NALFO welcomes all legislative staff with fiscal research or analysis responsibilities to be involved in the organization. The organization does not charge dues, and strives to improve the quality and effectiveness of legislative fiscal staff and the services they provide to state legislatures through information sharing and networking. NALFO is governed by elected officers, who help set the direction of NALFO and improve the organization’s ability to assist legislative fiscal staff around the country.
NCSL hopes you will consider becoming a NALFO officer and lending your voice and expertise to this valuable organization.
How to Become a NALFO Officer
To be considered for the position of NALFO treasurer, please send a letter with the below information to Erica MacKellar. A three-member selection committee of NALFO members will review the submissions and choose someone to recommend as part of the slate of officers at the NALFO Business Meeting in Indianapolis, Ind. on Tuesday, August 15. The slate of officers will then be voted on by NALFO members present at the business meeting.
Please submit your letter of interest by Thursday, July 27.
Name:
Title:
Contact Information:
- Please summarize your experience with your current office and any relevant past experience.
- Please summarize your engagement and involvement with NCSL and/or NALFO.
- Please provide a brief paragraph explaining why you would like to become a NALFO Officer.
Please contact Erica MacKellar (303-856-1403) with any questions.
Roles and Responsibilities of NALFO Officers
The core of the NALFO Executive Committee consists of the immediate past-president, president, president-elect, secretary and treasurer. At the NALFO Annual Business Meeting typically held in conjunction with the NCSL Legislative Summit in August, a new slate of officers is presented to NALFO membership and approved. The president-elect automatically assumes the role of president, but other officers must be approved as they move into a new position. Roles and responsibilities for each of the positions are below:
- The president shall preside at all meetings of the association and of the executive committee and shall have general control over the affairs of the association subject to the approval of the executive committee.
- The president-elect shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the president or the executive committee. In case of death, disability, or absence of the president, the president-elect shall perform and be vested with all the powers and duties of that office.
- The secretary shall maintain a record of all votes and minutes of meetings of the association and executive committee. The secretary shall provide notice of meetings to all member offices.
- The treasurer shall keep account of all moneys received or disbursed by the association in a bank account or depository approved by the executive committee. All checks for payment of money shall be signed by the president or president-elect and the treasurer.
These are the official descriptions in the NALFO bylaws, but in practice the roles are less formal. NCSL staff will notify offices of meetings and take notes as necessary, and all banking and accounting will also be done through NCSL. The NALFO Executive Committee will help move NALFO business forward in accordance with the agenda of the president and the broader LSCC, assist in brainstorming programming for meetings, and advise and make decisions on other issues as they arise.
While the secretary and treasurer do not automatically move into the next position up, they typically do by tradition. Please keep in mind when putting your name forward that the president and president-elect also serve on NCSL’s Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee.
More About NCSL’s Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee (LSCC)
When you become president-elect and president of NALFO, you will also become a member of NCSL's Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee (LSCC).
The LSCC is made up of the NCSL staff officers, the legislative staff members elected to the NCSL Executive Committee, the staff co-chairs and staff vice chairs of the NCSL Standing Committees, two officers of each of the nine professional staff associations, and six discretionary appointees of the staff chair.
The purposes of the LSCC are to oversee the legislative staff division of NCSL, to coordinate the work of the nine professional staff associations of NCSL, to promote professional development of legislative staff, and to review and evaluate NCSL services to legislative staff. LSCC serves in an advisory capacity to the NCSL Executive Committee.
The LSCC meets four times a year, and while your participation is not mandatory, it is highly encouraged that you attend as many meetings as possible while serving as NALFO president-elect and president. Travel funds are not provided and are the responsibility of the individual or their legislature. However, there is no registration fee and most meals are provided.
The time commitment for in-person LSCC meetings is about two to three days (including travel) and for online LSCC meetings the commitment is approximately four to five hours spread across one week. Depending on projects and your level of interest and engagement, you may be asked to volunteer in between meetings, which typically consumes no more than eight hours during a three-to-four-month period. However, the time commitment can increase should you take on a leadership role within the LSCC.
For more information on the LSCC, check out the LSCC home page, LSCC workgroup and subcommittee page, the current LSCC roster, and the LSCC orientation booklet.