NCSL provides a wide range of professional development and training opportunities designed specifically with legislative staff in mind. These opportunities include professional development seminars, planned by each of the professional staff associations, leadership and management development for emerging, new or tenured staff leaders and directors, a biannual meeting for HR professionals, NCSL's annual Legislative Summit as well as customized, in-state professional development.
Staff Association Professional Development Seminars (PDS) and Online Training
The Staff Associations Professional Development Seminar 2025 fall seminar dates and locations are listed below.
American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries (ASLCS)
The ASLCS Professional Development Seminar will be held Sept. 21-25 in Santa Fe, NM.
Legislative Information and Communications Staff (LINCS)
The LINCS Professional Development Seminar will be held jointly with NALIT Sept. 8-11 in Juneau, AK.
Legislative Research Librarians (LRL)
The LRL Professional Development Seminar will be held Oct .5-8 in Princeton, NJ.
Leadership Staff Professional Association (LSPA)
The LSPA Professional Development Seminar will be held TBD.
National Association of Legislative Fiscal Offices (NALFO)
The NALFO Fiscal Analysts Seminar will be held TBD.
National Association of Legislative Information Technology (NALIT)
The NALIT Professional Development Seminar will be held jointly with NALIT Sept. 8-11 in Juneau, AK.
National Legislative Services and Security Association (NLSSA)
The NLSSA annual training conference will be held Oct. 19-24 in Indianapolis, IN.
National Legislative Program Evaluation Society (NLPES)
The NLPES Professional Development Seminar will be held Sept. 28- Oct. 3 in Helena, MT.
Research, Editorial, Legal and Committee Staff (RELACS)
The RELACS Professional Development Seminar will be held Oct. 6-9 in Madison, WI.
Legislative Education Staff Network
The Legislative Education Staff Network (LESN) is a partnership between the Education Commission of the States and the National Conference of State Legislatures. LESN is a coordinated network of professional and knowledgeable legislative staff from across the country who work on education policy.
LESN holds two annual convenings. The summer 2025 meeting will be held in conjunction with the ECS National Forum on Education in Salt Lake City, UT (dates TBD). More information about this meeting, the winter gathering in Phoenix, AZ (dates TBD) and other opportunities will be shared through the LESN listserv, and inquiries about LESN membership or upcoming meetings can be sent to LESN coordinators, Autumn Rivera and Leila Reynolds.
NCSL Base Camp and Legislative Summit
Two opportunities to learn from experts and network with legislative staff.
NCSL Base Camp 2025
In a dynamic online setting, NCSL Base Camp brings together policy experts on a wide range of topic areas to educate policymakers and legislative staff.
NCSL Legislative Summit | Aug. 4-6, 2025 | Boston, MA
The Legislative Summit is NCSL's premier annual event and provides a platform for legislators, staff and other public policy professionals to learn from the nation's foremost experts, as well as each other, about solutions to the country's most pressing issues.
Legislative Staff Management Institute
The Legislative Staff Management Institute (LSMI) provides legislative staff with the opportunity to develop and enhance their management and leadership skills. The 2024 program will be held July 9-16 in Denver, Colo. Applications open March 3, 2025.
Senior Staff Leadership Development Program
NCSL's Senior Staff Leadership Development Program is an executive leadership workshop exclusively for legislative staff directors, senior department directors, chamber, caucus or leaders' chiefs of staff. This is an invitation only program.
National Seminar on Human Resource Management in State Legislatures
NCSL's biannual National Seminar on Human Resource Management in State Legislatures is designed for legislative HR professionals and senior legislative staff responsible for creating, implementing and enforcing HR policies and practices. No other national training program offers this special focus on the legislature as an employer or brings together legislative staff who need to know more about this critical body of knowledge. The 2025 National Seminar on Human Resources Management in State Legislatures will be held in San Jose, California, October 22-24, 2025. Contact Selena Saucedo for more details.
Legislative Staff Institutional Essentials
NCSL's Legislative Staff Institutional Essentials program will be held in October and November 2025 during five two-hour sessions. This online training program is for newer legislative staff who are seeking a broader context about legislatures and the legislative process, and will focus on five core competencies. Staff with one to three years of legislative employment are invited to apply, with the approval of their director/supervisor. Applications will be accepted from late May to late June.
Legislative Training Institute
NCSL has trainers who can develop in-state training and retreat programs customized to you and your office's or chamber's needs.