscribers receive your inquiry or message. To respond privately to someone who posted a message or response to the LSS listserv, DO NOT reply to the listserv message. Instead, send a new message to that person’s individual e-mail address.

To respond to any inquiry posted to the LSS listserv, just hit "Reply" and type in your response. Again, please include your name and contact information at the end of your message, so others may contact you individually if they choose. When you hit "Send," your response will be sent to all subscribers on the list.

To Be Removed (Unsubscribe)

To be removed (to unsubscribe) from the LSS listserv, DO NOT SEND (OR REPLY TO) A LISTSERV MESSAGE. Please send an individual e-mail message to Stacy Householder. In either the subject line or the body of the message, put the word UNSUBSCRIBE.

For More Information

If you have any questions about or problems with the LSS listserv, please contact:
Stacy Householder
NCSL Liaison to the Leadership Staff Section (LSS)
Phone: 303-364-7700